What’s This I’m Watching? (Chapter 10)

 The Elements That Make Up An Ad

            It is important to note how elements can interact, such as music with visuals or words with visuals. To maximize its effect, advertising has to get your attention. It has to ‘cut through the clutter’ of other advertising and be noticed. The first principal of advertising is that it needs to stand out. Advertising uses a variety of attention-getting devices- the best of which are sex and humor. 

 Sex and Humor

            Advertisers who import sex into an ad and use it purely as an attention-getter when it has no relationship with the product, certainly gain attention; but contrary to consumer belief, this stands little chance of being effective if it is not directly relevant to an advertisement’s primary selling point.  Attention alone will not make an ad work.  Devices such as sex and humor and emotion can give an illusionary impression to the audience that an ad is highly visible and therefore must be a great ad- but is it really working?                                                                                                                          Though these ads stand out, such ads frequently do not work unless advertisers make sure emphasis is given to strengthening the brand and the message. Products such as clothing, lingerie and fragrances often tie in these ‘natural’ methods of advertising from numerous labels for men and women. This can often lead to controversial communicable ads. Here is one of the most recent controversial ads by Dentyne Ice Gum:

            Humor ads tend to work more effectively than straight ads. Humorous ads are noticed more, and there is less counter-arguing with humorous ads because viewers process them as entertainment rather than engage in a true/false evaluation.

Music

            Music is the rhythm method of advertising. Association of the brand with a popular piece of music increases the salience of the brand in our minds and makes it more likely that we will think of that brand whenever we hear the music. Many ads set their own words to music. Jingles have been around for over 80 years- the very first jingle for was for Wheaties in 1926 at a time when sales were sagging and the brand was close to being discontinued. When words are set to music, it can even create a desire for repetition. Musical commercials have become so much a part of our advertising environment that we almost forget they are there.

Some examples include the Band-Aid brand commerical jingle and the Oscar Mayer Weiner jingle Win:

This one is one of the orginals from 1973:

 Who is talking to whom?

            It is important to ask of any ad: “Who is the ad talking to?” When it appears to be talking to an on-screen character, we tend to mentally process the ad as a bystander. The closer we feel to the character the more effect the ad is likely to have on us. Overhearing something can be more influential than being told it directly because we tend to apply less defensive processing to it. 

 In the end…

            While ads do not necessarily have to be liked if they are imparting valuable news about a brand, a brand’s advertising is nevertheless an intrinsic part of the brand personality. The more that thing weigh equal the more important that liking of a brand’s advertising is. Even as a feather, it can tip the balance of brand choice.