Essay and Bibliography - Resubmission

'Advertising doesn't sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel.' (Jeremy Bullmore). Evaluate this statement with reference to selected theoretical theories.


          Advertising is a common form of communication, set out with intentions to persuade a selected target audience to generate a sense of need for what is being advertised: whether it’s a brand, service or product. Jeremy Bullmore raises a thought-provoking point with his statement expressing his opinion on how he considers advertising to work:
…”Advertising doesn’t sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel”…
          More often than not, advertising relies on endorsing its audience with the impression that along with this product if you purchase it, your life will automatically be more like this ‘ideal’ lifestyle, or you will fit in more within the genre of people that is represented throughout its advertising campaign – thus leaving the impression that the main focus of an advertisement is to focus on promoting the lifestyle, rather than the actual product. They do this by making them envy what it possesses, leaving them with the feeling that what they already have is inadequate in comparison – therefore leaving them wanting to purchase it.
…”Advertising’s central function is to create desire that previously did not exist. Thus advertising arouses our interests and emotions in favor of goods and more goods…it is thus the advertiser’s task to try to persuade rather than inform.”… (Dyer, 1982, p6)
          The advertiser sets out with intentions of creating a branding for a product that usually involves the repetition of an image, message or product name, which should in time create an idea of related qualities to the brand in the mind of the audience. An interesting example of this is the message that Dove allocates to their soap for women with dry skin, promising to ‘leave your skin soft and smooth – without the dry feeling caused by soap’ (Ogilvy, 1995, p12). This promise was first allocated to the product over 25 years ago by copywriter David Ogilvy, and is still used within their advertising campaigns today – along with other promises such as the ability to firm skin, quoting in one of their more recent ads ‘Let’s face it. Firming the thighs of a size 8 supermodel is no challenge’ (Williams, 2010, p47).
          One thing that is vital when advertising agencies begin any new projects is to research: to fully understand what it is they are promoting. Most times the client would provide a sufficient amount of research relevant to what they are wanting, but then it is down to the advertisers to fill in the gaps: to look at the more meticulous details about the product to generate ‘a clear understanding of the brands current position’ such as what the consumers already ‘actually think about the product, as opposed to what the client believes that they think’ (Ogilvy, 1995, p9). This way it ensures the campaign can be as effective as possible.
…”Now comes research among consumers. Find out how they think about your kind of product, what language they use when they discuss the subject, what attributes are important to them, and what promise would be likely to make them buy your brand.”… (Ogilvy, 1995, p12)
          As well as the research aspect, the message that the campaign is going to have is decided upon within the early stages to give it more of a directed focus: therefore proving that the main intention within the campaign is to create envy towards it (Wikipedia, 2011, online). This entails them to consider factors such as the target audience it is intended to appeal to, and the background of them and so on.
What’s interesting is the people’s choice of what brand they ‘choose’ to consume from a variety of different ones, all fundamentally for the same product.
…”Take Whiskey. Why do some people choose Jack Daniels, while others choose Grand Dad or Taylor? Have they tried all three and compared the taste? Don’t make me laugh. The reality is that these three brands have different images which appeal to different kinds of people. It isn’t the Whiskey they choose, it’s the image. The brand image is 90 per cent of what the distiller has to sell.”… (Ogilvy, 1995, p15)
          Looking at the advertising for two different brands of lager: such as Carling and Budweiser, it is apparent that a similar thing happens with their advertising strategies. They both are proud of the countries that they originate from and this reflects well within their ads, and each have a distinct audience they want to target.
          Carling is a British lager that derived from the mid 1900’s after a team of British Brewers came together and discovered a way of involving the flavor of ale with the refreshment of continental lager. It is made from ‘only the best British barley’ (Molson Coors Brewing Company Ltd, 2011, online), and is proud to have this as the main aspect of one of their recent advertising campaigns.
          Budweiser is an American lager, ‘perfected in 1876’ by Adolphus Busch. This exact recipe, brewing process and taste has remained the same for more than 133 years, and will be staying the same for a long time as they believe this is what has made the product so successful (Anheuser-Busch, 2010, online). The fact that the lager is American reflects clearly throughout their advertisements with it coming across to the audience that the brand is better and brighter than others, which is also a good representation of something American.
          After watching a recent television advert for these brands, the target audience that they are reaching towards is apparent, and quite distinct from each others. The Carling advert has a group of English friends in their twenties out together in the middle of no where, with one providing the Carling from the nearest source – this insists their target audience is adults who like to have a laugh, go out to have a good time and stick together. Where as the Budweiser advert is of a hectic stadium of people all having an exciting time together; which insists their target audience is the type of person who likes to be in the middle of the action and not miss out on something ‘amazing’.
          Throughout the whole thirty seconds of the Budweiser advert, apart from the general noise from the stadium, there is no voice at any point that says anything about the product. There is just the end where the logo appears on the screen and underneath it has the strapline ‘this is beer’ for the viewer to read. By doing this, as well as having thousands of people all together in a huge place suggests that the product is that successful and popular it can speak for itself with its quality and status. Having the stadium so busy and showing that everyone is having a good time suggests that by drinking Budweiser it brings all sorts of people together as though it has its own community or is in a league of its own. This is then endorsing the audience with the thought that they could also be involved in something as amazing as this – if they drink this lager, and creates desire and envy for wanting this sort of life, and to be there in the middle of what is happening amongst the rest of the targeted audience. The imagery shows the crowd all in sync holding coloured boards above their heads each in the right order so that when it is seen from above, it shows a Budweiser bottle being opened and poured into a glass, and after being drank. Immediately thereafter the whole crowd at once throw their heads back with huge grins on their faces doing somewhat over enthusiastic ‘ahhh’ sounds that people make after finishing a very satisfying, refreshing drink they enjoyed.
          Unlike this, the Carling advert is more relaxed by having just a few close friends in the middle of a dessert with the weather conditions being very hot, and one of them goes out of his way to find them a lager. He then returns to find he has forgotten one and insists on going back for another, suggesting that Carling is worth all the time and effort, as well as connoting the fact that people who drink it stick together and would do anything for each other, no matter what the situation is. The whole scene could be adapted as a metaphor of a situation that could happen anywhere in the world, and can always be made better being with your closest friends drinking Carling. The end of the advert has the sentence ‘You know who your mates are’, followed by the logo and strapline saying ‘Tastes great, every sip of the way’. Even by this it shows that Carling are intending on aiming their advertising towards someone who values their friendships, and by having Carling as a common interest amongst them ensures these friendships will stay strong and stick together. What Carling is promising to its target audience and generating envy towards in order to promote their brand is solid friendships with those that matter, as well as the enjoyment of a well-needed refreshing drink anywhere in the world.
          In all, it is believed that advertisings main purpose is to influence its targeted audience into feeling the desire to purchase the product being advertised, by making them envy the status and lifestyle it embodies. It is agreeable with what Bullmore articulates; that fundamentally all it does is ‘changes the way people think or feel’, but in order for someone to purposely go out of their way to buy a particular product does usually originate from feelings in the first place, but without this raises the question as to whether advertising would work at all without these feeling involved.




Bibliography

Anheuser-Busch, 2010. Budweiser. [online] Available at:< http://www.budweiser.com/public/agecheck.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fen%2fdefault.aspx&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1#/en/index> [Accessed 15th January 2011].

Burtenshaw, K. Mahon, N and Barfoot, C, 2006. The Fundamentals of Creative Advertising. Case Postale: AVA Publishing SA.

Dooley, R, 2009. Emotional Ads Work Best. Neuromarketing. [blog] 27th July. Available at:< http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/emotional-ads-work-best.htm> [Accessed 15th January 2011].

Dyer, G, 1986. Advertising as Communication. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.

Hanson, D J, 2009. Alcohol Advertising Facts and Information. [online] Available at:< http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Controversies/1106153502.html> [Accessed 17th January 2011].

McNamara, S L, 2010. Persuasive Advertising Theories. [online] Available at:< http://www.adcracker.com/theory/Persuasive_Advertising_Theories.htm> [Accessed 14th January 2011].

Mfirth199, 2010. New Carling “Round” Ad. [video online] Available at:< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gyD9zR8U3A> [Accessed 15th January 2011].

Molson Coors Brewing Company Ltd, 2011. Carling. [online] Available at: http://www.carling.com/index.html [Accessed 15th January 2011].

Ogilvy, D, 1995. Ogilvy on Advertising. London: Prion Books.

Rakesh048, 2008. Amazing Budweiser Ad. [video online] Available at: [Accessed 15th January 2011].

Unilever, 2011. Dove. [online] Available at :< http://www.dove.co.uk/> [Accessed 17th January 2011].

Wikipedia, 2011. Advertising. [online] Available at: [Accessed 14th January 2011].

Williams, E, 2010. This is Advertising. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.

Essay Question

From the list of essay questions available, the one I have chosen to cover is:

"'Advertising doesn't sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel.' (Jeremy Bullmore). Evaluate this statement with reference to selected theoretical theories.

The advertisements I looked at for the essay to support my points were:

Deconstrustion Task

Using given text, write 500 words on what it has to say about deconstruction.

A main block of text to a typographer is usually referred to as the ‘body’: defined as an ongoing sequence of words, it has more integrity and wholeness than any surrounding elements, including headlines and captions. It’s a sturdy object that flows from page to page and is treated consistently, with long texts broken down into chunks offering shortcuts and alternate routes such as indents and hyperlinks.

            Before the mass production of movable type, handwritten texts usually consisted with errors, each with their own glitches and gaps where copies were copied from copies, making them seem more personal. They had their own interpretation from the one who wrote it, which meant that the reader was left questioning what the text was saying. Printing text introduced a new way to ensure the faithfulness to the author’s handwritten original, making the role of the ‘proofreader’ to correct any errors within it right from the original copy to the final production, without misrepresenting the authors work.

            Contemporary typographers produce bodies of text for various contexts, each with their own limitations and opportunities, ensuring the help for the readers to navigate the flow of the content. Typographic pages emphasize the completeness and closure of a work, and follow a grid of known coordinates. They ensure that the reader isn’t aware that they are reading, but at the same time they certify that the content is read in a certain order that is intended, making the typographer invisible to them. Even so, their role is just as important as the spaces and punctuation, where French philosopher Jacques Derrida quotes they are ‘seen but not heard’.

            French critic Roland Barthes believes that the reader ‘performs’ the writing – ‘death of the author’, where the reader chooses to create meaning. Todays Graphic Designers embraced Barthes’ idea of the readable text using layers and interlocking grids to explore his theory breaking grids and rules, making how the text is used more important than what it actually means. By destroying structure, it makes the reader more aware of it: unpicking it, making it strange and question what is normal. It changes the way that the text is read and makes the readers’ role more active and thought provoking, revealing how the type affects meaning. Writing occupies space as well as time, and liberates readers from bonds of linearity; which is amongst typography’s most urgent tasks.

David Carson / End of Print Presentation Poster / 1996 / URL

David Carson's work is very representative of the deconstructionists style. The example I have included is good as it consists of just type, so it showcases how it has allowed Carson to completely destroy the structure. Even with the headline section at the top with the bolder text: it overlaps and doesn't read in the right order, so even though the immediate reactions are primarily drawn to this, it still makes the viewer think more about what they are reading. The rest of the body of text with all the relevant information has a strange, random layout, with no obvious beginning or an end, leaving the viewer to start reading anywhere and unpick the structure within it - making them question what is normal and become more active in finding out the relevant information they want to gain from it. The way that Carson has used multiple typefaces also adds to the effect of the deconstruction as it causes more immediate confusion that the viewer then has to untangle, and reveals more effectively how type affects the meaning. Definitely with this poster, the intention to absorb the information from it works a lot better than one that follows a typical grid and reads in a particular way as it is down to each individual to 'find' what they want to know - this ultimately achieves a better response from it as they are then more likely to actually remember it.

Deconstruction Seminar Notes

Avant Garde Task

In 300 words, discuss the concept of 'Avant Garde' in relation to two examples of Graphic Design (include pictures and references).

Avant Garde – sometimes known as ‘advance guard’ or vanguard, refers to people or work that is considered to be innovative or experimental with aims to shock, challenge and re-assess conventions. It pushes boundaries of what is usually accepted as ‘normal’, and artists which are involved consider themselves and what they do to be innovative and ahead of the majority. The concept of Avant Garde refers exclusively to marginalized artists whose work opposes the mainstream values and often has an abrasive social or political edge, as well as introduces and explores new forms or subject matters. It is said to have began in 1850’s with the Realism or Gustave Coubert, followed by the successive movements of modern art, making the term Avant Garde more or less synonymous with modern. Nowadays, the term has grown to be almost neutralized, leaving it meaningless to the point where it can be applied to anything.

Marcel Duchamp / 1917 / Fountain / URL

Marcel Duchamp is definitely one of the most memorable artists considered within Avant Garde, with works such as the ‘Mona Lisa’ and  ‘Fountain’ (pictured). He caused a huge riff within art around 1917 when he entered his ‘Fountain’ piece into an open exhibition under the name of R. Mutt, where anything was accepted; but this actually wasn’t and was mysteriously misplaced and not exhibited resulting with the original piece being lost. It totally went against what art was believed to be at this time, and Duchamp entered it to shift the focus of art from physical craft to intellectual interpretation. It was something people has not seen done before, and they refused for sometime to accept because they didn’t consider it to be ‘actual art’ due to the fact that he didn’t make it with his own hands – this later proved to be irrelevant.

Oliviero Toscani / United Colours of Benetton / URL

A more recent example of Avant Grade is the advertising campaigns from the label United Colours of Benetton. Not only do they promote themselves as a brand, but also tackle racism showcasing images of things the public would not necessarily expect to see. In just a few years, Benetton became a global force with their concept of encompassing the different races to the ideas of tolerance, peace and respect for diversity. As shown in the example, they have a black woman breast feeding a white baby, incorporating the 'shock' factor of Avant Garde. It is making the statement that all colours are united as one, and by using such strong imagery not just in this example but in all of their campaigns, definitely challenges peoples beliefs amongst racism, and forces them to re-asses it. The 'united' colours of their sweaters is considered to be a metaphor for the united skin tones from the youth of different countries for who the sweaters were designed for. 

'Defining the Avant-Garde' Seminar Notes

5 Examples of Post Modern Graphic Design

Here is my 5 examples of Post Modern Graphic Design.

Postmodernism has an attitude of questioning conventions, especially ones set out through Modernism. The only rule within it is that there are no rules, and celebrates what might otherwise be termed kitsch. It is a reaction to modern life and technology, and has no progressive meaning - designed to blow up and destroy itself in a way of expressing how the modern world is destroying itself. It is not about equality, but more personal and about difference, exposing the flaws from the structures of the past. Re using images and a rejection of technological determinism.

David Carson / Ray Gun No 15 Magazine Cover / URL

This magazine cover for Ray Gun by David Carson is a good example of Postmodernism because of the way that he has just completely stripped any structure to it. The text within it doesn't follow any form and overlaps, not really making any sense with only a few words actually left readable. The whole thing, when properly considered, is actually really simple, but with the way he has positioned the type and dark background image really builds it up.

Jamie Reid / 1977 / Sex Pistols Album Cover / URL

This Sex Pistols album cover by Jamie Reid is a strong example of Postmodernism with the way that none of the typefaces that he has used in it actually really go together, but when forced together with no specific order other than to give the title works really well. Just the fact that such a varied amount of typefaces have been used within one design completely goes against what many typographers believe to be 'right', as the more that is used, the less effective it works - but this example clearly proves otherwise.

Dan Friedman / Typografische Monatsblatter / 1971 / URL

The way that Friedman has used a montage style with the different typefaces scattered randomly over the top of the image of times square makes this example Postmodern, showing how he didn't follow any rules when putting it together and didn't try and follow any sort of grid within the image. It looks simple and reduced.

Kunst Kredit / Wolfgang Weingart / 1977 / URL

Both the type and images used within this poster had a Postmodern style, with an unstructured overall look. 

Katherine McCoy / Cranbrook graduate poster / 1989 / URL

Again, the type and image used within this poster has a very Postmodern style, and has avoided and form or grid or structure. Most of the body of text that is used within it also is illegal due to the fact of the photomontage underneath with the bases of function follows form.