Forms of Communication in Burberry Advertisement - Case Study Example

INTRODUCTION Advertising is not only an integral part of the marketing mix but due to its effectiveness in generating sales, is now a part of the media plan of most of the companies with a consumer -customer market base. In this regard, there are various types of advertising including radio, TV, internet and print. Print ads are the oldest form of advertising and rely on the various elements used in the ad to convey message. The print ads usually carry implicit and explicit messages for the readers. Implicit Communication refers to communication which is implied, embedded in the ad. It is the message that the company is indirectly conveying to the audience. Explicit Communication is in form of text which is the direct message of the company to the audience. In the following paper, we will be discussing the implicit and explicit forms of communication used in the print advertising of Burberry, Nisan Tiida and Armani. BURBERRY AD The first advertisement that I have chosen is of Burberry. It was printed on the 4th page, top right hand side of Gulf News, an English Language, glossy paper newspaper published in the Middle East. Gulf news is one of the leading newspapers of Middle East. The advertisement was a 27 centimeters length and 16.8 centimeters standard quarter page colour ad. The brand Burberry does not need an introduction as it is one of the most expensive and high class brand of designer clothing, bags and shoes. Advertisement Objective: From the general outlook of the ad, it can be safely concluded that the objective of this ad is to remind people. There is hardly any text on the ad because the target market is already aware of the brand. The only text on the ad is "Burberry established since 1856" which emphasizes on the significance of the brand and adds value due to its presence in the market as a market leader for over a century. Implicit Communication: Elements of the ad: This ad primarily uses covert communication to appeal to its customers. The ad emphasizes the "attitude" and the "slight arrogance" elements which signify the quality of the brand as being up-class and expensive. Lack of Text: this shows that Burberry is communicating to its customers that we know we are good and appreciated by those who matter and we do not need to say much about us since we are well-known. Posture of the Models: The models are clad in Burberry apparel and wearing the same brand of shoes. This ad in particular focuses on the three types of clientele: 1. The working woman portrayed by the model on the immediate left, affluent and can afford to spend on clothing that is upbeat, smart yet comfortable. 2. The high-class bold, outgoing business woman, portrayed by the model in the middle. These are woman who have inherited, earned through business or acquired through wedlock a fortune which they can afford to spend on high quality clothing that they can carry in their day to day routine of attending functions, and parties and other such activities. 3. The dandy men who are conscious of what they wear. All the models are wearing the same facial expressions that the brand signifies i.e. "attitude" and "slight Arrogance" Explicit Communication: This ad relies heavily on implicit communication rather than explicit. The only text on the ad is "Burberry-established since 1856".This stresses on the historical value of the brand and stresses on the prestige value of the products. In all it can be said that it is an effective ad, if not an exceptional one. It could have benefited from headlines and better placement of ad. But the real effectiveness of this ad can only be measured by the increase in sales after publishing of this ad or through a consumer survey of awareness levels. NISAN TIIDA This is a half page ad published on the inside back page of Khaleej Times. It is a 27 centimeters length and 33 centimeters width standard half page colour ad. This ad follows the same placement as is followed by everyone in the industry and the ad is placed in the lower half of the inside back page. Khaleej Times is the leading newspaper of the Middle East and has international readership and is available in other countries. The Brand Nissan is not new to the market and customers are aware of this brand. However, the new car model TIIDA needs to be introduced to the customers. Advertisement Objective: Since a new product model is being launched, a fact judged by the date "2008" on it, the objective of the campaign will be to cultivate an awareness of this and inform the customer of the benefits. The main purpose would be to inform and persuade to purchase the car. Explicit Communication:Elements of the Ad: This ad focuses on explicit communication rather than covert communication. Positioning Statement: "No challenge too big", as compared to the industry norms and looking at other ads of automobiles, it is a positive approach that Nissan has adopted to actually use a positioning statement for the car. However, the positioning statement is not very creative like for example "Smart Car" is a good way to brand a car because not only is it creative but no one else has branded this car in this way and gives a top of the mind recall. Headline: The tagline of this ad "The spacious 2008 Nissan TIIDA starting from DHS 794" is giving an announcement type of a feel. It seems like the price is being communicated to the customer. This might mean that the car is maybe giving a price advantage to the customers and that is why the company has chosen this advantage as its unique selling property. "No challenge is too big" can be interpreted as 'driving a big, spacious car is not so big a challenge anymore as Nissan Tiida offers the same luxury and benefits for a comparatively lower price. Or it might mean that even the tallest people would not have difficulty in traveling in this car because it is spacious. There is some confusion in this. Product Specifications and After sales service: A small line at the bottom of the ad is aimed at putting to rest the fears of the customer associated with a new product with a high involvement and a high capital investment. The text assures the potential customer that a 100,000kms warranty will be provided. Other than this, a brief mention of the cost breakup has also been provided for non-cash customers. This also implies, that this car is aimed for mediocre segment of the society who want to own a luxurious car but can not afford to pay the price in one go. However, they can afford the same if the price is broken down over a period of six years and payment is made in form of installments. IMPLICIT COMMUNICATION: This ad hardly has any implicit communication. However, the choice of models might imply some things like: The Models: are dressed up in three piece suits and look like the working -services class. One observation is, that the models are both non-Arabs which implies that the focus of the campaign is to attract the foreigners who are working in U.A.E. AD PLACEMENT: The Ad placement for this particular ad is strategically ideal since they have chosen the leading Newspaper of Middle East Khaleej Times. Positive Aspects of Ad Placement: 1. Inside Back-page: After the front page and the back page, this is one of the most suitable positions to place an ad since anyone going through the newspaper will hardly ever miss the inside back-page. This choice gives maximum exposure. 2. Lack of competitors: Even though the Marketing Manager might not be having much influence on this, but the fact that in this particular issue in which Nissan advertised Tiida, here was no other competitor or car manufacturer, provides mileage to the company. 3. Another factor that worked in favor of this ad was that there was no other ad on the page on which this ad was placed giving complete coverage to this ad. As far as placement is concerned, this ad has been strategically placed. The only set back that can be seen is that it would have gained more mileage had it been placed on the front page or the back page. However, it is difficult to obtain such prime positions in well-known newspapers and good relationship management strategies have to be followed with the leading newspapers in order to get premium positions for advertising. More often, premium prices have to be paid to obtain premium positions. EMPORIO ARMANI This brand is well-known all over the world and Armani glasses, watches and jeans are all sold at premium prices. This Ad was placed on the front page of Gulf News. This is a 27 centimeters by 17 centimeters standard quarter page color ad. This is a perfect example of a typical watch or glass brand as it carries the same properties typical in the watches and glasses market i.e celebrity affiliation. This ad was printed on the front page of Gulf News, one of the leading glossy paper newspapers of Middle East. Advertisement Objective: The objective of this ad is to remind people of the brand and what it stands for and the various products Armani is offering .Even though the ad is typically of the Armani glasses, but the other accessories adorned by the model like the clothing and watch are also by Armani , so even though the ad focus is on the Armani glasses, but side-by-side the aim is to acquaint the customers of the other products being manufactured by Armani. Implicit Communication:Elements of the Ad: This Ad focuses on the implicit(Covert communication) One look at the ad and any person having the media experience would be able to draw the conclusion that this ad is an international ad, made and approved by the foreign principal situated in Italy. However, this ad has been released in the local newspaper by Armani's Local Agent Yateem Optician. This is supported by the instance of co-branding. at the bottom of the ad the contact details of the local agent have been printed whereas everywhere else on the advertisement the international branding has been carried out. Celebrity Appeal: the ad focuses on the celebrity appeal. Kaka is a well-known top of the line Brazilian football player. Celebrity affiliation is the most common method of designing advertising campaigns in the fragrances, Watches, Glasses, Designer clothing and shoes businesses. These are high involvement personal products and using these products makes the consumer think that has the similar attributes as his idol and an association with the product develops. Black & White Ad: Most high class watch brands in the industry have tried out the black and white approach in print advertising. This is because, using just black and white gives more emphasis to the product as compared to the background and it gives a look of prestige and heritage. Explicit Communication: The only form of explicit communication in this ad is the logo and the name of the celebrity "kaka" Logo: The logo of the brand has been placed in a way in which it is very visible. It is a good placement of the Armani logo. Conclusion: It can be seen in the end that the print ad is designed in a way as to appeal to the customers and the stage in which the product is. If the product is new, the reliance would be more on explicit communication like in the case of Nisan Tiida but if it is an old, prestige element based ad, the stress would be on covert communication. Read More