Rapaille's findings show that Americans see food as a way of replenishing our bodies. He finds that the code for food is fuel. In the text he states "Americans regard their bodies as machines. Our machines have functions to perform and we need to keep them working"( Rapaille, 146). In the text, the majority of entries from Rapaille's surveys mention their experience of food having the function of keeping them going. In multiple ads I saw that the call to action was to fuel your body for some type of event. The code was especially apparent for breakfast advertisements and healthier choice foods.
This is an ad for wheaties newer "Fuel" line of moring cereal. The code is used directly as the product name. The cereal is targeting athletes and active consumers who want a meal that can give them the needed energy to perform their energetic task.
Snickers used the code for their super bowl ad in 2010. The ad features active young people playing a weekend pick up game of tackle football. Betty White the only elderly player on the field is incapable of keeping up and dragging. The other players give her a snickers to refuel her and after eating White is transformed back into the players true identity a young energetic guy.
Jimmy Deans breakfast sandwich commercial uses the code for food in this spot to show that not eating will leave you tired and and lacking enegy. The cloud character is "low" and needs to eat food to be productive and rise up. The ending dialog directly addresses the code by telling the consumer to "fuel your great days"
Speaking of America, many Americans can immediately think of
the term “American Dream”, of the land of freedom, the land having a gamut of scenery,
congregation of people from different countries and cultures.
In regard to America, the American Culture Code for it is also DREAM as per Rapaille’s research result (Rapaille, 195). By applying
this finding, the Brand USA created the global tourism campaign for the U.S and
the commercial “Land of Dreams” in April 2012 to encourage travelers throughout
the world to visit the U.S. The TVC was said to air in U.K, Canada, Brazil,
Japan, South Korea, etc.
In the commercial, audiences can see typical American people
and things, such as a cowboy at the beginning, tough motorcycle riders, a big family
gathering right beside a forest, a marching band right on a street, a same-sex
couple in a bus, the Color Run, a pile of crawfish, an eagle landing on a
skydiver, and especially a group of diversified people singing and playing
harmoniously beside the Brooklyn bridge. Moreover, the commercial briefly shows
the magnificent landscape of America, such as a California beach, New York’s
Times Square, New Orleans, and Grand Canyon. Those are just some of the
uniqueness that can be seen, heard, and experienced in the U.S only. Especially,
there are variety of people in terms of their races, ages, and nationalities
featuring in the commercial. They all smile, laugh, play, run, walk. It
exemplifies the Americans’ dream of being forever young (196) and the
optimistic side. It illustrates the notion of a free, beautiful country full of
delighted citizens.
Besides beautiful shots of American locations and people,
music also plays a critical part in the commercial. It’s a very typical American
one, a country song performed by Rosanne Cash. The artist was surrounded by
musicians with various types of instruments and representative costumes. As American
folk song is easily to be played along, America is open to anyone to join in.
The commercial not only emphasizes the dream and beauty of
America and its people but also taps into the desires of people all over the
world which are freedom and joyfulness. By employing the key word “Dream”, the
commercial achieves the “America’s mission to provide dreams to humanity”
(198).
One of the most commercialized and marketing symbols of love in American culture is that of the diamond engagement ring. We are constantly exposed to billboards, magazine advertisements and commercials with catchy tag lines such as "a diamond is forever".
Raptille's Culture Code for LOVE is FALSE EXPECTATION. In our country, 50% of marriages end in divorce and maybe of us associate the word “love” with heartbreak or let-downs.
Here are some examples from the 2003 ad campaign by the Diamond Trading Co. that aimed to increase sales of engagement rings over the holiday. The ads are obviously targeting men to buy engagement rings or even just jewelry for the women in their lives. I think the ads are also meant to target women who want their boyfriends to propose or buy them jewelry, which plays on the “expectations” code.
This ad is insinuating that you, as a boyfriend, don’t deserve your woman and also sends a subtle message to woman that says “your relationship or boyfriend doesn’t live up to your or your friend’s standards, so he should buy you jewelry.”
This one also has an undertone of buying an engagement ring to prove something or to justify or reaffirm your relationship.
Both of these ads, as well as pretty much all of the ads in the campaign use the “FALSE EXPECTATIONS” Culture Code to sell their product. Buying their product is both a financial and personal commitment, so by using the idea of a false expectation or the idea that love “rarely reaches fulfillment”, they can persuade he idea of their product as a means to fix or enhance a relationship (Raptille, 41).
