Advertising is….

False Advertising. (In 140 Characters)

I don't believe that most advertisements have ethically conscious intentions, but I also don't believe we really expect them to.  

Are We Being Drowned in Advertisements?

No matter where you go, you are going to be subject to advertising. From labels at the grocery store, to commercials on your tv, even logos on clothing. Unless you lock yourself in a dark empty room, advertising will find you.  You may have suddenly become overwhelmed at the thought of this, but the question is, do we really even notice it anymore? Does it really feel like advertisements are being shoved down your throat on a daily basis? Maybe if you went out with intention of counting how many ads you saw in a day, then you would feel like it was a bit of a sensory overload. On the average day, a trip to the mall, or on your way to work/school, you're probably not thinking too much about it. Of course you notice some ads, because that's their purpose, but I don't necessarily feel like it's always too much. 

When we noticed advertisements, it's usually not for more than a few seconds.  This is because, unless the ad is of great importance to us (if we are the target audience), or strikes a strong emotion, we don't really care. Due to how many ads we see in a day, sometimes I think we barely even notice we are being advertised to. When you purchase a drink at a convenient store it's probably because you are thirsty, not because you want to advertise for that company, because we don't even realize we are doing it, and for free!

As a design student it's possible that I am biased, because I like seeing interesting new ads and mentally critiquing/improving the ones I don't like, I'm ok with it. At the end of the day the amount of advertising that is out there isn't going to change, and if it does it will only be more. It's a fact of life and something that we have already become accustomed to. As long as the advertisements are sustainable (now that's a whole other blog post) and pleasing to the eye, I support the onslaught. Bring it.

Shockvertising.

The advertisements you have just viewed might have brought forward some unpleasant emotions or revelations. The made you feel sad, scared, worrisome or may offend you with their blatant, unapologetic visuals. These types of advertisements have been coined with the term; Shock advertising, or  Shockvertising. Ads that are made to shock are usually created to bring the general publics awareness to a specific social issue. This is when they are the most successful. In this day and age people are so numb to the news headlines about shootings, kidnappings, poverty and much more, that they barely give it a second thought when something bad happens yet again. 
Something happens when people see these ads, it makes them stop, shocked by the image they are seeing. This is probably because they are used to seeing these types of images in the newspaper or on tv, not in a magazine or on the side of a building, at a bus stop. The ads that bring our awareness to these very important facts of life are important, if only for a minute or two they make people think. Maybe it's naïve for me to say, but I do believe these ads work towards solutions. People will remember these images because of the emotions they felt and the impression it made in their mind, possibly on their whole day. Maybe after seeing that ad they donated to a cause, took an extra step to make sure their child is safe, or changed opened their mind to a new way of thinking. These are the types of shockvertisments that are tasteful and important to have in society.

In regards to using shocking ads for the fashion industry and other products, I think the advertisers are being quite smart. For example;

Sisley uses sex in a majority of their advertisements. Some people may find it offensive, but I think its a good tactic. They know who their target audience is (young, wealthy, fashion forward, men and women) and they know how to appeal to them. They're shocking people, but they are also getting people talking. They know how to use Shockvertising in a not-so-classy-but-it-works type of way.




These scandalous and remorseless ads keep things interesting in the advertising world, they give us something to talk about and to be excited by.

Cheater Cheater, Pumpkin Eater.

The subject of adultery is a delicate one.  On the topic of literally cheating on your partner, your loved one, or someone who trusts you to be committed to only them; I feel we all would like to be on the same page. That page of course being the one that states it is wrong, because it is! Although the fact of the matter is... it happens, and whether or not that person intended to destroy their relationship with their loved one, they do. You can go on about the reasons why they did it, or what was going wrong in the relationship to drive them to that point, but at the end of the day it comes down to the fact that it is just a really shitty thing to do to someone. Now, does that mean we can't cheat on anything in life? That high school math test, that carb free diet, or perhaps our loyalty to a certain product? Not necessarily. Advertisements are always trying to persuade us to go with one product over another, because that's their job. A perfect example of this is the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter commercial.

They are using sex and the taboo aspect of cheating to lure us into the product. In this sense I don't think what they are doing is wrong. They expect people to know that they are not actually telling you that cheating on your loved one is okay, or that they are endorsing that at all. What they are saying is that it's okay to cheat on butter. If people are taking ads like this too seriously and believe that they are trying to make people commit adultery...then I'm sorry but you have your own insecurities you may want to consider working on. There is however a difference between this ad and... 

This one. Maybe some people will say I am contradicting what I just stated above, but come on. Did Reebok not predict the incoming hate mail from girlfriends worldwide about this one? You are literally telling people (specifically men in their 20's) that cheating on your girlfriend is a-ok, as long as you get in that workout. Now maybe I'm biased (being a straight female in her 20's) but this ad is just ridiculous. No, I don't think the people at Reebok are all gorilla head cheaters, but this ad sure says they don't care if people think that they are. I feel like they could have been a lot more successful with this ad if they were a little more subtle, and appealed to both sexes. 

Advertisements can use this subject in a classy way, and have it be very successful, without being overbearing. Overall my opinion on cheating still stands, don't do it. If you want to sleep with other people, you should be single.  But cheating on that one brand you've been loyal to for years, isn't going to make anyone cry and watch the notebook 12 times in a row. So go ahead, cheat on butter. 

Subliminal messages

There is a certain degree to which advertisements effect consumers subliminally.  It is impossible to deny that advertisements try to sway your mind in favor of the brand, with words like New! Fun! Yummy! etc. They used eye-catching photos with bright colours to get our attention. All of this is used to stimulate activity in our brain. Advertisements are made to evoke an emotion or reaction, for example this Christmas ad for Coca Cola

The image of Santa Claus holding bottles of coke and the magical sparkles surrounding the logo and truck, these things are all there to create a feeling of happiness, like it states in the headline. The main purpose of this ad is to make you feel like in order for you to share happiness with your loved ones this christmas, you better give them some Coca Cola. The subliminal "messages" in this ad will prove very successful for people who enjoy Coke, but this is about as deep as I feel those messages go.

For people who are not loyal to a brand, keeping with my example of Coca Cola, these ads will not successfully get them in the store buying the product. If some one just simply does not drink soda, specifically Coke, a nice whimsy picture of Santa Claus is not going to have much effect on them. 

Subliminally it may still evoke the same emotion of happiness and that general Christmas spirit, it's not going to make the, change their opinion on the product. 

Humour in Advertising.

I feel as though humour is a strong tool in advertisement. Using humour puts a good memory of the brand in the consumer/readers brain. When they think of that ad, they will remember that it made them laugh, and therefore have a positive experience attached mentally to that brand. Personally when I see a brand take that risk and straddle the line of being inappropriate with their humour, it peaks my interest in a positive way. They are willing to take risks which, to me, shows a confidence in their brand. There is in fact a possible downfall to using humour when the "joke" is just simply not funny, there's nothing worse then when a joke fails and gives you that face-palm moment. It makes the brand look somewhat sad and pathetic. If you're going to go with funny, you better make damn sure it's actually funny. I feel as though people who can't take these advertisements lightly are indeed sourpusses. Life should not always be suit and tie serious. Sometimes, in the world we live in a little laugh can be our saving grace.

Advertising and obesity

I absolutely believe that advertising plays a major role in the contribution to childhood and adulthood obesity. A large amount of advertisements for fast food restaurants and geared strongly towards children.  For example, the most notorious, McDonalds. The ever incising happy meal toys and play place make children wide eyed and crazy. I don't blame them, when I was a child I didn't care about what I was eating, as long as it didn't look too weird and of course I would eat it if it meant i got to open a toy after. Children and adults, even thought we know better, are pulled into the entire experience that fast food places advertise for us. They make it look fun and exciting and very "family oriented". Another factor is the price. Fast food is significantly cheaper then the healthier alternative. Some parents feel that they have no other option, when eating out costs less then buy vegetables from the grocery store.

Advertising is also a very useful tool in the prevention of obesity. Unfortunately I feel as though it is rare that those ads will be noticed or reacted to half as much as the ads in favour of fast foods. SLowly but surely I would like to think the advertisements promoting healthy living will become more prominent and more geared towards children, not just parents. Of course as consumers we play a large part in the success of the fast food world. Obviously we are taking the bait. It is up to us to choose the better option, to instil good values in our own lives and hopefully the people around us will follow. Parents have to realize that children need to be taught good habits now, so they can carry it on for the rest of their lives. At the end of the day you chose which ads will win you over.

Photoshopping Ads

I personally think Photoshop is an essential tool in the world of advertising. I think the public has a pre conceived notion that all models are photoshopped, so they realistically don't expect people to actually look like that. Photoshop can be used in a plethora of ways, not just to make the female model population look more attractive than they already are. It is used as an art tool as well, to create things that can not be photographed.

Mic Mac Mall Back To School Campaign

Although Suburbia states that they get shoppers. I beg to differ. The ads were clearly directed at young female students, of the shopper variety. Just because a young woman just loves to shop doesn't mean they disregard other important aspects of their life –such as school– which the ads suggest. Clearly the Dartmouth public did not react well to the advertisements. They should have researched their target audience a little more.

Personally, I don't think I would have run the ad, realizing that the public can often be very sensitive to any hint at sexism or the undermining of women. Which they should be. Agencies really have to cover all the bases before running a cheeky ad, if the majority of the target isn't satisfied, you're doing it wrong.

To be honest if I were walking through the mall and glanced at the ad in passing I probably wouldn't think too much of it, but that's just me. I can totally see why people would react negatively, thinking it is sexist, and demand a change. As consumers we have the right to voice our opinion if we are not satisfied with out shopping experience.

If the ad had featured both young men and women I don't think the public would have taken it this seriously, it would have been seen as more of a humorous, cheeky, ad. Which maybe is sexist in itself. 

Either way I support the notion of this ad campaign being removed, and believe that they could have played out  the same message in a much better–non offensive–way.