| Essay, Research Paper
Examine the Various Techniques Used by Advertisers. Consider How These
Techniques Are Used To Persuade Or Inform Their Target Audience Using At Least
3 Examples Courtesy of www.Revise.it Chris Haley The way in which advertisers target
people?s insecurities and desires is increasingly prominent in all forms of the
media. Television adverts, magazine adverts and billboards are hard to escape
in modern society and influence people more than many people realise. Adverts
can raise issues that are not normally considered or show radical images to
create controversy; making people talk about the product and therefore raising
awareness of it. This can be an excellent form of promotion and has been seen
in many advertising campaigns such as that of the ?United Colours Of Beneton.?
They have used this technique in a number of campaigns including a very recent
billboard one in which a photo of a convict on death row is displayed along
with the persons name, how he will be executed and what he did to deserve it.
This produces many emotions in the viewer including pity and a feeling that the
person deserves the punishment. This conflict of emotion is what makes the
viewer of the advert take note and the association with the large logo makes
the company name stick in the mind. An example of a more typical advert
comes from ?Sky View,? a listings magazine for satellite viewers. It is sent
free to subscribers of SKY monthly if they pay thirteen pounds or more for
their selected package. This means the target audience ranges from lower middle
class to the high upper class and people of all ages, male and female. The
colour glossy nature of the advert makes it seem glamorous and exciting as well
as expensive which adds a sense of extra value to the product being advertised.
The fact that the advert is also full page adds to this effect. The advert in
question is for a mobile phone company called ?First Line Mobile?. The main
technique used in this advert is simple but effective; an image of a scantily
clad female grabs the attention of the average male. Society is in a stage
where ?lad-ism? is promoted in many ways and consequently there is no guilt or
embarrassment associated with the desire or even staring at the female anatomy,
in fact, it is promoted and expected from men in this modern society. The
appearance of the woman is important: tanned, smiling and generally good
looking. This promotes the idea that she is living a good life and since she is
holding the product she is associated with it to the extent that the product is
seen to be, in part, the source of her good fortune. In this respect the advert
appeals to not only the general male population but the female also. The way in
which this is just selling the lifestyle rather than the product is very
effective, much is left unanswered about the product but the audience may have
already been persuaded. The advert boasts the handset?s best features however
the important factors in buying a mobile phone such as call costs are not
addressed. The theme of the advert is of a
mainly adult nature. The reason for this is the fact that the target market for
the product is over eighteen since the product must be purchased over the phone
with a credit card. There is always a reluctance of the public to start ringing
up companies unless they are really interested in the product. This advert
leaves a lot of questions about the product but since they have already been
swayed by the images in the advert they are prepared to call to find out about
the product they already want to buy. The other main feature of the
advert is the caption at the top of the page. ?It says I love you.? The display
on the phone also actually says ?I Love You.? This message is manipulating the
basic human need to feel wanted and loved. People see the phone as a direct way
of becoming popular and this adds to the desire of the phone, which is rapidly
building. The promotion continues with the bulleted points: a description of
the phone including the word ?sexy,? which adds even more to the image of the
product. The promotion continues by playing on the public?s dislike of signing
the 12 month contract and shouting about there not being one. The public also
generally love the word ?FREE? and there are two examples of this in the
advert. The handset is free and there is ?Free home delivery.? The image of the
product is further improved with the appearance of the words ?As seen on T.V.?
Since television adverts are much more expensive and generally associated, in
Britain at least, with reputable companies and sophisticated products and
therefore suggesting this product falls into this categorisation. There is also
the appearance of a recognisable logo, which further adds confidence in the
product and the company producing it. There is a quotation on the page that the
company is ?Britain?s biggest direct mobile phone company,? giving still more
propaganda about the company. The final way in which the product is promoted in
this advert is the appearance of the quotation ?This offer is not available in
shops.? This gives the feeling of the product being something different and
new. This allows people to be part of the mobile revolution and conformist
whilst still having their own identity with a different product to most. The advert I examined next is that
of the ?Millennium Experience.? It comes from the same magazine as the previous
advert and consequently has the same audience. It chooses two main images to
display in the full-page advert with a large caption at the top. The caption is
a clever pun on the idea of having an outer body experience, which is seen to
be an incredible and wondrous experience and the well publicised body zone in
the dome involves a journey through the inside of the body. The way these
images tie together is clever and witty. This also rubs off on the image of the
product. The amazement of the innocent young child in the foreground of the
advert shows how incredible the experience is. The child is portrayed as being
innocent with blonde hair and blue eyes showing his purity to the extent people
will feel he is genuinely gawping in awe at the ?Millennium Experience.? The advert has a recognisable logo,
in the top right hand corner, of the ?Millennium Experience? company. A logo is
an excellent tool for instilling confidence in the general public. Another technique
to make the reader of the advert feel confident in the product is showing off
technology. The tickets are available on the Internet and through National
Lottery retailers, showing how professional the organisation is. The advert
also gives the reader a sense of fear that they will never get to see this
amazing exhibition as it lasts for only one year. It tells the reader ?It?s
time to visit,? making them feel they must take action now in buying a ticket. I felt that the most effective of
these adverts was the mobile phone promotion. This is down to the way it
appeals to the minds of male readers so effectively and the way that the image
of the product takes precedence over the actual product itself. This is an
extremely effective way of advertising in cases where people are not likely to
be persuaded just by seeing the product. I consider this an intelligent method
of selling but I would consider it slightly unethical as it is deliberately
trying to mislead and take attention away from the product. The advert is
nevertheless effective in it?s intention.
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