Short Essay 2

For the purposes of this assignment, I compared an advertisement for “Gamer Grub”, a product sold in pouches presumably to be consumed while busy playing a video game, to one for “Texas Roadhouse”, a traditional sit-down restaurant that specializes in steaks and ribs. The differences between the two products advertised are quite apparent, and at first glance, so too are the advertisements, but the mechanics at work, the ways in which they are advertised, are actually quite similar.

            The “gamer grub” pouches prominently feature enlarged images of a few small chunks of the material inside, along with visual effects and a background that suggest a video game environment. The names of the product and flavor are similarly portrayed in large fonts that are reminiscent of something that one might find in a video game. The word “Gamer” is especially emphasized. Smaller, more boldface font declares the product to be a “performance snack” and “infused with neurotransmitters”, along with the specifications of weight and suggested instructions for use of the pouch. These instructions are particularly telling, suggesting that the contents be consumed via a design feature referred to as “tear and tilt” that allows the customer to imbibe the contents without so much as looking at or touching them.

            The “Texas roadhouse” advertisement puts good deal more food on display than the other advertisement. Instead of illustrating a few kernels of the product in high detail, it prefers to demonstrate the size of the portions of various foods available, resulting in an image which depicts enough food for at least four meals. The background here does not appear artificially spliced in to the picture, but is instead of the large wooden table on which the foods are presumably served to customers. The font in which the restaurant’s name is advertised is that of a neon sign, with the word “Texas” in all capital letters, in a boldface type somewhat reminiscent of a cattle brand. The name is bisected by a picture of a map of the state of Texas, itself wearing a cowboy hat.

            Both of these advertisements demonstrate admirably the values and ideas of the specific culture of people that they are marketing towards. The “Gamer grub” obviously intends to appeals to people who consider themselves members of a “Gamer” subculture. The packaging lends itself to appear as much like something one might find in a video game as is possible, while the description and depiction of the actual food itself is garnered to the priorities of its consumers. Stereotypically speaking, a “gamer” cares very little about the food that they eat and even less about whether it conforms to traditional meals. So long as it appears edible and results in as much energy output as possible, tasting relatively like traditional food is simply an added bonus. These priorities are easily seen reflected in the content of the advertisement. While a small example of the contents of the pouch is provided, it is overshadowed by the lightning bolt - like “energy” effects, the specifications of the amount of food inside, and the claims to be a “performance snack” for “Gamers”.

In contrast, the “Texas cowboy” culture that the Texas roadhouse advertisement is marketed towards has almost completely opposite attitudes and priorities regarding foods, and this is again reflected in the advertisement. What is important here is the traditional nature of the food and the way in which it is served, in as great a quantity as can be consumed in a single meal as is possible. This lends itself well to a sit-down restaurant which specializes in serving very large helpings of meat and potatoes, examples of which are prominently featured in the advertisement. Again, the text serves to hammer home the intended audience both in vocabulary and the font in which it is written.

            The audiences of these advertisements are delineated by subculture: a group of people that consider themselves set apart from the general popular culture by virtue of the choices they make and values that they hold. The key thing to realize here is that while the target cultures themselves may be radically different, especially with regard to their attitudes towards food, the advertisements shown here are essentially attempting to appeal to each using the same argument. This is the idea that as a member of a certain culture, one should eat foods that qualify one as such. Both use an appeal to the ethnocentrism, the island mentality of their respective subcultures. They utilize the idea that the culture of their audience is superior, that their values and priorities are the most important things to consider in making a decision as to where and what to consume in any given situation. Thus, since the advertised products obviously represent those values, they must be the best choice for anyone who would claim to be a member of said culture to buy.