Liberty Mutual: Brad the Car



Liberty Mutual: Brad the Car

“You owned a car for 4 years. You named it Brad. You loved Brad. And then you totaled him. You two had been through everything together. 2 boyfriends, 3 jobs, nothing could replace Brad. Then Liberty Mutual calls, and you break into your happy dance.”


         As a future insurance consumer, I can say I think this is an excellent commercial. I’m not quite sure why, but I remembered it word for word after only having heard it a few times. Thinking back through commercials, this one comes up clearly because of its simplicity. It’s not gimmicky but its also not hilarious. Nonetheless, it is memorable, so much so that one of my friends auditioned for the school play with this as his monologue.  
         I think this is a really interesting advertisement to analyze because it doesn’t reify words or try to manipulate viewers the way most of “the clutter” does. This is what makes it stand out from other ads. It simply has a young woman explain her relationship with a car in a way that is relatable. I feel the same way about my most expensive objects as she seems to about Brad. My computer is figuratively my child in the way I take care of it, the ad just makes this connection more pronounced by giving the car a name and personifying it.
         Viewers don’t feel like they are being manipulated to buy some product that won’t do what it says because the ad is relaxed, just one woman and a camera. The insurance could be awful, but the ad portrays sympathy for Brad and his owner. That friendly air, the water and statue of liberty behind her, and the marigold-yellow information screen all feel content and viewers are left to assume that the same satisfaction comes from being stable and insured by Liberty Mutual.
  Image result for liberty mutual bradhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgJ4pvsar1c

Comments

  1. Tiffany LiuDecember 4, 2018 at 6:19 PM

    I do find it quite gimmicky, not because it's trying to push how important a car is to it's fellow owner, but that they set up such a heartfelt story behind something as shallow as car insurance. It's quite similar to the frontier video, as it creates a culture. As you pointed out, it personifies the car to the point where it's like another one of your friends that you've had. That kind of emotion is a spiritual connection in a sense, like an inside joke between you and your close friend. Americans rely a lot on their car, and I think a part of that is because of the freedom that it gives you to go anywhere you want. Through the presentation alone, like the statue of Liberty, and also the name of the company, it gives us a freedom that we all desire, and especially one without consequence.

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  2. Maddison BrodeurDecember 19, 2018 at 3:08 PM

    I also have memorized this commercial and I could recite it on the spot, and this might of been the advertisers point. So we would get it caught in our head like a jingle or something. Like you said it is just the woman and a camera so it brings the audience to a personal. Because it shows that this girl who loves brad is like everyone else attaching themselves to their expensive items.

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