Another form of advertising is through the printed media such as magazines, newspapers, buses, billboards and posters etc In magazines and newspapers the adverts are strategically placed on the back, inside front cover and the middle. Where the advert is placed affects its cost, if they are placed in the areas I specified then it will be more expensive. The thickness and paper quality that the ad is on also give a sub-liminal message to the reader as better quality paper links to a better quality product. Slogans are very powerful when used appropriately and can stick in the mind, like “have a break, have a Kit-Kat” for Kit-Kat.
Radio adverts must rely on sound alone and cannot be expressed through visual means, so they nearly always feature jingles in them, which are often catchy but also sometimes annoying and simple which is what the advertisers want because it will stick in your mind.
New media is the type of adverts that you get on the internet like “pop-up boxes”, junk mail. Spam and adverts can also be sent to your mobile phone now via text messages.
There are also other techniques used to encourage sales such as product placement,. This is when companies pay to have their product appear or be used in a popular TV programme or film. Free samples are also distributed so the public can sample the product before they buy it so they can explore options they wouldn’t have if the sample was not free. Sponsorship s another factor that is used, this is when a company pays for celebrities to appear in their adverts, for example, Gary Linekar appearing in the Walkers adverts, or David Beckham and Roberto Carlos in the Pepsi adverts. Sponsorship is also used in many sports, for example, football and the Grand Prix; they will have the companies’ logo on either the football shirt or on the side of the cars. Endorsement is where a celebrity is paid to wear or use a company’s product, for example, a celebrity will wear hair gel or football boots.
The adverts we see are designed to relate to how our sub-conscious sees the adverts and this is the part of the brain that thinks without us being aware of it. Subliminal advertising is used in every advert, which locks in with the sub-conscious, and means something that has an effect on us without us knowing it.
I will now review and analyse three adverts chosen from ‘Loaded’ magazine.
Tenchu, Wrath of Heaven
This is a game for the Play Station 2.
The audience that this is aimed at are males between the ages of 10 and 25, with interests in stealthy, violent, adventure games.
The representation of this product indicates a sly, furtive, action game, with quite a lot of danger and mystery involved in it.
The text is split into short phrases, to give a pause in between so that it builds up the suspension. It also makes it seem easier to read, like it is split up into bite size, manageable chunks.
The main picture takes up the whole page; the face appears as though it is hidden in the background and this in itself is showing it to be secretive. The eyes are in the top half of the page and psychologists have researched this technique, suggesting that the reader will look at the advert like a face, and the eyes appearing in the top half makes it relate to where they would be on a face.
In the layout the picture is hidden in the background in black and white with the text standing out, but there is a box with text in it that is contrasted in red to make it stand out. The logos are in the bottom two corners, and it is the intention that this will be the last thing you see so it will stick in your mind.
Orbit Ice White Chewing Gum
This is a type of chewing gum designed to help keep your teeth white.
The audience that this product is aimed at is for both genders between the ages of about 14-40 years old. They will probably have a sporty, adventurous and outdoors personality.
The representation for this advert is shown to be a healthy, sporty advert to do with winter sports using the white background to represent snow and the skiing sunglasses. The blue and white colours also suggest their product is refreshing and cool.
The text is in the bottom quarter as the page, as this is the last place you would look. The first line of text is in bold and fits in adequately with the picture. The rest of the text is in a smaller font explaining about the product and how it helps reduce tooth stains. At the bottom it has a small phrase which is their slogan, ‘help knock tooth stains into orbit’ this has a play on words in it, because although it is saying about getting rid of tooth stain, it has used the product name of ‘orbit’ in the slogan.
The picture is a big pair of skiing sunglasses, which ties into what I have said about the text, ‘caution, never stare directly at orbit ice white teeth’, it also ties into what I have said in the representation, about the sporty feel the ad has about it. At the bottom it has a picture of their products so u remember what they look like.
The layout is set out so that the sunglasses are placed in the top half, they have done this for the same reason as I have said about the eyes being in the top half of the page in my last advert. The text is set out in the bottom quarter of the page, with the slogan at the very bottom; this is, once again, because it is the last thing u will read so it will stick in your mind.
Oscar de la Renta
This is advertising a perfume.
The target market that this product is aimed at is for females, the idealised age for the consumer, looking at the picture, would be about 20 - 30 years old, but the style of the advert would suggest that it would appeal to an older audience as well. The interests for this product that the advertising companies think the consumer would have are a kind of sophisticated, romantic personality.
The representation is displayed to be glamorous, sexy and romantic this is shown by the black and white photography.
With the text there is only the product name in a curvy font, enforcing the sophisticated and romantic idea. The product does not need any text or catchy slogans as this product is designed to sell upon its own class and elegance, a slogan would be too tacky for this product.
The picture features the idealised consumer of a 20 – 30 year old woman. The colours of the advert are in black and white which slots into the stylish and tasteful. The picture of the product is done in colour to stand out against the black and white background.
The layout is set out so that the models eyes are in the top half (again) to draw you in. The product and product name are in the bottom and bottom right of the advert; once again, this is so you are left with it in your mind after you have finished reading the advert.
To conclude, advertising has an influential grip over the consumer and can impact on the way people think. I think adverts can sometimes be quite sinister in the way that they have the potential to affect peoples’ lives by taking advantage of them. Companies can also be extremely competitive with other companies as they do not appear to care about the public or the public getting hurt in the process and sometimes legislation needs to be brought in to protect the public, for example with cigarette advertising. But on the other hand I think that adverts are necessary in today’s world and may help to keep prices competitive. In addition, without promotion of products, many things could be bland, for example some of the clothes we wear may be similar and we like individuality by displaying logos or designer names; this is a good marketing ploy from the companies. Companies put a lot of money into the design and production of their adverts and this can quite often make or break a company, so it is big business. The general public do not appear to realise how much adverts can influence them as they see them everyday - they have accepted them as a normal, everyday part of society.
