Neuromarketing

The ad I will be analyzing is a Coke-a-Cola TV commercial where two opposing boarder guards are reminded of their common humanity by secretly sharing a coke. Three major affective (neuro)marketing techniques were used here. Before I list them, please note what notion I believe the ad as a whole is associating the brand with: the common humanity we share with others which gets forgotten in sociopolitical divisions. The first Affective technique I noticed was the sense of touch/sound- swift quick movements/music that showed the hostility between the guards- later broken by a yearning gaze and an expression of affliction when one opens a coke.
The second neuromarketing technique is the moment/experience when one guard opens up a coke. The Coke-less guard looks towards him with sad/craving eyes. The other guard feels sympathy and sets up a plan to indirectly give him a coke. This tries to capture a moment of compassion and humanism.
The third affective technique I singled out is the motif of taboo relations. Here the two guards are on opposing sides of two sociopolitical systems, yet they get to share a moment together, no matter how subtle.
Therefore, just as Rushkoff explained (Atmospherics PDFpg.5), Coke here is not trying to sell a product, but rather a lifestyle theme by focusing on customer attributes. In this ad, the main theme/attribute sold is the shared humanity we have with our adversaries. The technique tries to “break out of the clutter” by addressing humanistic themes in a time a global unrest.