Throughout visual texts, authors try to represent a concept through images and objects that are realistic and abstract so that a person could understand the message. Also, there are symbols and icons that can show an underlying theme or idea behind a concept. In a commercial aired by Taco Bell they do exactly that. In the commercial, they represent McDonalds as East Berlin during World War Two and Taco Bell as West Berlin. The message Taco Bell tries to justify is that their competitor, McDonalds, is boring and follows routine with communistic control while they, Taco Bell, are breaking away from routine and creating something new.

The commercial displays the idea that McDonalds is a form of communism because they display McDonalds as Russia controlling East Berlin after the end of world war two. This "War" is between the two fast food chains Taco Bell and McDonalds and how one side is depressing and on the other side it is better and Taco Bell's idea of Utopia. The characters escape the place by a hole in the wall (Routine Republic 02:30). The wall represents separation. Just like in East and West Berlin, they were separated by a wall just like how McDonalds is separating themselves from Taco Bell. The separation shows how one side is better than the other because in real life West Berlin was much better than East Berlin. "Behind the wall on the East Berlin side was called the "Death-Strip": a gauntlet of soft sand (to show footprints), floodlights, vicious dogs, trip-wire machine guns and patrolling soldiers ordered to shoot escapees on sight" (Berlin Wall). This description of East Berlin shows how bad it was that they had to make all of reinforcements so that people could not leave just like how McDonalds does not want people to leave the Routine Republic. The Statue can represent communism. The Statue represents the leader of McDonalds who is seen to be in a guarded room surrounded by monitors showing what the citizens are doing (Routine Republic 00:58). This shows that he has complete control over everyone because people are always being watched and cannot do what they would like. Also, the statue is shown holding a breakfast sandwich which is the only thing the serve, so everything can be looked at as equal. It shows that they are under control by a leader who treats them all the same because everyone eats the same food and is dressed the same (Routine Republic 00:45). The clothing on the people have the same type of style and color. The guards are all dressed in trench coats while everyone else is bundled up in a bunch of different fabrics of clothing. This represents survival and communism because the people are obviously depressed and follow orders because they do not want to upset the authority and they are all equal because there is no social class being represented since they all wear the same clothing (Routine Republic 00:50). Also, everybody gets the same food because McDonalds is a form of communism. The way people receive the sandwiches represent some type of equality. Every time someone receives the sandwich it is always poorly made and quickly given to them just like people waiting in a soup kitchen (Routine Republic 00:52). This represents communism because everybody is treated the same way and receives the food in the same line. McDonalds does not want anybody to know about their routine and communistic rule. When the people are trying to escape, they are being chased by guards because the guards do not want them to leave the place and let people know how bad it is (Routine Republic 01:34). This shows how the communist rule is unsuccessful because people do rebel against it just like they did in East Berlin. In the background you hear the television repeating slogans that you also hear when the main character leaves his room. This shows how there life is being controlled and almost brainwashing them to follow along to their routine. This describes how McDonalds uses communist control so that everyone is following the same routine.

The other side of the wall represents freedom. When they reach the other side of the wall you see there is more color and freewill because people are not in lines for food or dress the same dark depressing color. This shows how people from East Berlin would try to escape and go to West Berlin because it was better there just like it is trying to say that how Taco Bell is better than McDonalds. The hexagonal shape represents rebellion. The hexagon shape shows rebellion because they stress it as "bad" on the speakers and a guard is seen removing a drawing of it from a wall that was obviously drawn there to express some type of defect. Also, the main character is seen with a piece of paper with a drawing of the hexagon on it to represent that he is a part of some rebellious group in the community. The hexagon is clearly portrayed as something that the McDonalds government does not want to have. The song used when the two characters are trying to escape cast a theme of rebellion. The song Blitzkrieg Bop, written by the Ramones, shows rebellion because the term blitzkrieg means lighting war which represents the characters rebelling are starting a war by trying to escape the depressing area they live in (Routine Republic 01:30). This war can been seen as something between McDonalds and Taco Bell for their breakfast sandwiches. Before escaping, the characters choose a leap of faith. When the characters reach the end of the wall they have to jump over the ball pit in order to reach the other side to escape. This gap represents the big step they take towards freedom because it is the only thing in the way of them from leaving (Routine Republic 02:22).

The imagery the author uses to describe how there competitor follows routine is obvious. In the beginning of the commercial you see that it is dark, depressing, and gloomy. This setting describes how it is obvious that the author is showing that their competitor is dispiriting by displaying the somber atmosphere (Routine Republic 00:01). Similarly, the color of the posters represent a sense of control. Throughout the entire first half of the commercial the posters are displayed throughout the entire town so that you see them wherever you go and the color is the color of McDonalds which is the fast food company in control of the town. Therefore the posters color represent some form of brainwashing because it represents McDonalds which in this case is shown as a communistic leader so they are making sure people are following routine (Routine Republic 00:31). The colors can represent brainwashing because it is the only colors that the McDonalds government displays around the city. Brainwashing is defined as making someone adopt radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible pressure. The forcible pressure is obvious because the guards will not allow the people to leave and the colors and they only thing forced to be seen by the people. Therefore the Routine Republic can be viewed as a community that brainwashes its citizens into believing that routine is good. 

There are realistic and abstract objects in the commercial. In the commercial, people without the face paint can be displayed as realistic people who show actual emotions rather than the guards who have clown face paint on, can be viewed as unrealistic because you cannot see their emotions. The face paint represents what they want people to look like when in actuality it is depressing (Routine Republic 00:53). The face paint can be seen as depressing because it is the only thing in the community that is bright while everything else is dark, gloomy and somber. The brightness given off form the face paint shows a fake smile that is painted onto their faces which can show that no one is actually happy since we see that people try to break out. The circle is an abstract symbol that represents routine and repetitiveness. The circle is what the community revolves around because it is everywhere. It is on the posters, the shape of the sandwiches, and shown on the television commercials in the beginning. Also, throughout the video they reference the circle on the speakers about how it is good and the hexagon is bad. Also, on all of the posters there are circles drawn on them to emphasize that it is important. The circle is a symbol of life and stresses how the community must follow their routine. Routine in this case can be seen as the circle. A circle is always drawn clockwise. The routine republic is like clockwork because they serve the same sandwiches to everybody and everybody wears the same clothes. Since everything is the same it follows a routine therefore the circle can represent how people in the routine republic follow their routine.

In brief, the commercial uses the idea of the Berlin Wall to represent how McDonalds is the east side and Taco Bell is the west side. They use very obvious tactics to show how McDonalds is oppressing people by following the same routine. From not allowing them to leave by having guards, it shows how McDonalds is more of a communistic way of fast food. While Taco bell there is more freedom and people who are happier and enjoying life because there is a defect from the boring routine McDonalds follows. Taco Bell's commercial is an effective way to show how they break away from the usual routine McDonalds follows and creates something new that defects the old boring breakfast sandwiches. 

