If the same product were seen in a magazine such as Woman’s Day or New Idea, then it might be more focused on the cost, saying how this is a lot cheaper than the others available. The companies do this because in a teenage magazine, most people have part time jobs, and nothing to really spend their money on, and so don’t mind paying the price for such a good item. In an older generation’s magazine, the audience is more likely to be people who have other commitments, and want to save as much money as they can.
In the particular advertisement I found in Dolly, it is a description of the Napro Live Colour from Schwarzkopf. The description tells us there is no easier way to colour your hair. Its main focus is looking ‘cool’. This means it is trying to work on the fear that some people have, that they will not be cool if they don’t use this particular product. The company knows that people who read Dolly and other teenage magazines want to keep up with current trends, where as people who read New Idea and older magazines would look at the product as being something for teenagers, which is why the company would make a different ad for that type of magazine. The copy strategy for this type of ad would be “The magazine ad in Dolly will convince teenagers to buy the hair colour, because they believe that doing so will provide them with a key benefit of fitting in and being cool.”
If the advertisement were found on a local radio station, then we would probably hear about where to buy it, as people who are in their car are most likely on their way to go shopping, and so the product will stay in their mind, and make them consider buying it.
If we saw this product on an Internet page as an advertisement on the side of the screen, it would probably say something to make you click on the ad to find out more.
The teenage age group spends about fifty five billion dollars a year on goods and services, often influenced by the advertisements they are subject to. The most money on these goods comes from purchases for the 4-12 year old age group. This is why a lot of ads are directed towards the kids, and their parents.
This ad follows the known rule of thirds. This means that the main focus is not in the centre of the page, but is off to either the left or the right. In this case, it is the taller model on the left that we notice first, and then the product is down the bottom. By using this technique, the company is trying to make us see what we think is the main focus first. For example, we see the two girls, and the message is that we will have hair like their’s by using the product.
The white background would make this stand out in a magazine because all of the other pages would have coloured backgrounds. The slogan with the product tells us that it is ‘professional hair care for you’, implying that this was designed professionally just for the person reading it. The information down the bottom tells us that the colour will wash out in about eight washes, so people can try all of the other shades by buying them, and this will make more sales for the company.
