1.  Who created this media message?  Why?

MasterCard, one of the world’s most recognized brands. The credit card company claims to handle 16 billion transactions each year, processing more than $1 trillion annually. MasterCard seeks to reaffirm its brand through ads like this and create an image that people can relate to and easily recall when it comes time to make a purchase.

 2.  Who is the target audience?  What text, images or sounds suggest this?  

I believe the target audience represented in this ad may be one of middle-class or working class, suburban. The age represented seems to middle-age (30-40) men and represents a predominantly white-male culture. The profession is ambiguous, although you see what appears to be a work truck in the background, suggesting a possible tie to the labor profession. There are several things that lead someone to create this image. The men are all dressed down – from the rolled up flannel shirt – and they are huddled around a charcoal grill, holding beverages in plastic cups. This seems to work toward creating an image of “male bonding” using the ritualistic “tailgating event” as a backdrop.

4.  What is the text (literal meaning) of the message?

This text seems to produce a relaxed feeling of … “don’t worry about the little things”, because MasterCard has you covered or taken care of and that you can just focus on what is important. In this case it seems MasterCard is saying male bonding at tailgate party at the football game is most important.

5.  What is the subtext (unstated or hidden message)?

MasterCard doesn’t talk about the perils of the credit industry and how it mostly adversely affects those in the middle class or working class. How the average American family carries more than $2,000 in credit card debt and how interest rates, penalties and fees can quickly cause most credit card holders to fall into financial trouble. NMMLP's new DVD-ROM Challenging the Debt Industry talks about this in detail.

6.  What kind of lifestyle is presented?  Is it glamorized?  How?

MasterCard seems intent on reaching the fan of the “Average Joe” and in my opinion, seems to really focus in on making this a glamorized lifestyle, without showing the hardship that my go along being working class.

7.  What values are expressed?

It would seem that this tries very hard to express values that MasterCard perceives to be of interest to the implied target group. It looks to stress friendship and camaraderie. It also looks to implicate that have a “party” is the best way to due this, although we know that there are some concerns that come from “parties” or similar type of get-togethers. This ad specifically mentions a “cooler of beer” and that conjures up images of drinking and driving for me.

8.  What tools or techniques of persuasion are being used?

There could be several techniques used to explain the content of this advertisement, but the tools that seem most dominant are the use of Plain folks.  Where advertisers promote their products as being of humble origins, common, one of the gals/guys. In addition, there seems to be maybe a little of Nostalgia, which shows when people tend to forget the bad parts of the past, and remember the good.  A nostalgic setting usually gives a product a better image.

There could also be a little of Bandwagon, which insists that “everyone is doing it.”  It plays upon feelings of loneliness and isolation.  In the United States, with our incredible addiction to sports, this technique is often accompanied by the concept of “being on the winning team.”

See "The language of persuasion"

9.  What healthy messages are communicated? What unhealthy messages are communicated?

One could argue that the message of friendship is a healthy one, and that is certainly what MasterCard is trying to achieve. However I am concerned that the message seems to say that this is a great way for friends to get together. It may be, however, friendship blooms in many different ways. The message of “male bonding” seems to also suggest that this isn’t something for “women” and I noticed that most of men are not wearing wedding rings, which could suggest they are supposed to represent the bachelor segment. A particular group that seems to be drawn to sports, which is the heavy theme to this ad.

10.  What part of the story is not being told?

This ad does not concentrate at all on the dangers of using credit and seems to suggest that this tailgate is not a tailgate without a “cooler of beer”. This combination of untold messages could have some very strong consequences. In 2004-05 the University of New Mexico released a summary of its Project TARGET which focused in part of the link between tailgating and drunk driving instances. It summarized that drunken driving arrests stemming from tailgate parties was nearly 35 percent higher than the state average. Keep in mind that these are arrests, which does not represent those not pulled over and stopped.

Challenging the Debt Industry deals with the issues surrounding the credit card industry and the problems that people face when using credit card. Suffice to say, it’s not as warm and fuzzy as this ad suggests. Look for many ads like this one during the Superbowl on February 4, 2007.