Advertising

Be Media Literate:

The Purpose of Advertising:

• The ultimate purpose of all commercial advertising is to persuade people to buy. To be  effective good ads must have:

• the ability  to get our attention.  Hundreds of ads are seen/heard each day.  Therefore, an effective ad must stand out from the competition and grab the consumer's attention.

• the ability  to sustain our attention.   It is important that the potential consumer learn something about the product.   An effective ad involves the reader in the details of the ad and carries the reader's attention through the ad.

• the ability to transmit the message.   Clarity is important if the consumer is to understand the message given the limited ad space available.

• the ability  to convince the potential consumers to accept the message of the ad and the ad brand.  Thus, the ability of the ad to persuade you to accept the product, the brand,  and to buy.

Types of Advertising

vertising 

• commercial

• political

• public service announcements (PSAs)

• advocacy (Don't Drink and Drive)

• image-building (the gas company's concern for the environment).

Forms of Advertising:

Forms of Advertising• television commercials • print ads • radio spots • banners • posters • billboards • videos • clothing • Labels, slogans, design elements

Advertising Images

• Advertisers realize the power of the visual and have used the image as a powerful marketing tool.  Often, consumers know very little information about a particular product, but they are influenced to purchase by the persuasion of the visual image associated with the product.

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The History of Advertising:

• Before 1900, ads were mostly informational.  They described products and appealed to consumers logic and judgement.  The text (ad copy) was the selling feature of the ad.

• During the 1920s, advertising started putting more emphasis on emotion and image.  The ads emphasized the life of the consumer more than the merits of the product.

• With the growing industrial economy, markets for the goods being produced need to be produced.  To create this consumer group, advertising began to promote a sense of anxiety, fear, and inadequacy among the population.  Advertisers realized the power in appealing to people on a subconscious level based on image and non-rational thought.

• In the process of marketing a product, two fundamental aspects must be considered.   These are positioning and brand image.

Positioning and Brand Image:

Positioning:

• Advertisers must consider how they will position the product. 

• Positioning is "what the product does, and who it is for". 

• The same product could be positioned several ways.  For example, consider the  positioning of a new cereal called "Start".  Depending on the merits of the product, I could position this cereal to senior citizens because it contains high energy compounds that could allow seniors to partake in more activities.   I could also position this same cereal as a children's breakfast cereal because the name is synonymous with the high energy level of children.  The positioning of any product will determine your target audience.

Brand Images:

• A second consideration is the brand image of the product.  Image means "personality" and every product has a personality.  Many things go into developing a brand image including the name of the product, the packaging, the price and the style of its advertising .

• Consider cigarettes.  Every smoker prefers a particular brand of cigarette.   Has the consumer tried every brand of cigarette before choosing a particular brand?   Not likely!  Each brand of cigarettes has a different image which appeals to different people.  Marlboro's image appeals particularly to men who identify with adventure and thrill seeking.  Marlboro sponsors many car races which promote the image of the brand through association.  Virginia Slims is positioned as a product used by independent, successful young women and Camel cigarettes, with the Joe Camel cartoon character, presents a brand image of perhaps slight rebellion or naughtiness, yet "coolness" and is a favourite brand among young smokers.

Target Audiences:

• Every medium markets to a particular target audience.  This is true of advertising.  It is particularly important when advertising parity products.  If the product is essentially the same as the competition's, the product cannot be sold on its own merits.  Therefore, the marketers focus on the audience.  They need to make their product appeal to a particular sector of people. 

Advertising Claims: Techniques of Language

The "claim" is the verbal or print part of an ad that makes some claim of superiority for the product.  After studying claims, students should be able to recognize those that are misleading and accept as useful information those that are true.   Note that:

• Some claims are downright lies. • Some are honest statements about a truly superior

product. • Most fit into the category of neither bold lies or helpful

information. • They balance on the narrow line between truth and

falsehood by a careful choice of words.

Parity Products

• The reason so many ad claims fall into the category of pseudo-information is that they are applied to Parity Products. Parity products are those in which all or most of the brands available are nearly identical.  Since not one superior product exists, advertising is used to create the ILLUSION of superiority.  The largest advertising budgets are devoted to parity products such as gasoline, cigarettes, beer and soft drinks, soaps, and various headache and cold remedies. 

• The first rule of parity claims involves the use of the words "better" and "best."  In parity claims, "better" means "best" and "best" means "equal to."  Get it?

• Best:  If all the brands are identical, they must all be equally good (the legal minds have decided).  So "best" means that the product is as good as the other superior products in its category.  When a celebrity (who is paid to be in the commercial) declares Minute Maid Orange Juice "the best there is," he means it is as good as the other orange juices.

• Better:  "Better" has been legally interpreted to be a comparative and therefore becomes a clear claim of superiority.  "Better" can only be used when a product does indeed have superiority over other products in its category or when used to compare the product with something other than a competing brand.  For example, the spokesperson could not have said that Minute Maid is "better than any other orange juice," because that is a claim to superiority.  An orange juice could claim to be "better than a vitamin pill" or even "the better breakfast drink."

• The second rule of parity is that if any product is truly superior, the ad will say so very clearly and will offer convincing evidence of the superiority.  If an ad hedges at all about a product’s advantage over the competition it is likely not superior - maybe equal but not better.   For instance, you will never hear a gasoline company say "we will give you four miles per gallon more in your car than any other brand."  They would love to make such a claim, but it would not be true.   Gasoline is a parity product and no one has yet claimed one brand better than any other brand.

Types of Advertising Claims:• 1. The Weasel ClaimA weasel word is a modifier that practically negates the claim that follows.  It is named after the egg-eating habits

of weasels, who will suck out the inside of an egg, leaving it appear intact to the casual observer. Upon closer examination, the egg is discovered to be hollow.  Words or claims that appear substantial upon first look but disintegrate into hollow meaninglessness on analysis are weasels.

• Some commonly used weasel words include:• "helps" (the champion weasel) • "like" (used in a comparative sense) • "virtual" or "virtually" • "acts" or "works" • "can be," • "up to," • "as much as," • "refreshes," • "comforts," • "tackles," • "fights," • "comes on," • "the feel of," • "the look of," • "looks like," • "fortified," • "enriched," and • "strengthened."

Weasel Claim cont.

• Some commonly used weasel words include:• "helps" (the champion weasel) • "like" (used in a comparative sense) • "virtual" or "virtually" • "acts" or "works" • "can be," • "up to," • e.g. 'Helps control dandruff symptoms with regular

use." • Weasels include "helps control," and possibly even

"symptoms" and "regular use." The claim is not "stops dandruff."

The Unfinished Claim:

• The Ad claims the product is better, or has more of something but does not finish the comparison.

• e.g. "Magnavox gives you more."

• More what?

“We’re Different and Unique” Claim:

• This claim states simply that there is nothing else quite like the product advertised.  For example, if Schlitz would add pink food colouring to its beer, they could say "there’s nothing like new pink Schlitz".  The uniqueness claim is supposed to be interpreted as a claim to superiority.

• e.g. "There’s no other mascara like it."

“The Water is Wet” Claim:

• This technique claims something about the product that is true for any brand in that product category, for example,  “Nestle’s water is really wet."  This is usually a statement of fact, but not a real advantage over the competition.

• e.g. "Mobil: the detergent gasoline" • Any gasoline acts as a cleaning agent.

The “So What” Claim:

• This is a claim which is true, but which gives no real advantage to the product.  It is similar to the "water is wet" claim, except it claims an advantage which is not shared by most of the other brands in the product category.

• e.g. "Geritol has more than twice the iron of ordinary supplements."

But is twice as much beneficial to the body?

The Vague Claim:

• The vague claim is simply not clear.  It uses words that are colourful but meaningless and subjective and emotional opinions that defy verification.   It often overlaps with other claims.

• e.g. "Lips have never looked so luscious."

How could you prove or disprove such a claim?

The Endorsement or Testimonial:

• With this technique, a celebrity or authority appears in an ad to lend his or her stellar qualities to the product.  Sometimes the people will actually claim to use the product, but very often they don’t.

The Scientific or Statistical Claim:

• This method uses some sort of scientific proof or experiment, very specific numbers, or an impressive mystery ingredient.

• e.g. "Wonderbread helps to build strong bodies 12 ways."

Even the weasel "helps" did not prevent the FTC from demanding this claim be withdrawn.  Note that the use of the number 12 makes the claim far more believable than if it were taken out.

The “Compliment the Consumer” Claim:

• This claim butters up the consumer with some form of flattery.

• e.g. "We think a cigar smoker is someone special."

• e.g. "The Lady has taste."

The Rhetorical Question:

• The rhetorical question demands a response from the audience. A question is asked and the consumer is supposed to answer in such a way as to affirm the product’s goodness.

• e.g. "Plymouth - isn’t that the kind of car America wants?"

• e.g. "Shouldn’t your family be drinking Hawaiian Punch?"

Special Offer:

• Buy the product and get something free.

Advertising Methods: Techniques of Presentation

• 1. Appeals to Emotion When advertisers use this technique, they attempt

to appeal to those emotional needs experienced by all humans. The text will be worded to emphasize those needs. Some of the common appeals to emotion include:

• the need to be accepted by others • the need to have membership in an elite group • the need for self-acceptance • the need for security • the need for family • the need for change • the need for excitement • the need to attract sex, be sexy , and/or have sex.

• 2. Associations• When advertisers use association, they attempt to

associate their product with the people, values and lifestyles depicted in the ads. Associations are positive and rely heavily on the visual image created in the ad, but the text enforces the association. Products are commonly associated to:

• wealth / luxury • fame / prestige • happiness • success • youthfulness / health • excitement / adventure / risk • patriotism • independence / individuality / non-conformity • love / romance / sex

• 3. Fear Tactics• When advertisers use fear tactics, they

attempt to sell their product by playing on our fears. The reasoning is that if consumers buy the product the fear is abolished. Ads that use fear tactics rely heavily on the text. Some common fear tactics are:

• fear of death / aging / sickness • fear of failure • fear of poverty • fear of violence • fear of bodily embarrassments • fear of sexual failure • Fear of failing to provide • Fear of aging / sickness