Canadian Oil Sand Advertising Campaign - Case Study Example

Canadian Oil Sand Advertising campaign Grade (Oct. 20th, Canadian Oil Sand Advertising campaign The Canadian Oil Sand Advertising campaign has gone a notch higher with different companies and brands making the best use of these adverts to sell their brands not only domestically, but also globally. The following two advert campaigns have been selected for analysis. ‘More than fuel Touch Screen Advert’- http://www.cenovus.com/news/more-than-fuel.html ‘A different oil sands’- http://www.cenovus.com/images/content/news/different-oil-sands.jpg Identity of product and brand being advertised The two oil sand advertisement campaigns above are advertising the brand Cenovus Energy as a company, as opposed to advertising any single product that the company produces. Cenovus Energy is an integrated oil company operating in Canada, having been incorporated in the year 2009 (Natural Resources Canada, 2011). The company is involved in the whole chain of the petroleum oil supply chain. In this respect, the company is found on the ground where it explores and identifies viable oil deposits, after which it is involved in the drilling and extraction of the oil from the field oil deposits for subsequent processing (Natural Resources Canada, 2011). The Cenovus Energy does not only drill and sell the crude oil to different parts of the world, but it is also involved in the refining the crude oil to final products such as gas and oil, which are then supplied to the company owned petrol stations as well as the other retail petrol and gas stations (Natural Resources Canada, 2011). In this respect, the advert campaigns do not only promote the Cenovus Energy as a local brand in Canada, but also globally, owing to its international oil export trade. Target audience of the ad: Who does the ad target and why? The target audience of the adverts is the wider Canadian society, with the two advertisement applying a more universal approach, as opposed to targeting a certain segment of the of the society, or even segmenting the society into certain demographic characteristics (Advertising techniques, 1900). The adverts targets universal audience be cause; the first advert, ‘More than fuel Touch Screen Advert’, speaks to the whole population that uses technological devises, by showing that the modern technological devises are part of the products whose origin is the oil sands (Cenovus Energy, 2014). In this respect, the advert speaks to the whole population since any member of the Canadian society, starting with children, to the youths and the adults have something that is technology-related, which emanates from the plastic material, which is a byproduct of oil refinement. On the other hand, the second advert dubbed ‘A different oil sands’ has its audience as the policy makers, the environmental watch organizations and finally the wider society as its target audience, considering the fact that it shows how a good oil drilling project should look like (Cenovus Energy, 2014). In this respect, the advertisement seeks to let the larger society see that the company produces its products in an environmentally-friendly manner, while also using the state-of-the-art technology and equipment, to ensure that its products are sensitive to the needs of the society (Cenovus Energy, 2014). Objective, Message and implied message in the company ads The objective of the advert ‘More than fuel Touch Screen Advert’ is to make the target audience; who in this case is the wider society, appreciate the work of the company not just as an oil drilling, refining and supply company, but also a major contributor to the modern lifestyle that the society enjoys today (Cenovus Energy, 2014). The advert seeks society to know that; if it were not for the efforts of the oil drilling companies, then such technologically savvy equipment and devices such as the touch screen ipads would not exist, since such products consists of a high percentage of the oil components, starting with the plastic casing, to the liquid crystals that are found inside such devices which allows the devices to reveal the content to the user, as well as the thin film screen through which the user of the ipads view the content and interacts with the devices, which are all petrochemical-based products (Cenovus Energy, 2014). Thus, the advert is simply telling the society that without the contribution of such companies, the society would not be enjoying the technological advancement that is a core lifestyle today (Howe, Edelstein & Johnson, 2000). This way, the target audience is made to believe that the contribution of the company to the welfare of the society is enormous and almost immeasurable. It is the objective of the advert to feel part of the company mission and objectives, by letting the society know that the company does not do what it does for its sake only, but also for the advancement of the whole society (Stoklossa & Rempen, 2010). On the other hand, the objective of the second advert dubbed ‘A different oil sands’ is to let the society know that company cares for its welfare, more than the society might initially think. In this respect, the company has produced an advert that shows an oil drilling field that is close to a residential estate, which does not seem to be disturbing the people or even to cause any pollution or environmental disturbance (Cenovus Energy, 2014). The objective here is to make the society think that the company does not just do what it does for its own sake, but that it has invested in the right technology to ensure the comfort and welfare of the society is taken care of. The advert has printed some advertisement messages on the lower end of the advertisement, telling the society that the innovative technology applied by the company allows it to reach for oil and drill it, “so we disturb very little land” (Cenovus Energy, 2014). In addition, the advert seeks to let the society feel appreciated, not only currently but also in the future, through the advert passing the message that it undertakes its oil drilling responsibly. The message printed under the advert states that Cenovus Energy is a company that is committed to unlock the natural resource potential of Canada “safely and responsibly…for today and tomorrow” (Cenovus Energy, 2014). Therefore, the advert seeks to let the society know that the company is committed to ensure the safety and welfare of the present-day society, as well as care for the welfare of the future generations. Advertising technique(s) used in the ad Facts and figures as an advertisement technique, has been used by the second advertisement, where it states that 80% of the oil sands are not disturbed during the drilling (Danesi, 2008). This technique seeks to convince the target audience that indeed the company cares for the welfare of the society. Patriotism is yet another advertisement technique applied by the advert, which states that the innovative technology that allows for little land disturbance when drilling and extracting oil is “pioneered here in Canada” (Cenovus Energy, 2014). The third technique that has been used by the adverts is the application of the weasel words technique, which seeks to use words that are convincing and compelling to the target market to favor the brand (Danesi, 2008). For example, in the first advert, words such as ‘essential’ and ‘positive differences in life’ are applied to show the necessity of the products associated with the company (Stoklossa & Rempen, 2010). The use of the weasel words is also evident in the second advert where terms such as ‘very little’, safely’ and ‘responsibly’ have been used to convince the target audience that the company does really care for the societal welfare (Danesi, 2008). Why these ads are interesting The adverts are interesting in two major ways. First, the ‘More than fuel Touch Screen Advert’ has been able to capture the imagination of the mind of the target audience in a manner that is rarely possible. This is because, whenever we use technological devices, we rarely sit back to think what they are made of, but instead we look out for their distinct features and the brand company that manufactures them. However, this advert has made us think, at least for once, about what the devices are made of and their origin; oil sands. Secondly, the advert ‘A different oil sands’ is interesting in the sense that it has not only projected Cenovus Energy as a company that cares for the welfare of the society, but has also been able to project Canada as an advanced nation, capable of pioneering innovative technology that is environmentally friendly (Cenovus Energy, 2014). Conclusion The two adverts; ‘More than fuel Touch Screen Advert’ and ‘A different oil sands’ have opened a whole new arena of perceiving advertisement not as mere tools of promoting brands, but also as means of communication that promotes both patriotism and identity, while at the same time being educative and informative. This is because, while the ‘A different oil sands’ is promoting the brand Cenovus Energy, it has managed to chip in a message that makes the wider Canadian society view the brand not from the perspective of a company but as part of the pride of the nation. Further, the educative and informative aspect of the advert, ‘More than fuel Touch Screen Advert’ stems from its ability to highlight the importance of oil as a product in making the world be what it is today, through providing practically all the necessary components for the production of the technological devices and equipments. This way, we cannot help, but sit back and try to evaluate what else in our homes, offices, social places and anywhere we go is not a product of oil extraction. Thus, the adverts have opened a new sense of curiosity and need to inquire more about the oil industry. References Advertising techniques. (1900). New York: ADA Pub. Co. Cenovus Energy. (2014). New and Views-Our Advertising: More than fuel’ and ‘A different oil sands’. Available at: http://www.cenovus.com/news/our-advertising.html Cenovus Energy. (2014). How oil and natural gas contributed to the end products in our ads. Available at: http://www.cenovus.com/news/connection-new.html Danesi, M. (2008). Why it sells: decoding the meanings of brand names, logos, ads, and other marketing and advertising ploys. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. Howe, K., Edelstein, J., & Johnson, M. L. (2000). Understanding advertising: History, persuasion techniques, mass media, target audiences, ad creation. San Luis Obispo, CA: Dandy Lion Pubns. Natural Resources Canada (2011). Canadian Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Petroleum Products: Review of 2009 & Outlook to 2030. Government of Canada. Stoklossa, U., & Rempen, T. (2010). Advertising: New techniques for visual seduction. London: Thames & Hudson. Read More