Now Pepsi has issued a video about the making of “Bob’s House,” the soundfree Super Bowl commercial about the two deaf guys on a dark night who figure out where their friend lives by honking their horn until all the other neighbors turn on their porch lights. (They can tell which house is Bob’s because the porch light stays off.) The commercial has been hailed as “ground-breaking” by the National Association for the Deaf because it features American Sign Language.

Funny, right? And yet one wonders: isn’t the ad also presenting its characters as rude, self-centered, disruptive troublemakers? Is this the way that people with hearing impairments want to be portrayed? Or is it the price they have to pay to get a berth on primetime TV? Just had to ask …

While we’re on the subject of people with disabilities hawking products, check out the Lincoln MKZ ad on page 3 of this morning’s New York Times magazine. It features the lovely Sarah Reinertsen, clad in a short-short workout suit that shows off her prosthetic leg and blade. Reinertsen is the first female amputee to compete and finish the Ford Ironman Triathlon Kona, a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.

Unlike the Pepsi Super Bowl ad, which relies on humor to challenge expectations and celebrate diversity, this one serves up a double helping of the traditional “triumph over adversity” disability message. An excerpt:

Don’t ever give up on what you believe in. Not once. Not ever. My dream is to do extraordinary things every day …

… My parents always treated me like any other kid. And when I fell, my mom didn’t always rush to pick me up. “Sarah’s going to pick herself up.” it was a really important lesson for me to learn. For me to keep up, I always had to be tougher than the rest. And I think that’s still true today.

The magazine spread is keyed to the Lincoln “Dreams” ad campaign, kicked off during an NBC NFL broadcast in October. The TV version shows Reinert driving through New York City in a luxury Lincoln, stepping out to reveal her prosthetic leg and joining a group on a run through the city. On Youtube.

From USA Today , the Dallas Morning News and Youtube:

It sometimes seems that viewers watch the Super Bowl more for the commercials than for the football. With through-the-roof ratings in store, sponsors and advertising agencies can be counted on to trot out their most daring and entertaining work. Remember the frogs that croaked “Budd” “Weis” “Er”?

This year, Pepsi’s trying to capture hearts and minds with a 60-second spot that will have viewers across America reaching for their remotes. It has no soundtrack — just silent video of what is described as a classic joke from the deaf community. It goes like this. A couple of guys drive to their friend Bob’s house at night. When they can’t figure out which house is his, they honk the horn. A lot. The house that doesn’t turn on the lights is Bob’s.

Two of the actors featured in the ad are deaf; another is Clay Broussard, the Pepsi employee who came up with the idea.

Bobbie Beth Scoggins, president of the National Association of the Deaf, told the AP that it’s a historic first for an ad featuring American Sign Language to get such prominent play. And who knows? Perhaps this public celebration of human diversity will win Pepsi a few more customers — which is, after all, what it’s all about.

For more on portrayals of people with disabilities in advertising, check out this perceptive essay by Beth Haller from the Baltimore Sun. She has just launched a new blog called “Media Dis&Dat: Reflections on media images of people with disabilities and disability issues …”

From the [Portland] Oregonian:

Steve Novick, the diminutive, one-handed Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, hopes to turn his physical disabilities — or “unusualities” as he calls them — into political assets as he tries to win the right to challenge Republican Sen. Gordon Smith.

In his breakout TV campaign ad, which begins airing this week, Novick makes fun of his 4-foot, 9-inch stature. In campaign speeches, he calls attention to the metal hook he has for a left hand.

(more…)