Kuni came across a commercial that seemed ripe for analysis. Here is it with his analysis below. This situation also reminds me of how commercials (supposedly) use female announcers when they want to persuade and male announcers when they want to tell that doing / buying X is right, i.e. women are not as explicitly authoritative as men.




Stupidest gadget in laundry history (Sentakusijou saikou ni bakageta oosouchi). 
You cannot miss it! (Minogasunante arienai!)
By P & G

Titled as “Beautiful Life”, this TV commercial features a White male scientist talking about a philosophy of life.  His main theme is: you get unexpected dirt (or stains etc.) in your daily lives, and how effective Ariel (=their detergent) is to wash it out.  Being spent 400,000 USD for the fabrication cost, this commercial projects innovative triangle of human, dirt, and the detergent.

According to him, life, is like a rolling stone.  Once you start, you cannot go back.  He then goes over the basic activities of mankind: eating, inventing & producing, and having fun.  Each scene is accompanied with unexpected dirt (sauce, mud splashed by the car, and red-wine stain).  He asserts that life and dirt cannot be separated…BUT!  We do not need to worry or feel depressed.  We have Ariel.  This detergent, which is a crystal of science, washes everything out.  Without breach, life starts to shine again.

“You cannot start over your life again; however, you can wash again anytime”

BEAUTIFUL LIFE WITH ARIEL


It could be a good showcase of the intersection of language, race, gender, science, and culture.