Charmin. “Even Charmin Bear Cubs Know Charmin Ultra Strong Just Cleans Better | Charmin® Ultra Strong™.” YouTube, YouTube, 31 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IOIZzVGPYY.In-text Citation

djclay33. “Chick-Fil-a Saturday Night Fever.” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Jan. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfYoLaOmunA.In-text Citation

Eide, Paul. “Budweiser Lost Dog Super Bowl Commercial.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Jan. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPKgC8KPBMg.In-text Citation

mcazel. “Gimme That Filet-O-Fish.” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Feb. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=csrPT9ClVUc.In-text Citation

ragefc. “Sarah McLachlan Animal Cruelty Video.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 Oct. 2006, www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc.In-text Citation

    A prime example of animal representation appears in advertising, specifically commercials. Animals are depicted realistically, as cartoons, and in many other ways. The main use of this representation is to sell something. 
    The Budweiser commercial depicts a story about a lost dog. Obviously empathy was a large part of this and puppys often appeal to ethos. Animal emotions are on display, we see the dog’s owner mourn as well as the horse that lived in the barn with him. This shows that animals have a capacity to mourn which for humans is a right and it is respected by others. The fact that the Clydesdale horses are the image of Budweiser Beer is interesting. It is because they used to carry it around in carts when horses were really viewed as machines which is automata. Delivery horses were often abused or injured while carrying the carts so it is a bit backhanded that that is what they are representing what so often hurt and killed them.

     The SPCA commercial bombards the viewers with images of sad or physically injured animals. This is a prime example of animal advocacy which started with posters and magazines like Our Dumb Animals and now in the new technological age can be seen on television. This commercial is asking for money and showing that humans have a responsibility towards animals and their wellbeing. Instead of ignoring the obvious hierarchy between humans and nonhuman animals they are using the power for good. A quote from, the Morals of Manners really speaks to this, “I beg you, my young friends, seriously to consider your duty to animals. God has given you your superiority to the animal world, and you dominion over it; and to Him you must answer for your use of the power delegated to you.”

     The Fillet-O-Fish commercial depicts a talking, or singing fish, mounted on the wall trying to get a man to not eat the fish sandwich. This is really focusing on and depicting animal subjectivity. The fact that the fish was trying to get the man to stop eating the sandwich showed his awareness to the fact that the sandwich was made from a fish like him. Whether or not animals even have subjectivity is debated; Philosopher, Jeremy Bentham seemed to think that they did while Descartes argued that because they can not talk they do not have the ability to think and therefore do not have subjectivity. This also shows that animals have the capacity to have voice and thoughts that are more than simply about their food and mates. IT is trying to be funny and satirical but digging deeper it is exploiting animals.

    In the Chick-Fil-A commercial cows are going around promoting for people to eat chicken. When people eat at Chick-Fil-A they are not eating beef therefor cows do not have to be killed. This is humans giving animals voice especially in the end when the cows are standing next to a painting that says, “U EAT CHIKIN WE FEEL GUD.” This goes along with bodily autonomy the cows are pretty much fighting for their right to live and not be killed and eaten. This commercial also touches on species hierarchy and divide between different non-human animals, livestock is often seen as superior to poultry.

       The Blue Wolf commercial depicts a dog and wolf running together like they are the same species and claiming that in every dog there is an “inner wolf.” According to Deleuze and Guattari dogs are known as Oedial animals and wolves are Demonic. Oedial animals are sentimental and connected to humans i.e. pets, while Demonic animals are pack animals who are more primal. Showing them together is kind of erasing the species divide and are representing pet dogs as actual more similar to their ancestors than most people believe. 

      The Charmin Toilet Paper depicts a bear who can sing and talk and dance and walks on two legs and of course, uses toilet paper. This commercial is a prime example of an animal being anthropomorphized.  Anthropomorphism is defined as the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It can be seen almost daily through cartoons or even small dogs wearing sweaters on walks. The fact that the bears only talk when it involves more “silly lines”, such as “my hynie’s clean” while there is a person talking when they talk about what the toilet paper is made of and how it compares to other brands. This is representative of how humans often perceive animals as less intelligent than themselves and this is often because humans judge other animals by their own standard. So yes, bears do not know what toilet paper is made of but they have absolutely no reason to.    
    Commercials are a large part of everyday life. Animals are quite commonly used in commercials whether the item being sold involves them or not. They can be used realistically or in a more comedic way, they also very often are there to provoke sympathy or at least get some kind of emotion out of its viewers.