My Project Three

“…Those were the days…” are the reoccurring lyrics from a song used in a Me TV commercial that suggests that the best, and most entertaining television is only on the Me TV network. This commercial for the Me TV station starts out in black and white with a man showing a film of TV clips to Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore who tells them to pay close attention to what was about to be projected on the screen before them. They were about to watch was a montage of older TV shows on an old-fashioned zoopraxiscope (or projector). The opening scene is from “All In The Family” that reminds the audience of something old-fashioned and fun.

The clip that Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore were first shown was the opening theme to All In The Family, in which Archie and Edith Bunker were playing the piano and singing Those Were The Days. By choosing the opening theme-song from All In The Family, Those Were The Days, the network advertiser brings back memories for people that may make them ponder, “Wow, I remember such wonderful, and fun times in my youth; I miss those days…” Through Me TV and the commercial, people can get the sense that they are young again. This clip was altered to look even more old-fashioned than it already was; they gave it blotchy dots and lines that you would see in films from the 1930s and earlier. Further emphasizing that they were trying to bring you back to a time (possibly) long ago. However, soon the clips started to look modern showing that these old shows are becoming alive again; they are coming back, and that they are still as new as ever!

Most of these clips were taken from show like The Jefferson’s, I Love Lucy, Maude, Sanford & Son, I Dream of Genie, Frasier, The Andy Griffith Show. By having multiple snapshots of those older shows, the viewer gets a greater chance to recollect, or at least recognize two, three, or even more shows. More to the point, the viewer gets all roused up in knowing that so many of the shows he or she watched in a previous time are back on television! Thus, the person will be drawn to the Me TV station like a moth to the flame. The people in the commercial were all smiling, laughing, or doing something humorous through facial expressions or by actions. During all of this, the song Those Were The Days was still playing in the background. Everyone could still hear some of the original conversation and see the actions that were taking place in all the conglomerated clips. In addition to all this, each and every scene had the great Me TV logo in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, reinforcing the fact that you could watch all these great shows, and so many more, on this great, terrific, heart-warming station, Me TV.

There are other Me TV and Me Too (the second station) commercials. The Me Too commercials are more serious because this station offers more dramas than comedy shows. This results in a less heartwarming and less effective commercial.

In some of the Me TV commercials, the Me TV network sometimes states that the name stands for “Memorable Entertainment Television,” but not in the Me TV commercial with Dick Van Dyke. Because it would not have fit in, having some narrator talking about the Me TV network should have disrupted the mood that the commercial was getting at. After having allthose warm and funny clips, the phrase “Me TV, Memorable Entertainment Television,” would have been gauche and out of place. Instead, just in case it wasn’t present enough throughout most of the commercial, the Me TV logo was placed in the lower middle of the screen in an even bigger size, to make sure that the viewer got the picture, so to speak! Furthermore, right above the Me TV logo was the tagline “these ARE the days on...” which boldly stated s that this is the only place for this kind of television.

However, the audience that would most likely be uninterested in this station and commercial would be kids, teenagers, and young adults. Most of them would; see the commercial and go, “Yuck! Old people TV.” Of course they would if it’s not a part of their generation why would they give it a chance? The irony is that when they become older adults, they will have their own “old people” TV station playing some of their favorite shows from their youth.

In conclusion, this commercial is a successful and very powerful commercial. Most people up clinging to things that remind them of their wonderful youth, and all the fun they had, which is why this commercial is so successful in grabbing an older audience. It appeals to the emotions of great times gone by and offers the promise that everyone can relive the, through Me TV.