Ad Analysis of the 1st Part of XX Century - Essay Example

Ad Analysis Insert due Ad Analysis Advertising in the 1960’s was associated with creativity and teamwork, which revolutionized the industry. Art directors and copy writers associated with the advertising of this period were highly creative1. It was characteristically a movement that aimed to challenge the old ways of advertising, which had been being employed in the advertising industry in the earlier years especially in the 1920’s to 1940’s. There was the formation of creative cells. Their formation was aimed at producing highly creatively works of art to be utilized in the advertising industry. By so doing, there was profound confidence in the effectiveness of the creative cells in rationalizing the creative process. In addition, the creative cells would alter the ranks of executive corps which were already perceived as tired. The consequences would be silently ridding the advertisement industry off creative restrictions. Their achievement of the creative revolution was so great that by 1969 the number of firms which had been being inaugurated since the effect of the revolution stated to be felt had crossed one hundred. In general, the ads which were as a result of the creative revolution had improved efficacy in communicating messages and elicited better responses from the consumers than the advertisements from the earlier years where creativity was rather docile. A contrast that is evident between the advertisements in the period around 1920’s to 1950’s and those in the later times is the employment of philosophy of contempt in earlier advertisements as opposed to that employed in the later times. In the later times advertisers endeavored to produce advertisements which elicited feelings of love from the audience2. Thus if the audience were happy to watch the advertisements, they would associate this happiness to the products and go for them. Creativity was also affected by this philosophy as creative artists involved in the production of the advertisements were more inclined to being creative in such a way that their product would be enjoyed by the consumers. Thus, gaining market preferences in the consumer market seemed to more efficient employing the philosophy of love rather than contempt. An advertisement in the later years which is an example of one which utilized the philosophy of love is the one which contained the message, ‘dress well and succeed’3. The advertisement is produced such that upon a consumer’s interaction with it, feelings of enjoyment prevail. Marchand 215 Advocacy for the rectification of the price problem was accompanied by advertisements which achieved the objectives of the advocacy quite effectively4. For instance, an advertisement that is significant in the price problem rectification advocacy is that of the family status’ role in improving the living standards of the entire American families. The message projected by this advertisement was based on the argument that if families endeavored in making more purchases for themselves, they would contribute to the betterment of the living standards of others. Thus, prices had to be fair to every American family regardless of its income background. This would ensure that every American had fair access of family-based effects, improving their own lives and ultimately improving the living of the others who engaged in the provision of these products. The merchandisers who were substantially affected by this advocacy for improvement of family status and the entire American populations living were, especially, the electrical merchandisers5. With socioeconomic status of a family not being a hindrance to access family-based products which would improve their standards of living, such an advocacy would see to an equitable America. Cohen 113 In the early years, in the period around 1920’s, advertisers employed the parable of the democracy of goods in the advertising industry. The aim of the employment of this strategy in advertising was to broaden the market beyond the rich people. It thus was inclusive of the low-income groups in the consumer market. The role it played in the advertisements was to encourage the low-income to consider a commitment to purchases which would reflect a rise in their social class. They emphasized on the importance of image. Thus, advertisements would make consumers eager to transform their image and gain a higher social class. Thus more people would get into the consumer market to purchase product which would adequately reflect their belonging to higher social class. An advertisement which utilized this type of a strategy is the one which contained the message that ‘a king can have no more’6. It communicated largely on luxury and preference. Thus, there was the encouragement to invest in making a luxurious life. In addition, it was made to be a choice of the consumer. This was based on the argument that because the consumers had the income already, it was upon them to engage in a commitment that would ensure their rising to higher social classes. They would therefore unleash these incomes which they hoarded while they led a lifestyle less of luxuries and preferences. The advertisements awoke wildness in exploring individual as well as family preferences which would shape the lifestyles which they would lead spending the portions of their incomes which they previously did not spend. Spending would largely be on purchases such as household exquisite furnishings and family automobiles. By doing this, the consumer market cycle would be unlocked as well as expand the consumption of the products to more consumers. Marchand 221 (Cohen 115) A print advertisement illustrating a consumer spending his/her salary, wage, interest, dividend, profit among other forms of income demonstrate how important the consumer spending is. It implies that consumer spending is profoundly important in the sustenance of industrial production and creation of jobs. The philosophy in this advertisement is significantly rational and one worth emulating in the world of business. Otherwise, a market involving industrial production and no consumers due to the failure of them spending their salaries, wages, interests, dividends, profits among other forms of income, would be malfunctioned. Undoubtedly, the role of consumer spending in the consumer markets is critical. Consequently, in the print advertisement consumer spending has been illustrated to be an integral element in the consumer market cycle. This has elaborately been illustrated by showing that all other activities which are fundamental in the consumer market cycle are reliant on the revenue raised from the consumer spending. Thus, for instance, when the consumer buys an automobile, he/she activates the all the activities associated with the production of automobiles. In the advertisement, this single act of spending on an automobile purchase activates mining, steel mill manufacturing, tire factory production and ultimately the automobile factory production. All these industries are associated with workmen and therefore this single purchase of an automobile creates job opportunities for numerous workmen. Keeping in mind that the several industries as well as the numerous workmen have been engaged by a single purchase, multiple purchases would engage even more of them. Higher consumption means more the number of new investments in the consumer markets7. However, the opposite is also true. Whenever consumption lags, the consequences are that there will be excesses in capacities of what has been being produced by the industries and therefore investing will be stopped8. Advertisements in the golden era in advertising was elaborately simple unlike in the earlier years when they would be elaborately detailed in order to project the intended message9. Thus, instead of a simple advertisement which would have a profound achievement in eliciting the intended effect, the advertisements in the earlier years were uneconomical in their illustrations. Thus they would contain numerous texts, as well as pictorial illustrations. The effect of this would be tiring the eye of the audience. Advertisements are not meant to detain one so that he or she allocates certain time to view or read them in order to get the message contained in them. Consequently presenting an advertisement that suggests engaging the audience to a significant commitment of their time would most probably not pass the message intended to the consumer. For instance, the advertisement explaining expansion the economic pie without necessarily requiring reallocation of any of its portions appeared too elaborate to save the time of the audience. Thus, to get the message contained in the advertisement, the audience had to spend a significant amount of their time relative to the time an audience should typically spend on an advertisement. This is a profound contrast between the advertisements in the earlier years around 1920’s and 1940’s as compared to such which were developed in the 1960’s which were elaborately simple. This simplicity was an advantage in the pursuit to achieve the effect intended by the advertisement. It enhances the ease of passing the message to the audience therefore giving the company of the product being advertised competitive advantage. Cohen 128 Unlike in the earlier years of advertising, 1920’s to 1940’ s, where advertisements contained of old-fashioned characters, the new era of advertising in the 1960’s presented a better way of doing it10. Thus, advertisements would elicit more effectively the effect that they were intended to achieve from the target consumers. This era was marked by profound exploration of the psychological strategies which could improve the efficacy of the advertising industry. Following this, comprehensive works was done to improve on the effect of first impression to the target consumers. Consequently, old fashioned characters which were to a significant level not effective in the effect of eliciting exquisite first impressions from the addressees, the target customers, were challenged. The strategies which were employed in this era were considerably effective. An example of an advertisement which is observed to have employed the new era’s strategies is that advertising Dr. West’s toothbrushes11. It is a good illustration that demonstrates the significant role played by successful first impressions in the success of a business or that of any social interaction. Thus strategic inclusion of a smile or a smooth shave in the pursuit for making a successful self-impression to the consumers by advertisers was important to achieve the effect intended by an advertisement. Since neither the smile nor the smooth shave was the commodity for sale, their role was to enhance the audience’s interest in the actual commodity being advertised for sale12. In the advertisement of Dr. West’s toothbrushes, a smile was employed in the advert as something attractive to be associated with the toothbrushes. Consequently, associating the toothbrushes with a smile would ultimately enhance positivity in the attitudes of the target consumers and elicit spending on the toothbrushes. Advertisers, in the 1960’s, had the revelation that they could elicit the best out of an individual by challenging their commitment to their personal wellbeing. This was closely associated to the issue of making excellent first impressions. The effect this sort of presenting this challenge could help change the behaviour of people in terms of their preventability. Advertising commodities which were meant to contribute the physical neatness of an individual was done in a way they would lure consumers to try them and see the anticipated results. They achieved this by presenting challenging settings in the advertisements that made one want to be presentable and flawlessly neat. For instance, an advertisement of the Williams shaving cream, Aqua Velva, employed this strategy. Impersonal qualities had a significant role to play in this advertisement13. The advertisement was presented in such a way that a man would feel obliged to take care of his facial appearance being neat to reflect confidence. Thus the advertisement was successful in instilling a sense of personal responsibility in contribution to his success. In addition to realizing that advertising commodities through challenging individuals to bring out the best out of themselves by challenging their commitment to their personal wellbeing was increasingly broadening its scope of usefulness14. Following this, advertisers challenged consumers with the assertion that health is natural. To compliment this assertion, the advertisers further asserted that ill-health was man-made. Critical assessment of these assertions by the advertisers would elicit profound positive responses towards the adherence to what they intended the consumers to adhere to. Thus, the assertions were psychological strategies in advertising which were carefully employed to be the onset of adherence to any other assertion the advertisers made in association to the previously mentioned two assertions. Advertisers would consequently gain full control of manipulating their audience on the kind of lifestyles to lead and what products to consume in order to counter ill-health. An advertisement that is typically correspondent to these characteristics is the one which challenged consumers that for them to be or stay slim, they had to eat like a cave woman15. Natural foods composed the illustrations on the packages of food products. For instance, grape-nuts would be found on a cover of a product suggesting that consumers needed to prepare their teeth to crack hard nuts. This challenged the consumers of keeping their teeth healthy up for the task of cracking tough foods. Marchand 213 Bibliography Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers Republic The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America. Charlottesville, VA: UVA Newsmakers, 2003. Frank, Thomas. The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1997. Marchand, Roland. Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity, 1920-1940. Berkeley: U of California P, 1985. Robinson, Ken. Culture, Creativity and the Young: Developing Public Policy. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Pub, 1999. Twitchell, James B. Adcult Usa: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture. New York: Columbia UP, 1996. 6 C’s primary source analysis. pdf Read More