“The Spell Has Been Broken”

The 2010 Audi commercial, “The Spell,” sets up societal norms and conventions regarding car expectations as binding and constraining in order to promote the Audi brand as liberating and original. The first half of the minute-long commercial consists of stock characters of society who speak directly to the viewer about how they are supposed to want specific types of cars based on where they fit socially. The blank and unengaged expressions and tones with which they say this obviously hints that they are not satisfied with the way society has told them they should think. Suddenly an Audi drives by and the words “The spell has been broken” flash across the screen. All the characters’ faces light up as they see seemingly more exciting cars (all of which of course are Audis), and as the commercial would suggest they realize that there is more out there for them than what society has deemed appropriate and fitting.

Aside from the clear reference to magic in the use of the word “spell,” the concept of this commercial sheds an interesting light on the way society labels and determines certain things. If we relate such a notion to fairytales it could make sense to say something like, “All young girls aspire to be princesses because it is the norm of society.” Of course I know with this remark many people in our class would have a major issue, so I would just like to point out this is not my opinion but a way of thinking common to many people. It’s all about “fitting in” to the mold. I think it’s an essential point to realize the structure things like fairytales impose on our lives without the result being extremely blatant. The idea of breaking free from such a rigid system reminds me of fairytale satires, such as Shrek in which the hero is not the prince, as fairytales would normally have it, but the ostracized ogre living on the margins of society. In the case of the commercial, the characters long to live outside the box instead of following along with preconceived notions. The belief that the spell has been broken, however, is ironic because in the end it is still a car commercial trying to persuade viewers to buy a particular brand over another, thereby still following along with the socially accepted desire to own an attractive, chic vehicle.