Liking Isn't Helping

I'm guessing many of us have seen these numerous times before. There, in the margins of the Facebook page, a blurb dictating the horrors taking place in third-world countries. The Joseph Kony movement, the disaster in the Philippines, no matter what it may be, similar words appear, " 'Like' this to aid the people in so-and-so nation." And I'm sure that many of us have done exactly that, feeling so proud of ourselves afterward for taking such a humanitarian action. But this ad campaign, courtesy of Crisis Relief Singapore, shows the real effects of social media, that is to say that it has none at all.

The ad stands out as it portrays the real crises and situations people in these third-world nations face. In this case, it shows what looks like a mother cradling her sick son. Although the mother's face is not shown in this image, the boy's is, and that haunting, distant expression is what stimulates the use of pathos. We want children to live and be healthy, and that expression reminds us that not all of them are. He looks helpless, and his mother, in her somewhat hunched and protective position, is even more so. The fact that the picture is shown in black and white only serves to highlight the tragic nature of it all, the fact that this is the reality behind all those blurbs.

The next thing of notice is of course the fists with their thumbs up, emulating Facebook's "Like" button. They surround the mother and child on all sides, yet do absolutely nothing to help either of them. In fact, it seems more as if they are mocking the mother and child, as this invisible crowd are in a position of power in which they can choose to aid them or not. This lack of action is emphasized by the slogan, "Liking is not helping." This phrase, straightforward and to the point, illustrates how clicking that oh-so-famous button may help to relieve the conscience of those who see those snippets of information, but it does nothing to ease the pain of the people in those positions. Liking in and of itself simply increases the number of people who know about what goes on in those distant places, and choose to remain inactive about it. In other words, it is the ultimate rationalization for our cognitive dissonance that arises from our inaction.

I do believe this ad is extremely effective in proving its point. Yes, publicity is key for gathering aid, but one must also be willing to take that further step in actually providing what is needed. And that is where many of us fall behind, becoming part of that crowd that looks and approves, but does not help.

Olay Body Wash: Shower Talk

This ad came up on YouTube, ironically while I was watching another commercial. It shows a conversation between two women who live in the same apartment building, through a  shower drain. They start talking about how great Olay's body wash is compared to Dove's, as the moisturizers of this brand does not wash down the drain as easily as their competitor's. This ends up forming the crux of the commercial, as it ends with the slogan "Less down the drain, More moisturized skin."

The ad really stood out to me, mainly because of the way the characters within the commercial communicated, that is, through the shower drain in the bathroom. It was just a bit strange how they used this object much like one would use a telephone. This was reinforced by the casual, loose way the women spoke, along with how one of the girls was told to let the "creepy guy" go to "voicemail". This seemed a bit too surreal for me, as I'm sure that most of us would instantly be frightened by whomever was speaking to them through the shower drain, whether it be Jane in 22B or that creepy guy in 11B. This all points to the use of the Gestalt principle to grab the audience's attention, as it shows an experience that you can't help but feel strangely about.

In regards to the actual conversation, that too was a bit strange. In the midst of their pleasantries, the women suddenly start spouting how they were all told the "shocking" news about Dove's body wash, which apparently has "all their moisturizers go down the drain". Then they start comparing Olay, the "better" alternative to Dove, and how its "rich lather releases a moisturizing lotion", meaning "more moisturizers on your skin, less down the drain," which as I've said before, is the slogan of the entire ad.

All these parts of this once again surreal conversation, point to several techniques being used. There is the Bandwagon fallacy present, as the women base their opinions on Dove on what they hear from others. In other words, if all those other women know it and talk about it, then it must be true. This slightly leans onto the need for affiliation as well, as if to say that you will have more in common, and therefore more to talk about, with those around you if you use this product. Then you have the technique of Magic Ingredients, as once again they point to Olay's rich lather as proof that this brand is better than its competitor at retaining its moisturizing properties. They even throw in a bit of humor at the end with the appearance of the previously mentioned "creepy guy", who is allowed to go onto voicemail.

As for the target audience, the ad mainly seems to be directed towards women of all races, as that is the type of people being shown. There is also the use of subtle pink undertones within the ad, a primarily feminine color. The commercial operates on the assumption that women gossip about everything in their lives, including their shower products, and that upon hearing just one less-than-flattering aspect about those products, they will instantly look for something better. And while it may be true that women compare information about their daily lives, I find it hard to believe that simply one flaw in a product, a flaw that isn't exactly supported with numbers or other type of quantifiable evidence I might add, would cause them to switch to another brand altogether.

Nikon Hotel Ad

I'm sure almost all of us are familiar with the concept of the haunted old hotel, with the ghosts, who some people claim to have "proof" of on film. Of course, many of these reports turn out to be falsified or disproved by modern science. Yet here, Nikon plays with this idea of the ghost caught on camera while advertising their new Nikon S60, which they claim in small print in the above ad can "detect up to 12 faces".

The first thing that stood out to me was the use of drab colors within this ad. This serves to bring the attention to the somewhat brighter color of the camera and the Nikon logo. This is enhanced by the fact that everything outside the camera is a bit blurred and out of focus, while everything within the range of the photograph being taken is crystal clear and defined. This seems to hint that with Nikon everything becomes much clearer.

This concept of clarity is supported by the use of the phantoms within the photo. As I have said before, claims of ghosts caught on camera have been dismissed by scientists, mainly because the quality of these alleged photographs have been so poor that it would have been hard to discern where the picture was taken, let alone what was in them. This is not the case within this ad. Through the camera, we see quite easily where each of these voyeurs and intruders have taken up residence. Nothing is hidden from us, all is exposed, in a way that real life doesn't normally allow.

This ad seems to use the appeal of wit and humor to attract their audience. It appears to be both funny and creepy the way each of the ghosts are facing the camera, yet the only "real" individual in the photo seems oblivious to them all. This, along with the promotion of the feature of being able to detect multiple faces, reinforces the idea that with Nikon, you will be able to see the world around you better than if you were to go without the camera. It also appeals to the need for curiosity, as we wonder what ghosts have to do with promoting a camera brand.

Overall, I find this ad effective as it does capture the audience's attention long enough to impress upon them Nikon's brand and product. However, it does somewhat inspire a sense of both hilarity and fear as you wonder what else can be hidden from us in this world.

Vintage Social Media

Social media ages fast. Myspace (Anyone remember this? Anyone?) is a superb example of a fad gone by, and even Facebook is getting up there in years. We all know "cool" changes fast, and so to encourage social media sites who wish to remain in that oh-so-enviable position, a Brazilian agency, Moma, has been using a series of vintage-looking advertisements promoting different popular sites and products, to publicize their own Maximedia Seminars, a joint company of Moma who work at modernizing and developing the communications industry.

I believe this ad is extremely effective at proving its point. It shows four of the most common methods of communication in today's date: Youtube, Facebook, Skype, and Twitter. However the little illustrations and text that show off and describe each type of social media is shown in black and white, with sometimes a bit of red or blue mixed in, usually inside the logo. This already hints at the fact that all these products are dull and of the past, as that is usually what is associated with images in those colors.

The second thing of notice is the dressup, as well as the ethnicity, of the drawn individuals using the products. Almost every single one of them are Caucasian men and women wearing clothing typical of the 1950s and 60s. They are using technology that seems bulky and ancient, much like the pictures one would see of the earliest and most primitive of computers. All of the above techniques hearken back to the type of advertising that was rampant during the middle of the twentieth century. This, combined with the sepia tone of the paper, as well as the text underneath each product (Striking, miraculous social team-up!) serves to make the social media products in question appear as outdated as this method of advertising. And of course, this is precisely the point of Maximedia in order to inspire fear among these companies that they might end up in the graveyard of fads past, along with iPods and acid-washed jeans.

Of course, while to communications companies this may appeal to their need for autonomy, seeing as they need to "stand out" among the people and break through the clutter, to people outside their target audience (or at the very least to me) this ad holds a bit of wit and humor. Although I am aware that this is intended for the corporations in this industry, it just seems hilarious to take modern social media products such as Skype and Youtube, and show it how it would have been promoted over fifty, possibly even sixty years ago.

I also find it interesting as to how there is no mention of Maximedia, or even its sister company Moma, anywhere within this ad. The attention is on the sites and products presented, so as to make it seem as if it were actually advertising these brands rather than the Brazilian companies. This is a bit deceptive, as the ad and the people within it seem a bit unnatural, therefore implying to its target audience of communications companies, that products such as these are going to lose touch with their consumers, if they don't apply for the help of Maximedia Seminars.

Some Food For Thought...

While looking around on the Internet, I came across this ad courtesy of Amnesty International in Portugal. As you can see, it consists of a man, seemingly of Arab descent, who carries a black board upon which a series of numbers are printed. At the very bottom  in small print it says, "He's done nothing. He's just showing Amnesty's phone number. DISCRIMINATING IS NOT HUMAN. DENOUNCE IT," followed by Amnesty International's logo.

This ad struck me as very powerful and a bit provocative in how it expresses its message. The first thing that catches the eye is the expression, as well as the clothing, of the man in the photo. The emotion shown on the his face is blank, hard to read, and can just as easily be marked with anger or indifference. But we see the manner in which the young bearded man is dressed, much like a traditional Arab Muslim, and that observation, combined with the apparent ethnicity of the man, sparks our imagination with images of Islamic extremists and terrorists. The slate the man is holding, black with numbers written across in white, reminds us very much of the serial numbers prisoners hold while taking a mugshot. So it would be natural for us to assume that the man is possibly an Islamic extremist who has been caught, and taken into custody.

And that would be a logical conclusion...if it weren't for the text at the bottom. Though small, this is the part of the ad that really makes the entire image the most memorable. It speaks directly to the audience, addressing the assumptions that it knows much, if not all, of them have come up with. And with its short, yet concise sentences, Amnesty International inspires guilt from the viewers of this ad, as it tells us that in fact this man is helping to fight for human rights by displaying the organization's phone number, rather than going against it, as many would have thought. Finally, it shows the heart of its message in red letters and capitals, highlighting the problem of discrimination, and drawing all the more attention to the issue.

I believe this ad uses the appeal of need for curiosity, as it draws us in through the image of someone we would view as a possible terrorist and threat to our security. Many of us, in a bit of twisted fascination, would wonder what his crime against humanity was. Through this technique, the ad is diverting us away to a point where the message that follows would startle and surprise us, as it seems that it can read our thoughts. And obviously, this ad operates on a lot of assumptions, mainly that of the fact that many of us would associate a Muslim with terrorism.

Personally, I find this ad to be very effective at portraying its message of disregarding stereotypes. It certainly makes you think twice about how you view the people around you, and how they may actually be as an individual. The main thing that sticks out to me however, is the time it takes for us to impose these stereotypes. The difference between the time you view the image to the moment you read the text is only a few seconds. Yet in those few seconds, we manage to compile an entire personality and background for the man being shown. This stereotyping, this discrimination, is what allows not just ourselves, but also advertisers and marketers to build barriers among us, as we continue to operate in a very narrowcast and closed-minded world.

India's Most Trusted Brand

After finding one brilliant print ad, I went out searching across the Internet and found another. This one, for India's Nilkamal Plastic Chairs, shows a circus with its arguably largest act, an elephant, positioned a bit precariously on a tiny plastic chair.
     
I absolutely love this ad for several reasons. Not just because of  the clever way the company hints at exactly how strong "India's most trusted" plastic chair is, by placing an elephant upon it in the picture, but also because of the great amount of color and detail that went into the image. Nowhere do you see a single bit of wasted space, everywhere there is life and festivity. And that is exactly what draws the audience to it. The fact that it is so colorful, so lively, is what makes it so attractive to the eye.

The second thing, as mentioned before, is the detail and deliberateness, and of how much of this quality is present in the advertisement. The performers, for one thing, are purposely placed all around the image so as to frame the elephant, and draw even more attention to it. Many of them are in mirrored positions, such as the contortionists in the front, the unicyclers in the middle, and the men on stilts in the back, so as to increase the centralized effect.

Then there is the elephant itself. It carries a magnificent drapery on its back, upon which is a lotus design very similar to the lotus logo of the plastic chair company. Not to mention the giant "N" on the band around its forehead, which obviously stands for Nilkamal's name. But perhaps the most effective detail on the elephant at promoting the company is the expression on its face. It seems a bit fearful, as if it, like potential consumers, is unsure as to how dependable the chair is at holding up its weight. It is worth mentioning that the animal's eyes are focused downwards, upon the chair, which draws further attention to the product.

The only trouble with this ad, is that even with its spare use of text, it manages to use weasel words in promoting its merchandise. Without concrete facts or statistics, it is hard to prove that Nilkamal Plastic Chairs is indeed "India's most trusted" brand. And of course, because of the limited amount of words, the phrase is subject to a bit of vagueness. What exactly does it mean to be "trusted", let alone the "most trusted"? This is never answered, and yet never needs to be. The image of an elephant on a chair, combined with the above phrase, allows the audience to project their own meaning; this chair can be relied upon to take any amount of weight, even that of a two ton pachyderm.

An Ad More Suited For Halloween

I'm sure that many of us have seen the typical Duracell ads, which promote how people in the real world use the brand and how it's oh-so-reliable. But here we see an entirely radical approach for the company, and indeed for advertising in general, one which I personally find extremely interesting and effective.

All of us as children have been scared of one thing or another. And perhaps some of us, myself included, have owned a toy, or some other object, that we feared and hated so much, that we wished it would simply go away to some far corner of the world and never return. Even now, images of talking cars haunt my dreams. So to see an ad that refers to that part of childhood, and even manages to use it to their advantage, is something worth noticing.

The first thing of note in the advertisement is of course, the doll. Though its size is small and it is a fair distance away from the camera, it still manages to look like something out of a horror movie. This is emphasized through its lengthened shadow, a mechanic that is often used in thrillers. The entire ad has a very dark color scheme, with the only light being around the doll. All this provides the undertone that the doll is something that is feared and unwelcome.

The girl's expression is interesting, as she has a somewhat cautious look on her face, as if she is scared to look behind her. Even the doll next to her, has an openly fearful  and concerned expression on her face, as she turns to the girl in what seems like a questioning stance, as if she were trying to say, "Is this really happening?" However the text at the bottom, "Some toys never die," ruins the horror-type feel of the ad and raises a bit of wit and humor in its stead.

This advertisement is obviously an example of the technique of Gestalt. As mentioned before, the colors and positioning of objects leads us to one direction, while the text of the ad leads us to another. When combined, it doesn't seem as if the parts add up. After all, what does a doll seemingly raised from the dead have to do with batteries, of all things? Yet we are made so curious by the look of the ad, that eventually we are forced to make the thin connection that Duracell wants us to; their batteries are so long-lasting that even those things which you wouldn't wish to see again will keep on "living".

Western Health Advantage

This advertisement first aired about a year ago, and after seeing it once more active on TV, I decided to write about it. The commercial features a mother talking about how her family decided to choose Western Health Advantage as their primary healthcare provider. In the background, we see the son running around in a superhero costume, the daughter stealing money from her mother's purse, and the husband coming in wearing motorcycle gear. All the while the mother keeps on talking about her healthcare plan, ending with, "Because as time goes on, I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of...changes."

I have relatively mixed feelings about this advertisement. On one hand, I appreciate the wit and humor behind the commercial. The fact that the picture of the family over the fireplace doesn't at all match the personalities of the actual members is a bit funny. But I also feel that this ad also shows that the mother seems to have lost control of her once perfect-looking family, something that I'm not quite sure that I appreciate. She seems to be aware of this fact as well, by her frequent pauses and bouts of hesitation. She even makes a point to stare directly at the camera, never breaking eye contact or losing her smile, as if she can hope to hide her current situation by not acknowledging it. It seems to me that this is how they are getting at their target audience of middle-aged women, especially mothers, by getting at one of their biggest fears: the loss of control within their own home. The commentary that the health care plans Western Health Advantage offers are flexible and have a range of choices is nothing but an added incentive.

Still, even with the loss of control within the family, it is clear that the advertisers are also using the technique of plain folks. From the portrait on top of the mantelpiece, we are made to think that this is an "average" family. This is reinforced by how the mother is dressed up, in a plain yellow shirt with a scarf tied around her neck. In other words, normal, ordinary clothes one would wear around the house. The furniture and nearby fireplace is nice, but not extremely high class, to show that this is a great plan that is right for almost any middle-class family. Even the dividing factions apparent in the ad emphasizes the "normality" of the entire piece, as every family is known to have its ups and downs.

In the Spirit of the Holidays...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYTspIT8xjY

Remember this ad from about a week ago? Well, with the holidays around the corner, and the Christmas commercials FINALLY being relevant to the times, I decided to look back on a commercial that had immediately caught my attention the first time I saw it. It features a(n obviously recorded) couple dancing and celebrating next to their car, which contains some Kmart bags. Their neighbors, (understandably) concerned, realizes that they're "giffing out" due to the great deals they got at Kmart.

I find this ad certainly very...interesting,  to say the least. It definitely applies to the need to satisfy curiosity, most prominently evidenced by the girl who rides by on the bike at the end, saying, "What the...". It is the reaction most would have first seeing this commercial, and viewing a man doing a jig and a woman running happily around him. And repeating those same actions over and over again to emphasize how odd the situation really is. It is the reaction Kmart both expects and desires, as that is what gets us to pay attention to the commercial, and to which company is behind it. 

I also believe that this ad does use the technique of Gestalt to create this need, as it deliberately replays the recording of the couple's dancing in a way that makes it seem odd and unique. This is a bit more effective than having the pair dance during the entirety of the ad, although that would make a lot more sense to my poor, confused brain.

But where I think this commercial fails in effectiveness is that although it certainly captures the audience's attention, and does make a point at getting its brand name out there by having the neighbors comment on the odd drama, as well as by the careful placement of Kmart bags, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will pay attention to what happens afterwards. In fact, the first video I found, that I have posted up above, only contains the first sixteen seconds. I wasn't able to understand why this ad was no longer active, until I found the full version (provided by the link) that showed me that this was meant simply to be a Black Friday (or in this case Black Thursday) advertisement.