Advert Techniques and Terminology 22-23
Advert Techniques and Terminology 22-23
Advert Techniques and Terminology 22-23
Appeal to Fear:
In advertisements, speeches or even newspaper articles we see that writers and speakers appeal to
their audience's sense of fear. If you can make people scared, then they will believe or buy anything.
We see it in advertising, political campaigns and public service announcements. It is an age-old
technique used many campaigns from the 'War on Terror' to the 'War on Drugs'.
Bandwagon effect:
The bandwagon effect is a propaganda technique that suggests one should do something because
everyone else is doing it. It is an argumentation fallacy, because something does not have to be true if
everyone is doing it. It comes from the idea of a parade, where happy people go by on bandwagons
and people in the crowd have the urge to 'hop on'. The bandwagon effect is an age-old technique used
to recruit soldiers for war or sell hamburgers to the masses.
This McDonald's ad is a good example of the bandwagon effect. We see happy people walking by and
eating at the restaurant. If we want to be as happy as the people in the ad, then we had better eat at
McDonald's.
This McDonald's ad is a good example of the bandwagon effect. We see happy people walking by and
eating at the restaurant. If we want to be as happy as the people in the ad, then we had better eat at
McDonald's.
Shock advertising:
Shock advertising is used to gain attention. If an advertisement is controversial, then it gains free
publicity through the press and on blogs. Even though this kind of publicity can be negative, it is still
publicity nonetheless. Shock advertising leads to brand awareness and an eventual rise in sales. Many
companies that use shock advertising do not even show their product. The interest is solely on creating
a very memorable impact on their audience. Studies show that shock advertising can be effective for
increasing brand awareness and sales.
There are many examples of shock advertising from Benetton to Calvin Klein. The image included here
is of Isabell Caro who posed for Oliviero Toscani and Nolita Jeans before dying of anorexia. This
picture of her emaciated body shocked many viewers and gave Nolita Jeans a lot of publicity.
Conflict in advertising:
Including a conflict situation in an ad helps sell a product or an idea. This advertising technique relies
on the audience's interest in seeing the conflict resolved. If you think about how children are intrigued
by fights in the schoolyard, then you understand how conflict in advertising draws our attention to a
product. Conflict in advertising can sometimes lead to shock advertising if scandalous or controversial,
which goes one step further in creating a media-hype and drawing attention to the product or brand.
An ad as simple as this one for Benetton in the early 1990s includes a conflict that the audience wants
to see resolved. We ask questions like: "Why are these men handcuffed together?" "Who has the key?"
"Is one a police officer and the other a criminal?" Asking questions like these engages the audience
with the image and eventually the product and brand.
Testimonial Adverts
If someone tells you about a personal experience with a product, then you are likely to believe that
person. If that 'someone' is a celebrity, you may be even more likely to buy a product that he or she is
promoting. This kind of story about a personal experience is known as a 'testimonial'. Testimonials are
used in advertising and political campaigns to appeal to the audience's sense of ethos, i.e. that which
gives someone credit or a mandate. If a third, independent party has approved of a product or idea
through experience, then the speaker's voice is validated. What's more, the audience may be able to
identify with person giving the testimonial. This is why the person from the testimonial usually comes
from the same demographic group as the target audience.
The 'Got Milk?' campaign is a good example of advertising that relies on testimonials and celebrities.
This particular ad featuring Susan Sarandon comments on the importance of milk in providing the
nutrients that families need. She is speaking as both a film star and a mother. Many mothers can
understand this importance to provide nutrients for children. Many people simply think: "If Susan
Sarandon drinks milk, so should I!"
Problem/solution
If you can convince someone that they have a problem, you can sell them a solution. This is the kind of
persuasive technique used by advertisers and politicians, known as the problem / solution technique. If
an audience can identify with one characteristic of the problem, then they can be persuaded to believe
that they must buy into the solution.
This technique can be found in the Tylenol ad opposite. Many people find air travel a stressful
experience. If you can identify with the stress and headache that this passenger is suffering from, you
may want to buy Tylenol too.
Anti-advertising:
An anti-ad draws your attention to and makes you aware of the conventions of advertising. In effect
anti-ads seems to tell the audience that they are smart enough to see through the tricks played by
advertisers. Not only does an anti-ad break the rules of advertising. It shows you how and why they
have done this.
The notion of anti-advertising started in the 1950s with the 'lemon' ad from Volkswagen. 'Lemon', is
another world for a bad car. Calling their cars 'lemons' shocks readers into reading the rest of a lengthy
infomercial about their strict inspection process at the Volkswagen factory.
Some more from Philpot Education site
Rule of thirds: In photography, the rule of thirds states that, if an image were divided into a
grid of nine equal parts, the subject of the image should not appear in the middle part. By
decentralising the subject, the audience is drawn to the image. Important elements of the
image should appear close to the lines of the grid
Colour: The colour scheme of this advertisement is effective. The colour red excites audiences
and attracts their attention. The pureness of the white milk and child-like innocence of the
milk moustache are juxtaposed with the sensuality of the red dress and red lipstick.
Appeal to probability: This argumentation fallacy relies on assumption, where the reader is
invited to make a judgement or decision based on bias or prediction. For example: "The legal
department asked for this, so it must be correct."