Advertising Appeal Of The Need For Attention example essay topic

Ad Analysis Imagine you are on the beach, water clear as crystal, grabbing for your beach towel to dry your salty body off, you realize -"I don't smell as fresh and sexy as a women should". You open your Cosmo Girl Magazine that was purchased to help you lounge on the sand and find the solution to your stinky problem, Davidoff's Cool Water perfume for women. You can be dirty and wet as a stray dog, and you will still smell sexy and irresistible with the scent illuminating from your skin. Davidoff's Cool Water advertisement draws potential customers in by its dripping wet exotic, flawless, picture perfect woman who can make men want her and make women want to be her alongside the crystal blue perfume bottle.

The idea of the advertisement is to first get your attention and then to make you desire the product. According to Jib Fowles, author of "Advertising Fifteen Basic Appeals", this simple yet attention grabbing advertisement has one goal, to appeal to all the needs of consumers. Based on Fowles' essay, this ad uses three basic appeals to meet its purpose: the need for sex, the need for affiliation, and also the need for attention. "Let's talk about sex baby... ", this subject is one of the quickest ways to grab a consumer's attention.

To shock a viewer or to show something unexpected and rebellious will stop anyone from turning the page to quick. And in addition any consumer who agrees of disagrees with the ad's intent will form their own opinion remember the ad, which is the "response most advertisers seek" (Fowles 65). In Cool Water's ad, the image of the beautiful women let's men and women both use their imagination with no limits. Men may envision any women of their heart smelling as sexy as the women looks and uses the ad as a reference for the next gift he purchases his mate. Women will also turn their attention to the ad. The attractive woman appears simple and flawless and women may consider how they themselves may attempt flawlessness by smelling as sexy as the pictured women looks.

Fowles points our in his essay that advertisers usage of the sex appeal is an attention grabbing tool, but at the same time they must be cautious because to much sexual content, like "nudity... has the effect of reducing brand recall" (65). The sexual imagery in this ad may be used as the alluring factor, but as Fowles restates this "tricky appeal [is] to be used sparingly" (65) to get the product across. The need for affiliation is what Americans today strive for. The constant desire to fit in with everyone else is a frequent goal. In the Cool Water ad, the beautiful women may imply association with other beauties and the perfume is the ticket in to the divine group.

The feeling of unfilled desires consumes the viewer and afflicts the needs of his or her self confidence. Fowles quotes and agrees with Henry Murray, a research psychologist, when he states that people's needs for affiliation are what drive a consumer to look at a products advertisement. "To draw near and enjoyable cooperate or reciprocate with another; to please and win affection of another... ". (Murray 66) The blue eyed, beautiful woman portrays the idea to the viewer- if you look like me you can sit down and fit in anywhere you go. Fowles also discusses the advertising appeal of the need for attention.

The need to be looked at and admired is the attitude that creates unnecessary name brand wants and superficial desires. The wish of being the one everyone looks at and having the best of everything is a way of showing class standing. Everyone craves the feeling of being admired. "The desire to exhibit ourselves in such a way as to make others look at us in a primitive, insuppressible instinct" (70) it is just the way of life, as Fowles summaries.

The need for attention in this advertisement is tended to by the class of the perfume. The sexy noticeable woman in the ad is aided by the small print on the bottom, "Available at Fine Department Stores" which leaves the implication to consumers that it is a high class, expensive perfume that is only for the best. The messages sent in this advertisement leaves the viewer at a position to desire the standing of fitting in to this class or fall in to just the Average Joe ism and settle for the cheap perfumes. The need for attention is also an acting appeal in the ad because the underlying message that the woman gives is "I have the expensive brand name perfume which clearly makes me very desirable!" The smell great, feel sexy feeling attracts consumers and accomplishes the advertiser's goal.

Advertisers choose to place the Cool Water ad in Cosmo Girl magazine because they want to reach a special audience. The readers of this magazine are typically young girls into fashion, hair, celebrities, trends and makeup. Flipping through, a viewer would see the advertisement and being a young teenage girl, stop to notice the pictured woman. The woman represents what most girls want to be a breath taking beauty. The emotional appeals that effect people's "deep-lying desires" (60) everyday creates these wants and supports our world's economy.

The strategies of advertisers are based on what is going to call a viewer. The want to get into the unconscious mind, body, and soul in order to get their product through is their main objective. Fowles analysis of advertising generates the assumption that advertisers try to "circumvent the logical, cautious, skeptical powers that we develop as consumers" (60). In the more than 1500 ads that we are exposed to in our everyday lives, few hold our attention and make their imprint in our minds. But for the few that are filtered out, the goal of triggering our personal and emotional appeals were achieved. Many advertisements will create a sense of discontent among humans in that you may feel you are just average, but if you have their product you will be above the rest.

"And that is the immediate goal of advertising to tug at our psychological shirts sleeves... ". (60). The intentions are to reach your shell of consciousness and break it down to fit the advertiser's product.

Advertising is a manipulative way of selling a product and works by feeding of the "subconscious drives" (61) of human beings.