Advertisers are always trying to come up with new ideas that will attract the viewer to want to buy their product or invest into their service. They have the burden of coming up with ideas that are new, fresh, and appealing. They must be original, entertaining, and yet still be able to get the point across in an effective and comprehendible manner so that the viewer understands what is being sold. In their book The Language of Advertising, Torben Vestergaard and Kim Schroeder (1985) point out that, “Advertising is senseless unless [the] goods are overproduced so that sellers need to ‘beat the competition’.”

For this assignment, I have chosen to analyze the current advertising campaign for the Subway sandwich company. In doing so, I will provide general descriptions of the commercials and give an idea of how they are laid out, identify and comment on the values present, and analyze the campaign using the “Source, Message, Channel, Receiver” (SMCR) model.

To star off, let’s take a look at the commercials themselves so we can know what we’re talking about. The typical beginning for these Jared/Subway commercials is somewhat typical—they’re like any other comme

Another positive value appealed to in the “Jared” campaign of commercials (perhaps the key element that causes them to appeal to us so strongly) is the value of effort and optimism. “This value expresses the belief that even the most unattainable goals can be reached if one works hard and ‘keeps smilin’’” (Larson, 211). This value is even more all-inclusive than the value of the individual. The value of effort and optimism leads us to such values as attractiveness, accomplishment and achievement, self respect, motivation, acceptance, and many others. Effort and optimism are both causes and effects of some of the “sub-values” mentioned above. Let’s look at how this is possible with the issue of attractiveness. When one does not possess the physical appearance they desire, something motivates them to pursue that which they don’t have. In this case, we are talking about losing weight. Their desire to be skinny drives them to choose a lifestyle that will alter their physical appearance. By valuing effort and optimism, they will use these intrinsic values to produce the desired result: a more attractive physique through losing weight. As they progress, their results will be a source of happiness which will cause them to be more optimistic. By being more optimistic, the desire to put forth more of an effort will increase, and the cycle continues. But, in examining attractiveness by itself, we get a good look at a major issue for many Americans.

Each day, millions of Americans get up and “get themselves ready”. What exactly are we getting ready for? Sometimes we know exactly what the planned day is supposed to hold for us, and we prepare accordingly: we put on the nice clothes, make sure our hair is in properly prepared and that all aspects of our outfit is coordinated together because of that important meeting, interview, presentation, or whatever. But, more often than not, we are not certain of all the day’s activities, but yet, we prepare ourselves for the day in a very similar fashion. This occurs even when the day starts with no direction or plan. In seeing this, it is evident there is a strong grasp by Americans on the value of attractiveness. Being attractive seems to enable acceptance which, in turn, opens a multitude of doors and opportunities. One might ask oneself, “Why is there such a desire to be attractive and accepted by others when we don’t even have any reason to be associated with each other?” It is apparent that, along with the acceptance gained from being attractive, are self respect and self worth.

There is an underlying theme or common thread that links all of the discussed values together that I would like to address now. It is the value of accomplishment. Accomplishment is an inborn value among Americans and that is why anything that promotes this idea is not a failure in our society. By taking a look at American history, it is apparent that accomplishment is high on our list of priorities. Let’s take the space program for example. We were in stiff competition with the Russians in the 1960s. They got the first satellite out in space, so we felt like we had to outdo them. So what do we do? We go to the moon—first. But we didn’t stop there—we went back to the moon several times to study it and learn all about it. Then, our sights turned to the other bodies out in the vast expanse of space. So we send up telescopes that can see light-years into the darkness and we make new discoveries. Then, our sights turn back to our own solar system, but this time, to Mars. Eventually, we make it to Mars first—not with humans yet, but with a remote-controlled exploratory vehicle. Space is only one example of how accomplishment is synonymous with American. But, on a more personal level, the idea of self-control earns us our portion of the sense of American accomplishment. Being able to control one’s weight is not an easy task. That’s why

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