Introduction
The goal of advertisements is mainly to communicate to an audience and to entice them to buy their product or service. The goal does not stop with the mere conveyance of a message. Ads have the main objective of arresting audiences’ attention. Brand of the product is the value proposition between the user and the unique experience offered by the product (Rucah Humnabadkar, Mather and Vogel). Brands display a vital relationship with its design. In the same manner, the designs of ads are relevant to the culture and experience of the brand.
BMW
The no-nonsense print caption says it all “Congratulations to BMW for Winning World Car of the Year 2006.” It is factual and simple, credible and true- just like the product it advertises. This is an important statement in a print ad of a well-known car-manufacturing firm, a single sentence that more or less sounds like a eulogy coming from BMW. Moreover, there is the familiar logo—the four perfect circles intertwined together forming a chain link. Indeed, this is the symbol of another brand of car: Audi. This Audi ad asserts the value of its brand with respect to another brand, that of its fierce competitor, the BMW.
Even more, the very inclusion of the statement “From the Winner of Six Consecutive Le Mans 24 Hour Races 2000-2006” is designed to undermine the rather prominent award bestowed upon BMW, the “World Car of the Year 2006.” The advertisers opt for a silver color in order to create a unified feeling of class and style.
Audi: Congratulations to BMW for winning World Car of the Year 2006. From the Winner of Six Consecutive Le Mans 24 Hour Races 2000-2006.
Absolut
Liquor companies generally create the impression in their advertisements that drinking is fashionable, that it is a perfectly enjoyable social act. On the other hand, many companies fail to comply with the corporate responsibility of informing the public of the repercussions of irresponsible drinking. As stated earlier, the constant exposure to liquor ads, especially among immature youths, may directly impact the formation of awareness about liquor and alcoholism.
This 1997 Ad Absolut Vodka Ice Silhouette Woman Herb Ritts ad says it all and in a very sensual manner. The woman in the bottle has a subliminal effect on any man who drinks it since he is stimulated to imagine an image of a sexy woman everytime he drinks that. It is effective in its use of the blue background of the serene sea which is quite opposite how one can behave after drinking it. The blue hues that uses are enough to create the feeling of being calmness and the drink in the dark of the night.
1997 Ad Absolut Vodka Ice Silhouette Woman Herb Ritts.
Avon
Avon is a company that uses colors to its advantage. The products themselves use a lot of colors that lure clients to buy the products. The beauty products naturally employ colors, brilliant, glossy, surprisingly loud, multi-colored print ads. In this Witherspoon ad, Avon makes use of her popularity and the wholesomeness of her face, even her reputation to highlight the products’ credibility. It uses bright pink highlights emphasizing the model’s flawless skin and red lipstick.
She is not the ideal beauty one would think of and this is what the ad wants to portray to all women so that even if they have flaws on their face (like Witherspoon’s quite elongated chin), people can still manage to look beautiful because of Avon even to those who do not have perfect features. Indeed, Avon’s mission is highlighted here as it empowers women from all walks of life to buy the products that would make them stunning. There is the implication that when one uses Avon products, one can transform from ordinary to ravishing.
References
Cognitive Dissonance Theory. 2008. Web.
Rucha Humnabadkar, M.Des., John Mather and Craig Vogel. The Role of Design in Establishing a Brand: Three in-depth Case Studies. 2003. Web.