HP FTW

I recently came across a commercial that I could have skipped within five seconds but did not. The comercial was one for an HP printer that was competing against a dog, Anastasia, to see who could pop the most balloons or print the most paper first: "The Battle of the World's Fastest" as they so conveniently put it. 

This commercial is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with our media. From the start, there is no narration but rather "intro music" which sucks you into believing that there will be some sort of grand revelation at the end of the intro. It begins by displaying "The Battle of the World's Fastest." FALSE. I can, without a doubt say that this dog is not THE fastest dog in the world and that this printer is not THE fastest printer in the whole entire globe. HP's got you thinking Usain will come bolting out and race God. But no, it's a printer and a dog. HP uses this appeal of almost "man vs. machine" to reach the consumer's need to achieve.Because there is great intro music and a competition and a dog, advertisers hope you will succumb to the need to finish the commercial in order to see who ultimately wins.

Ultimately, the all new HP Officejet Pro X Never-Fail New Technology Laser Page-Wide Paper 3000 wins. Surprise. A way that HP then slides their competitive information into your brain is during the competition and with facts and figures. They state that the printer has "Laser-like speed at up to half the cost per page." SWag. The advertisiers try to focus on one specific detail fo the printer that makes it far better than any other printer: the speed. They make the commercial revolve around nothing but the speed so that the consumer will put price and everything else aside when buying the product. 

They then plaster you with their logo and slogan which has absolutely nothing to do with their line of products. "Make it matter." What does that even mean??? Make what matter?? Your printing? Your paper? Your computer that prints?? The company uses this slogan to make consumers feel that they are accomplishing something by giving into their products. They employ vagueness in hopes that the consumer will create their own defenition out of the word "matter" in regards to what matters to them and what they are going to do with their HP product.