The Power of Thinking or Feelings in Crest and Vaseline Advertisements - Essay Example

The Power of Thinking or Feelings in Crest and Vaseline Advertisements People is a weekly magazine designed for women, with ages ranging eighteen years old to early thirties. Their audiences tend to be college-educated and have middle class status. The advertisements are geared toward the middle-class, who usually spends a great deal of money on personal care and hygiene products. This issue is dated January 28, 2013. The main events for this magazine are the recent Globe awards and gossip about celebrities. This essay analyzes the persuasiveness of the rhetorical appeals of two advertisements from this magazine, one from Vaseline and another from Crest. See Figure 1. Both advertisements effectively use the right words, colors, font, and symbols to convey their intended messages to their audiences, where Vaseline focuses on persuading the audience through pathos and a simple positioning statement, while Crest centers on using logos and comparison with another more expensive, but well-known professional cleaning process. Figure 1: Vaseline and Crest Advertisements Vaseline persuasively uses pathos because of its emphasis on the word “feel,” so that the audience can “feel” its sincerity regarding the benefits of its product, and then it expounds on the scientific backup of these benefits to fully convince the audience that it is the best lotion in the market. The main positioning statement of the ad is “feels good, does good.” The statement is simple, but its meanings are varied. Vaseline uses the words “feel” and “good” to underline emotions. It is stating that its lotion feels good on the skin, while providing emotional benefits too. Instead of just stressing its ingredients, it centers on the resulting “feelings,” which is related to “goodness.” Another impact of the feelings of goodness is having a good day. When people feel good, they tend to do well in school, work, and home. Feeling good starts the day with happiness and improves quality of life. After the short introduction on what the product makes consumers feel, a longer explanation is below it, where scientific words are added. The long paragraph stresses that the product is the “next generation” of Vaseline lotion, which suggests that it is current and not an “old” formula. The words “pure” and “natural” make Vaseline a “natural” product, even when it has chemicals too. The main goal is to relate Vaseline with the goodness of “Nature,” but one that is scientifically tested and perfected. The words “new formula” and “infuse moisture deep down” accentuate that the product is the latest tested formula that goes beyond other usual lotions. The “rich feel and glowing skin” is a suitable end, since many consumers want their skin feeling smooth and looking young and fresh. To reinforce its sincerity further, another strategy of Vaseline is its “Money Back Guarantee.” The ad has a blue stamp, a stamp that symbolizes something assured and permanent. It contains the words “Vaseline Promise.” The word promise is like a friend making a promise to another friend. If customers will not feel the difference after using the product, Vaseline challenges them to return the lotion to it. This way, customers feel secure in using the product. Again, positive feelings take center stage. The ad starts with good vibes, the vibes of feeling and looking good. Then, it follows up the good vibes with a promise of “money back,” if these “feelings” are not attained. Vaseline effectively uses matching words and promises to convey a strong message of skin luxuriousness to its audiences. The font and white background highlight that Vaseline has nothing to hide. The font of “feels good, does good” is sans serif, which makes it informal and playful. It does not even start with a capital letter and does not end with a period. The way it is written looks hip and young. In other words, it exudes with innocence. The white background suggests purity too. It reinforces the idea that the product is fresh and natural, even when it is processed in a factory. These elements buttress the claim that Vaseline is “simply” the best “pure” lotion. Like Vaseline, Crest effectively uses the right words in sending the message that it is a logical choice because it is almost as good as a dental cleaning. The words “97% as clean” are in a bigger font. It is almost as good as an expensive dental cleaning, and yet they are only three kinds of convenient products. The ad is telling consumers that they do not have to go to the dentist to have a good cleaning. They can get right in their very own homes. Similar to Vaseline, the claim is simple and direct. Crest is for the best cleaning that consumers want to have. To emphasize this more, a shorter tag line for Crest is below it: “life opens up when you do Crest.” It promises more opportunities because of a clean mouth and less expenses from dental services when plaque destroys teeth. These words are targeting the logic of the consumer, a consumer who thinks of long-term benefits. Following Vaseline’s long paragraph, Crest expands its benefits in another paragraph. It sells the whole package of products: Crest Pro-Health Clinical Rinse, Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste, and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Pro-Flex Toothbrush. The terms sound “scientific” or technical, promising scientifically-tested products. They are long, which is typical for scientific products too. They might sound boring, but they just emphasize on their scientific claims. Three “professional” products are then sold all at once. Furthermore, the bundled products promise not just removing plaque, but keeping it at bay. It suggests protection for a longer time, perhaps longer than other toothpastes and cleaning products. At the lower right, it says “PRO-HEALTH” and “CLINICAL.” These words suggest that Crest is using clinical research to support dental health. It makes its product more credible to people who want to be assured of products through scientific testing. The font, additional image of mouth mirror and colors symbolically stress that Crest is a clinically-proven product. The font of the main phrase of the ad is in capital letters. They look professional, which is important in making “scientific” claims. Dark blue is also the color of the background. It is dark enough to suggest professionalism. Blue also stands for freshness. It is the color of the ocean and the sky, which tend to make people feel refreshed. Adding the mouth mirror accentuates the professionalism of the product. It is like a dentist is approving the product too. Since dentists are respected professionals, the use of the mouth mirror adds to the logical appeal of the product. Crest uses diverse strategies to send a strong message that it is a product of professional dental product maker. This rhetorical analysis is important because it shows how advertisements convince the audience through the right mix of words, colors, fonts, and symbols. Everything is planned, when it comes to ads. Every element on it has meaning, or must have meaning, so that marketers can attract and sustain the interest of their target audiences, enough to make them believe that what they are saying something true and worthwhile. Rhetoric is important in our everyday lives because it helps us to become successful in sending our messages to others. The benefits can be large or small, such as convincing a boss for a raise, or a professor to increase one’s grade, or it can lead to a social movement, changing lives and societies in the process. We must have rhetorical analysis skills to also understand the explicit and implicit agenda of other people. With these critical and analysis skills, we can avoid being manipulated and lied to. Politicians and marketers cannot easily deceive us, for instance. Hence, rhetorical skill is critical to a happy and autonomous life. Read More