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Advertisement and Media

Analysis of Advertisements - I

Introduction

Advertisements constitute a very important aspect of the modern day media. Although

advertisements are considered to be the least important expression of art by critics and scholars

of media and art, we cannot deny that when capitalism controls the media, advertisements

constitute the vehicles through which products and ideas are communicated across through the

viewers – whether it is a film viewer, music listener or an ardent reader. Advertisements are

actually not determined by the creative impulse of the artist, rather it is the product or the

service which determines the material and financial aspect of the programs and media

productions. Starting from a coverage of a sports event to a news event or a film which is even

viewed in the theatre hall. Advertisements, is at all tried to be defined, will be some sort of

representation (may be in terms of ambience, print, audio-visual or audio) where the

representation upholds the aspects of the product, service or thought which might have a long

term impact and a deep impression in the minds of the observer. Hence, advertisements

become more important to the marketing aspect of the product rather than its aesthetic

representation, although every year in Cannes a festival of advertisements is held where the

best creative advertisements are awarded. But in markets like India, advertisements are not

measured on the basis of its representative quality, but is adjudged on the basis of the sales of

the products whose ads were aired or launched for a specific time.

Why Advertisement?

Rather than asking the question what is an advertisement, it should be more apt to ask “why

advertisement?” To address the question, we have to stick to the concept of USP or ‘unique

selling proposition’ that is envisaged on something that promotes sales of the products.

Advertisements do not intend to tell human stories or make political comments or even create

some kind of memorable set of images, rather it wants to create a series of audio, audio-visual

and visual messages that help the consumers remember the product or service it was catering.

This implantation of the product idea into one’s mind helps the product sell itself more. So

advertisements are not only meant to sell products and for ensuring it, advertisements create a

world of desires and superficial realities that has a huge and inevitable role of the products. In

addition to this, consuming products and buying them is represented as something of an

emancipatory act, where the abstract value of the products defines individual identity and class.

AIDA

Objective of advertisement campaigns are or prime importance and are manifold.

Sometimes it is the launching of the product, or to keep the popular product (may be the top

brand in terms of sales) dominate the market through constant reminding to its customers and

gradually creating a set of customers who are termed as ‘loyal’, i.e. the same customers would

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Advertisement and Media Analysis of Advertisements - I Introduction Advertisements constitute a very important aspect of the modern day media. Although advertisements are considered to be the least important expression of art by critics and scholars of media and art, we cannot deny that when capitalism controls the media, advertisements constitute the vehicles through which products and ideas are communicated across through the viewers – whether it is a film viewer, music listener or an ardent reader. Advertisements are actually not determined by the creative impulse of the artist, rather it is the product or the service which determines the material and financial aspect of the programs and media productions. Starting from a coverage of a sports event to a news event or a film which is even viewed in the theatre hall. Advertisements, is at all tried to be defined, will be some sort of representation (may be in terms of ambience, print, audio-visual or audio) where the representation upholds the aspects of the product, service or thought which might have a long term impact and a deep impression in the minds of the observer. Hence, advertisements become more important to the marketing aspect of the product rather than its aesthetic representation, although every year in Cannes a festival of advertisements is held where the best creative advertisements are awarded. But in markets like India, advertisements are not measured on the basis of its representative quality, but is adjudged on the basis of the sales of the products whose ads were aired or launched for a specific time. Why Advertisement? Rather than asking the question what is an advertisement, it should be more apt to ask “why advertisement?” To address the question, we have to stick to the concept of USP or ‘unique selling proposition’ that is envisaged on something that promotes sales of the products. Advertisements do not intend to tell human stories or make political comments or even create some kind of memorable set of images, rather it wants to create a series of audio, audio-visual and visual messages that help the consumers remember the product or service it was catering. This implantation of the product idea into one’s mind helps the product sell itself more. So advertisements are not only meant to sell products and for ensuring it, advertisements create a world of desires and superficial realities that has a huge and inevitable role of the products. In addition to this, consuming products and buying them is represented as something of an emancipatory act, where the abstract value of the products defines individual identity and class. AIDA Objective of advertisement campaigns are or prime importance and are manifold. Sometimes it is the launching of the product, or to keep the popular product (may be the top brand in terms of sales) dominate the market through constant reminding to its customers and gradually creating a set of customers who are termed as ‘loyal’, i.e. the same customers would

buy the product again and again. Whatever may be the objective, the ad world follows a strategy better known in abbreviation as AIDA, each initial denoting a key aspect to the whole idea of the marketing strategy. Fig. 1 AIDA stands for A – Attention, I – Interest, D- Desire and finally A – Action. The initial A of AIDA means to attract the attention, which is vital and the primary objective for any advertisements. Attention has to be drawn towards the ad and hence more and more methods re being employed to do so. This is the first step in converting a floating commoner into a loyal customer. The following I is that creating an interest in the audience so that she/he is convinced that the product is important for her/ him For this purpose the advertisement communicates in terms of visuals and images, and in particular the ‘body’ of the print ad is created with the details of the product. The subsequent D is the most important part of the copy. D stands for desire, and the Freudian concept of the unconscious and dream work can be found here. Desire is something that is insatiable, unlike want or need. Desire is something that grows on and on more the object of desire is achieved. We know that advertisements are like dream-works, and it foregrounds the repressed desires censored by the social norms. The final A is Action, the step that urges the consumer to take initiatives to acquire the product or the service. Types of Advertisements Based on the content, strategy and the media it uses, advertisements can be broadly classified into a number of categories. Depending on the form of media, ads can be divided into: Print Radio Electronic and Audio-Visual – it includes broadcasting like television films, and the World Wide Web or new media and ambient. Based on the strategy it employs, ads can be divided into: Covert Ads – hidden ads which use films, television and other forms of the media content to reach out to the audience. In film ads, also known as product placements are ads which are

Shifting loyalties and status quo: Advertisements often highlight a prescriptive format of what to think and whom to follow. Trends of fashion, style statements Tell us what to change and what to think cultivate a strong sense of brand loyalty also urge consumers to change loyalties In Advertising in the 60s by Hazel W. Warlaumont says that the then contemporary embrace the anti-authoritarian hippie counter-culture but they were being produced by the authoritarian manipulative corporations promoting the status quo and capitalist interests sells revolution, but trivializes it into a mere commodity. Not only does the revolutionary socialist Che Guevara appear on T-shirts, but the commercial success of this icon leads to imitations and parodies such as the Cher Guevara shirt on right. Warlaumont’s argument inverts the concept of détournement (A concept given by Guy Debord). Détournement refers to an artist’s reuse of familiar images, by shifting contexts to create a new work with a different often contrary message. It has an element of ‘anti-art’ using blatant theft and sabotage of existing elements, turning the original message against itself. It is actually a method of resistance to the grosser elements of capitalist culture and raise awareness of corporate ploys and their social effects. But in this case it is just the opposite and hence has a u-turn effect. Let us consider the following image: http://cubicmuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CheCherGuevara.jpg Fig. ii The following points are generally observed: embrace the anti-authoritarian hippie counter-culture but they were being produced by the authoritarian manipulative corporations promoting the status quo and capitalist interests sells revolution, but trivializes it into a mere commodity Not only does the revolutionary socialist Che Guevara appear on T-shirts, but the commercial success of this icon leads to imitations and parodies such as the Cher Guevara shirt on right. The mediation of reality - Reality and fiction are fused together where the fiction assumes truthfulness where the value of real events becomes the catchphrases. In this regard Marshall McLuhan can be quoted here

When the movies came, the entire pattern of American life went on the screen as a non-stop ad. Whatever any actor or actress wore or used or ate was such an ad as had never been dreamed of … The result was that all ads in magazines and the press had to look like scenes from movies. McLuhan Understanding Media, 1964 http://cubicmuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/1.Paris-Hilton-guess.jpg Fig. iii News and advertising have blended together to such an extent that reality and falsehood diminishes into a single truth. In this ad, Paris Hilton steps off a helicopter accompanied by a male lover/ servant rolled into one: the ad looks like a paparazzi photo, blurring boundaries between reality and fantasy. The magic of meaning - Ads don’t just sell products but infuse those products with meaning for the people who use them. Hence, ads influence our values and underlying beliefs. In ‘The Magic System’, Raymond Williams observed Advertising has passed the frontier of the selling of goods and services and has become involved with the teaching of social and personal values; it is also rapidly entering the world of politics. Advertising is also, in a sense, the official art of modern capitalist society: it is what ‘we’ put up in ‘our’ streets … and it commands the services of perhaps the largest organized body of writers and artists, with their attendant managers and advisers, in the whole society. In a form of organized magic, advertising obscures the true nature of consumerism and its effects on public attitudes and social goals. Keeping the public away from discontented questions, advertising “is a true part of the culture of a confused society.” http://cubicmuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bono-edun-louis-vuitton-ad2010.jpg Fig 4 The above ad uses many of the same features as the Paris Hilton ad for Guess, but the message is the opposite - celebrity rock star Bono and his wife Ali Hewson descend from the sky like angels into a pristine African wilderness, with their activities of protecting Africa’s interest. The ad functions as a fundraiser, but also suggests Bono and wife have come to Africa for other reasons. Returning to the roots of humankind for inspiration, it is the ultimate trip – youth, nature, truth, and people. Imitative desire – This is often seen as the primary objective of almost all ads as they play upon people’s tendency to desire what others desire. Ads manufacture desires within us to imitate the others through commodities. According to the French theorist René Girard that we often desire

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