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Original Ad

This advertisement for Smirnoff Ice embodies fun. Everyone has huge smiles on their faces and are dressed in cool clothes. These people look ready for an amusing summer night out which doesn’t sound like a bad thing! However, there are problems with the idea in this advertisement. Firstly, the beverage is intended to be a “grab-and-go” style drink. The people in the add look like they intend to drink the alcohol on the street or outside somewhere. The drawback with that idea is that it is illegal to have open alcohol containers while you’re out on the street, or at the beach, etcetera. In many cities, doing this can even get you jail time. There is a reason for this law, as drinking can cause injuries, damages, and often risky decisions.

Another dilemma with this advertisement is that it only shows one side of alcohol. It displays friends having an entertaining night but does not demonstrate the things that could go wrong if someone were to drink too much. Inebriated people risk injuries, sickness, and more. People need to be aware of the risks they are taking when they consume alcohol so that they can make responsible decisions. Since the advertisement doesn’t show any risks, many people may assume that there are none.

The overall problem with this advertisement is that it is giving misinformation. It does not show what reality could be if someone consumes too much Smirnoff ice or opens one on the street like it looks like the people in the advertisement are about to do.

Jammed Ad

My idea behind the changes to the advertisement was to show what could really happen to the people in the photo. By changing the labels to reflect what could potentially occur, it takes a lot of the happiness and fun out of the advertisement and gives it a more authentic feel. The Smirnoff labels have been changed to the words “misdemeanor” and “injury” because those are both things that could easily happen to someone consuming alcohol outside in public. These words are used to show the darker side of alcohol. The advertisement seemed very one-sided to me and because of that it inspired me to show a different side of what Smirnoff can do. Instead of broadcasting the alcohol percentage, I changed the words to “100% inebriated” to help further promote that mistakes such as injuries and misdemeanors are made when one is intoxicated.

The target audience for my ad is anyone, including those under the legal drinking age. The reason the advertisement can appeal to anyone is because it is meant to inform the audience of the truth behind drinking too much alcohol and drinking in illegal places. You do not need to be of a certain age to learn some of the realities of alcohol consumption.  This new advertisement is intended to help the audience make responsible decisions or at least be aware of the consequences if they make careless ones.