Personal Projects
A frustrated golfer hits another disappointing shot, throws his club, and says, “Every single time.”
That moment introduces the problem in a commercial my group developed for our Consumer Behavior final project. The product was the CBEJ Anti-Slice Driver, a golf club concept designed to help golfers hit straighter shots. Working with Chase, Brendan, and Jake, I explored how to turn that benefit into a story viewers could understand. Our commercial used several classroom concepts. We considered what viewers should think, feel, and do. We began with problem recognition by showing a golfer struggling with a slice. This made the product’s purpose clear and helped viewers connect with the frustration.
The commercial also connected to the real self and the ideal self. The frustrated golfer represented the real self, while the confident golfer he wanted to become represented the ideal self. The driver was positioned as a way to move toward that desired experience, connecting product performance with consumer buying behavior. We used a rational appeal by showing the ball’s flight with a shot tracer. This made the proposed benefit easy to see. However, I would distinguish the creative demonstration from actual product evidence. A real claim that a club works every time would require credible testing.
We also used humor. After trying the driver, Chase runs away with it instead of returning it. The joke suggested that the club worked so well that friends might want to keep it. It also supported our intended think, feel, and do responses: understand the benefit, feel excited about hitting better shots, and consider trying the product. Another concept was trialability, or trying a product before committing to it. Brendan handed the driver to Chase, allowing him to experience it within the story. This reflected the consumer adoption process and showed how product trial and social influence can build interest.
Audience feedback helped us compare our intentions with viewers’ responses. Of nine respondents, five rated the message “very clear,” and three rated it “somewhat clear.” Seven said they were very or somewhat likely to consider the product. These results suggested that the message connected with this small group, but they did not prove sales impact or predict a wider audience’s response. The feedback also showed areas for improvement. Eight respondents liked the visuals, while four liked the product information. This made me question whether the commercial included enough useful detail. One respondent suggested moving the call to action to the center and changing its font color, reminding us to make the next step easy to see.
We considered YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and golf-focused digital media. Because the concept depends on visuals, sound effects, and comedic timing, video was the best fit. Adapting it to print or audio would require a different approach. My main takeaway is that creative choices need a clear purpose. The opening establishes the problem, the demonstration communicates the benefit, the joke expresses desire, and audience feedback shows whether those choices worked.
As I continue developing my marketing skills, I want to connect each creative decision to what it helps the audience understand or feel, then use evidence to evaluate how viewers actually responded.
