The Content of Advertising

To accomplish their ends, advertisers must make a persuasive appeal. Sometimes that ap­peal is simple and descriptive; sometimes it is subtle and sophisticated. Communication critic James Carey says advertising is persuasive— and thus acts as a form of social control — mainly by providing information. Indeed, some advertising content is direct and makes rational appeals, mentioning characteristics of the product, relative advantages, and price. A Firestone tire commercial, for example, talks about the durability of the tire and its worth compared to competitors' tires.

Much advertising, however, has little to do with direct information or rational appeals. Instead it attempts tamanipulate the consumer by indirect appeals. As David Potter wrote, "Advertising appeals primarily to the desires, the wants—cultivated or natural — of the individual, and it sometimes offers as its goal a power to command the envy of others by outstripping them in the consumption of goods and services."' Thus advertising may try to get you to buy a product not because of its advantages and not because of your existing needs, but because of a need or desire that the advertisement itself tries to create.

Almost every appeal imaginable has been used in advertising. Some ads have traded on prestige; others have used fear. Some have promised glamour and the good life. Some have embraced fantasy, and others have been firmly fixed in reality. To make these appeals, advertisers associate their product, verbally and visually, with other images, symbols, and values that are likely to attract consumers. For example, advertising for the auto rental firm Avis appealed to love of the underdog when it promised, "We try harder." Another kind of dog—the trustworthy family dog—was used by an early manufacturer of the record player that advertised its Victrola with the slogan "His master's voice" and showed a dog listening to recorded music. Elegant, tastefully designed advertisements for Cadillacs convey an image of quality and excellence. Coca-Cola's successful "it's the real thing" advertisements show happy, fun-loving, youthful people drinking Coke against the backdrop of melodious music — without saying anything about taste, nutritional value, or price.

Institutional advertising is even less direct. For example, a firm that makes paper and other forest products presents a commercial about the virtues of a beautiful, well-managed forest, showing cute animals but saying noth­ing about its specific product. The company hopes, of course, that the public will associate it with the "selfless" ad and lovely images.

The visual and verbal content of advertising has changed considerably, says design expert Roy Paul Nelson. These changes reflect the efforts of entrepreneurs to fashion effective messages. Obviously, in order to be effective an advertisement must have an appeal to its audience; it must reflect shared values. Advertising that works is therefore an index to popular culture. As Norman Douglas wrote, "You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements." Thus changes in advertising over the years have been closely tied to changes in American society as a whole.

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 735