This paper analyzes three advertisements: one for Oil of Olay; the second for cologne; the third for a watch. It compares the various logical and emotional appeals used by all three. The advertisements underline the fact that emotional, rather than logical appeals are the dominant methods used to attract potential consumers and concludes with an analysis of the phenomena of conspicuous consumption.
Targeting Different Audiences: Three Advertisements
The Oil of Olay Total Effect advertisement clearly targets a woman who wishes to look younger: the most prominent aspect of the advertisement is the scientific writing across the beautiful woman's face, touting the anti-aging properties of the cosmetic cream. The woman is shown in an extreme close-up so it is very difficult to discern her individualized features. She looks like a fairly generic image of beauty. Her main distinguishing feature is that she is clutching a pencil in her mouth. The juxtaposition of the scientific jargon which reads "AA (anti-aging) +BB (beauty balm) =CC (color and correction)" with the pencil in the woman's teeth suggests that the cream is based upon scientific principles and thus is uniquely beneficial as a remedy, in comparison with other beauty products. The pencil in the woman's teeth is vaguely seductive and does not suggest that she is of a scientific bent herself, rather that her complexion is benefiting from science.
The likely target of the advertisement is middle-aged women who desire to improve the appearance of their skin, but who do not like to feel as if they are swayed by vacuous advertising that do not detail the benefits of the product. There are no images of women enjoying themselves on the beach, holding kittens, looking at flowers, or any of the other images used to suggest 'youth' in some beauty cream advertisements. The focus is solely upon the woman's face and the 'seriousness' of the product. The fact that Oil of Olay is a relatively well-known product with a long-standing reputation and is not particularly 'trendy' can explain the fairly bare-bones nature of the advertisement. However, the failure of the ad to offer more specifics about why the product is useful and 'works' may make it less than persuasive. It does not talk about ingredients like aloe, Vitamin E, or other components of beauty products that attract potential users.
Another person-focused advertisement is that of a recent cologne advertisement, which depicts a sensuous-looking man with the backdrop of a city. The advertisement, unlike the Oil of Olay photo, seems designed to attract both genders. On one hand, the man is shown as extremely desirable to women, and presumably some men may wish to buy the watch to enhance their sexual appeal. On the other hand, many women may wish to purchase the product for their male partners to make them desirable like the man in the advertisement. Women are often the dominant 'shoppers' in a relationship, purchasing clothing and other items for their husbands and boyfriends, and thus advertisements for male products often are targeted in different ways at a multi-generational audience. The man looks like he is seducing the gazer and he wears a white shirt, black jacket, and does not look unlike the males on the cover of a romance advertisement.
Unlike the Oil of Olay advertisement, the image contains no superimposed words. The advertisement attempts to convey an aesthetic or an attitude which, the ad creator implies, the wearer of the watch can enjoy if he or she only purchases the item. Purchase the cologne and the male wearer will instantly become like the man in the advertisement, the picture suggests -- or your boyfriend or husband will become like the man in the advertisement. Of course, written out directly, this statement sounds absurd. This message is conveyed in a subtle fashion, through subtext and visual suggestion rather than overtly.
Cologne is not a functional product: it is not strictly a 'necessity.' Any additional cost demanded by the manufacturer is based upon the intangible aspects wearing it conveys to the viewer. Rather than practical attributes (even a cream like Oil of Olay has a certain, specific use it must fulfill -- no matter how well-marketed, it is unlikely to be purchased unless it actually helps the wearer's skin) a cologne's appeal is almost completely based upon the wearer's self-image and the image he wishes to project. The image of the man is much more prominent than the actual image of the cologne, which is relegated to the side of the advertisement.
The watch advertisement, in contrast, must unite some sense of functionality and image, given that the likely purchaser wants a product that can tell time but also projects a certain image to the world. Unlike cologne, a watch is more apt to be purchased by a male for himself. The watch is marketed as a tie-in with a film called G.I. Joe Retaliation. Once again, much like the cologne advertisement, the product is advertised to entice the purchaser to feel as if he or she is part of a particular 'world' by virtue of purchasing the item. In this case, the likely male consumer wants to feel as if he is an 'American hero' like G.I. Joe. The male-focused nature of the advertisement is evident in its darkness, its focus on a powerful male with a gun at the photo's center. This is unlikely to be a purchase that a woman would make for a man, based upon the ad's stylization.
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