Analyze the content of TEN advertisements - Research Paper Example

? Advertisements (Add (Add (Add TEN Advertisements The first advertisement is Axe Essence body spray. It appeared on print media. In the advertisement, a couple walks down a street where the sidewalk displays mannequins of females in lingerie. While the upper half of the man walks along with his partner, the lower half waits and watches the mannequin. This advertisement provides two important cultural and social messages. First of all, females have great sex appeal and the appeal increases when they are in lingerie. Secondly, males are capable of attracting women other than their partners. Also, there is the message that males are always attracted to other women. Thus, the males who use the spray gain confidence, and remain happy. It seems that the theory of conflict can be used to explain the situation. According to the theory, advertisements (as cited in Anderson &Taylor, 2007, p.551) make people get addicted to unnecessary things and new habits. 2. The second advertisement is that of Ford Mustang 2013. This advertisement lasts nearly 2 minutes and it appeared on television. In the advertisement, the new Ford Mustang 2013 runs down a beautiful street which is full of beautiful people. As the car moves, all people including children watch with admiration. In issues like that of Ford Mustang, one can apply the theory of Interractionism too. According to this theory, (as cited in Herman & Reynolds, 1994, p. 25) the advertisements create a virtual world of modern self. This helps create a new need to buy the new products. In the case of Ford Mustang 2013, the advertisement shows that people watch the new product with admiration. Thus, the viewer develops the feeling that getting that model is a necessary step to get admiration in society. 3. Coca Cola advertisement is the third one. It appeared on television and it lasts nearly two minutes. The advertisement starts when a young guy inserts a coin in the cola vending machine. The coin initiates a series of events inside the machine in which unnatural creatures fill cola in the bottle in an unnatural place and finally the bottle is handed over to the guy. Evidently the advertisement is capitalizing on the mystery regarding the preparation of coca cola. Admittedly, various rumors regarding the mystery of cola’s preparation can be a weakness or a potential threat to the product’s sustainability. However, in the above stated ad of Coca Cola, one can see the art of capitalizing on the so called weakness. 4. Woman’s Horlicks is the third important advertisement. This advertisement is on print media. The advertisement shows a jar in the shape of a woman. The advertisement reads: “Your husband needs you, your children need you, your family needs you, your neighbors need you, your pets need you, your plants need you.” And the final statement goes: “And your health needs you.” Thereafter the advertisement contains extensive information about the nutrition content of the supplement. Here, it seems that one should think about the influence of sociological images to understand the importance of this advertisement. In the case of people, always ‘seeing is believing.’ That means through compelling images and statements, it is possible to develop the sociological imagination of people. A woman finds the advertisement of Horlicks something like a wake-up call. 5. The fifth advertisement is that of Nike. It appeared on print media. The advertisement shows a cheetah running at high speed. The cheetah has the trade mark of Nike on its belly. The heading of the advertisement reads: “What is the secret of this speed?” At the left bottom of the advertisement, it reads: “Ask the master.” And the right bottom of the advertisement shows the name of Nike and its trademark. The advertisement wants to compare Nike with the fastest animal on earth. In this case, the study by Lutz and Lutz (1977) seems useful. The study proves that interactive picture sequences have the power to enhance subsequent item recognition. When the brand name of a company is juxtaposed with a pictorial stimulus, people take the qualities of the symbol for the qualities of the brand. (Lutz R.A Lutz R.J (1977 On the pictorial properties of visual images: effects of image size on memory for words, Canadian Journal of Psychology, 31. P. 32) 6. The next advertisement is that of IBM. This advertisement appears on print media. The advertisement reads: “Groceries now shop for people.” Thereafter the advertisement explains that it helps Conad del Tirreno calculate attractive prices for over 10,000 products, and implement them in 3 days instead of 18. In this case, the influence of sociological images comes into play. The company portrays itself as a socially useful tool, and creates a positive image in the public mind. The ad creates an impression that the firm maintains a customer first approach. The ad also tends to declare that the firm will invest huge amounts in social development and drive this goal through its corporate activities. 7. The seventh advertisement is that of Nokia Lumia 800. This advertisement appears on television and it lasts one and a half minute. In the advertisement, people from different walks of life do their jobs in unusual and funny ways with a lot of enthusiasm. The advertisement lasts one minute and 12 seconds. The advertisement ends with the statement: “The amazing everyday.” Evidently, the claim is that with Lumia 800, even monotonous life becomes amazing. In such cases, theory of Interractionism is useful. According to this theory, (as cited in Herman & Reynolds, 1994, p. 25) the advertisements create a virtual world of modern self. This makes the people feel that the product is a necessity. Admittedly, it is known to everyone that ads usually involve exaggerations. However despite this awareness, people are often driven by consumerism to a great extent. 8. Puma is the eighth one. The advertisement that appears on print media shows Puma shoes and it reads: “Get to the ball faster with the new Puma V1.08.” Then the bottom left of the advertisement gives the name of the company with its trademark cheetah. Here, interactive picture sequences have the power to enhance subsequent item recognition. When the brand name of a company is juxtaposed with a pictorial or word stimulus, people take the qualities of the symbol for the qualities of the brand. (Lutz R.A Lutz R.J (1977 On the pictorial properties of visual images: effects of image size on memory for words, Canadian Journal of Psychology, 31. P. 32) 9. The next advertisement is that of KFC. This advertisement comes on television and it lasts 21 seconds. In the advertisement, a white man is sitting among a number of black people in a cricket stadium watching a game. The black people are shouting and dancing and the white man is visibly irritated. He uses KFC to stay calm. The advertisement starts with the caption: “KFC’s Cricket Survival Guide.” This advertisement can be explained using the conflict theory (as cited in Anderson &Taylor, 2007, p.551) which claims that people are made to get addicted to unnecessary things and new habits by advertisements. Evidently, advertisements have become one of the significant factors that influence people’s social behavior and personality traits today. 10. The last advertisement is that of Reebok. In the print advertisement, three girls are exhibiting their toned thighs and are wearing Reebok shoes. The advertisement reads: “Reetone.” And the right bottom exhibits the company’s name. Once again one can see that interactive picture sequences are used to enhance subsequent item recognition. Here brand name and qualities are juxtaposed. Evidently, as Harms and Kellner (n. d.) comments, Reebok’s advertisement campaigns ‘incorporate postmodern imagery and cynicism to sell shoes’. References Anderson, M. L & Taylor, H. F. (2007). Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. USA: Cengage Learning. Herman, N. J Reynolds, L. T. (1994). Symbolic Interaction: An Introduction to Social Psychology. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Kellenr, D & Harms, J. (n. d.). Toward A Critical Theory of Advertising. Illuminations. Retrieved from http://www.uta.edu/huma/illuminations/kell6.htm Read More