English 12B: Final Exam Project
Questions to Answer about your Ad(s) for the Final—not Thursday’s assignment
Step 1 (due Tuesday)
1 To whom (which target audience) is the advertisement trying to sell the
product? Describe the target audience (age, gender, culture, lifestyle) and also
the group according to Meyers (see below)
2 To what emotion or emotions is the ad appealing?
3 Look beyond any emotional appeal to find out what the ad really says (or
doesn’t say) about the product or service. Do you detect any exaggeration or
suspicious promises? If so, describe the “hidden message.”
4 What is the intended use(s) of the product? Does the advertiser point out
special features of the product that distract for the intended use? If so, explain
the distractions.
5 What advertising techniques are being used to sell the product (see Glossary
of Commonly Used Advertising Techniques below)?
6. Which advertising appeals from the bottom list on this document (Jib Fowles)
are present?
Also, use William Meyers five categories from The Image Makers to analyze the
target audiences of ads.
Belongers
Emulators
EmulatorAchievers
conservative, like traditional lifestyles, old-fashioned approaches to
patriotism, religion and family. "Without a secure, stable, and structured
society, this staunch defender of the status quo is unable to cope."
(Meyers 16)
hedonistic, confused, insecure, have desire to know future will be
profitable and prosperous. "Small but impressionable group of young
people in desperate search of an identity and a place in the adult
working world." (16)
successful and conspicuous consumers who want even more, have
expensive tastes, and buy symbols of prestige to appease their worry.
"Once they believed the sky was the limit" but now they are
"dissatisfied with the quality of their lives." (18)
Societally
Conscious
Achievers
individualistic, don't like conspicuous consumption, nonmaterialistic,
like nature, fitness, simplicity. "Baby boom generation who care more
about inner peace and environmental safety than about financial success
and elegant surroundings." (19)
Need-directed
survivors:
people struggling to sustain themselves on subsistence incomes." (20)
Considered "dirt poor losers," ad execs don't really think of them as
consuming much since they too busy just trying to stay afloat.
Glossary of Commonly Used Advertising Techniques
Beauty Appeal: Beauty attracts us; we are drawn to beautiful people, places, and
things.
Celebrity Endorsement: Associates product use with a well-known person. By
purchasing this product we are led to believe that we will attain characteristics similar to
the celebrity.
Compliment the Consumer: Advertisers flatter the consumer who is willing to
purchase their product. By purchasing the product the consumer is recognized by the
advertisers for making a good decision with their selection.
Escape: Getting away from it all is very appealing; you can imagine adventures you
cannot have; the idea of escape is pleasurable.
Independence/Individuality: Associates product with people who can think and act for
themselves. Products are linked to individual decision making.
Intelligence: Associates product with smart people who can’t be fooled.
Lifestyle: Associates product with a particular style of living/way of doing things.
Nurture: Every time you see an animal or a child, the appeal is to your paternal or
maternal instincts. Associates products with taking care of someone.
Peer Approval: Associates product use with friendship/acceptance. Advertisers can
also use this negatively, to make you worry that you’ll lose friends if you don’t use a
certain product.
Rebel: Associates products with behaviors or lifestyles that oppose society’s norms.
Rhetorical Question: This technique poses a question to the consumer that demands
a response. A question is asked and the consumer is supposed to answer in such a
way that affirms the product’s goodness.
Scientific/Statistical Claim: Provides some sort of scientific proof or experiment, very
specific numbers, or an impressive sounding mystery ingredient.
Unfinished Comparison/Claim: Use of phrases such as “Works better in poor driving
conditions!” Works better than what?
Advertising’s 15 Basic Appeals, by Jib Fowles
(from “Mass Advertising As Social Forecast”)
1. Need for sex- surprisingly, Fowles found that only 2 percent of the television ads, he
surveyed used this appeal. It may be too blatant, he concluded, and often detracts from
the product.
2. Need for affiliation- the largest number of ads use this approach: you are looking for
friendship? Advertisers can also use this negatively, to make you worry that you’ll lose
friends if you don’t use a certain product.
3. Need to nurture- every time you see a puppy or a kitten or a child, the appeal is to your
paternal or maternal instincts.
4. Need for guidance- a father or mother figure can appeal to your desire for someone to
care for you, s you won’t have to worry. Betty Crocker is a good example.
5. Need to aggress- we all have had a desire to get even, and some ads give you this
satisfaction.
6. Need to achieve- the ability to accomplish something difficult and succeed identifies
the product with winning. Sports figures as spokespersons project this image.
7. Need to dominate- the power we lack is what we can look for in a commercial “master
the possibilities.”
8. Need for prominence- we want to be admired and respected; to have high social status.
Tasteful china and classic diamonds offer this potential.
9. Need for attention- we want people to notice us; we want to be looked at. Cosmetics
are a natural for this approach.
10. Need for autonomy- within a crowded environment, we want to be singled out, to be
a “breed apart.” This can also be used negatively: you may be left out if you don’t use a
particular product
11. Need to escape- flight is very appealing; you can imagine adventures you cannot
have; the idea of escape is pleasurable
12. Need to feel safe- to be free from threats, to be secure is the appeal of many insurance
and bank ads
13. Need for aesthetic sensations-beauty attracts us, and classic art or dance makes us feel
creative, enhanced
14. Need to satisfy curiosity-facts support our belief that information is quantifiable and
numbers and diagrams make our choices seem scientific
15. Psychological needs- Fowles defines sex (item no.1) as a biological need, and so he
classifies our need to sleep, eat, and drink in this category. Advertisers for juicy pizza are
especially appealing late at night.
Source: Media Impact Introduction to Mass Media (4th Ed) Author: Shirley Biagi,
Wadsworth