Blue Bell’s “Some Say” Ice Cream Advertisement Analysis (Essay Sample)
Blue Bell’s “Some Say” ice cream advertisement—through the depiction of a gleeful family—appeals to the intrinsic desire in parents for comfort, stability, and happy children. The advertisement makes allusions toward a populist attitude and to Blue Bell ice cream being one easy way to attain a happy family. It extends the claim that this certain brand of ice cream is superior to others, in the opinion of a group implied to be credible.
The advertisement says just as much with its sparse use of background elements as a heavily detailed ad. The lack of detail in and of itself conveys a sense of homeliness, naturalness, and farm life. The details that do exist are a dense forest of trees draped with Spanish moss in the background, and a wide open grassy field extending into the foreground. Sun is shining through the trees. The advertisement, in short, is made to resemble an idyllic rural setting. This minimal nature of design is intended to appeal to the “average” working-class American family as well as people who identify with leading a simpler life or with simple values. To put it another way, Blue Bell is cashing in on a sort of southern charm and the lifestyle it entails.
The way the advertisement is composed is particularly effective in conveying the message of Blue Bell ice cream’s association with happiness in a certain audience: this audience being parents, particularly mothers. The ad is vertical, intended to be scanned visually from top to bottom. The very top of the advertisement is reinforced to be more sure to catch the audience’s attention first, with its big font and woodgrain background. The first thing the ad gets across, then, is a description of the product: Blue Bell ice cream, which some say is not only good, but the best ice cream in the country. Immediately, the audience wonders, “which group holds this opinion?” This is built up in the next vertical portion of the advertisement, which displays dense trees with sun shining through. This already conveys a lot of information about who Blue Bell wants their product to be for—the everyman and their family. The ad is making a populist appeal, as well as appealing to parents’ internalized fears of not being good enough or providing enough for their children, and the related desire to have a happy family.
Through its use of visuals, composition, and copy, the Blue Bell “Some Say” ice cream advertisement sets out to persuade the consumer to purchase their ice cream. It accomplishes this goal well, and appeals to simplicity while remaining simple in and of itself.
