Advertising: Convincing the Consumer

Advertising: Convincing the Consumer

When a company wants their product to sell to consumers, they give them a reason why their product is better than others. Advertising sells to consumers wants not just to their needs. People need a car but want a Cadillac. They need clothes, but they want Ralph-Lauren. When most people flip though ads the go fairly fast, therefore it must grab their attention. A good ad allows the reader to instantly recognize the concept being communicated. It sends a simple and easy message to the reader of the benefits they will get if they use their product. Cigar, cigarette, and alcohol ads in the mid 1900’s persuade the reader that their products provide a beneficial and pleasurable experience.

A Hennessy advertisement in the 70’s shows a picture of an equestrian and her horse (Ad Figure 1). In the subtext she says “I’ll have a Hennessy Very Superior Old pale Reserve Cognac, thank you.” In this ad emphasis is achieved by “size, shape, and color, or the use of white space” (Cohen 654). The Large picture with black and white contrasting colors grabs the reader’s attention and directs him to the message of the ad When one flips to this article the horse and women are starting directly at the reader which grabs the reader’s attention. They are staring at the consumer at a downward angle and have a serious look on their faces. Another title at the bottom of the advertisement

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reads “The Taste of Success”, which implies their success in the sport of equestrian. This ad appeals to the readers need for dominance and success. A picture of the cognac bottle is shown at the bottom of the advertisement, which points to the main picture of the women and her horse. This implies that if you drink Hennessy Cognac you will be looked upon as dominate and successful.

Bacardi put out advertisement in the 60’s for their rum which is directed at drinkers who strive for a pleasurable experience (Ad Figure 2). A large amount of white space is used in order to avoid cramming the ad which confuses the reader. This ad features a man pouring a wide variety of drinks with Bacardi rum as three provocative gather around him. The text below the visual reads “Bacardi rum is so “mixable”… It’s a one brand bar.” This ad has a body copy that “develops the selling points for the product”, by telling the reader that it is versatile, smooth, and rare (“Making the Pitch…” 649). One woman is staring at the reader in the picture to grab his or her attention. The other two women are staring directly at the bottle of Bacardi rum the gentleman is pouring. This gives the reader the idea that if you serve drinks using Bacardi rim it will make you the center of attention. A smaller picture of the Bacardi bottle at the bottom of the article draws the reader’s attention to text which tells benefits of using Bacardi rum.

Cigarette ads along well as alcohol ads relate their products to a certain benefits and positive experiences. A Marlboro cigarette ad in the 70’s sends a message that their product provides the user a chance to “duck out of our social obligations…to seek rest or adventure” (Fowles 638) (Ad Figure 3). It has a large picture of a male cowboy smoking a cigarette next to his horse looking into the distance. The caption below it reads “Come

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to where the flavor is. Come to Marlboro Country.” Marlboro’s advertisement is meant to appeal to smokers who want an out of the ordinary smoking experience. The term “Marlboro Country” tells the consumer that if they use

their product, they will too saddle up and head for an adventurous and pleasurable smoking experience.

A Webster cigar ad shows how even a simple advertisement photo can send a powerful message to a possible consumer (Ad Figure 4). It includes a picture of a sharply dressed man holding a Webster cigar, and below it “The Christmas Gift for an Important Men” along with a cigar box picture. In the picture the other people at the table are staring at the cigars making them the center of attention. Since the advertisement mentions it’s a good Christmas Gift, this ad is directed towards consumers buying Christmas gifts. It sends