Exegesis
The content, structure, form and major elements of the commercial on the cultural event were intended to ensure the success in achieving the main advertising purposes. The application of the audience-focused model to designing the commercial, incorporation of the elements aimed at evoking the imagery processes in the consumers and increasing the speech rates is expected to enhance the effectiveness of the radio advertisement.
The content of the radio commercial under consideration is intended at involving the audience into the process of processing the information of the advertisement and creating a positive attitude to it. Cutillas-Espinosa & Hernandez-Campoy (2007) noted that the audience –design model is more effective for achieving the main goals of the media commercial than merely making the accents on the text of the commercial.
Taking into account the fact that 20-30 year old young adults were the target audience of the commercial, the peculiarities of perception and the interests of this demographical group need to be taken into consideration for creating an effective advertisement.
While there were no any significant differences found in the perception of the media advertisements in different sexes (Monk-Turner, Kouts, Parris, & Webb 2007), the main emphasis should be put upon the age peculiarities of the target audience for applying the audience-focused design model for the commercial under consideration.
Cheung and Harker (2008) pointed out at the shifts which took place in the consumers’ preferences concerning the advertizing structures and content which took place within the two previous generations. Thus, the young adults can be regarded as a rather sophisticated audience which requires using proper strategies and techniques.
Currently, postmodernism is recognized as a cultural dominant (Jameson 1991) which cannot be neglected in the process of designing a commercial of a cultural event in New Zealand. With the promotion of a consumerism culture, the emphasis has been shifted towards the mobilization of desire and imagination in the audience (Harvey 1990).
The main techniques which were implemented for enhancing the effectiveness of the radio commercial include evoking the imagery processing in the audience and increasing the speech rates.
Through the marketing research, it has been discovered that high-imagery commercials have positive effects upon most advertising outcomes, including the variables of attention, memory and attitudes toward the advertisement information (Bolls & Lang 2003). Bolls (2006) also noted that the recognition of the product-related information is higher in advertisements with the increased levels of imagery.
The goal of increasing the imagery of the commercial was achieved through incorporating the direct instruction to imagine the described situation and its particular fragments, descriptive language and the sound effects in the form of music and the sounds of the crowd.
Taking into account the content of the advertisement of the cultural event focusing on kiwi music, the kiwi melodies were integrated into the context of the imitated situation of a friendly conversation without destroying its integrity.
The descriptive language and the direct instructions to imagine were included into one of the speakers’ assumptions addressed to the interlocutor which however are intended to appeal to the consumers’ imagination and foster the processes of decoding the imagery information.
There is evidence that increasing the speech rates allows making the message of the advertisement more persuasive (Skinner, Robinson, Sterling, & Goodman 1999).
The effect of increasing the speech rates was achieved through creating the situation of the rush, in which the speaker has no opportunity for prolonged conversations and wants to provide as many arguments as possible for supporting his point and persuading a friend to share his opinion and take the recommended actions. Baudrillard, J. (1994) noted that “the vertigo of simulacra is equal to that of nature” (p. 153).
Hsu & Su (2007) admitted that modern consumers appreciate the information which is entertaining, assists memory recall and contains strong product images. Incorporating the kiwi melodies into the commercial was expected to create the image of the cultural event.
The question about the date was aimed at not only entertaining the audience, but also creating the associations which would allow the consumers to memorize the precise date of the event and recall it whenever it is necessary.
Through simulating the real life situation and integrating the elements aimed at evoking the imagery processes in the audience and increasing the persuasiveness of the message, the commercial was intended at improving its advertising outcomes, including the listeners’ memory and attitudes.
Another significant aspect which should be taken into account while creating the radio commercial is the peculiarities of the advertised product. The festival of kiwi music as the event of indigenous culture requires serious consideration of the attitudes of the target audience towards the history of the national culture and this particular musical style.
Jung, Polyorat, & Kellaris (2009) pointed out at the recent shifts from the traditional cultural values in most countries and the spread of the Western culture to the rest of the world.
Ensuring the audience that everyone is already at the festival and imitating the sounds of the crowd at the concert would allow creating the link between the phenomena of popular culture with its overcrowded concerts and the cultural event focused on kiwi music.
Mentioning the charity purposes of the event is another significant aspect which is expected to appeal to the feelings of the audience and evoke the emotional reactions in them, providing additional arguments for those who may be still hesitating.
Involving the listeners into the context of the depicted situation, evoking the imagery processes in them and increasing the persuasiveness of the message is expected to have positive effects on the levels of the consumers’ comprehension, memory, recognition and positive attitudes to the cultural event.
Reference List
Baudrillard, J. (1994) Simulacra and simulation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Bolls, P. & Lang, A. (2003). I saw it on the radio: The allocation of attention to high-imagery radio advertisements. Media Psychology, 5: 33- 55.
Bolls, P. (2006). It’s just your imagination: The effect of imagery on recognition of product- versus non-product related information in radio advertisements. Journal of Radio and Audio Media, 13(2): 201- 213.
Cheung, L., Harker, D., Harker, M. (2008). The state of the art of advertising from the consumers‘perspective: A generational approach. The Marketing Review, 8(2): 125-146
Cutillas-Espinosa, J., & Hernandez-Campoy, J. (2007). Script design in the media: Radio talk norms behind a professional voice. Language and Communication, 27: 127-152.
Harvey, D. (1990) The condition of postmodernity: An enquiry into the origin of cultural change. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.’
Hsu, J. & Su, L. (2007). Who is watching TV? Who is listening to radio? Consumer perceptions of TV and radio advertising information. Social Behavior and Personality, 35(2): 157 – 168.
Jameson, F. (1991) Postmodernism: Or, the cultural logic of late capitalism. London: Verso.
Jung, J., Polyorat, K., Kellaris, J. (2009) A cultural paradox in authority-based advertising. International Marketing Review, 26(6): 601 – 632
Monk-Turner, E., Kouts, T., Parris, K. & Webb, C. (2007). Gender role stereotyping in advertisements on three radio stations: Does musical genre make a difference? Journal of Gender Studies, 16 (2): 173 – 182.
Potter, R. (2009). Double the units: How increasing the number of advertisements while keeping the overall duration of commercial breaks constant affects radio listeners. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 53(4): 584 – 598.
Skinner, C., Robinson, D., Robinson, S., Sterling, H., and Goodman, M. (1999). Effects of advertisement speech rates on feature recognition, and product and speaker ratings. International Journal of Listening, 13: 97- 110.