Asian Pop Culture compared to American Pop Culture
The following videos both play similar roles in their respective societies. Both are common advertisements for pasta sauce. However, this is just about where the similarities end. The American commercial employs pretty standard methods of advertising. They directly place their product in the ad, employ a bit of humor to lessen the "buy this, it is good" feeling, and then that's it. The Japanese distrust for direct advertising, however, has led to some pretty strange ads. The Japanese prefer commercials that invoke feelings instead of direct product placement. This pasta sauce commercial, though, I think might be defective. I don't know if it's because I don't speak Japanese or if the humor is only understood by Japanese people, but the only feeling I get out of this is terror. I mean, to me, the message here is "buy our product or we will petrify your children and posses them with little twirling baby demons. It's just creepy. You here that, Japan? No more creepy commercials. The world does not appreciate it. I have also placed a couple of other Japanese pasta commercials for your enjoyment (or terror, it can go either way).