Morgan Griffith
Mr. Jones
English 1010-018
16 October 2013
Pepsi Max: “Gordon for a Test Drive”
In society we are influenced daily by companies trying to sell us a product that we must have. Yesterday’s choice of breakfast from Starbucks is no longer equivalent to today’s alternative at Dunkin’ Donuts. Last month’s top of the line, must have shirt is now on the clearance rack at the front of the store. If you aren’t in this month’s top you just might need to find new friends due to the fact that you’re probably an embarrassment to them. Although these examples are far from the truth, is this not how producers want us to feel every time they advertise a new product? Companies are constantly creating new, and more effective, tactics to make us want to buy their product; whether you want to believe it or not, you more than likely fall into this entrapment almost every single day. Just about every commercial you see either has a famous celebrity in it or is making you laugh. As for the commercial I chose to write about, it has both. The Pepsi Max test drive commercial stars Jeff Gordon. The commercial starts out showing a nerdy, inexperienced driver taking a test drive in a 2009 Chevy Camaro. There is a car dealer in the passenger seat looking a bit nervous as the man takes off and then applies the breaks abruptly. After repeating this action a few times, all of a sudden, the driver takes off and you see the pure fear in the employee’s eyes. The dealer asks the man to slow the car down, trying to still be kind, but shortly after begins getting angry demanding him to stop the vehicle. The commercial skips back to what took place earlier that day, prior to the test drive. Jeff Gordon is being disguised as a dorky, middle-aged man who is looking to buy a car. The commercial begins presenting the Pepsi Max can, in which has been transformed into a hidden camera. The whole time we see Gordon flaunting the can, always making certain to show off the flashy Pepsi Max logo on the front. He begins wondering around a car dealership and starts looking at the 2009 Chevy Camaro. When the car dealer comes up and asks him if he is interested in the car, Gordon explains that having so much power in a car is something he has never had before. The car dealer, in an attempt to reel him in, explains to him that he would feel more comfortable if he had the chance to be behind the wheel. After a few forms are signed we are brought back to the scene we saw at the beginning of the commercial, although this time it is much more drawn out. The car dealer begins cursing and threatening Gordon, telling him that he will be held liable for any damages made on the car. He also tells Gordon that he is going to kill him. This is where the humor comes in because the whole time the audience knows that it is all just a prank but to see the man going completely crazy and cursing is very comical. Once Gordon drives around for a short while, they arrive back at the dealership. The man gets out of the car and makes his way straight towards the building, while yelling at Gordon telling him he is going to call the cops. Gordon frantically gets out of the car, making sure not to forget his Pepsi Max can, and runs after the man explaining everything to him. He shows him all of the hidden cameras and reveals his true identity, assuring him his “friends” at Pepsi planed it all out. You can almost instantly see the relief on the employee’s face as he asks Gordon if he’d like to do it again. Clearly the main targets for this ad are male race fans. But even if one doesn’t know who Jeff Gordon is, or does
