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“Airport Love” Analysis – Heterosexual Expectations

Leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Norwegian sporting goods company XXL produced a television commercial supportive of the LGBT community. The commercial stands out from other advertisements during the Olympics because of the intensity of its not-so-subtle stab at Russia, host of the upcoming Olympics and passer of a then-recent anti-LGBT propaganda law. The video follows a woman as she walks through an airport while drawing looks from male Olympic athletes who are quick to show off, vying for her attention. Their efforts are unsuccessful, however, and at the end of the commercial, the woman approaches another woman on the tarmac and kisses her. After an acknowledgement of the crowd of shocked, disappointed, and confused faces, the screen displays a message: “Whatever team you play for. XXL, all sports united” (Nichols 1). With its message, cinematography, casting, and venue, the commercial opens up broader questions regarding the assumptions made about sexuality: why is the audience surprised when the protagonist kisses a woman? It is not only the inclusive message the commercial delivers, nor just the broader questions it invites, but the tactics it employs to do so that make it powerful.

The circumstances surrounding the commercial’s release contribute to its success. Not only is XXL a company that manufactures athletic equipment, but it is based in Norway – a well-known, economically successful country that tends to perform well in winter Olympics. What better credibility for an Olympic commercial than production by a sporting goods company from the Arctic Circle? Timing also works to the commercial’s advantage; in 2013, Russia passed a law banning propaganda of non-traditional sexuality, widely publicized as an anti-LGBT law. In the months before the Olympics, tensions regarding this law were high, with famous LGBT Olympians speaking out against it. While its intended audience was most likely progressive viewers who would have already supported equality, others undoubtedly viewed the commercial as well. Given the viewers and timing, the advertisement implies a political shot being taken towards Russia.

As with the nature of any controversial statement, the commercial uses emotion to its advantage. Logically, the commercial does not make sense; XXL is a sporting goods company, but not a single piece of sporting goods equipment is advertised. The company’s logo and name do not appear until the last scene. Even without logic, however, the commercial is still successful given its clever use of emotional appeal. LGBT rights is a topic about which many people hold strong opinions. The message of the commercial can evoke an equally strong reaction from advocates.

While the ending is an instance of particular intensity, the commercial is packed with dramatic moments. The music playing through the entire piece is an upbeat electronic track, complete with bass drop and shifts in tempo that coincide with changes of scene in the commercial. Like most good soundtracks, the music adds intensity to the video, and, by extension, the delivery of its message.

Maybe more striking than the intensity of the soundtrack is the methodology used in the commercial’s organization and timeline. The commercial builds expectations for the audience, only to shatter them at the end. One way it does this is through the use of constant reappearance of men with their eyes fixed on the beautiful woman walking through the airport. Well-known male Olympic athletes are consistently unable to take their eyes off of the protagonist. They repeatedly show off with ridiculous athletic feats – backflips, impressive soccer ball juggling, even rappelling from the ceiling – to get the woman’s attention. The frequency of interested male looks functions to reinforce the natural correlation between the attractive woman and interested men that the audience creates. This feeling is amplified by the absence of other many other women in the commercial, a trait of the commercial that, because of its statistical unlikeliness, stands out. With a pattern of strongly suggested heterosexuality, the ending is even more unexpected.

There are countless men in the airport, but only one other woman – the shorter, plumper, much less attractive TSA agent. The physical opposite of the protagonist, the TSA agent bolsters the good looks of the protagonist with stark contrast. The fabricated and reinforced expectations compared to the reality of the ending are just one example of another crucial element of the advertisement’s strength: contrast. In conjunction with the difference between what is expected and what happens, the dichotomy of straight and gay is suggested. The presence of men but not women indicates to the audience that the protagonist will end up with a man, when, in fact, the opposite happens. The difference between expectations and reality opens up a larger question. Why is it expected that the woman will end up with a man, and why is it surprising when she does not?

Intentionally or not, the commercial delves into the debate of expectations. XXL’s “Airport Love” commercial contains much more meaning than just its message. Expectations created throughout the commercial make the ending more intense, and questions can be asked regarding what society expects and assumes regarding sexuality.

Works Cited

Nichols, James. “XXL Releases ‘Airport Love,’ Pro-LGBT Sports Ad.” Huffington Post. 10 Feb.

2014. Web. 12 April 2016.