What's a Caveman Doing on the Computer?

A rather old Geico ad, as seen by both the pre-historic human and computer, that I thought was quite interesting (this wan't the exact ad I saw but I couldn't find the exact one online). They've stopped using these cavemen based ads and have switched to the gecko and even though these newer ads are OK I thought that the original cavemen were better. By saying that Geico was so easy that even something as unintelligent and comically stupid as a cavemen know that it is a good idea. Then again someone could interpret it as "since cavemen think it's a good idea that probably means it isn't" because of their reputation. I still believe that these advertisements and commercials were funnier and because of that more effective.

This specific ad has a rather obvious use of vagueness. They say that "You could save hundreds on car insurance," which I believe is their slogan because I've seen it before in several of their commercials. If people aren't paying attention that could potentially be great for Geico because then a lot of people will begin to believe that they can just hundreds of dollars cheaper when in reality probably only a very small percentage of people will get this. Thanks to this thought Geico most likely gets a decent amount of business based on people incorrectly interpreting the ad or commercial so I would say that it is a successful use of vagueness because although it seemed quite easy for me to find the "could," many others are not. Of course this vagueness could also be thought of as weasel words and I believe that it works either way.

The main need that Geico tries to appeal to is the need to achieve, at least it seems. This is because of their caveman once again. By saying that it is "so easy a caveman can do it" they try and reach the side of their audience that is either technologically challenged or afraid. They try and get their audience to think that they will have no trouble doing it since this pre-historic human can do it with ease and since this task would normally seem nearly impossible in their eyes they will feel as if they truly achieved something and that Geico helped them do that.

The technique that they use to bring about this need into their audience is the wit and humor appeal. Although I don't think that this is as humorous as other advertisements but it still gets the job done quite well. Even though it's mean who doesn't chuckle silently to themselves when they see someone have technological problems on the most simple of tasks. By thinking about how a caveman would not be able to really do anything with the computer but maybe smash it people find it funny that Geico state that they are so simple that even a caveman has no problem with it. This also means, however, that if someone does end up having trouble with the Geico website and getting a quote then they will just feel really bad about themselves (but I seriously doubt that this has ever happened to anybody).

Overall the early Geico advertisements were both better and worse than the newer Geico gecko, it's just all about you're personal opinion.

Huffy Green Machine Old and New?

Huffy Green Machine Commercial

First off sorry I couldn't upload the video directly onto this page, for some reason Youtube was not wanting to work for me. I came across this commercial when I passed by my brother while he was watching television. I thought that it was a kind of interesting commercial at first because of the way that Huffy presents the old fashion record player as the area where the kid on his Green Machine comes out of. After thinking about how weird it was to use something so old fashion in a commercial that was most likely targeting children ages 6 to 12 or something along those lines (because of the new Jr. title) but then I realized that they might also want to be targeting the parents of the children.

With their use of the record player in the beginning, which was most likely used to bring back old, happy memories from their childhood, and the male adult in the beginning who set the kid (most likely his son) down in the first place. By doing this they hope to show that if parents buy this product for their children then they will be able to have a better connection with them, have something to talk about with them and be able to connect back to their childhood. There is also the possibility of connecting with those parents who are in denial about the technology that the world has today and are always wanting their children to go and play outdoors instead of being inside on the computer or what not. Huffy is saying that if the parents buy there children the Green Machine then they will no longer want to play/use technology as much and begin to spend more of their time outdoors.

Along with this major focus on parents in the beginning of the commercial Huffy's advertisement is really focusing the most on the kids. If kids see the commercial they are probably going to focus more on the "cool" music and the "cool" kid who's riding the Green Machine. By focusing on the kid's "cool factor" Huffy is definitely telling their younger audience that if they buy their newest Green Machine product (the Jr. size) then they will be the popular kids at school and who doesn't want to be popular or have friends to talk to at school or anywhere else.

Ultimately this one commercial fills several needs. The need to feel safe is present in their parent audience because the kid in the commercial is wearing wrist guards,a helmet, and even goggles to protect him from any accident. Parents will not feel that their children will be the most protected if they use a Green Machine. Then, on the younger audiences side they try to fill the need for attention by dressing their child actor in bright clothes, on a bright green Green Machine. They make it seem that if the kids ride it then they will stand out from the rest of their peers (and stand out in a good way). This need is filled by Huffy through the use of Gestalt" Subliminal Persuasion technique because of their use of the bright colors that draw the eye to their product.

Merry Christmas Coca Cola!

The classic Coca Cola ad. Everyone has seen one. Either with Santa Claus or some 80's chick on the beach. These ads are so successful that even today Coca Cola reuses these "old classics" because of how successful they are. Sure they make a new one every once and a while but it's these classics that will always be the bast. Why is that though? Why is there this natural pull towards these types of Coke advertisements?

Right away in this specific the images that stand out the most are first, Santa, and second the Coca Cola sign behind him. Why do they use Santa Claus though? Are they tying to just focus on those who are Christian and celebrate Christmas? In my own opinion I don't think that this is the reason. They use Santa because he has a reputation for being jolly and knowing best. By using him in their ads Coca Cola makes it seem as if one drinks this than they will become overwhelmingly happy and not have a care in the world, which could be quite useful for those of us in HISP.

The other part, Santa always knowing best, is somewhat obvious. He wouldn't choose to drink Coca Cola if it wasn't the best so we are told by this image that Coke is the best soda out there and that if Santa likes it and drinks it himself then why shouldn't we. This is itself is associated with the advertising technique testimonial because who doesn't know about Santa Claus.

There is another factor that adds to the success for this ad. Maybe it is just my own opinion but the look of the old advertisements just looks better. It is more appealing for some reason. To me it just has that warm feeling that makes you feel as if it should be in someone's home over the fireplace. Again it's probably just me being completely off and no one else actually feels that way but I honestly believe that that is what Coca Cola was trying to accomplish with this ad.

 Maybe not over someone's fireplace but more the feeling of comfort that allows people to think of Coke in a positive way and will keep connecting it with the idea of homeliness. In this sense I believe that it fits the need for aesthetic sensations because this is seriously one of the classics that should be collected and put safely into frames to admire. Don't deny because you know that it is true it's just that you don't want to admit to everyone and let them know about how much you love this ad. Don't worry I won't tell.

Run Faster, Jump Higher

"Run faster, jump higher" these are lyrics from "Threw It On The Ground" by Lonely Island (or SNL which ever way you want to look at it). Along with this it is what every sports company wants you to believe their product will let you do. A Nike ad that I saw in Sports Illustrated was this:

I automatically thought of "Threw It On The Ground" mainly just because it's a hilarious song but also because it really is completely true. This is what all companies who are involved with sports do. Just this comment brings tons of people to these companies. The promise of using a product and then excelling at that sport just because of that is completely absurd yet millions of people believe it, and I have to admit I have believed before as well. This message that advertisements use to get customers attention fills their need to dominate.They take advantage of our natural competitiveness as humans to help sell their product and to be completely honest it works quite a good percentage of the time.

Think about it, for this Nike ad they don't even mention anything about any product. Just by introducing the idea of running as fast as a cheetah into our minds makes us automatically think that if we something, anything from Nike then it will make us the most athletic person who is able to accomplish amazing, most of the time impossible feats. Because of this they also try and reach our need to achieve because we are always wanting to reach new heights even if its seemingly impossible at the time.

Who thought, centuries ago, that we would have sent people into space and got them back to Earth safely. They would have thought it was impossible but yet we still worked for years to try and reach that impossible goal and now we've gone and passed it. It is this thrill, this idea of "no way" that Nike is using in this ad to try and reel in their customers.

Along with this use of advertising Nike itself is everywhere. It is another example of reification because it has completely taken over the sports apparel, and equipment in general, industries. I am not saying that it is the only one that has done this. There are many very popular brands in the sporting industry but it seems that Nike is one of the largest, most popular out of all of the others. It has everything from just straight up walking shoes  to soccer cleats and equipment.

 It seems that if somebody wants something Nike is always one of the first companies that they think of, even if they don't end up getting something from them. It is that thought that Nike is striving to get,if we always associate buying various sports equipment with Nike then they will always have a large amount of very loyal customers. In a sense it could even be a lovemark because of how many people prioritize Nike products over anything else. 

Tiger Woods on the Moon?!?!

So I saw this commercial a quite while back but just recently remembered it and thought that this would be a good time to bring it up again.

They begin this ad on what looks like one of the most memorable moments of our American history: the first moon landing. In this sense they automatically bring up the advertising technique of Patriotism. By using an event that every person in the USA remembers or is aware of to start off their commercial  they make it seem as if you don't buy their product then it is like not knowing the significance of this moon landing. They make it seem as if one is not American or does not love their country if they do not buy this product.

Along with this technique they also use the Testimonial technique by using Tiger Woods to endorse their newest Gatorade product. The mixing o these two techniques, Patriotism and Testimonial, the Gatorade advertising team does a great job making it seem as if this is the perfect sports drink. By using Woods in their commercial they also hint that if you drink their newest product you can become Tiger Woods, which we all know is not completely possible. It is also possible that they are just trying to say that "by drinking this drink you will become the best at whatever it is you are doing." To be honest I'm completely sure that at the time that this commercial first came out it was super successful, now probably not so much but still it is very well put together. 

The need that it seems that they are most likely trying to access is the need to achieve. I mean seriously though golfing on the moon? I completely hate golf and still wouldn't mind trying to do that. It seems like a completely impossible idea and because of that the advertising team tries to get their viewers to have a little rush as they watch this ad and think about how absolutely amazing that event would be. Again I don't like golf but this commercial still gave me that feeling while watching it and so I think that the Gatorade advertisers did an excellent job in this case and really reached a new level of success.

Finally, a last thing that I noticed while looking over this commercial for their new (now old) Gatorade I couldn't help but think about how Gatorade itself is a Reification. It does not seem like anyone really drinks any other sports drink, at least that I am aware of, and so this completely makes sense. Gatorade has completely taken over the sports drink industry and is completely dominating it. Just think about it the next time you do something athletic and come back overly tired and dehydrated, other than water you'll probably want a Gatorade...I know I do.

Happy Policeman Happy Dog....Why?

I saw this ad while reading Sunset magazine because....well I don't need to explain why I was reading it I just was ok. Anyways I came upon this article and I thought that this ad was rather interesting mainly because I had never heard of this brand of dog food, which might also have to do with the fact that I don't have a dog but still.

I looked it up and it turns out that Blitz here is actually a Sacramento Police canine which lead me to believe that they specifically made this ad for people of the Sacramento area. After thinking that I thought that that was rather interesting because the only way that I found out that Blitz was of the Sacramento Police Force was by looking up the article online which made it seem as if other would have to do the same hing if they were to know about that or not. Because of that I found that the ad could have been better in that sense because if they are trying to focus more on the people of Sacramento area then they need to make it more obvious that Blitz is from Sacramento. Think about it, other than the police force itself there is probably no one else that actually knows Blitz and knows that Eukanuba is trying to focus on them rather than anybody else.

Besides this they use the images pretty well. By using the happy police man they make it seem that it is completely safe and that it is depended on by people who really need their dogs to be alert and of good health. The way that they make it so that the image of their surroundings in the background is faded away a little and both the police man and the dog are not immediately draws the readers attention to them. Adding to this since the police man is looking at the dog it also makes the reader look at the dog who in the picture looks completely healthy and ready to go up against any task. All the different aspects of the picture makes it so that they create an image that basically screams "LOOK AT THE DOG!" I think that they were pretty successful in making it clear that the dog is the important one and that their product made it that way.

Along with the image the words that they use are trying to get the same point across. To me it did not seem that they were as successful in this category. For example unless you've used Eukanuba before you don't even know if it's dog food or some shot of some sort. It's not until the very fine print that is not in purple and that does not stand out very well against the white boarders that they finally begin to write about how it is dog food and how it helps the dog's immune system which is why it is good for dogs. The add is bad in this sense because the reader is not really sure of what the product is and most of us would not read the whole ad including the fine print which makes it difficult for their audience to know what they are trying to tell us. I believe that this is vagueness but I'm not not sure why they did this because I do believe that they did it on purpose. If anything it hurts their advertisement rather than help it because it doesn't really make us more intrigued and want to read the tiny little print at the bottom....or maybe I'm just lazy.

(Sorry for the picture quality none of the cites that I visited seemed to have one that was really all that good and I couldn't take a picture of it with my phone so I just had to settle with having this one.)

The Irony of Advertisement Placement (along with some hard work)

Today I was browsing Reddit, just as I usually do when I want to spend most of my time trying not really accomplish anything, and came across quite an interesting post which showed the uniqueness of two specific bulletin board ads over a free way which some else had also found quite amusing. This is what the post linked me to:

At first i just took a quick glance at what seemed to be another annoying post with nothing of to much value within it. However, after closing the page I thought about what I had just looked at and decided to reopen the page just to confirm my suspicions. Sure enough what i had previously thought was a meaningless picture turned out to be quite a shock. As I continued to think over the similarities between these two advertisements two things immediately came to my mind. First, the complete irony that these two bill boards out of probably billions were put together. I couldn't stop thinking about just how horrible the advertisement placement was for these two businesses. This brought me to my second, and a little bit more depressing idea that most people while passing by this on the freeway would probably get the sudden urge to go and buy something at McDonald's instead of thinking about how they could help the the many people in need. This thought just shows how selfish our society really is, although maybe we're just more unaware of the outside struggles that we do not have to face.

The more I looked at the advertisements, contemplating the skills used to put each together, the more i realized that each organization really did have semanticists working for them. Of course i had known this before but looking at these to boards i realized this even more.

The feedmichigan.org board emphasized the idea that by only spending one dollar one can provided five meals. What i thought was interesting was that in smaller print it says that it "helps provide" which also means that your one dollar doesn't guarantee the five meals thought one might at first think it does. By making the "Every $1" and "5 meals" in bold print it draws the readers attention to those words. And sense the reader is going by at about 60 or so miles and hour they might not think to focus on the other words and just assume that the donation of simply one dollar will be able to buy five meals for those in need even though this might not really be true. It seems, at least in my opinion, that the semanticists and other advertisement specialists for this company did quite a successful job on this particular board.

The McDonald's board also seemed to use these tactics and made it very simple for the audience that i flying past. By only putting two words on the board drivers and passengers can easily read the board and even be tempted to go and take advantage of the great one dollar deal. Since the word "dollar" is in bold it seems to me that they are trying to focus on the idea that it is such a great deal and that you can really get the most bang for your buck or so the saying goes. The next word, or last depending on how you look at it, "delishness" simply tries to work on the audience's appetite and i have no doubt in my mind that these advertisers spent quite a few hours if not days contemplating what word would be the best to finish with and i think this really fits their needs.

After thinking about these two advertisements for so long I really began to think about the job of the advertising company and how hard they probably work to get these bill boards as perfect as possible. My only note would be to find a better place for it because after all they really are in probably the most ironic place possible for what they are wanting to accomplish.