The Importance of Effective Marketing in Advertising - Essay Example

Ad Analysis with Gender Theory Introduction The New Black Magazine vision is to provide insightful features on the issues surrounding contemporary black women and men in the society. In August 18th 2007, it featured Intel, a renowned computer chip-maker Ad; which is shot in an office environment portraying six black sprinters in a crouching position ready to run, while a smartly dressed white man stands amidst them. Since the Ad portrays the sprinters in opposite sides preparing to run, it can imply the product aims to provide a competing motive among the employees. The paper illustrates the importance of social sensitivity in marketing activities. Intended and cultural meaning The advert displays “multiply computing performance and maximize the power of your employees.” The purpose of the advert was to illustrate how Intel’s Core 2 Duo processors can boost both the employees’ productivity by running numerous computing applications at ago to promote the company’s efficiency (Boykin Para 1). Intel Company use of identical sprinters was symbolic tool as it was used to illustrate how the new Intel chips were quicker than the it’s rival competitors while the white man at the middle represented the management or businesses which would greatly benefit from the chips speed, as well as their employees efficiencies in computing operations (Boykin Para 2). The new chips are 40% faster than its rival competitors which outwardly represents its performance in comparison to competitors. At the adverts footnote, there is a statement that its speed has been enhanced than its previous version. The footnote aims to differentiate the new chip’s speed from its latter version. The adverts target audience is the business user. It portrays the manager (white man) in an office environment with his employees (the sprinters) where Intel’s product will greatly maximize his work efficiency. The company aimed to reach especially to the business owners who use computers often to run their operations. The ad further aimed to persuade the business owners that his employees’ efficiency could be doubled by the use of enhanced product. The white man is seen smiling which implies that the owner would be satisfied by his employees performance after using the product (Kaser 67). The ads context is shot in an office setting which denotes that the product is more useful in an office environment. Behind the advert, there is visible image of the office desks, chairs and window panes. The context of the ad largely provides that the office is the most suited for the Intel’s product (Kaser 88). Furthermore, the croaching position of the employees depicts the product will bring out the employees potential in a more competitive nature. The advert aims to reach the middle and upper class customers. Based on the ad, the white man is moderately officially dressed to portray the target audience of the company (Kaser 34). The office setting is neatly arranged and designed which is a feature of middle and upper class organizations. The gender role is illustrated in terms by the use of only male figures in the advertisement. This ad employs a white manager folding his arms together while his male subordinates work for him. The ad can be perceived as that the product is mostly intended for the male managers and employees may be due to its complicities. It can be noted that manager is seen smiling due to the determination of his male employees. The use of masculine gender can mean the male counter parts have the ability to express determination even under pressure from their superiors or have the ability to ensure maximum productivity from the utility’s functionalities (Gill 55). The power structure being illustrated is that of hegemonic masculinity. The ad portrays a male manager dominating his other male subordinates. The male manager is seen smiling while his male staffs appear to be kind of bowing to him. The Caucasian managers especially the males are normally seen as intelligent and fast thinkers which can be seen while blacks are normally portrayed as industrious people (Gill 66). The black employees are seen in a croaching position ready to undertake the assigned duty. The ad only contain male figures in an office envirnment. The advert uses connotation as part of its illustration. First of all it uses a symbolic figure of a white manager and black employees which explicitly means the intelligence level among the two groups. The Caucasian managers are normally termed as bright and civilized while the strong black employees as hardworking. Furthermore, the second paragraph illustrates that the chip have the ability to boost 40% more efficiency as compared to its competing substitute products. However, at the end of the barely noticeable footnote, the company reveals that the new chip speed is Intel’s previous processors speed. This provides a denotation of the second paragraph’s statement (Gill 102). Under the semiotic analysis, there is the use of the visible header statements and the vague terms and conditions clause. The header statements clearly illustrate how the chip will boost the company’s productivity and effectiveness but there is also a contracting statement hidden at the footnote’s section. The footnote outlines that the speed in the new chip is the one used by the previous processors speed. This is a hidden feature hidden in the footnote since majority of the consumers barely take a keen attention at the footnote. The footnote is used as semiotic sign to hide the contradiction of the ‘new’ feature. Additionally, the office setting is used symbolically to illustrate the effectiveness of the product (Shields and Dawn 76). The chip was formulated to be used in organizations or offices which have numerous and extensive operations. The use of identical and opposing sprinters imply businesses can perform similar or different functionalities simultaneously. At the time of the advert publication, there was a viral response that the advert was highly racist. The factor depicts the stereotype of the ad. The advert illustrates a white manager standing while six black subordinates appear to be kind bowing to him. The picture can enormously be interpreted like in the medieval era where the whites were the boss while the blacks were the salves. The ads ideology could be perceived by many as the whites being the dominant and superior while the blacks as inferiors. According to Shields and dawn 99 America has a diversified range of people and some customers would not want to be associated with brands with stereotypic cultures. The company could have instead used a non white manager or a mixture of different ethnicities in the place of sprinters to represent cultural diversity in the workplace. This is a clear indication that even large companies can fail to implement cultural aspects in their marketing campaigns. Theory The advert employs anthropological approach throughout its plot. Based on Sapp 7 Anthropological theory is the study of human beings in relation to cultural, social and physical aspect of humans. The ad uses only male figures to imply the dominance of male functionality as compared to females. The ad also employs masculine male characters to imply the toughness and durability of the product and its performance. The advert also employs racial differences which can denote the cultural and social understanding among people in the society. The ad uses a smartly dressed white manager where socially are portrayed as intelligent and efficient. His employees are black where socially the blacks are known to be strong and industrious in nature. Conclusion The paper’s objective was to illustrate the importance of effective marketing in advertising or reaching to its targeted audience. The advert was a failure due to the use wrong symbols for its marketing. It used the right message but with wrong characters. Advertisements have to employ the cultural aspects of the society in order to reach its intended target group. Works Cited Boykin, Keith. Have the Folks at Intel Lost Their Minds? 2007. Web 17th May 2015 Kaser, Ken. Advertising & Sales Promotion. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Gill, Rosalind. Gender and the Media. Cambridge, Polity, 2006. Print. Shields, Vickie R, and Dawn Heinecken. Measuring Up: How Advertising Affects Self-Image. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013. Print. Sapp, Marty. Psychodynamic, Affective, and Behavioral Theories to Psychotherapy. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher, Ltd, 2010. Print. Read More