21st Century Advertisement Tactics
Essay by review • September 14, 2010 • Essay • 796 Words (4 Pages) • 2,289 Views
21st Century Advertisement Tactics
At first glance you see an incredibly handsome man embracing an enchanting young lady. The two appear to in love. They are all alone, kissing in a dark gloomy subway station. How can this be an advertisement for menÐŽ¦s shoes? Most advertisements use appealing visuals like these to sell their products. Many of those techniques are illogical, deceptive, and some may even be considered too erotic. The attached advertisement for shoes employs many of these techniques in campaigning their product to customers. It promotes shallow values (sex appeal), it was illogical, and even deceptive.
This advertisement was geared more for men. It is an ad for menÐŽ¦s shoes and was found in a magazine geared for men. The magazine Maximum is geared generally toward the male crowd. The most prominent figure in the advertisement is what appears to be a couple, dressed in dark dull colors, standing in a subway kissing. However, at the bottom of the advertisement a bright tan colored shoe appears to jump out at you from the dismal dark back round. This advertisement is a prime example of using color to promote a product. The tan shoe is bright in contrast to the dismal bland appearance of the background. It seems to jump off the page and grab your attention. Clearly in this advertisement color was used to help elaborate on the product.
The use of color is only one of the many techniques advertising companies can use to embellish their product. Sometimes they may use tactics that upon closer inspection show a lack of logic. For example, in this particular advertisement I noticed a couple kissing. Then as I began to ponder to myself I wondered, ÐŽ§How could that particular shoe help a man get a beautiful women like that?ÐŽÐ It was illogical that because he wore a certain type of shoe he was more attractive to the opposite sex. The sex is supposed to cover up or distract the viewer from the lack of logic in the advertisement.
Not only was this advertisement illogical, but also it was using one of the oldest tactics in advertisement, sex appeal. The advertisement depicted two very attractive people kissing. They are holding each other close and every touch appears to be soft and gentle. From their kiss to the gentle touch of his hand across her lower back, the picture suggests soft sensual movements. All these visuals imply the same thing, sex. Shoes cannot increase the chance that a man will have sex. However, it is implied by the advertising companies to increase the likelihood that the customer will by the product.
Advertising companies to promote a product also use slogans. The slogan used
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