Entry 8: Critical, Independent and Creative Thinking Skills as Consumers and Professionals in Advertising

Advertising: What Is Needed For Success

PHOTO: Kill Bill. December 8, 2011. <http://uaddit.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=642>

For the Advertiser…

To be successful in advertising you need to be many things. You need to have high social skills, communication skills, and sales skills. Above all of those things you need to have creativity. I believe that great advertising comes from great minds that are not afraid to challenge a way of thinking. 

A great deal of time and effort goes into each and every advertisement that is produced in today’s market. Like I have said in previous blogs, advertisements need to grab consumer’s attention fast and hold it to get their product sold. This seemingly simple task takes more effort than most people think. 

Entrepreneur.com says that to produce a great advertisement you need to first answer a couple questions. Entrepreneur.com goes on to say that since every word in your ad is important you have to make sure that what you are saying matters to the costumer. After that you need to make sure those words are persuasive and that what you are selling fills a need. These are all crucial first steps in deciding how to make an advertisement campaign.

Once you have decided what you will talk about in your campaign you then need to tailor your advertisement to the types of media you will use. For example you would not want to advertise a car on the radio because many people will not respond as well as they would if it was on television or in a magazine. When advertising agents do not take things like this into account they could end up wasting thousands of dollars on advertisements that no one responds to. 

Along with considering the medium being use to promote your product you need to think of when and where these ads should take place. You wouldn’t put a Victoria Secret television ad on during a cartoon show break, but you would put on an ad for Legos. By considering when your ad will be seen it helps to pick the perfect show or website to attach it to. Deciding how an advertisement will be made, where it will be shown and when it will be shown are all critical thinking skills essential to an advertisements success. 

PHOTO: United Colors of Benetton. 1998. Photograph. Http://www.lifeinitaly.com/fashion/benetton.asp.

When it comes to creative and independent thinking skills advertisers need to be on top of their game. Advertising professionals are always being pushed to make the next best advertisement and to be creative within the confines of the time period given. There is no doubt in my mind that advertising can be one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs in the media world. The United Colors of Benetton ad campaign is an example of how independent and creative thinking can change the way consumer’s looks at advertisements and even start a new way to advertise. Since Benetton’s advertisements where so bold and different from any other campaigns seen it made everyone who saw the ads want to find out what the product was and why the ads were made the way they were. This type of advertisement does not always work to get the brand seen by the public, but does seem to make the brand more interesting and intriguing to consumers. 

The Consumer…

When it comes to consumers seeing an advertisement the amount of critical thinking, creative and independent skills are not as great, but are still important. When consumers see or hear an advertisement they go through a series of thoughts to decide if they would buy the product or not and since personality and individual needs are different no two people go through the same decision process. 

Although people can be persuaded into buying a product many choices have to be made before hand. AEF.com’s article, “Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer” says that many people believe ads do not affect them because most of the time people do not have a big reaction. The key is to get the little reaction so that every time the ad is seen or hear by that person it pushes them a little bit closer to trying that product. The article goes on to say that advertisements of similar products cause a balance beam effect in consumer’s heads. If one ad can tip the scale most consumers will become life-long users. When it comes to consumers, advertisements just need to learn how to tip the scale in their favor and recognize the critical thinking that goes in to costumer's purchasing decisions. 

VIDEO: YouTube - Apple 1984. 2006. Video. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R706isyDrqI>

Their a lots of different ways to become successful in advertising, but the critical, independent and creative skills of both the advertisement firm and the consumer must be taken into consideration. 

WORD COUNT: 805

Sources:

http://uaddit.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=642

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203611404577041843336351290.html

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/70644

Entry 7: The First Amendment Rights, Responsibilities, Limitations and Other Legal Issues in Advertising

Blood Bath: Political Advertising

 

CARTOON: Ed Stein. Rocky Mountain News. 2006

Over the years it seems that whenever there is someone running for office there is commercials that slander everyone who is running for the position. Political advertisement campaigns have turned into who can make the other person look more flawed than they are. Political campaigns no longer focus on the issues that the community is facing, but instead focus on who can win the popular vote. 

The reason that every campaign turns to a popularity contest is because of advertising.

Advertising is a very powerful tool that many people have used to get their issues and opinions seen. Along with that many people have used advertising to expose personal problems and to discredit their competitor’s names to make them look better. Since advertising is such a powerful resource for any campaign it makes me wonder if there should be regulations put on how campaign ads can be used. 

CARTOON: The News-Herald. Oct. 24, 2010.

The 2008 campaign for President of America is one the of the best examples of how advertisements can be used as a weapon against a candidates opponent. Romney, Obama and McCain all focused on cutting each other down and criticizing past events. Organizations contribute to the mass amount of attack ads as well. This new form of personally attacking candidates started mainly in the 1990’s as a way of making one look more qualified than the others, but attack campaigns have always been a part of our history says PoliticalCampaign.com. 

The new attack ads that started being used came out of needing a new way to get candidates seen by the general public. The first televised political campaign was in 1952 with Eisenhower against Stephenson. After that all presidential campaigns have had televised advertisements/debates. What changed from then to now is that back then candidates talked about what they wanted to do if they were elected, but today most of the candidates talk about what the other candidates did wrong.

 

VIDEO: Famous "Daisy" Attack Ad from 1964 Presidential Election.YouTube. October 30, 2010.

John Geer put together a website dedicated to the Attack Ad Hall of Fame which depicts some of the best and worst attack ads in U.S. History. The most famous attack ad aired in 1964 for the presidential election of President Johnson which was named "Daisy Spot". Attack Ad Hall of Fame says that the ad was suppose to scare the public into voting for Johnson because he would keep nuclear war from happening to America and it worked. The "Daisy Spot" attack ad opened the flood gates for all the rest of the attack ads that followed.

I do believe that political advertisements are a key component in today’s campaigns, but I also think that they should focus on what the candidate is doing right instead of what the other candidates have not done right. Political advertising is a great tool to get candidate’s message out to the public and keep them informed. Ads are also used as weapons to attack other people and make the general public feel like they cannot trust any of the people running for office. 

The issue of trusting potential candidates is getting harder and harder because instead of advertising how to fix the issues they focus on personal issues. Most people in today’s world do not trust anyone in government. Every aspect of their personal lives is taken out of context and made to seem more important than things like the economic downturn. All that these attack ads seem to be doing for candidates is making people not want to vote and hating their government for not focusing on the real issues. Doesn’t it make more sense to fix the government’s problems instead of trying to fix personal problems as an elected official? 

Some of the Attack ads that have been produced in recent years slander candidates for personal things like illness and beliefs that do not pertain to a person’s potential government position. I have found a couple of ads that do just that. Bradley Byrne, a GOP candidate, was made fun of for believing in evolution. A GOP senate candidate for California, Barbara Boxer, was depicted as a “demon blimp” that was planning on terrorizing California. These attempts to make fun of people for things that do not pertain to a candidate performing their duties in office are the new way of bullying people into power. I believe that everyone has skeletons in their closets and everyone has something to hide, but that does not mean that people cannot take on responsibility. 

CARTOON: Sineitc. Philadelphia Daily News. April 4, 2010.

Candidates no longer have to worry about what issues they want to change, but rather what clothes they wear. The public no longer bases their voting decisions on what government problem can be fixed, but how much they like the candidate as a person. Since many people never meet their elected official the main concern should be on how well the job is done and not on how the official looks when they do it. 

This issue of attack ads in advertising has become a serious problem that can only be fixed with regulation and an end to name calling. It seems like political ads are the only ads that are not regulated. Government problems and challenges are fixed by doing the work and not by talking about how much better someone is then another. To increase votes and get the public back into making the government work for the people we need to put an end to political beauty pageants and start focusing on how officials can help the government. 

WORD COUNT: 930

Entry 6: Ethics in Advertising

Ethical Sexuality and Objectivity

PHOTO: Brasilian. Photograph. Http://creativebits.org/inspiration/does_sex_advertising_sells.

In the United States today more and more advertisements are shown with a sexual appeal. Products like clothing and liqueur have always used sexuality to sell their product, but now things like candy, fast food and even cleaning supplies are used as highly sexualized objects. Along with sex, women’s bodies are being used as objects to sell products.

PHOTO: BurgerKingAd. Photograph. Http://creativebits.org/inspiration/does_sex_advertising_sells.

The questions that come from all the sex in advertising is if the sex appeal being used in these ads is ethical? Another question that should be addressed is if using women’s bodies to sell products is ethical? When sex is used to sell products like hamburgers and sports drinks is it effecting people in negative ways or simply just selling a product? I believe that in the wrong context, using sexuality to sell products could be extremely unethical. Psychology Today says that, "men tend to prefer sexually explicit ads, while women usually respond negatively," which is the general idea that I have seen in my research on sexual ads.

I find myself wondering after seeing so much sex in advertising if it is morally right for women who are normally the sexual object in the advertising to be portrayed as such. Some ads depict women as objects being used to sell products instead of being seen as human beings. This use of woman's bodies seems to be doing more harm then good. Products are being sold because of these advertisements, but the people seeing these ads seem to gain a false sense of what the female body should be in the process.

PHOTO: Bynolyt. Photograph. Http://creativebits.org/inspiration/does_sex_advertising_sells.

Some advertisement firms claim that they are empowering women by showing them in masculine possess or controlling a man. Where that claim fails is the fact that most of the time the women are almost naked so the notion of empowerment is lost. Showing women as sexual objects and not as humans just to sell a product makes the product look unethical itself. "Most people respond negatively to advertising in which the sexual image has little relevance to the advertised product," and if that is true then advertisement agencies should not want to use sex in their advertising (Psychology Today).

PHOTO: Che Men's Magazine. Photograph. Http://creativebits.org/inspiration/does_sex_advertising_sells.

For Men...

Most ads that depict women as objects are target to men, which is very well known. When these advertisements are seen through some form of media is where the issue of being ethical comes in. Men are constantly seeing images of beautiful women as objects they can use or things that they can buy and do what they want with. This can make men think that all women are like that. There have been countless studies about the effect of sexual advertising and objectivity over many different geographical groups and the findings have all been different in their outcome. Most of the studies suggest that men who frequently see advertising containing women being used feel that it is okay for them to do the same.

PHOTO: Bed Time Stories. Photograph. Http://creativebits.org/inspiration/does_sex_advertising_sells.

For Women...

When it comes to women seeing the advertisements of these sexual images many feel like it gives them a false sense of needing to be perfect. This is especially true for teenage girl who see more ads containing women as sexual objects than any other age group. Although many things go into the make-up of a person’s perceptions of what they want to be like none seem to be more prominent than the one of fitting in by acting cool. Since cool is seen as acting like people seen on television, commercials and magazine covers it is no wonder why there has been an increase in depression, eating disorder, and low self-esteem in teenage girls. A study done by Howard Lavine, a professor at University of New York, stated that when a group of people where shown various sex-content ads were more likely to have a larger discrepancy in their ideal body weight then people who were shown non-sex-content ads. This study helps prove that some ads can be unethical because they can teach a population to feel inadequate. Family values, life experience, and beliefs are crucial factors that help to shape how a person sees themselves, but advertisements also can be considered one of the crucial factors as well. 

PHOTO:Change. 2006. Photograph. Http://creativebits.org/inspiration/does_sex_advertising_sells.

With all of the evidence that has been compiled over the years to suggest that this form of sexual objectification is bad for society how has there not been a decision made on if it is or is not ethical? I believe that the answer is that every advertisement is different. I do not believe that it is possible to live in a world with no advertisements that depict a person being sexual or used as an object. I do believe how ever that more should be done to prescreen advertisements and decide if it is ethical to show. 

With advertising I have seen that in every ad that is shown, someone will find it unethical and offensive. The question now becomes where do we draw the line and if stricter guidelines should be made for sexual content and objectivity in advertising?

WORD COUNT: 998

REFERENCE:

Baranski, T. "Take It Off: Sex in Advertising." BGSU :: University Home Page :: Bowling Green State University Home Page. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/sp2003/gp1/Article1.html>.

"Depicting Women as Sex Objects In Television Advertising: Effects On Body Dissatisfaction." People - Eastern Kentucky University. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://people.eku.edu/winslowm/psy300/tygart.htm>.

 Hawes, Daniel. "Care for Some Sexy Toilet Paper? - Sex in Advertising | Psychology Today." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness Find a Therapist. 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolved-primate/201001/care-some-sexy-toilet-paper-sex-in-advertising>.

Lavine, Howard. "Depicting Women as Sex Objects in Television Advertising: Effects on Body Dissatisfaction." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Dec. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://psp.sagepub.com/content/25/8/1049.abstract>.

"33 Inappropriately Sexy Ads | Bored Panda." Bored Panda - the Only Magazine for Pandas. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.boredpanda.com/sexy-ads/>.

Entry 5: Global, Cultural and Other Diversity in Advertising

Advertising to My Demographic

PHOTO: Education Times. College Students. 2010. Photograph.

The most important part of advertising is understanding the customer because that is what sells the product. In advertising it is always important to know what type of person the company thinks will purchase their product and then advertise to them specifically. When a product is personalized to an individual group it makes the advertisement more effective than advertising to the general public. A good example would be that no advertising company would make an advertisement about tampons that was targeted to men. With all the products that are out in the world and all the consumers ready to buy, advertisers need to find a way to get their product seen by the costumers that will use it and not the people who would not. 

There is a large amount of diversity in today's would and to combat diversity of people advertisements must be just as diverse. Since there seems to be no limit to how diverse a individual can be advertisers tend to focus on broad demographic categories like targeting by race, sex, origin, and age. When advertisements focus more on a specific group of people the product has a better effect on that market. Some companies have more than one demographic group that they target with their product. To deal with all the different groups advertisement companies will make different advertisements for different groups.

My demographic of advertising is the largest group that advertisers focus on.  I am a white, mid-class, college student, over the age of 18 years-old and under the age of 25 years-old. My demographic makes me a prime target for almost all advertising. Since people my age are highly compulsive and are easily influenced we can be advertised to with greater results then with older and more money conscious adults.

How it Works

PHOTO: Online Money. 2008. Photograph. Money Stance.

To reach the younger generation many advertisers are choosing to use buzz marketing strategies. By getting someone to use the product and then talk to their friends about how great the product is the product then becomes the hot new thing that everyone wants. That is when buzz marketing turns into word-of-mouth advertising which is free for the company being talked about. Free publicity is always a good thing.

Online advertising has become very popular seeing as most people my age spend a lot of their time using some form of internet technology. According to MarketingVox.com 92 percent of college students say that they make purchases online and that same group said that 52 percent have bought products from seeing online advertisements. By taking advertising to the internet companies can market to that 92 percent that makes a purchase and perhaps get them to buy more. 

Business Insider says that there are five ways to advertise to the younger generations and they are: mobile marketing, getting to the point fast, don’t try to be cool if you’re not, get your product right before bragging, and win over mom and dad. They say since college student and people between the ages of 18 to 30 years of age are strapped for cash and are untrusting they can be a hard target audience, but by following the five ways companies can better target the younger demographic. I would have to agree with all five of these ways because even though we are young and not as responsible we still know what we want and what we like. 

Why it Works

The reason these ways of advertising to the younger demographic work is because it is targeted to use specifically. Using mobile devises, getting to the point and making the parents proud all at the same time is something that young adults see as a great purchase. Since we are living in a high paced world the mobile ads and getting to the point fast help us to feel like the advertisers understand our needs. Also younger people have a feeling of when something is or is not cool to them. When companies act cool when they are not  it patronizes us so we feel like we are being made fun of by big advertising firms which makes us not want to purchase the product.

Another thing that people my age tend to hate is advertisements bragging about their product. I think that is because so many products say they work and then they do not. Like I said before, younger people can be ever skeptical and need to trust the product they will purchase will work. If the product does not work the first time the chances of use purchasing it again are almost eliminated. By making the product seem like a great purchase that your parents will love makes us feel good to brag about what we bought.  Ever young adult wants to make their parents proud, even when it comes to their purchasing decisions.

Buzz marketing works for young adults because we trust our peer’s opinion more than most advertisements so to hear a friend talk about how great a product is makes us feel like we want it too.Word-of-mouth advertising has been shown to be a major factor in trend setting according to MarketingVox.

Diversification

By targeting advertising to a specific group companies can increase the amount of consumers they can acquire. Advertising to my demographic helps advertisers hook youth and hopefully make them life long customers. Along with gaining customers at a young age advertisers also get insight on how to market to those individuals later in life. With all the many demographics groups it is easy to see why diversity in advertising is so important.

WORD COUNT: 948

References

L, Ali. "Marketing to College Students." Marketing to College Students. 22 Apr. 2006. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. <http://collegestudentsali.blogspot.com/>.

"Online Advertising Motivates College Students to Buy - MarketingVOX." MarketingVox - Practical News for Interactive Marketing Practitioners. SEO, SEM, Social, Mobile, Analytics and Other Online Tactics, Tools and Strategies. 06 Feb. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://www.marketingvox.com/online_advertising_motivates_college_students_to_buy-021010/>.

"Term Definition: Word-of-Mouth Advertising." Business & Small Business | News, Advice, Strategy | Entrepreneur.com. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82660.html>.
Williams, Geoff. "Five Tips for Marketing to College Students." Business Insider. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://www.businessinsider.com/5-tips-for-marketing-to-college-students-2010-9>.

Entry 4: Research and Evaluation in Advertising

How to Advertise Research

PHOTO: Advertising Research. Photograph. Http://www.accelerantresearch.com/advertising-research.php.

In order to be effective in advertising a firm must find a way to gain some insight into the customers they are trying to engage in their advertising. This can be done in a number of ways, but to achieve the best outcome the firm must determine the most effective way.

Advertisers can acquire information about their target market in a number of ways, including surveys, secret shoppers, focus groups, as well as physiological testing. These are just a few of the ways advertising can find out how to attract their audience and are also the most popular. With all the different types of research it is easy to see that firms need to decide which type or types of research will be most effective for a particular product being advertised. 

The Knowledge Base says that a survey is, “one of the most important areas in applied social research,” which is because researchers get accurate answers to the questions that they need to be successful. In the early days of market research the most logical thing for research firms to do was to survey a large group of people to get opinions on the products. This normally consisted of having people fill out questions on pieces of paper which would then have to be individual read and examined to come to the best conclusion for the product. As the years rolled on this became time consuming and costly.

Today many companies offer surveys online and in exchange for going to the website participants would receive a coupon off their next purchase or be entered in some kind of drawing to win prizes. These incentives that were added to the survey research method helped to make the results reached more accurate because people would choose to do the survey instead of feeling like they had to do it. 

This new way of only surveying people who used the product also helped to improve the survey’s results. Most surveys consist of multiple choice questions instead of short answers so the company can quickly see what answers were readily picked and draw their conclusions in a much more organized manner. The online surveys also brought in only the target market to answer the questions because only the people who use that product or service would respond to the survey as opposed to a group of random people who could or could not use the product. 

In the case of researching how to improve a service or business as a whole many firms use secret shoppers. Service providers like internet and cable companies, restaurants, and retail stores use this method to evaluate their customer service. Since customer service is the key to any service based company they need unbiased opinions on the experience customers have when they use that company. Secret shoppers are people who are hired by the company to use the services provided and give their honest opinion on how the company performed and what can be done to improve. This works really well to provide information on customer service since it is not something that can be counted like a product can. 

PHOTO: Insight. Photograph. Http://www.insightasia.com/communicationresearch.html.

Focus groups and psychological testing have become very popular and cost effective over recent years. Today most of these groups and tests are coupled together to help a firm fully understand their target market. This kind of research normally consists of talking to people and seeing how they feel about using a product. Psychological test are also done to get to the core of the people that are using the product. By studying how consumer react to certain action and even to words advertisers can make their ads as affect as possible. Kurt Mortensen, author of “How to Use Word Choice in Marketing” says that choosing the right words is critical to any advertising and marketing strategy. Mortensen says that, “[Advertisers] word choices psychologically lead you to believe that their product is the best,” which means that they need to do their research to make sure every word gives the meaning the firm wants them to. 

By using all these methods to research how to make an advertisement great sometimes you have to wonder what some advertising agencies thought when they made their campaigns. I happen to think that the reason some ads fail is because they do not do the proper research and just assume their ad will work. This is where companies go wrong. When firms do not take the proper action to research how their ad will be seen in the public’s eye they run the risk of wasting their money and even being seen in a bad way by consumers. 

VIDEO: "CK "banned" Ad." YouTube. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZVk21Pco-c>.

Business Pundit cites many failed attempts at trying to advertise products without proper research. Calvin Klein, which is famous for is sexually filled ads, had a campaign in the 1990’s featuring ads of young teenagers in the basement almost naked besides their jeans and appeared to be filmed using a hidden camera. Behind the camera comes a man's voice that compliments the youth in what is mostly seen in a perverse way. Because proper research was not done many people with teenagers and suburban homes became furious. The commercials were so bad that the FBI investigated to see if there was any foul play in the making of these advertisements. I think that Calvin Klein was attempting to communicate that the jeans they sell look good on anyone, but what it came out as in the campaign commercials was a sex offender's at home movie collection.

When it comes to advertising research, it has to be done. Businesses that rely on their instincts and not the research will surely fail. With all the different types of research methods there is no excuse not to do it. You would not buy a car without researching the best option and advertisers should not produce a campaign until they do the same.

Word Count:1,007

References 

Mortensen, Kurt. "How to Use Word Choice in Marketing." Ezine Articles. 6 Mar. 2006. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. <http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Use-Word-Choice-in-Marketing&id=288268>.

Ryan. "9 Poorly Conceived Marketing Campaigns | Business Pundit." Business Pundit: Your Daily Dose of Smart Business Opinion. 18 Feb. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.businesspundit.com/9-poorly-conceived-marketing-campaigns/>.

"Survey Research." Social Research Methods. Research Methods Knowledge Base, 20 Oct. 2006. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/survey.php>.

Entry 3: Concepts and Theories of Advertising

Giving the Product an Identity

PHOTO: Miller, Howard J. Rosie the Riveter. 1942. Photograph.

Over the years many advertising firms have had to come up with new and interesting concepts to keep consumers interested in their products. Advertisements have always needed to catch the attention of their target market so that the product being advertised gets sold. If the product’s advertisement does not get the attention it needs then the product could be a bust. It seems like it is either hit or miss when it comes to advertising a product. 

Concepts and theories in advertising is what makes advertising work. Without having a plan of action to try to sell a good or service the product fails. One of the best marketing concepts that has ever been used is the concept of connecting the product to an emotion. When products like laundry soap and potato chips can be connected to feelings that consumers can bond with then the product is a success. Emotions could possibly range from love and desire, to freedom and respect as well as limitless others.

Once these bonds are made with a product using advertising then most of the time a consumer that feels the bond will become lifelong users of the product. Focusing on emotion is a way of “Neuromarketing” with means that the marketing and advertising strategies are focused on the emotional and basic instincts of the human desires to sell products. 

Neuromarketing.com, a website devoted to where brain science and marketing meet, explains that using emotion in advertising verses rational thinking can improve the success of an advertisement by 15%. This can make a big difference for companies trying to sell their products. Neuromarketing.com also goes on to say that bigger brands normally have more success with the emotional advertisements then smaller brands because they have more recognizable names to consumers.

Gerald Zaltman, a Harvard Professor, wrote a book that said that 95% of buying decisions are made on a subconscious level which means that advertisers have a better chance gaining a large target market when they appeal to the consumer’s emotions. By using ads that show emotions and connecting with the consumer on a deeper level then just here is a need and there is a solution the consumer feels a deeper connection with the product. When these connections are made most customers become loyal to a brand and are willing to pick it over other competitor products even if the product costs more. 

This brand loyalty can be seen prominently in the division between Mac and PC owners. These computers are advertised in very similar ways. They start by telling you that the computer is not just a technology to be used, but it is a loyal friend that will always be there for you and never let you down. I know from my experience with advertising that I have chosen a PC by HP because of the high quality and connection I feel to the company. HP has offered me many warranties and virus protection software that made me feel comforted and secure in my decision. I had an emotional connection with the computer because I felt there was trust and not just because the computer filled my online and typing needs. 

VIDEO: "Mothers Day Band." Kay Jewelers Co. Apr.-May 2008. 9 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Sept. 2011.

Other advertising industries, like jewelry stores, use the emotion that you feel when you love someone to sell their products. Kay Jewelers Company normally uses the feeling of love in almost every commercial to make the product seem like it will provide the customers with love. They tell you that if you love someone you will buy them a piece of jewelry and then you both will share that love that you feel. Advertisers know that there is no real love for their product but if they can connect their product to an event or feeling that everyone desires then they will be able to sell more. If advertisers just say our jewelry is pretty and sparkly so buy it then the company would never make a profit.

The basic marketing feeling that emotional advertisements need to achieve is to make the customer feel like they don’t just need or want the product, but they desire the product. Car commercials are great examples of communicating the feeling of desire. They normally consist of the car being driven on country roads or going really fast down a freeway. They also hint that by buying the car it will make you more attractive to people or make you seem more respected. Many American made cars like to focus on their vehicles providing freedom for whoever drives them, the most famous of these ads being the Dodge Challenger Freedom commercial. So because of those emotions you desire the car being shown and are willing to consider buy that car or remembering it when you decide to buy a new vehicle. Today’s advertisements make the product desirable, which is the key to selling products. 

Advertisers achieve this emotional marketing by doing large amounts of research to find out how consumers feel when they use the product and study old ways of advertising products using emotion to help to create a campaign for the product. Once this campaign is start even more money goes into trying to find ways to make it better. Product campaigns can be made over many times and be in productions for months before it is seen by the public. 

However, many advertising companies have tried connecting their products to a feeling and have not seen the fruits of their labor. Normally a company becomes too symbolic with their ads as they try to make a connection that consumers do not understand. Song Airlines a branch of Delta Airlines focused all of its advertising strategy on connecting with the consumer on a deeper level than just advertising the airline. Song tried to make its commercials totally emotion based and what happened was no one knew what the commercials were for. Song Airlines is a great example of a small company starting out and putting too much emotion into advertising. That is why Neuromarketing.com says that smaller businesses and unknown businesses have a harder time using emotional ads because they have no foundation or brand recognition. 

When it comes to today’s advertisements using emotion is the new strategy and when executed right can be extremely profitable for its company.

“Emotion-based ads may be more difficult to create, but the stats say it’s worth the effort.” (Neuromarketing.com) 

WORD COUNT:1093

References

"Emotional Ads Work Best | Neuromarketing." Neuroscience Marketing - Brain, Behavior, and Neuromarketing. 27 July 2009. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/emotional-ads-work-best.htm>.

 Pisacane, Nick. "Research Oriented Creatives." Emotional Advertising. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://emotionaladvertising.com/ResearchOriented.htm>.

Entry 2: History and Roles of Professionals and Institutions in Advertising September 20, 2011

Addiction Advertising: The History that Made Tobacco

PHOTO: Marlboro Flavor. 1977. Photograph.

Cigarettes have always been a big addiction in American society from the time they were introduced to today. With all we have learned how does this tobacco product still seem to make it into the hands of the next generation?

How Tobacco Got its Start

The history of Tobacco goes back hundreds of years. The first tobacco ad was published in 1789 in a local New York newspaper by the Lorillard Tobacco Company to promote their new product. At that time most Tobacco products were snuff, pipe Tobacco and cigars, but with distribution of the paper extremely low many people did not see the product. 

Branding for different types of tobacco did not come around till the Civil War when both the south and north sides invaded a farmers tobacco crop and after doing so set letters to the owner asking for more. This event started the Bull Durham tobacco Company which became extremely successful.  

In the 1880’s cigarette destitution soared with the invention of a cigarette making machine that could make 4 million cigarettes a day. With the new product innovation that companies had to sell they had to find ways to make the consumers buy their product. Companies started to advertise their products, but inserting different cards into their cigarette packs that pictured famous people that could be traded. These cards continued to appear in maybe cigarette packs until World War II where they were discontinued to save paper. 

Edward Bernays was one of the most influential people in the entire advertising world and was seen as the father of public relations. Bernays had a major part in why tobacco became so popular in the United States. His campaign ads for companies like Procter & Gamble, CBS, United Food Company and Dodge Motors have made them the fortune 500 companies they are today. Edward Bernays was the nephew of Sigmund Freud the famous psychologist. He would use Freud’s ideas of the unconscious and apply them to marketing products.  In 1920’s he sent young models out in the New York City parade smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes as “torches of freedom” which helped to make social smoking for women a common thing. By doing this he managed to boosted sales at a fast rate for tobacco companies across America. By using the cigarettes as a sign of freedom Bernays was able to gain a huge clientele bass for Tobacco companies and especially Lucky Strikes. 

Cigs. 1953. Photograph. New York City.

World War Two: The Golden Age

Once WWII started tobacco Companies saw a way to attract new customers by supplying all soldiers with free cigarettes in their care packages.  After the war all the young soldiers came home already addicted to the nicotine and in turn brought it to extreme popularity in America.

In the 1950’s Cigarette Companies entered their prime with new catchy slogans and sponsored television shows. Cartons of cigarettes were advertised during the holidays with special Christmas card additions so that people could buy them and send them through the mail as holiday gifts. Cigarette advertisements started to be endorsed by doctors, dentists, athletes and even babies. With all the advertisements surrounding cigarettes business was growing at exponential rates. Tobacco companies had found a way to get into every area of advertising and everywhere you looked you would see brand names for popular cigarettes. 

Lung Cancer Linked to Smoking and the Decline of Advertising

After the rush of all the new customer’s cigarette companies had gained there came a sudden bump in the road when people learned that cigarettes caused diseases such as lung cancer, emphysema and other lung problems. Tobacco companies tried to fix this issue by putting filters on most of their products, but when those cigarettes were also shown to still cause these life threatening diseases the government decided to get involved.

In 1964 the U.S. Surgeon General released a report on the effects of smoking which forever changed how cigarettes were advertised to society. With the U.S. Government finally informed of how bad smoking was for the general public they named it mandatory for every tobacco company to put warning labels out there cigarettes explaining the health risks associated with using the product. Along with the warning labels tobacco companies were no longer able to advertise on the radio or television which was there most used marketing medium at the time. 

Joe Camel. 1993. Photograph. New York.

How to Keep Advertising with Limited Sources

To combat the new restrictions that were put into place many tobacco companies changed their target market to children my advertising candy cigarettes and cartoons depicting characters smoking. The introduction of Joe Camel, the mascot for Camel Tobacco Company, became one of the most recognizable characters for children between the ages of 5 and 6 by 1991. Joe Camel and other well-known product mascots like the Jolly Green Giant were made by Leo Burnett who is seen as one of the most influential people of the 20^th century.  Another extremely recognizable mascot was the Marlboro Man who was seen as the tough cowboy that young men emulated. 

Although tobacco companies were no longer allowed to advertise in television and radio they were still allowed to advertise in magazines and billboards. 

Even when strict rules were placed on tobacco companies they still found ways to get their products to the next generation. Today many of the new smokers are most influenced by their family members and peers. Advertisement for tobacco has virtually stopped, but people still seemed to get addicted. I think the reason is that with such an addictive product and with easy access many young people see it still as the cool thing to do. When you see most of your peers and family members using tobacco products you want to do the same thing.

When it comes to advertising over the years tobacco companies have gone from no regulations with advertising freedom everywhere to almost no advertisement at all. 

Anti-Smoking Advertisements

Many people think that the anti-smoking ads that are shown today are helping to stop smoking and they have been shown to do so, but it has also been shown an ad that bringing up smoking in a negative or positive way still helps tobacco companies. Negative publicity is still publicity. 

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References

James, Randy. "A Brief History Of Cigarette Advertising - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Times Magazine U.S., 15 June 2009. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1905530,00.html>.

"Leo Burnett Biography - Leo Burnett Childhood, Life & Timeline." Famous People - Famous People in History, Famous People List & Biography. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/leo-burnett-163.php>.

Savage, Jessica. "The Implications of Smoking Hazards on Cigarette Advertising." Rochester Education. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. <http://rochester.edu/College/ANT/faculty/foster/ANT226/Spring01/papers/savage.pdf>.