Got Glue?

Got Glue?

An Ad Analysis on Loctite's Glue commercial "Positive Feelings"

Super Bowl 49 was shown on February 1st, 2015

The competition is fierce. Opposing contenders have been waiting for this moment ever since last year's performance and have trained long and hard for their chance to shine. This should be a display of their very best- and nothing less. The Super Bowl is an annual event where some of the largest firms in America go head to head to convince potential consumers why their product is superior, while battling through a limited time barrier, and also trying to keep an audience, who were watching what is the most important football match of the year, in their seats. However, in the Super Bowl XLIX, Loctite- a glue company with no Super Bowl commercial history, decides to put it all on the line by recklessly betting all of their advertisement budget on this event. In the Loctite Glue commercial "Positive Feelings", the director uses a diverse and independent cast, a theme of patriotism, a relevant and comical reggae track, symbolism through props, as well as a completely random voice-over to implement a surrealistic farce in hopes of informing a large group of audience- in this case, viewers of the Super Bowl- about the product through evoking laughter, while also making it more distinctive and eye-catching for the viewers.

The cast dancing with no organized form or exhibiting any similarity

The commercial included a group of mature individuals dancing to a reggae song in an unorganized form of choreography. One could say that the cast in the commercial represented the potential consumers of the product. For example, one of the dancers seems to look a lot like a construction worker where one would use the glue to stick broken pieces of equipment or wood back together. Another one of the dancers was also dressed like a stereotypical office worker and might also use the glue for work or fixing his chair or desk. The cast also chose to perform dance moves that seemed outdated or embarrassing for a person their age to be doing in hopes of making the audience laugh through looking like complete fools. Other outdated antics are also being used in the commercial, such as the use of a fanny pack or a sweater vest, as well as some outdated customs such as having a gap between your teeth- which is an ancient symbolism of beauty, but now looks, on the contrary, revolting (especially when the man smiles with lust like he did at 0:08).

The fact that no one is aroused triggers laughter as it just seems silly and a little disgusting

On the other hand, the cast also shows signs of progressiveness through the use of modern dance moves that promote sexual desire, such as at 0:06 when the woman in a flower shirt whips her hair or at 0:15 when two elderly adults butt-bumped. The fact that it does not kindle sexual desire when watching it creates a source of laughter as they just seem to look quite silly once more. Also, the cast seem to create a series of exaggerated movements, especially when dancing, while also exhibiting a very grave, yet quite lustful, expression. This can be clearly shown at 0:23 when the man in the glasses, what seems to be the leader of the group, and the office worker grab a drink from the wall, as if it was something out of the ordinary, while the office worker stared at the man with the glasses and the other just gazed out in the distance.

Just business as usual

The music stops at this moment to demonstrate, what one would expect, an important part of the commercial; however, it is everything but an issue of importance. The scene simply shows an over-exaggerated use of glue, since they stuck all those bottles to the wall, while also showing a scenario that is highly unlikely of ever occurring, creating a very amusing performance as one won’t usually think of using glue in such a fashion. The fact that one could actually stick bottles to the wall whilst using their glue, though, indirectly emphasizes the glue’s strength while also demonstrating one’s sudden desire of creativity when using Loctite’s glue products.

The cast shows diversity as there are also the presence of several minorities, resembling the reality of American life and demonstrating that not everybody is the same- but we should all use the same glue. In addition, the fanny pack is shown in a red and white color with a blue strap, like the American flag, which emphasizes how Loctite Glue, like the US, is used as a place where random people are unified as one, elaborating a unintentional sense of patriotism that makes this commercial ever so special.

There are no words that can describe American individualism

The colors of the United States are also shown in the scene with the bottles hanging on the wall, as the color of the drinks are both red and blue behind a white background. The disorder of dance moves and the fact that none of the cast look like each other represents individuality of the people in the commercial, and how random people who are completely unrelated to each other are using the same glue symbolizes something that unites each and every one of us- like sticking us together with glue. Overall, the director uses this over-exaggerated display of American nationalism to show how America is a very special place, filled with the most eccentric and interesting individuals and our own special sport (football), that we, as proud Americans, need glue that really expresses just that.

In the commercial, a personalized reggae song is depicted to be sung by the person in glasses who we start to see from 0:07 to 0:09. Before he begins to sing, the 70’s looking character is first shown yelling out “glue!” while then sticking his glasses back together.

Fast and easy. The glasses were fixed in a heartbeat.

Thus, the director creates this to provide a small and quick sense of ethos, as the person has been shown using the glue successfully and it seems that he is about to tell the audience why one should use their product. The guy in the glasses first starts off the song with “It’s me”. This quote is seen to promote laughter, as the singer seems to display a great deal of self-confidence, but truth to the matter is that the viewer really has no idea who he is.  The singer then goes on to explain in such simplistic terms why and how one could go about using the glue. The man in the glasses starts by stating that “…if you make a thing or break a thing it’s no problem” and that one may use Loctite’s product to “…put it back together again”. He then concludes by demonstrating how this is an easy two step fix, as the first step is getting your Loctite glue while then sticking the pieces back together is the next. Albeit this two-step process is pretty much how one is expected to use most glues, but the fact that he announces it emphasizes the easiness of it and, thus, making the glue sound as if it were much more easier to use then the competitor’s brand. Meanwhile, the use of comical irrelevance and over-exaggeration is displayed as the track is played.

The classic half akimbo and finger wave

Such as when “…it’s no problem” is being said in the background, the office worker is seen to be not only shaking his fingers at 0:14, but he also seems to be wobbling his body, as well as his head, in a similar, uncontrollable motion, as if he was overemphasizing his agreement with the lyrics. Also, when the 70’s looking man starts the song by saying “It’s me”, a close up on a mature woman with a determined face is shown as she lifts up her hands and sways to her left, like a sumo wrestler would when getting ready for a brawl. Thus, the scene generates laughter ast the woman seems so determined, with a sort of malevolent grin, for no apparent reason.

She's ready for it... I just wish I knew what it was

The excessive use of white and pink is more than coincidental

The use of props is limited to three categories: objects that are being fixed or have been repaired by the glue, accoutrements that promote individualism, and the glue itself and where it is stored (fanny pack). The main objective of showing objects that are being mended by the glue is simply to reemphasize the glue and the commercial’s main purpose, so that the viewer is not left completely bewildered by what was just seen or is left perplexed as to what the real purpose of the product is. However, in the case of the repaired unicorn, as shown in 0:17, it seems that after the elderly lady sticks the glue back together, she simply freezes while the unicorn is personified as it winks at 0:21. Since the unicorn and the old lady represent two completely opposite sides of the age spectrum (youth vs elderly), the company could be indirectly announcing that their product, even though powerful, is still safe (or safer) to use in the hands of children and aged adults. In addition, the unicorn is seen to be wearing similar accessories as the wizened woman, probably symbolizing the woman herself and how when she uses the glue, it is as if she feels young again and majestic due to the glue’s power- this is another example of how the ad uses over-stating to evoke amusement. Meanwhile, the use of different clothing and accoutrements worn by the group and the fact that they all have the same fanny pack with the same glue resembles that common bond shared between the unique individuals.

Not really how you would see a grown couple sitting down

Finally, the video ends with a voice-over where one of the women from the cast is sitting on one of the men’s lap while saying “Loctite Glue saved our marriage.” In a different scenario for an advertisement of a different product, such as an anger relief pill for the highly choleric, such a statement would be seen as relevant, better yet helpful, and would promote a feeling of ethos. But that is not the case. The product is glue- yes, glue- and there is barely any scenarios that would spring to mind where glue would really come to the rescue and prevent a lovely couple from splitting apart. The voice-over is therefore irrelevant and does not fit into the context, but it is that extraneous little detail that squeezes out that last bit of laughter from the viewer. The concluding sentence is seen as comical as it just leaves the viewer even more perplexed. In most commercials, the ending leaves the viewer with an idea of why one would buy their product, and since the information given was completely random, it created a sense of laughter as the viewer didn’t expect this concluding message. Although the viewer was left flabbergasted, a person might still buy their product since the commercial just seemed to be unique and unlike the usual glue commercial. The viewer will end up thinking about what he just watched that he’ll end up remembering this completely random commercial when looking for some glue to buy. So albeit the voice-over looked to be unrequired, it help add a little more laughter into the thirty-second commercial to make it seem more memorable and longer than it actually was.

Only one thing makes this a group, and they're pointing right at it. Loctite is what unites us

To sum it all up, in the short advertisement, the company uses an individualistic cast, a theme that expresses American pride, a personalized reggae song, indirect representation of a deeper meaning through cast accoutrements, and an irrelevant voice-over to inform and persuade viewers to buy their product through amusing them, thus making the commercial and product more memorable. The commercial resembles a paradigm of advertisement in modern capitalism, one that promotes a non-conformist ideal and that being different- or being you- is better and more appealing to society. But as time wears away, will ideologies develop into something more ideal and will individualism be a thing of the past, just as the conformist idea is to today’s modern American society, or is the feeling of being special an unmatched use of advertisement that can never be replaced?