Squatty Polity Ad Analysis Essay

For years, scientists have theorized that western culture’s practice of sitting on a raised toilet leads to a myriad of bowel troubles, but never had inventors or advertisers sought to improve the outcome of excretory complications of this kind. In response to the inflammatory conditions associated with sitting, Bill, Judy, and Bobby Edwards created the Squatty Potty :)®, a footstool designed to create the optimal squatting posture for the elimination of solid human waste. Having understood the value of their product, the Edwards contracted Harmon Brothers production company in an effort to create an advertisement befitting the Squatty Potty :)® and its increasing popularity. In a video entitled “This Unicorn Changed the Way I Poop,” Harmon Brothers delivered 2.53 seconds of magical, educational absurdity in the form of the Prince of Poop and his sidekick, a unicorn puppet who smoothly excretes ice cream. Having heretofore realized the current creative attitude of
Harmon Brothers accomplishes this by threading off-color toilet humor throughout the advertisement, in phrases such as “can’t get the last scoop out of the carton,” “smooth stream of fro-yo that glides like a virgin swan,” and “faster than Pegasus laying a sweet sherbet dookie.” The unicorn also receives the sophisticated treatment applied to the prince, as depicted by its artful recitation of a haiku: “O Squatty Potty, you fill me with endless joy, yet leave me empty.” By employing extensive use of alliteration and metaphoric euphemism, the writers engage their audience in a topic that is generally taboo, without having to resort to scatological or obscene language. With the implementation of a medieval setting, the inclusion of perceived nobility, and the anthropomorphism of the unicorn, the writers create a feeling of fantasy that ultimately blunts the edge of unpleasantness related to the