John Waggett
Mrs. Mikhaylova
English 102
10/12/11
Advertisement Images
The ads I used have the same general purpose; they are designed to get the reader to believe that their product will somehow change their lives or make them happier for a period of time. Both images apply to the modern society we live in today, and the great lengths people will go to in order to convince people to buy their product.
The images I have chosen are an Old Spice ad and a Newport cigarette ad. Although those products do not really coincide, their messages are almost the same. They are both intended to have a visual effect on the reader and strike their attention. Both ads use strong and bold colors to create a sense of vitality and life, even though one add has to do with cigarettes. In the Newport advertisement the male and female have bright clothes on as well as the background being green, and in between them is a yellowish looking light. Ironically the color green is usually associated with life, not cigarettes. The yellow is possibly an example of the spark to people may obtain while smoking together, or perhaps just light the cigarette in general. The spark can also be related to a new relationship starting, and in this image the male and female may have started a relationship due to one another’s interest with Newport cigarettes. The Old Spice ad does not convey quite as many colors that blatantly stand out, but the ad focuses more on symbols or typical standards. The “pleasure!” bellow the two smoking ads a sort of sexual innuendo which can also be thrown under the vitality category. The Old Spice advertisement is a picture a guy who has two sides. The right side is that of him being a normal or typical boring guy holding Old Spice products, and on the left is the same guy but he looks like a could be in the rock band Kiss. He has a rock guitar that happens to have a bikini top on it, long black hair, no shirt, and a painted face. In other words, an extreme before and after when using Old Spice. This is definitely trying to convey a sexual or cool persona for the person using an Old Spice product. Almost like Old Spice is trying to say that if you use one of their products then you will become a rocking guitar hero that scores girls regularly. However, everyone knows one product cannot achieve this, but it is the thought or quick glance at the product which brings up these thoughts and may be able to attract the consumer to buy such based on what they are trying to accomplish with personal hygiene products. With the Old Spice ad, the guys side before using the old spice product is white and after apparent use it prominently black, and this is a reference towards getting rid of purity or becoming more rebellious. This rebellious nature is almost glorified in the ad as well as the Newport ad trying to justify that smoking may not entirely be that harmful for someone although everyone knows it is.
Both the Newport and Old Spice ad are trying to get a message of changing yourself for the better. Old spice, however, is the only product out of the two that can technically do this because smoking can lead to death. These ads try to get the consumer to see that their product will enhance their chances of having a good time. The Newport ad is showing that smoking socially may be a way to attract the opposite gender and lead to getting to know someone. The Old spice ad makes the buyer feel that the product will lead to themselves becoming more confident which may potential lead to attracting ladies as much as a rock star would, although probably not. This bad boy image is becoming more prominent in youth of society today, and is targeted by companies looking to and increase the range of their market appeal. Consequently, the ads are somewhat outlandish in that Old Spice cannot turn someone into a rock star and Newport cigarettes can only hurt one’s health and not create a sense of pleasure unless they really enjoy cigarettes that extremely. This theory of changing yourself based on what product you use is not entirely a new concept for society, but the intensity of how much people use items that do such is increasing. Increasing so much the companies have to continuously try to get a step above the rest, and what better way to do this than coming up with advertisements that are visually striking and grab the consumer attention.
These ads probably would not have had such in impact or appeal in the past, but the never ending trends of world keep making companies further expand advertisement ideas. People may have even been appalled by these ads due to their unrealistic nature or that some people would have taken them too seriously. However, the striking nature of these images is sure to attract customers, and maybe just to figure out what kind of abnormal outfit the guy in the Old Spice ad has on. As far as the Newport ad goes, most people know that smoking is diminishing to one’s health, but the ad is trying to convey a positive side to smoking. The one subject both ads have most in common is a reference to sexual appeal. The Old Spice as is suggesting that their product may lead to more sexual encounters. The Newport ad is suggesting that smoking may lead to an encounter, or that it could lead to an attraction between people through a sense of connection or just general attraction.
Ads will always bring out the unusual image, but they are this way in order to catch the reader’s attention for better or for worse. These two ads are both prominent in this current time and should be successful based on the images displayed in both because they fully attract the reader. The Old Spice picture is more eye popping as to where the Newport ad is intended more to convince to customer that smoking may have its advantages. Both images use color, sexual related themes, and bold statements for the consumer to ponder upon which will make the product have a higher chance of being purchased. Social and cultural issues are also brought about in these images to have even more of a profound impact on the consumer. These issues are equally used to convey that these products will have an impact on the buyer’s life for the better, or maybe that is just what the product wants one to believe.
No comments:
Post a Comment