Amanda Downen
Source Analysis Outline
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Description
a. I decided to analyze the Proactiv commercials that are seen on TV. Most of them
I looked up online in order to watch both old and new ads.
b. Proactiv is the revolutionary, three step acne treatment process developed by two
“Stanford trained dermatologists”.
Thesis
a. Claim: Proactiv claims to be the “best” in acne treatment and the “only acne
treatment of the market that actually accomplishes” beautiful skin.
i. It guarantees you clear, touchable skin and more confidence in yourself. It
is the “key to clear complexion.”
b. Their target audience is young people who are insecure about their acne and the
way they look.
c. The Proactiv commercials seem to be very good at persuading customers to buy
the product. They do this through extensive appeal to ethos, along with a lot of
pathos and some values and logic that can be found in some of the commercials.
d. At the end, I will discuss why I believe that their approach, though very
successful, is unethical.
Ethos
a. Ethos is the most used method of persuasion by Proactiv. They have multiple
celebrity endorsements and testimonials which are the basis of every commercial.
i. These are effective because it makes the celebrities seem like everyday
people. They are idolized by many, and when you make them easy to
relate to, you make the consumers believe that they can be just like their
celebrity idols by buying the product.
ii. The people who give testimonials are all wearing makeup (if they are
women), have their hair done and are either wearing nice clothes or brand
name clothes. They look put together.
b. Jessica Simpson – she is commonly known as Daisy Duke from “the Dukes of
Hazard.” She is beautiful and portrayed as being a target of affection and
attention by males. Also, the commercials are sure to focus on the fact that she is
a singer and an actress and is famous enough to be on magazine covers. By
having her as the main endorser, Proactiv is telling consumers that, if they buy the
product, they will become more like Jessica Simpson. The only thing stopping
them is their acne.
c. Alyssa Milano – This woman is not only beautiful, but unlike Jessica Simpson,
she is most famous for her TV series role as a witch on “Charmed.” Here she
plays an empowered (no pun intended) woman who is able to take care of herself
and her family. Also, instead of being constantly smeared across the tabloids, she
is instead happily married and living a fairly quiet life. Her endorsement says that
Proactiv will make you strong and influential like her character, and it will get
you a man like her.
IV.
d. Lindsey Lohan and Avril Lavigne – These two women represent the “rebel”
demographic of consumers. They appeal to the group which has a tendency/life
goal/motto of not following trends. With their endorsement, it is ok for the people
with this outlook to fall into line and buy Proactiv.
e. P Diddy – Having P Diddy as an endorser covers the male demographic of
consumers. He is incredibly successful as a record producer, rapper, actor, men’s
fashion designer, entrepreneur, music video producer and dancer. He has won
Grammys and MTV Music Video Awards and even an award for his clothing line.
P Diddy is estimated at a net worth of over $350 million. Again, the message
here is that if you use Proactiv, you will become like P Diddy; successful and
rich.
f. Ryan Sheckler – This is a kid who became a pro skateboarder at the age of 13 and
is now the star of his own reality show. He is the idol of countless child and
teenage skaters. His endorsement makes these kinds want to use Proactiv,
because their hero uses it.
g. Kind of as a side, I came across a commercial with Jennifer Love Hewitt and
Jessica Simpson speaking Mandarin. The commercial was aired in China. I
thought it was funny because most Americans wouldn’t recognize a Chinese
celebrity if they saw her endorsing a product on TV. This shows how much Asia
strives to be like America, where we live lavishly and have so many benefits. By
having two famous, beautiful, American celebrities endorsing Proactiv, it sends
the message that they can live more like Americans if they buy it.
h. Also, there is ethos in the fact that they state that Proactiv was created by
Stanford-trained, board-certified and still-practicing dermatologists. All of these
adjectives describing the creators urge consumers to trust in them. They went to
Stanford, a school of high prestige. They are board-certified, so a group of their
peers deemed them worthy of our trust. And, they are still practicing, meaning
that they haven’t been shamed into retirement through a failed product or some
lawsuit.
i. The credibility that is supplied through all of these people is only somewhat valid.
The celebrity endorsements are definitely not reliable – they are being paid to talk
about the product. Also, they more than likely are using other products and
regimens to keep themselves looking good. The credibility of the product
creators is, on the other hand, valid. They would not be able to claim their
credentials without legal implications.
Pathos
a. Marketed as the “best” acne treatment, the “only acne treatment on the market
that actually accomplishes” beautiful skin.
i. These claims make it difficult for customers to switch to another product
even if Proactiv doesn’t work great for them. They are under the
impression that their acne is as good as it will ever get.
ii. This also creates a fear of switching to a new acne treatment. If Proactiv
is the “best” and the “only,” then anything else will only work less and
make the acne worse.
b. All of the commercials claim that “help is on the way.” This suggests that you are
not ok how you are and that you need help
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
V.
VI.
i. This puts Proactiv in the role of savior and as the answer.
The combination of the last two methods is what makes Proactiv customers so
loyal to the system.
The commercials also guarantee that you will have “clear, touchable skin.” This
tells you that your skin is not touchable as it is and has an undertone which
suggests that you are not attractive and will not be wanted if you don’t use
Proactiv.
At the end of each ad there is an offer for money off “if you buy now.” Especially
in our economy, this appeals to the people’s need to save money. Or, this could
be tempting because, if you save money on this purchase, you’ll have more
money to spend on other things. More things = you look rich and everyone wants
to look like they make more money than they do.
i. ONLY $19.99 with a money back guarantee.
1. Implies that this is a great deal that shouldn’t be passed up and that
there is no financial risk, because you can always get your money
back.
ii. A $72.00 value. Yours for only $19.99!
1. The same as above. This just overstresses the fact that you can’t
get a deal like this anywhere else, so don’t miss out.
Another appeal to Pathos is that Proactiv makes people believe that they will be
happier with it. Many people believe that in order to be happy, they must be rich
and beautiful and successful. Through the celebrity endorsements, Proactiv is
applying to the importance that we as consumers and non-celebrities place on
these three things. They are convincing the consumer that if they use the product,
they will be pretty, which will make them successful, which in turn will make
them rich and happy.
i. This is also an appeal to values. People’s belief that they cannot be happy
without money; that money, success and recognition are the most
important things in life.
Jessica Simpson says, “Problem – Acne. Solution – Proactiv. It’s that simple”
i. This appeals to the tendency of people to do as little as they can for the
biggest results. Basically, it sounds good to lazy people
I don’t think that the connection between the claim and these incited emotions is
valid. There is no way to prove that clear skin will make you happier. Also, the
fear of switching brands is not legitimate because everybody’s skin will react
differently to different brands.
Logic
a. Proactiv commercials and ads almost always cite the fact that millions of people
use the treatment.
b. If it is the number one best selling acne system, it must work the best. This is a
“band-wagon” approach to persuasion. In a way, it is logical that the product
must work really well if so many people us it. That is, if the numbers cited aren’t
fabricated.
Values
a. During one commercial, Julianne Hough (from Dancing with the Stars) is the
endorser. At the beginning, she is seen playing with and signing autographs for
VII.
VIII.
little girls. For the consumer, this portrays her as a nice and good person who is
worthy of our time. Therefore the product she is backing is a good product and
also worth our time. This appeals to the belief that children are our world’s future
and so we should be good role models for them
b. Also, the commercials ensure us instant gratification. They use words such as
“fast,” “instant,” “overnight.” Instant gratification is something that our culture
has become very used to and usually expects. It comes from the belief that “time
is money.”
Validity of the Claim
a. I don’t believe that this claim is entirely valid. After a little searching on Google,
it is easy to discover that there are more than one kind of bacteria that cause acne.
Proactiv, however, only attacks one kind of acne. Therefore, it is not the best
system for everybody.
b. People don’t know this though, because they take the commercials and ads at face
value. They believe what they are being told and don’t expect that the ad is not
entirely truthful. After all, it’s endorsed by multiple celebrities and created by
prestigious dermatologists.
c. The claim, when only applied to the type of acne that it is meant to fight, has been
proven to be true. It is a great system which works very well for that type of
bacteria.
Is the Claim Ethical?
a. I believe that the claim is unethical based on the fact that it is just another beauty
product which markets itself by making the consumers feel ugly and by making
them believe that the product is the only way to be beautiful and lovable.
i. This approach is damaging to self image and self confidence.
ii. One could argue that this damage is longer lasting and has more of an
effect than many physical injuries.
1. You can escape physical pain through medicines. You can escape
other people’s opinions of you through walking away. You
cannot, however, escape your own opinion of yourself.
b. Also, since the claim is not entirely valid and truthful, asserting that it is indeed
accurate is unethical.
i. The act is lying to customers in order to get them to buy the product.
ii. Most people would agree that lying is morally wrong, and therefore
unethical.