Analyzing Visual Media - Case Study Example

 Analyzing Visual Media The Marlboro Man One of the icons of the advertising world has been Phillip Morris’ Marlboro Man who was a common feature of advertisements for cigarettes for a long time. This particular ad shows the Marlboro man sitting on (presumably) a horse since he is holding reins in his hand while he is lighting a cigarette. The face of the man is quite rugged while the rest of his visible attire clearly brings about the image of a cowboy. The background, even though it is not every clear, is woodsy and outdoorsy while the lighting in the fore ground could be a sunset or a sunrise. In this ad, there are several techniques being used by the company to promote their cigarettes. The first and primary motivator is the transfer technique which suggests that men who smoke Marlboro are as rugged and as ‘real’ as the man shown in the picture. This is in fact the strongest message since the advertisement does not actually say anything about the positive values of the cigarettes (not that there are too many of those) and the ad does not give a price point or other selling point for the product. A secondary tone which can be connected to the ad is the plain folks technique since the age of cowboys is certainly a nostalgic image. Admittedly there may still be cowboys in America but the general idea of cowboys for me remains connected with the old west. I was certainly impressed by the look of the man and the cold stare that he has for the audience but at some level it is also scary. Finally, the warning at the bottom of the page tells us that smoke contains carbon monoxide which is somewhat cryptic but still effective in breaking the card stacking technique. Apple Computers: Think Different The second advertisement is from Apple Computer’s Think Different campaign which was critically acclaimed as one of the best campaigns in modern print advertising. The ad shows a black and white picture of John Lennon and Yoko Ono both holding flowers in their hand and looking towards the viewer. In the top right corner, the Apple Logo is present with the words “Think Different” underneath them and on the bottom left corner the words www.apple.com invite the viewer to visit Apple’s website. Again there are several techniques being used by the company to project its image of being different and unique. First of all, the unspoken celebrity endorsement of Lennon is enough to make many people think ‘differently’ about apple as more than a computer manufacturer. The glittering generality of the grammatically dubious ‘Think Different’ is supposed to make us approve Apple’s products and the image of their brand. The celebrity image also induces the feelings of transference since positive ideas about Lennon could easily be associated with Apple. Despite knowing the tricks being used by Apple, I feel that this campaign was quite good since it felt more like a tribute to all the personalities shown in various Apple advertisements. The images of Lennon, Einstein, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. etc. were certainly positive and Apples association with those images did bring about a positive result for the brand. While the grin and spend technique can not be directly applied to this advertisement, the ‘think’ and spend technique might be applicable in some cases. Subaru: The beauty of All-Wheel Drive Finally the print advertisement for Subaru comes as the busiest of all the ads in the selection. The top banner of the page displays the copy, “Only one of these safety features can help you avoid an accident” and immediately underneath that there are graphics for crumple zones, air bags and the Subaru All Wheel Drive. Clearly, the focus of the advertisement is on the safety values of the car and not other intangibles like speed or style itself. In fact, to me it looks like a rather ugly hatch back but this image itself is countered within the advertisement. By placing a baby on the shoulders of (what looks like) his father, Subaru is clearly using the plain folks technique to attract buyers towards their products. Again, with the focus on safety and security, the happy child becomes an anchor point and a means of transference as well whole a person reads through the small text on the page which describes how Subaru’s all wheel drive is better at handling curves and better at negotiating sudden changes in direction which may help in avoiding accidents. Additionally, it is also clarified that if an accident does happen, the crumple zones outside the cabin of the car and the air bags inside the car would help in keeping the passengers from suffering serious harm. These can be considered glittering generalities but my knowledge about cars is not sufficient enough to judge without research if Subaru’s all wheel drive actually does help in avoiding accidents or not. Additionally, it must be noted that cars and automotive equipment which uses fuel is potentially harmful for the environment yet Subaru gives no information on how and if their cars run cleaner than others. Clearly, with the focus on safety features, such points might make the argument a little diluted. Finally, the slogan given by Subaru is “The Beauty of All-Wheel Drive” which I think must be internal beauty because the car is certainly not very beautiful. In conclusion, visual media certainly carries and uses preset techniques to attract and influence the buying decision of individuals but it is clear to me that the best advertisements are those which do not make the influence obvious. Read More