German Christmas ad appears heartfelt, underlying message questionable

Now more than ever, companies have to work to garner consumers’ attention because of people’s fast-paced lifestyles and the increasing information overload from different media. German supermarket chain Edeka is no exception with their recent viral and emotionally evocative advertisement. Within its first week of being released, the commercial has received over 23 million YouTube views and accumulated a lot of criticism along the way. The commercial opens with an elderly man listening to a message from his daughter who tells him she and her family won’t be able to visit for Christmas. His granddaughter adds a cheerful, “Merry Christmas, Grandpa” to the end of the message. As the message plays, the man looks despondently outside the window at a neighbor embracing his grandchildren.

Next, it shows the man eating dinner alone on Christmas at a long, empty table. The mood shifts again when the commercial focuses on his children. Their busy lives, however, are abruptly interrupted when they learn the devastating news of their father’s passing. They travel to his home and enter the dining room to find an unexpected sight: a beautiful table complete with candlelight and place settings for dinner.

Another occurrence serves as an even more unexpected sight: their father walking into the dining room. He asks, “How else could I have brought you all together?” The final scene displays the family laughing and talking, their faces noticeably happy around a table filled with an abundance of food. The German words that appear on the screen translate to, “Time to come home,” advertising the country’s largest supermarket corporation.

Although the commercial is extremely sentimental and admittedly made me tear up, the tactic of emotional appeals became more obvious when watching it a second time. Used time and time again for persuasion, the appeal refers to using emotion as a substitution for reason. In other words, it’s a type of manipulation that replaces valid logic.

Here is how it works in Edeka’s advertisement: The commercial pulls the viewer into the storyline, making viewers wonder what will happen to the elderly man that is clearly lonely and sad with his loved ones far away. Many people, if not most, have aging grandparents or parents in their lives, allowing the commercial to be widely accessible and to resonate with a broad audience.

The commercial appears rather ironic since the holidays should be about spending time with loved ones, yet it is only using emotions to convince people to buy from the company. Therefore, the message seems to function on purchasing Edeka’s products to complete the perfect holiday dinner. Why are their products superior to other competitors? A substantive answer to this question—as in most advertisements—is disregarded.

There is nothing wrong with appreciating Edeka’s wonderfully crafted commercial. A problem exists, however, when people feel more prompted to buy their products simply because they successfully manipulated the viewer’s emotions.

With the holiday season in full swing, advertisements—even more so than usual—penetrate every facet of our lives. It’s crucial to take a step back and ask yourself how these commercials are trying to encourage you to buy their products and, more importantly, figure out if it’s worth the cost.

Karnath: Upcoming Nickelodeon channel to feature cherished 90s classics

Before Netflix, Hulu and other streaming websites became popular, most of us 90s kids were entertained by classic Nickelodeon  shows. The network announced that a new channel, The Splat, will exclusively feature beloved 90s programs beginning this October. They have not specified which shows will actually air, however, keeping some hoping and guessing which of their favorites will make a comeback.

Like many others, I grew up watching Nickelodeon shows. I stayed glued to Ashley’s freak-outs on the “Ask Ashley” segment of “All That,” karma always catching up to Angelica on “Rugrats” and a family’s action-packed adventures on “The Wild Thornberrys.”

Today, Nickelodeon shows seem a lot different than what we used to watch. When I sit with a younger cousin to watch television, I can’t tolerate more than a couple minutes of programming. In my opinion, the quality has plummeted with overuse of tacky sound effects and overdramatic child actors.

Perhaps my critical view is because I’m looking at these shows through the lens of a college student instead of a little kid free of any pressing obligations. On the other hand, Nickelodeon seems to portray a more diverse—although limited in every aspect—cast of characters than in the 90s.

As a communication major, I constantly learn how the media have a profound influence on how people learn social behavior starting from a young age. Overall, ‘90s shows portrayed comical situations with quirky characters and never stepped outside the box of social norms. Yes, there were characters from different religious and ethnic backgrounds, but these were rarely the central points of any show.

“Rugrats” comes to mind with episodes centered on Jewish traditions, but the show has been criticized for stereotyping. Some may argue that TV in itself is a mindless and passive activity. So, why does the content really matter? Since most kids learn through what they observe, it seems necessary to present people from different backgrounds while instilling tolerance for all people.

Despite the lack of progressiveness, the older shows were entertaining and led many of us to reminisce about episodes and characters from our childhoods. It’s difficult to completely criticize the content of these shows because they were an integral part of my growing up. I can’t deny that I will probably procrastinate by turning on Nickelodeon to watch some of my favorites and laugh just as hard as I did when I was little.

Nickelodeon’s decision to make this new channel comes at a time when the Internet is rapidly replacing television. It almost seems like a desperate move to increase viewership when people gravitate toward online streaming. I wonder if the network has had trouble making shows that produce the same level of viewership as shows in the 90s. Bringing back these shows might be a way to combat this.

Young kids today probably won’t appreciate these old shows as much as we did, but it will be an opportunity for us to travel back in time when responsibilities were minimal and original shows were plentiful.

Student musicians display well-rounded talents at competition recital

Student musicians from an array of educational disciplines displayed their talents on Saturday Sept. 20 at the annual Honors Competition Recital in Doty Recital Hall. The performances demonstrated that Geneseo students do more than just excel in the classroom. Eight students were accepted to perform in the recital after competitive auditions held in the spring. The musical pieces chosen by the performers were so difficult that they spent months and sometimes up to a year rehearsing for the recital.

“Musical performances give the Geneseo campus a chance to see what we’re up to in Brodie Hall all day,” flutist senior Gina Vecere said.

“These performances allow students to contribute to the campus community in a unique way by demonstrating their musical talents,” violinist senior Bob Gaglione added.

The skillset of all the students was beyond impressive and Doty Recital Hall’s acoustics enhanced the presentation of the exquisite pieces. It was incredibly easy to forget that the performers were not professional musicians because of their polished techniques along with the intensity with which they played. The songs not only displayed a high skill level but also spoke to the emotional components of music.

Vecere performed the “Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise” by Franz Doppler, a series of highly passionate Hungarian gypsy dances for flute and piano.

“I was able to let the music move as I interpreted it, which actually made it extremely difficult because it meant that there was almost no guidance by the composer,” said Vecere.

Gaglione explained that he became interested in the “Ballade of Sonata” for solo violin, his chosen piece, after his teacher introduced it to him.

Senior Joanna Ostroot performed composer Francis Poulenc’s “Romanza and Allegro con fuoco of Sonata for Clarinet and Piano.”

“Students do more than just study for classes,” she said. “It really adds the well-rounded factor.”

Sophomore Katherine Zaslavsky, who played Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Rondo of Sonata for Horn and Piano,” shared a similar sentiment about these kinds of performances, saying, “They show a balanced student body.”

Many of the performers expressed their gratitude for the opportunity and a high sense of fulfillment to play in front of their teachers, friends and families.

“It’s really important for students to nurture these musical abilities and talents because learning music adds so much to your learning and life experience,” Ostroot said. “I think it’s great that the community gets to really hear students at their best.”