The commercial posted above is an advertisement for the language firm Berlitz in Germany. We find an officer for the German Coast Guard starting his first day on the job and getting a thorough overview of his new work environment. His superior gives him a tour and explains the function of every instrument in the facility. This section, which begins the ad, is cut into a montage, which is meant to show that he got an extensive explanation, but of course the true seminar could not be fit into a 40-second spot. After the young officer has received his entire lecture, his superior then leaves him in charge of all matters concerning his section of the German coast (which, by the way, is not all that extensive). Practically as soon as he sits down, a distress call comes in from what appears to be an American ship. The rookie officer, then, after he looked so poised, displays his weakness by speaking in broken, accent-heavy English to the worried captain. We find out that the captain’s ship is actually sinking, and this man in charge of their safety on the ground does not even understand him, laughably answering back, “Vat are you sinking abouwt?”
This commercial succeeds in many ways. First, it plays off the typical German stereotype of the very organized, well-planned workers. One would think that if any country were ready for anything, it’d be Germany. Then, by having the dimwitted employee, the breaking of that cultural stereotype is emphasized, which adds for a bigger laugh. Second, it does well not to insult people who don’t understand English very well. Although the character is meant to look useless in this scenario, by no means is he stupid – indeed, to get to the position he would be in, he must be a good Guardsman and smart person; however, the commercial is highlighting the fact that even the smartest people, when they are not prepared, look foolish. In other words, by insinuating that even the smart look stupid when they don’t know what they need to know, it only alarms the consumer into feeling that they need to learn a necessary language soon. Finally, since the commercial was such a simple concept, the success of the spot relied heavily on the quality of the acting by the main character, which I believe was flawless. He hesitated at the moments he needed to, and portrayed someone with poor English skills trying to communicate. If it turns out that an unreliable source I read told the truth by saying that all the main actor was in fact British, then his acting prowess is elevated because he did the part of a German very well.
What I also found interesting in the concept for the commercial was the undertone that learning another language is crucial. As someone who had to grow up learning a new language, I have found that the learning of a new tongue can not be underestimated. To somewhat parallel helping sinking members of a ship learning a language to help them – saving their lives – is a powerful, although subtle message. It could be construed, then, that learning new languages saves everyone, because we can all communicate instead of be separated by pre-applied sounds.
I was also a fan of the way it was shot. While the main character had only two lines, the first one was shot as a close-up, so the viewer had no choice but to closely observe his struggle with English. On his second line, when the captain of the ship is desperately calling for help, the camera views his response from far away, which puts the whole room in view, which means that not only is he important, but the place he works for (German Coast Guard). Indeed, it adds to the effect that if not even the German Coast Guard knows the necessary languages, then society is in trouble, which means it’s YOUR responsibility to go out there and learn a language.
With this in mind, very forceful classical, operatic music plays and forces you to pay attention to it. The message is simple – “Improve Your English.” By having that music be imperialistic, it is almost like a mandate that you “Improve Your English.” It is quickly followed by the logo for Berlitz, letting the consumer know that this is the firm that can help you learn the languages you need to learn. Thus, I believe this commercial succeeds in multiple ways – it plays well off of stereotypes, it emphasizes it’s point in more ways than one, and it’s very funny, which is a powerful tool to attract people. I think this commercial, then, is very well done.
