Reebok advertisement analysis (50 cent)

This ad for reebok trainers advertises violence by the lyrics that are said by 50 cent 

"got shot nine times in jamiaca queens" as if to say this is a good thing, is proud about it that he has been shot at 9 times yet he is still alive, this is making violence seem like it it inevitable however if you are "cool" or "street" like him by wearing the trainers you could too survive. Jamaica queens being the new york ghetto district connatations of this are  black on black crime – hip hop beef. 

The first scene in the ad is a medium shot of a railway track, two buildings, two poles which holed together electrical wires, and hanging off in the distance from the wires are a pair of trainers which is the follow up scene shows a close up shot of it and a train underneath passing by. The sound is a diegetic sound of a train as it passes by. Mise-en-scene is presented here as the trainers hanging from electrical lines which give the impression of a sub-urban ghetto/wasteland, then the screen goes red symbolisiing death/alarm /blood, there is also a non diegetic sound of the sirens from the police car. 

Rain dropping on through wire, into a puddle is a very grey and close up shot.it then says on the left hand side of the puddle as the rain continues to drop "I AM" this could be representing the streets or the unknown. other non-diegetic sounds is the screams you hear and then the voice over from the police report. 

The Music starts when u see 50 cent and then you hear a  heart beating very slowly but loudly after the Hospital doctor says "patient is in a stable condition". The camera the slowly zooms into 50 cent from a low angle long distance shot. 

In my opinion a global famous and very successful company like Reebok would glamorise violence, not because they like it and want their audience to become violent however, they are already aware that there audience which are predominantly males over the age of 15 from urban areas of a B, C1,C2 and possibly D class range are already in the violent scene and are attracted to it as within their daily lives they encounter so much violence e.g. they watch violent movies from Hollywood, they play violent games regularly e.g. Grand theft auto or call of duty which in these games all require guns, killings and just physical abuse. They listen to Mainstream hip hop where rappers talk about violence they have either encountered/experienced or threaten for future violence. These everyday events that this particular audience experience from a day-to-day basis de-sensitises violence and it looses the “shock factor”. Reebok have attempted to be smart and take advantage of this factor about their audience as they are aware that “violence sells” and have tried to take dominance and gain viewers attention in this way. Like most companies the only intention is to make money and if it be making violence look “cool” then so be it. The target audience would be affected by the ideology of the add in a way which is ignorant. They will be fully aware of what and how the company is attempting to sell their product, however because the advert uses celebrity endorsement by making 50 cent the star of the add they will view it in a more “positive” perspective towards them as it targets their interests. People will now associate the 50 cent Reebok I am Brand/ trainers with the gangster/hip-hip culture. Possible outcomes from the advert could be people could no associate violence with success thus inturn they will carry out violent acts in order to achieve success also.

In my opinion I agree that the advert should have been banned, because the advert does glamorise violence, reebok is attempting to manipulate audiences by using 50 cent for celebrity endorsement, as they are aware people love celebrities and in western society this is the popular culture which people follow, he is showing off his survival of surviving 9 attempt to be shot at, perhaps suggesting that it was the reebok shoes that helped him, this is subliminally said nevertheless false advertising.