In this Heinz commercial that aired in 2016, during the Super Bowl, both comedy and empathy were used to capture the attention of the audience. It appealed to both hotdog and regular dog lovers and had a simple way of comparing the relationship between a dog and it's person and a hotdog and it's Heinz condiment.
Breaking it Down by Frames
The creators of this commercial were very intellgent and strategic in appealing to a very wide audience. They not only used different methods to evict both humor and compassion but they also made it appoint to include both children and adults as well as other tactics to be as relatable as possible.
Figure 1
Right of the bat, they begin the commercial with an adorable small dog in a costume running as seen in Figure 1. The ears are flopping and the wide-open, sunny field indicates nothing but pure joy.
Figure 2
The side-shot seen in Figure two was helpful in showing the audience a different perspective of the costume and dog so they understand that it is a dachushun (aka. weiner dog) dressed as a hot dog.
Figure 3
The next few seconds introduce more dogs dressed up as hotdogs because what is cuter that just one pup? And as Figure 3 introduces more pups, Figure 4 goes a step further in providing a sneak peak that there are even more dogs by framing canted and making it difficult to tell how far back the pack of dogs are and just how many more will come into frame, keeping the audience guessing and holding their attention.
Figure 4
Then, the creators when a step further to reach out to the audience by showing a puppy dressed up because even if you don't like hot dogs, dachshuns, or dogs at all, mostly likely a puppy whould still apeal to you because of its nature of being something small which people tend to find cute.
Figure 5
Figure 7
Figure 6
Figure 8
Finally, the audience sees the first frame of people dressed up as both ketchup and mustard, two popular hotdog toppings, and the audience can begin to connect the dots as to why all the pups are hot dogs.
It is finally revealed to the audience in Figure 6 that there is a huge litter of dogs running to a faint line of Heinz bottles but you can clearly see that there are more than ketchup and mustard on the horizon.
The wide shot in Figure 6 is followed by a compilation of shots such as those seen in Figures 8 and 9 that offer a close up of the people's facial expressions to demonstrate the lingering, loving anticipation of the pups arrival. These shots focus more on the feeling they want to demonstrate as apposed to the product themselves. Figure 8 not only adds a cuteness factor by including a small child but shows that Heinz does produce small packets of their product although that is probably the after thought when people think how creatively they included someone younger. This shot also helps include a younger audience member by allowing them to see a child in a group of adults so they know that the product is not just something that their parents may use.
Figure 9
The creators strategically continue to appeal to different types of audience members through the next few frames. Again, Figure 9 focuses more on the emotional connection that the creators want the audience to feel when they think of Heinz and their cute and loving dog commercial. And very metaphorically but also visually, the line of their Heinz products is lingering in the background so that the audience sees it and subconciously will know that there are more products but in that moment it is not the main focus.
Figure 10
Figure 10 finally provides a more clear shot to the product line but it is still at some what distance of a distance which indicates that the focus remains on the emotional connection of all these dogs running as fast as they can to the people. The audience members see the most likey a family between the two adults and child holding hands. There are also several people with wide open arms and then a few stand alone people, specifically the brown bottle on the far left. The brown bottle is spereated not only by color but also by proximity suggesting he is an outcast but still in the group.
Figure 11
Over the next few shots, anticipation builds up as the camera cuts back anf fourth between the pups that are still running and the people awaiting their arrival. Figure 11 keeps up the emotional connection that is being established. Figure 12 gives the audience a narrow-wide shot and provides location/ proximity of the pups and a way for the audience to gage the timing as they can see the pups getting closer bur they aren't quiet there yet allowing anticipation to build in the series of back and fourth shots seen in Figures 11-16.
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 13 which is in the face-off series of shots provides the opportunity for the audience to read the labels on the bottle to show that they are not the traditional ketchup product yet it is masked as showing the excitement of the pups getting closer to the people. This again is a way to focus on feelings but it is much clearer that they are displaying the products because the information is well in frame and focus as opposed to the previous shots. It also provides another type of audience member which is the "buddies or dudes" typically associated with this kind of physical interaction seen in the younger male roles.
Figure 14
Besides the face-off Figure 14 shows a frame where they come back to focusing on the pups and get the attention of the products for a minute. However, this shot is different because for the first time since the first shot of the commercial the pups are running directly towards the camera, directly towards the audience. The direction and proximity of the pups allows the audience to be included in not only anticipating the pups but now they are included in the Heinz group.
Figure 15
Figure 15 is a snapshot that captures the wheat-straw falling from the man's mouth as he stares at the impending pups. Two connotations can come from this action. The first is that there are so many pups and its impressive. The second aligns more with the emotional sense that this big, tough man who is alone is even softend by these adorable pups because he isn't meant to be alone.
Figure 16
In Figure 15 we come back to a close up frame of the brown bottle. This person has already been established as the "outcast" or the on the outskirts of the group. More of a "loner-tough guy" persona is established by the wheat-straw you put in his mouth typically seen in a western which seems to match his mustache style which is mixed between biker and cowboy.
The frame shown in figure 16 is really important because it shows the lead pup breaking the forth wall and looking directly at the audience. This speaks to the audience and reenforces their participation by this simple act of acknowledgement.
Figure 17
Figure 17 is interesting because there is a time gap between these two side-by-side frames that were grabbed in real time. So in Figure 17 the lead pup is jumping up into a person's arms, however, Figure 18 which is the actual next frame, all of the bottles are recieving dogs. This demonstrates that there is no preference for a hotdog and a condiment nor is one condiment better that the other.
Figure 18
Figure 19
Figure 20
The commercial wraps up with one senitmental feeling demonstrated by a pup and the innocent, loving child as seen in Figure 19. The frame brings a sense of peace and simplicity as a reminder of the good-old, young days for the adult audience members.
Finally, the last shot of the commercial formally and literally introduces the products to the audience by inviting them to "Meet the Ketchups". By now it can be equated as an extend family who has the mom, dad, baby, estranged uncle, the cousins, etc. There is a character for almost anyone to relate to either as that character or maybe having their own in their family.
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