Disturbia
Sponsorships
Disturbia is a mysterious drama that
displays many sponsorships throughout the film. This thriller shapes an
argument for the use of these products. These advertisements add to the film,
and the products benefit from receiving further recognition. Some sightings are
more obvious than others. This movie’s dominant market range is teenagers and
young adults. The sponsorships of Coca-Cola and Xbox fit in perfectly with
these young viewers. This film promotes these products by using rhetorical devices.
In the opening scene of
the film we see our main actor Kale and his father fishing up in the northwest.
The setting is beautiful. The stream looks clear and healthy. There are large
mountain ranges in the background. This was an advantageous time for Coca-Cola
to incorporate their brand into the film. The father pulls out two refreshing
bottles of Coca-Cola and they enjoy their drinks while admiring the beauty of
nature. Ethos is clearly displayed. The film is affected by gaining credibility
due to the well-respected brand of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola also receives a benefit.
Their product is the beverage to complement this perfect opening scene. Pathos
can also been recognized here. The audience helplessly begins to thirst for a
cold bottle of Coke. The product has smartly placed itself within a strong
emotional attachment between father and son. This scene already has an
emotional charge so Coca-Cola did a nice job incorporating their product here
specifically. This sponsorship also includes logos. It gives believability to
the film that the father and son would be drinking the world’s most renowned
soda as they fish and bond. “Live on the Coke Side of Life” was Coca-Cola’s
marketing slogan back in 2007, when this film was released (The Coca-Cola
Company 2). This particular scene connects to the marketing slogan and infers
that “the Coke Side of Life” must be paradise. A quote from publisher Judith
Evans ties in nicely with this scene, “Travel
where you will, anywhere in the world, and you will encounter Coca-Cola; on
clothes, in signs, on packaging, in art – everywhere” (Evans 1).
The next clear sponsorship comes
later in the film as Kale is in his room serving his house arrest sentence.
Kale is in a dark place as he feels lonely and separated from the outside
world. However, Xbox then comes in to save the day. An Xbox 360 is displayed as
an extremely obvious advertisement. The actual movie consists of multiple
seconds recording Kale’s video game. Xbox advertises their Xbox Live feature, which
enables players to link up from around the world. This helps save Kale from his
loneliness in his room. Considering the fact that many viewers of this film are
probably teenage males, this product placement makes a lot of sense. Unlike,
Coca-Cola Xbox does not have a particular marketing slogan. However, this scene
gives them a lot of credibility as we actually get to experience the product.
The film also gains ethos as it displays an extremely popular home
entertainment and video game system. Pathos is also seen. The viewer feels empathy
for Kale as we witness him aimlessly wandering around his home. The viewer is
then comforted when his Xbox 360 saves Kale from his boredom. This product
placement also adds believability to the film as it comes of no surprise that a
teenage boy is playing a video game.
I
firmly believe that both of these products benefit from the film as well as add
to it. In Understanding Movies, there
is a quote that reads, “The filmmaker uses actors as a medium for communicating
ideas and emotions” (Giannetti 283). In this film, I believe the products also
communicate ideas and emotions. Disturbia
uses rhetorical devices to promote Coca-Cola and Xbox. These benefits are
mutual. This mysterious thriller also receives credibility, believability, and
an emotional charge by incorporating these products. Due to these mutual benefits
I give this relationship five slurpees.
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