In the Absolut vodka advertisement, it appeals to the older aged men or women and their sense of humour, or those that are familiar with the magician Harry Houdini, who was famous for his “disappearing act.” The part of the static that captures the attention of viewers is the lack of a bottle in the photo, and of the name “Houdini.” As Harry Houdini was a magician of the DATE, few adolescents or otherwise would be familiar with his name or what he was renowned for, suggesting that the target audience for this particular advertisement is men and women of their late 20’s and onwards, or anybody that recognises the magician’s name.
The similarities between the two advertisements is that they both are indifferent to which genders they are targeting. The differences between the two is that they reach out to the audience in different ways, the Smirnoff by targeting a person’s longing for a carefree lifestyle, and the Absolut by targeting the viewer’s sense of humour.
Paragraph two
The Smirnoff advertisement has a calm and serene appeal to it, while the Absolut advertisement appeals to the individual’s sense of humour. In the Smirnoff static, the bottle is sitting on the shore of the ocean, and this inadvertently suggests to the viewer that the bottle is in a calming and tranquil place, and thus reflects on the taste of the liquor. This component of the advertisement is the part which faultlessly appeals to people of all ages, and intrigues the reader as to why the bottle is on the shore of the beach. The couple that is indistinct in the background of the advertisement are walking at a leisurely pace down the shore. This appeals to the viewer’s carefree persona, if they have one, and gives the viewer a sense of longing and calm.
In the Absolut vodka advertisement, it appeals to the an individual’s sense of humour, or those that are familiar with the magician Harry Houdini, who was famous for his “disappearing act.” As there is no bottle in it playfully insinuates that the bottle has disappeared, just like Harry Houdini. The fact that the Abolsut advertisement directly incorporates the famed magicians name into the static, it directly catches the attention of viewers that are familiar with Houdini who may be hurriedly flipping through a magazine, or looking at a billboard. The humorous appeal to this advertisement of Absolut is what makes it able to connect to people of all ages, regardless of whether they recognise the name. It intrigues the viewer by omitting the photo of the vodka, and an explanation for it is given in two direct and simple words, a slogan which the viewer is likely to remember.
The similarities between these two advertisements are that they both are promoting the consumption of liquor. The differences are that the Absolut appeals to a viewer’s sense of humour and familiarity with the product, whereas the Smirnoff appeals to the viewer by its calm and serene appearance and the want for a carefree and happy lifestyle.
Paragraph three
The Smirnoff and Absolut vodka advertisments use different techniques in different ways to convince the consumer to buy the product. The Smirnoff advertisement is on a beach settings, with plain and natural colours that blend into each other. However, the colour that stands out the most is the labelling of the bottle, which is bright green. This contrasts with the entire backdrop of the static. The effect of the use of colours in this advertisement is that the eyes are drawn immediately to the point of contrast, that being the bottle and its label. The optical centre of the advertisement is the bottle, as the couple walking in the background have been heavily blurred out, and are indistinct when compared to the clarity of the bottle. The effect of the optical centre is that the eyes are drawn to the bottle, and because of this the viewer will immediately recognise the bottle and the label if they were to go to a liquor store. There is no language, or slogans, or writing used in this static, other than the labelling of the bottle. The effect of this is relieving and gives the viewer a sense of freedom and attracts the viewer by its clean-cut direct visual statement. The fact that the only thing available to read in this static is the bottle, this promotes the flavour of vodka straight away, as a consumer is more likely to recall the name of the vodka if there are no other distractions on the advertisement. The atmosphere or mood that is apparent in this static is one of calm, tranquillity, and ease. The effect of this on the viewer is that it gives the viewer a sense of ease and perhaps even a feeling of happiness, because of the clarity of the photo and the mood that can be derived from it.
The Absolut advertisement does not use much colour. It features a darkened wall with a white spotlight shining on a watermark on the floor of the static which is where the missing bottle is supposed to stand. The only colours that are used are the white light and the black-purple shadows on the corners of the page. The effect of the spotlight and the shadows suggest to the viewer that maybe a show has taken place, and intrigues the viewer to look further. The optical centre of this advertisement can be split into two parts. When first viewed, the eyes are drawn to the spotlight and the empty stage, and when nothing is seen, the eyes are then taken to the slogan, being “Absolut Houdini.” The effect of this on the viewer is that the eyes are deterred to two places, and if the viewer knows of Houdini than it is cause for a chuckle. The language used in the static is short and straight to the point; “Absolut Houdini,” which the viewer sees as a humorous homage to the late Houdini. The atmosphere that is derived from this advertisement is one of wonder and of confusion. Wonder at the missing vodka bottle, and confusion as to why it isn’t there, with the question being answered by the slogan. The effect that this has on the viewer is that they are drawn to and intrigued by not only the atmosphere but the sheer oddity of the static.
Conclusion
The advertisement in which I think is most effective is the Absolut vodka static, for a large array of reasons. First and foremost, it is much more attention-grabbing than the Smirnoff static, because there is a spotlight shining on an empty stage, and this intrigues the reader to realise what is really going on in the advertisement. The optical centre is divided in two places; the empty stage and the slogan, and this, in my opinion, is extremely effective. It adds humour to an otherwise morose photograph, and is memorable in that not only is it humorous, but the viewer is subconsciously forced to remember the brand name. This Absolut vodka static is the most effective of the two, and is able to capture the reader’s attention with just a flick of the page.
