Hello!
Every
day as an American you are probably subjected to at least one advertisement.
Whether it is an ad for cologne, ice cream, the latest hit movie, a new pop
band, a computer processer, the new gaming console, a new video game, you’ll
see something. These ads are becoming more and more prevalent in our
consumer-based society. You see them on billboards, running across your computer
screen (Especially in the form of those annoying advertisements before Youtube
videos.), pasted on walls, before the actual movie on the big screen, on
television, and on the radio, to name just a few.
What
these advertisements do is magical, really. They can convince me of all sorts of
things whenever I happen to see them. Take for example the awful infomercials
that come on TV at 3 o’clock in the morning. Whenever I’m being a night-owl
(All the time) and I’m watching them, I can see something happening to me. I
mean, all it really takes for me to want a new 3-in-1 blender unit is a skinny Australian
man screaming at me “Buy now and you can get TWO for the price of ONE, that’s
right, folks: TWO for the price of ONE!”
In all actuality,
though, it’s pretty awesome what advertising companies do. They can tailor the
perfect ad for the perfect situation, bringing a product to their desired
audience in an essentially perfect system. For the sake of science, I’m going
to show you what I mean through example.
Take
this ad and look through it closely:
We’ll
start analyzing the advertisement with the intended audience. The product is
intended for women, probably young ones. That’s because the product is bras, duh.
The ad is not specifically tailored to women, though. The amount of skin that’s
showing is sure to at least get the attention of any young males browsing the
most recent issue of “People.” These young males will want to try to push the
product onto their girlfriends or wives.
That
brings me to the next point about the ad, which is how it works. The first
thing the eye is drawn to is the women, of course. Namely their tits, to put it
frankly. These women spout sex appeal like I spout worthless facts about
turtles. Most young people, who aren’t yet completely comfortable with their
body and all its failings, are going to want to look like the models in the ad.
By placing their product in the ad Victoria’s Secret is associating beauty and
sex appeal with their bras. “If you buy our product, you’ll look more attractive”
is the main message in this ad. After you get over the initial shock of seeing
such scantily-clad women, your eye will be drawn to the words. “New!” in bright
pink letters will keep your attention, and then “I love my body” will once
again put your mind on your own body.
That’s
all I’m going to do on the analysis of the advertisement, but I’d just like to
say again that it’s a wonderful business. Some people call it manipulation, but
I call it a form of art. (524)
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