According to Baker (455), advertising is not a very new strategy. It has been with human beings since the existence of the Roman Empire. However, the increase in business competition has led to the proliferation of advertising campaigns leading some advertisement campaigns to overlook the same ethics that make this field legitimate. This paper will analyze a television advertisement by Pepsi based on Fowles categories while at the same time compare the differences between the print and TV advertising on the same product.
Most TV commercials are directed towards exploring the unfulfilled urges and intentions of our perceptions. As a result, the advertising campaigns are divided into various categories which appeal to the different sides of human beings. Most advertisements are created with an aim of appealing to the irrational self rather than to the critical and most rational being (Fowles 409).
A review of the advertising industry in the world let alone in America tends to appeal to our emotional side. This is greatly achieved by the advertisers using celebrities. From Pepsi to Vodafone to Gillette, have all incorporated a well-renowned person; one who is admired by many people.
However, the Pepsi advert that incorporated David Beckham, Beyonce Knowles, and Jennifer Lopez must have granted Pepsi very high sales. Apart from appealing to most of the advertising principles, the advert incorporated most of the admired celebrities of that time. According to Fowle, there are fifteen principles in which most adverts seek to fulfill (Fowles 214).
The Pepsi advert has endeavored to fulfill the need for affiliation. This can be described as the human need to belong. This emotion can inevitably lead one to purchase a product just to feel like part of society. Having incorporated three celebrities, Pepsi aims to drive in the belief that by consuming this soft drink, one may feel and be viewed as a celebrity even if just for a moment. Affiliation may also depict a need for romance. This is clearly brought out when Beckham approaches the two ladies and introduces himself to Jennifer Lopez. Though he is ignored, the need to be incorporated into these lady’s world is evident by the approach of Beckham.
The need to achieve is another important element incorporated in this advert. As the commercial begins, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez are training for kung fu moves. Later when the club attendants try to stop them from taking the Pepsi bottles, they fight their way out. This part of the advert clearly arouses the viewer’s desire to be as strong as these two ladies which is clearly brought out as inherent from their consumption of Pepsi. Secondly, the career success of the three celebrities cannot be ignored in reference to the success of the ad campaign. Beckham is a renowned footballer, rated amongst the richest and most prominent footballers of the 1990s. With the current frenzy in the music industry, the use of Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce can only be termed as strategic. The inherent desire to achieve what the three have will lead more consumers of soft drinks to prefer Pepsi to the others.
The desire to rival and outdo others is part of the human need to achieve. Kung fu has long been associated with the Japanese. Nonetheless, Beyonce and Lopez excel in this art to the level of outdoing the club attendants who apparently are all Japanese. The use of Beckham in the commercial can be deduced as the common belief of advertisers that sports heroes are the most suitable to exploit the need to achieve.
Closely related to achievement is the desire to dominate. The Pepsi commercial brings out this concept in the best way possible. While the common belief is that men are domineering against their female counterparts, the advert proves otherwise. Jenifer Lopez and Beyonce prove to be too domineering and calculating compared to the Japanese bar attendants. This part alone would see triple sales, especially to the ladies. This is due to our inherent desire to defend ourselves from aggressive men as well as dominate our environment.
In addition, the human desire to be respected and admired in society has greatly been utilized by advertisers to market their products (Cury 68). Likewise, the Pepsi commercial has used this principle to its advantage. Respect and admiration come as a result of achieving what many have been unable to. Kung fu is a game whose success is mainly associated with the Japanese. More so it is the Japanese men and not women who are regarded as kung fu professionals. Thus by using two non-Japanese ladies, who are portrayed as kung fu masters, Pepsi placed this advert strategically in the market. To become as strong as Jennifer and Beyonce one would need to drink Pepsi as the soft drink of choice.
Further is the need to feel safe. This especially applies to women who are intimidated by their male counterparts on a daily basis. Thus learning tactics such as kung fu could just be the breakthrough that women have perennially sought to survive in this male-dominated world. Beyonce and Lopez do not in any way feel intimidated by the male attendants due to their fighting skills. The energy they possess is interpreted as coming from their consumption of Pepsi. This unique achievement attracts multitudes to purchase the soft drink and wade off bullies.
Finally, the Pepsi commercial has succeeded in fulfilling our psychological need of drinking. The very sight of Pepsi drinks immersed in ice makes one feel thirsty. As a result, the commercial succeeds in arousing the consumer’s desire to have a cold Pepsi drink and share the experience with Lopez and Beyonce.
As much as TV commercials and print adverts are different, they however share some pertinent similarities. Both print adverts and TV adverts depend on their visual power. If a TV ad is not visually attractive the viewers tend to be bored. Their negative criticisms against the advert make them deviate from the message at hand. The same case applies to print ads, which greatly depend on how visually attractive and catchy they are.
However, advertising using television is much easier as compared to print advert. This is based on the combination of voice and visual power that is utilized by television. However, the design and outline of the print advertisement take the visual requirements of the TV advert (Cury 75). Though some of the advertising principles may not apply to the print adverts most of them are however incorporated in the text of the advert as well as the animation used.
TV commercials combine both the requirements of print ads and radio ads to make them successful. The visual power of print adverts is also incorporated in TV commercials. Nonetheless, the sound requirement of radio adverts is also of paramount importance. The common difference in the production of television adverts and print ads is based on visual and sound incorporation. Pepsi has produced some of the most creative print adverts to augment the TV adverts.
Though static, print adverts should be created to display some form of movement. This is achieved by sequencing the text in the copy to denote the movement from one aspect to the other. The Pepsi Christmas advert succeeds in denoting movement. The sequence starts from the teddy bear holding a hook which is intended for pulling the Pepsi can. All the adverts whether TV, print or radio should be above all things creative and informative.
The pertinent discussion on the power of advertising on consumer preferences has aroused a lot of emotions over the years. How powerful is advertising as a marketing tool? While some scholars argue that advertisements are a waste of money, others believe that their strength in persuading consumers is immeasurable (MacRury 24). Nevertheless, if an ad campaign succeeds to change the preference of at least one consumer, then the campaign is successful. This is especially so due to the human nature associated with prescribing what we presume works for others. Advertising works efficiently to pass on important information about the availability, location, and benefits of your products against similar products in the market. With the ever-increasing business competition, a company cannot afford to ignore advertising as one of its marketing strategies.
References
Baker, Michael. The marketing book. California: Butterworth- Heinemann, 2003. Print.
Cury, Ivan. TV commercials: how to make them, or, how big is the boat? Massachusetts: Elsevier, 2005. Print.
Fowles, Jib. New and improved: six decades of advertising. 2007. Web.
MacRury, Ian. Advertising. New York: Routledge, 2009. Print.