User-Generated Content Homework - "The Coke Side of Life - Open Happiness"

This is a perfect example of user-generated content on the internet. The creator of this video is "Matt Fogarty" (his YouTube account is "MattFogz"). This Coca-Cola "advertisement" created by Matt Fogarty, not by the actual Coca-Cola company, is based around the Coca-Cola slogan, "The Coke Side of Life - Open Happiness".

This video, in my opinion, is more than effective. It's a simple advertisement, with upbeat music. The song used in the video is "Open Happiness", more than fitting! Every time there's a slightest drop in the beat, the drop is reflected in the advertisement. Besides the well fitting music, the advertisement is effective because of how simple the color scheme is. The advertisement uses the Coca-Cola colors, and nothing more; red, white and black. The simplicity of the colors allows for a more organized feel to the advertisement. Lastly, I feel that the video is effective in the sense that it not only creates a "positive mood" while watching, but has a catchy feel to it. Whether the "catchy-ness" is a result of the uplifting music, the perfect, yet simple color scheme, or the dancing bottles throughout the advertisement, it certainly exists!

Had this video been created by "traditional media" or the actual Coca-Cola company, I doubt it would be this simple. In many Coca-Cola commercials and advertisements, there isn't just music, many times there are actually people... People who open the bottles and take a sip, then forcefully smile, people who add a "witty" end comment to the end, or just people in general, to hold a Coca-Cola bottle in their hand. It's all unnecessary and usually lasts longer than this advertisement created by Matt Fogarty did. Many times, in a desperate attempt to be catchy and gripping, companies go a little overboard with their commercials/advertisements and use up more time. With more time being spent on one commercial, for example, the viewer begins to lose interest quickly and many times, grows annoyed at the long-lasting commercial.

This advertisement created by Matt Fogarty is probably more effective, in my perspective, than the average Coca-Cola company created advertisement, simply because a person, not associated with the company, is the one who created it. A person who knows what other ordinary people, the ones who have to watch these commercials and ad's nearly every day that we watch television or pass a billboard, want in an advertisement/commercial. It's no surprise, then, that this is effective and attention gripping.