As its name suggests, Dissolve and And-Or Co.’s This is a Generic Millennial Ad is just that – a generic millennial ad. The short film displays the canned and forced nature marketing campaigns aimed at Millennials often are. From stereotypical shots of dancing in the streets to parties to social justice campaigns, this short pokes fun at the false understanding these advertising agencies have.
The short even makes a pointed jab at Pepsi’s catastrophic failure of an ad – the one in which Kendall Jenner brought together both sides during a “peace party with colourful signs.” As the “ad” continues on, it becomes a more and more desperate attempt by the fictionalized executives to understand the millennial mentality.
The most ironic thing about “This is a Generic Millennial Ad” is the fact that it’s satirical tone and end message making fun of clueless capitalist companies actually makes this short film appealing to millennials. It perfectly demonstrates the distrust and annoyance Millennials have towards advertisements and advertisement companies that seek to exploit them while simultaneously completely misunderstanding them.
The satirical spoof ad is created entirely by using stock videos from Dissolve’s archives. Though not explicitly stated in the short, “This is a Generic Millennial Ad” goes one step further into “meta” approach, by actually acting as an ad for And-Or for its actual millennial knowledge as well as Dissolve for its stock footage.
