Introduction
Marketing is a process of numerous activities all meant to influence the decision-making process of a consumer. It is defined as a process of communicating the values of a product or a particular service to the customer to influence their decision to purchase it (Grewal & Levy, 2012). This is a review of a banned advert showing a pregnant woman taking ice cream. The advert can be found on the internet in the Belfast telegraph’s website. It is an advert meant to promote consumption of ice cream among pregnant women. The company has vowed to defy the regulators’ ban notice by placing other adverts with the same theme on its website. This paper seeks to analyze the advert and identify the groups left out, the author’s assumptions, its influence, and its impacts on customers’ decision-making process.
Analyzing the Author’s Assumptions
Looking at the image of the pregnant nun, it is evident that the author assumes that pregnant women are more inclined to taking ice cream. The author through the advert is trying to evoke the tendency of pregnant women to crave for such sweet products. This advert is clearly provoking the craving effect in pregnant women and the author hopes to catch their attention through controversy (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2009). The advert is making mockery of the Roman Catholic followers hence creating a controversial attention.
This advert is portraying pregnant women to be the most suited consumers of the product. The absurdity of having a pregnant nun on the picture is provocative and has a humorous inclination that will definitely attract the consumers’ attention. The use of pregnancy will also help in influencing the pregnant women to buy the product (Holt & Cameron, 2010). The author seems to take advantage of the fact that pregnant women are treated well in the society and people will get them whatever they ask for. Pregnancy craving is clearly being provoked in this advert. The author seeks to influence his/her target consumers’ behavior.
Consumer Groups Excluded in the Advert
This particular advert has concentrated on one particular market, which is pregnant women. The most conspicuous group that has been left out in this advert is men. By using a woman, and most importantly a pregnant woman, the author clearly shows that the product is meant for women only. This advert cannot appeal to the male consumers. The best it can, when it comes to influencing men, is attracting husbands with pregnant wives.
Another group that has been left out in this advertisement includes young and single women. Young women who are not pregnant will not find this advert attractive, hence, it will not influence their buying behavior (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, & Best, 2013). In many cultures, pregnant women are respected and some of the products that are labeled to belong to them are left for them by the entire society. There is also the cultural belief in some societies that men cannot use what has been left for the women. This cultural belief will therefore not influence men’s behavioral change to persuade them to buy the product.
The Relationship of This Advert and the Cultural Values
This advert is set on a very controversial theme. The use of a pregnant nun offends a certain religion. The cultural values of Christians, especially the adherents of the Roman Catholics church, will be offended by the advert. The advert literary mocks their belief based on their religious practice (Yoon & Lee, 2005). On the other hand, the advert could be sending a message to the public to exercise tolerance. This advert is not designed to emphasize a set of positive cultures. On the contrary, it intends to change the cultural values of the society with regard to nuns.
Nuns are highly respected members of the community and their moral obligations are clearly known to many. Promoting the contemplation that nuns can get pregnant is trying to change the cultural moral value attached to them. The advert shows a nun comfortably taking ice cream, dressed in their proverbial attire. This suggests that there is nothing to be ashamed of being a pregnant nun. This consequently tries to change the public’s thought on the moral and cultural beliefs of the integrity attached to nuns. The effect of this advert on the nuns and the target market will depend on the attitude and approach of the consumer (Yoon & Lee, 2005).
The consumers who do not share the same religious beliefs with the nuns may not be affected negatively by the advert. Muslims, for instance, may not even notice the humor and ridicule portrayed in the advert. Cultures that are feminine driven, like the South African countries, may not have a problem with product based on male/female chauvinism (Grewal & Levy, 2012). In the African setting, this product may only be used by the female gender and mostly pregnant women. In the Asian countries, male and female may be attracted by the product, although some Muslim adherents are also sexually opinionated. The advert can only work in liberal cultures such as United States and other western countries.
Conclusion
This paper has reviewed and analyzed an advert that shows a pregnant woman taking ice cream. The paper has cross-examined the author’s assumptions and intention to influence consumers’ behavior. In relation to the advert, the paper has shown the groups that have been left out by the adverts’ target niche. The paper has also shown the direct relationship of the advert and cultural values.
References
Ahlstrom, D., & Bruton, G. (2009). International Management: Strategy and Culture in the Emerging World. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Grewal, D., & Levy, M. (2012). Marketing. New York, NY: McGraw.
Hawkins, D. I., Mothersbaugh, D., & Best, R.J. (2013). Consumer behavior: Building marketing strategy with DDB Data Disk. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Holt, D., & Cameron, D. (2010). Cultural Strategy: Using Innovative Ideologies to Build Breakthrough Brands. New York, NY: OUP Oxford.
Yoon, S. J., & Lee, S. (2005). Market-Oriented Culture and Strategy: Are they Synergistic? Marketing Bulletin, 4(1), 2-4. Web.