http://www.gutewerbung.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Amnesty-International-Superman.jpg
Before I discuss the advertisement I found, I feel that some context is required.
Superman has been used for marketing many, many times. He’s been used to sell everything from bread and orange juice to insurance. There was a time where you could walk down the aisles of any grocery store and find a Superman-brand something. His image, or images that evoke thoughts about him have been used to sell things. A guy in a suit ripping open his dress shirt to reveal a superhero costume? That’s Superman, no doubt about it. No other comic book character does that. Batman heads to the Bat Cave, Green Lantern’s suit materializes from his Power Ring, and The Flash uses his super speed to change. The shirt rip is unique to Superman. It’s a powerful image, and it efficiently gets its message across when used for marketing. It says something along the lines of: “We may look like a normal company/product/group of people, but we’re really super and we can prove it!”
He’s even been used in PSA-style ads. In the 40s, Superman, Batman, and Robin were used to sell war bonds. There was a set of ads in the 80s where Superman was used to discourage kids from smoking. There was an ad put out around the release of 2006’s Superman Returns that featured Superman with a milk mustache and a read-up promising that if you drank milk, you’d be stronger, even if you weren’t Kryptonian. Besides the fact that the ad was to promote the film, why would Superman be used to encourage kids to drink their milk or discourage them from smoking? It’s because The Man of Steel is heavily associated with strength and dependability in the public conscious. He’s become this revered staple of Americana. Superman would never steer you wrong. He doesn’t lie because he’s the upstanding citizen that we should all strive to be like.
The long and short of it is, Superman is used to either promote dependability/durability or serve as the lovable icon passing on his wisdom.
But with this ad, Superman is used in a totally different way. He’s used in a way that is incredibly rare with this character. In the ad, we see a man wearing a Superman costume, surrounded by green screen. It’s supposed to be a “behind the scenes” look at how they make Superman fly on film. Crew members in green morph suits help create the illusion of the wind blowing his hair, or the flowing of the cape. It deconstructs the idea of Superman being real, or at least as real as other ads make him out to be. This ad takes it and uses it to demonstrate its point: Superheroes aren’t real, and it’s up to us to make a difference in the world. This ad for Amnesty International really stood out to me because it grabs our notions of what a hero is and flips it on its head. Heroes can be everyday people and don’t have to wear costumes to save the world. While this ad can be read as cynical, I actually find it to be inspiring. There isn’t much to say about the ad; it’s pretty straight forward. It can’t be disassembled like other ads to uncover hidden meanings. Its intent is clear and its unconventional use of Superman enhances its message. The product or service isn’t the hero – we are.