EOC Week 11: Evaluation

Overall, fundamentals of advertising has been my favorite class to come to. That sounds like I’m sucking up, but I’m just being honest. As of right now, this is the only class that completely corresponds with my major. Thankfully, I’ve had the opportunity to learn all about older advertising campaigns and what works and what doesn’t for them. Through this process, I feel that I have gained a better insight into what elements should be expected in a campaign. I obviously don’t have the skills necessary to enter and be successful in the advertising world today, but it is a world I would love to become a part of, and I know that the basic tools I have learned in this class will help me achieve this goal.

The professor, Frank Pinto, has made this experience even more enjoyable for me in that his teaching style is different from any that I’ve seen before. He’s harsh, at times, giving you his full opinion, and not sugar coating anything at all. This characteristic made me so frustrated at times, but helped me in the long run, allowing me to see what mistakes I was making with whatever project I was working on at the time.

As far as my progress in this class, I feel that I’ve come a long way from where I started. I am now able to identify different types of advertising techniques, and am better able to understand why things are done a certain way. After taking this class, I am now even more sure that this is an industry I want to be apart of. It may not be the most glamorous one, and I know there will be a lot of hard work along the way, but I’m willing to do it, and hope that with the knowledge I’ve gained, I will be as successful as some of the advertisers we’ve studied. 

EOC Week 10: What Makes A Great Advertisement?

What is it exactly that makes a great advertisement? Who defines what a great advertisement is? Is it the campaign creator or advisors? Well, who cares what they think anyway? The answer to all of the above is us; people as a whole.  We, the people, and no, I’m not going to start quoting The Constitution, although the writers of that were on to something with that whole unity thing, are the ones who judge an advertisement for what it is. We are able to see and define a product based on its ad alone. We are the ones that make it important. We see the ad, test the product, and when that’s all over, decide to buy or not buy the product based on our research. We do this everyday, so of course that’s why advertisers are the ones coming after us. They almost chase us down with whatever information they have about the next big thing they have. “From engaging in public service to choosing goods and services, advertising calls people to action.” It is with this idea that a great advertisement is born.

The most memorable advertisements out there were created with the above notion in mind. The people. They are the ones that could easily make or break a product before it has really been put out onto the market. Of course they should care what we think! In an interview for the Advertising Educational Foundation, Jeff Manning, creator of the Got Milk? campaign said that "At my request, we tried to pursue advertising that took us to a different place. Not strategically, but executionally,". This thought is perhaps what has made the campaign so successful, and able to last through different generations. Manning saw that the current way of advertising, merely selling products to people, wasn’t working. They had to sell the idea of a product, and that’s exactly what they did. They branded milk. “Not only does branding identify and distinguish, it builds equity”. Great advertisements are able to do just that.

EOC Week 9: For Those Who Think Young

The above Pepsi commercial has the slogan for those who think young, saying that their product is for a whole new generation of people not wanting to feel old just ordering a regular cola or ginger ale. This new age attitude is also referenced in a Mad Men episode of the same title where creative director Don Draper appears to be against this new wave of thinking saying that this new generation doesn’t know what to do with themselves or the added sugar they can ingest, and so “pour Pepsi on their cereal”. His boss goes on to tell him that it’s exactly this type of thinking their clients want and they need to hire younger people in order to get the job done.

The attitude of being young doesn’t necessarily apply only to Pepsi. Women have been trying to evolve this way of thinking into their lifestyle with the beauty products they put on in the morning. Pepsi was one of the first to out right say it however, and continues to broaden this idea further emphasizing things that only the younger generation would know about. In the following commercial, Sophia Vergara is lying on the beach, and she decides she wants a Pepsi. Rather than wait in the ridiculously long line for one, she tweets that she just saw soccer star David Beckham. The crowd goes frantic and she is able to get her Pepsi just when David appears next to her. Two concepts are introduced in this commercial that only the young or young at heart can identify with: tweeting, and meeting a star by chance.

Pepsi didn’t only continue with this idea with commercials, but made print ads as well. A very graphic, very designed poster for Pepsi with not just the product, but a young athlete on there as well only ad to their concept. 

EOC Week 8: Typography

Prepared For Anything

Adobe Gothic Std B

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Comic Sans MS

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Lithos Pro Regular

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OCR A Std

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Century Gothic

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Trajan Pro

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Tekton Pro Ext

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Gungsuh

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Impact

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KaiTi

EOC: Week 5

We’ve all been on that awkward first date, wondering what the other person is thinking of us, and hoping we’re making the right impression. This Pepsi Max commercial has an answer to what the person across from us may be thinking.  According to Advertising by Design, "stories are a way for people to communicate and relate."  By setting up this scenario, Pepsi tells a story not uncommon to the average consumer in an effort to engage the viewer, and add a sense of community to their commercial.

What is soda really? I can’t speak for Pepsi, but most is just carbonated water with sugar added. And companies get consumers to pay for this? Absolutely. How? You may ask. They use the tactic of provoking an emotional response, allowing the buyer to think there is a particular benefit to buying their product. “It is a response that may derive from personal significance or reward and the desire to feel good. Emotional benefits are not based on a tangible characteristic of a product or service but rather on subjective experience.” With this commercial, the guy equates Pepsi Max with sex, thinking emotionally rather than realistically.

Soda is not something we need, but we buy it anyway. Pepsi is not a product we need. Or is it? The company would like to have you think you do. By equating it to sex in this commercial, Pepsi is saying you need their soda as much as you, pardon my French, need to get off. “The brand idea is based on an insight into the audience that makes the brand relevant to them. It must exemplify something—tangible or intangible—that people find compellingly relevant to their lives.” The relevance here is that people need Pepsi as much as they need their next…well you get my point.

EOC Week 4: The Role of Women in Advertisements

If you take the time to watch, or look at advertisements today, you might notice that they are largely targeted towards women. In the 1960’s, men were seen as the breadwinners, while women took care of the house. This image is still portrayed today through ads. The vast majority of cleaning products advertisements are aimed at women. For example, this Swiffer ad has a woman proudly displaying one of their products, “He made it in the kitchen, and ate it in the dining room. With Swiffer Wet Jet, both floors were clean before he was.” Women are not always happy at being seen as the maid though, and yet, advertisers choose to direct their cleaning products toward them because if she doesn’t clean up his mess, who will? In an article on ctworkingmoms.com, marie5k says, “…no, I’m not happily dancing around my living room in them while I Swiffer out dust bunnies and coughed up cat hair balls.  Nope, I’m hastily making my way around my house with that thing trying to break last week’s record of 13 minutes from one end of the house to the other”.

Another way women are portrayed as today are as sex objects. That’s right, I said objects rather than people. In many advertisements, parts of women’s bodies are shown to capture the viewer’s attention. Breaking their bodies into these distinguishable parts only serves to exemplify them more. The after effects only seem to reinforce the idea that women are here to serve men. In an article titled Sex and Relationships in the Media, the author points out that “Although women’s sexuality is no longer a taboo subject, many researchers question whether or not the blatant sexualization of women’s bodies in the media is liberating”. There is the idea that women need only concern themselves in attracting and sexually satisfying men.

Today, women serve many roles. The housewife, the perfect mom, the cook, the maid, the worker, the sex goddess, to name a few. We are expected to be every single one at any given moment. It’s time to choose one and stick to it. 

EOC Week 3: Thank You For Smoking

For years, tobacco companies have been trying to come up with new, intriguing ways to appeal to new, younger generations of smokers. In the ad below, Chesterfield cigarettes puts the cap on their target audience.

1. Determine the scenario: What happens in this frame?

     In this frame, Chesterfield shows a young woman, with a graduation cap and their

     brand of cigarettes.

2. What is the setting? What are the conditions?

     The setting is a simple background to better emphasize their product, and the

     conditions are the possible after effects of a graduation ceremony.

3. Who are the people or groups?

     The person in the ad itself is an attractive, typical American girl, or young woman

     rather, barely old enough to make decisions, and yet, she’s choosing Chesterfield.

     With this in mind, the company is trying to appeal to the same target audience.

4. What is their point of view around this specific experience?

     The company’s point of view around this specific experience would be to sell

     more cigarettes to a younger generation.

5. What are their goals?

     With the above answer in mind, Chesterfield’s goals would be to encourage

     growth within a younger demographic to be able to target more long term

     customers.

6. What are their assumptions? What are their perceptions?

     The company’s assumptions are that someone in the same age range is more

     likely to appeal to them. Their perceptions are that their target audience would

     be more accepting and willing to try something made cool to them.

7. Are there conflicts? Is there cooperation?

     There are always conflicts when it comes to big tobacco. Getting people to smoke,

     particularly those educated on the product itself and the health risks involved is a

     huge challenge. The girl in the ad has a graduation cap on, giving the impression

     that she is educated.

8. What are the outcomes?

     I think the outcomes of this advertisement, are that a younger generation became

     more willing to try cigarettes.

Ad campaigns like this are certainly not going to stop. Companies have found a way of reaching their targeted audience, and this is a perfect example of it. 

EOC Week 2: Questionable Ethics in Advertising

“Did you know there is lead in some candy from Mexico? It is true that lead has been found in some chili and tamarind candy from Mexico” (http://www.leadinmexicancandy.com/flyer.html). Ice cream trucks are a great resource for kids to have their treats brought directly to them, making it to where they don't have to ask mom and dad for a trip to the store. Unfortunately, they may have to start asking for a trip to the doctor if ice cream trucks keep providing Lucas, a product linked to having disturbing amounts of lead. Their colorful packaging is able to attract kids into buying one of the most harmful products available to them.

 

Sex and cigarettes don’t typically go together unless you’re thinking of movies and t.v. shows where the couple smokes after a steamy session. An ad from Paris changes this thought by posing a young boy about to give a man in a suit oral sex with the man’s penis replaced by a cigarette. The same is done with a young girl. Underneath, the caption reads Smoking means being a slave to tobacco. “The leader of the organization behind the campaign acknowledged the ads were meant to shock and said such provocative campaigns were the only way to reach young people” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35565815).


 

Using celebrities in ad campaigns is a popular way to gain attention, particularly within the younger demographic. Like it or not, they have the power to skyrocket a group or company depending on how they choose to view an ad. Shocking pictures tend to catch younger viewers eyes, allowing them to be influenced or opinionated by the ad itself and remember it better. This tactic was used for an ad to get 18 year olds to vote. “Declare Yourself’s campaign blankets the landscape of popular culture, as well as universities and high schools, with a simple, clear message: REGISTER and VOTE!” (http://www.kindaa.com/jessica-alba-and-christina-aguilera-new-controversial-ad-pics/).

EOC Week 1: VW Lemon

The Volkswagen Lemon ad campaign is probably one of the most famous ads of the twentieth century. It’s simplicity and duality are able to capture an audience with a wide range of reactions. The ad itself includes a black and white picture of a Volkswagen beetle with the word lemon and an article underneath. If you proceed to read the article, it goes on to talk about the blemishes within the car itself. The model the ad designers chose was not their newest, swankiest model they had, but rather an older car that seemed just fine. The ad points out, however, that the chrome strip on the glove compartment is blemished and must be replaced, something not noticed to the average consumer (http://www.powerwriting.com/vw-lemon-ad.html). Volkswagen inspector Karl Kroner noticed, allowing marketers to proclaim that their team is top notch, and filled with some of the most detail oriented men in the inspection business.

“The Volkswagen ad campaign was unlike any before it, ushering in an era of modern advertising that truly changed how advertising agencies accomplish their trade” (Lemon Coleman). The advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach is responsible for creating this ad and changing the advertising world as we know it. Because the ad itself is so simple, it allows consumers to focus on one thing and one thing only, and that is the car (Volkswagen Ad Campaign Was Far From A Lemon Ogden). Why else have an advertisement?

To me, the Volkswagen Lemon ad allowed the company to show its product in a very innovative way. DDB ushered in a new revolution to reach its desired market and increase sales substantially. At that time, Volkswagen became very popular with this ad to thank. The creators influenced other ads, changing the way to appeal to the common man. We can still see this technique used today which makes them remarkably timeless.