-A MEDIA LITERACY PROJECT-
ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN
Excerpts from ad text: This is it. This is what matters. The experience of a product. How it makes someone feel.... We're engineers and artists. Craftsman and inventors. We sign our work. You may rarely look at it. But you'll always feels it. This is our signature. Source: mashable.com
The I AM series from Nikon is a great example of lifestyle ads, because each one explicitly identifies the viewers with an abstract concept, then subtly associates itself with that same concept. Source: benjamin-antony-monn.com
Here the consumer is told that buying this car will change the world. Source: jennifermgoodwin.com
Excerpts from ad text: This is it. This is what matters. The experience of a product. How it makes someone feel.... We're engineers and artists. Craftsman and inventors. We sign our work. You may rarely look at it. But you'll always feels it. This is our signature. Source: mashable.com
Illustrates the feeling of pain. Source: coloribus.com
An emotional reaction to the well-known character can prompt children to nag Mom or Dad to buy the cereal. Source: mrbreakfast.com
Some ads show the emotion associated with the product; this sets up an emotional problem and portrays the product as the solution. Source: advertolog.com
Illustrates the feeling of pain. Source: coloribus.com
Emotional Association
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Emotional association: a product is used to symbolize such emotions as happiness or the feeling of success. Conversely, an ad can prompt negative emotions with the implication that the product is the solution.
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One highly visible example of this type is Disneyland, which Disney as branded as "the happiest place on Earth."
Lifestyle Association
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Lifestyle association: the branding of a product or company is associated with a larger lifestyle or persona.
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Many lifestyle-type ads could arguably be emotion-association also; the difference is nuanced. One way to look at it is to ask: Does the ad have a subject enacting the emotion that I associate with? or does the ad placement invite me to be the subject? Ultimately the lifestyle ads can be made up of emotional appeals, but seem to be more of a collection of ideas into a recognizable persona (the adventurer, the tough guy, the popular girl).
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One way the lifestyle type is achieved is through the series of ads that follow a theme, especially those that define not the product but the consumer--creating a persona for their product. One great example of this is the Apple user image (hip, creative, on the go, trendy) and how Apple has attempted to brand the Microsoft user (establishment, older, business-focused, slower).
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You may ask: why is this important? Who cares if we associate with a branded lifestyle? The issues is one of identity--do we really want to be defined by inanimate products rather than the intangibles they are supposed to represent? Are you "Apple" or are you creative? Are you "Ford" or are you strong? See the difference?
Product Description
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Product information: an explanation of the features of the product and why a consumer should buy it.
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This type is often seen in locally-produced advertisements and ads for medication and health foods.
Example Ads
Note to teachers: not all ads presented here are appropriate for every grade level.
Shock Value
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Shock value: the ad is offensive, gruesome, humorous, or absurd in an effort to gain attention.
Makes a definitive claim that is information about the product. Source: ispot.tv
Describes features of the product. Source: the jumpingfrog.com
Lots of information about the car itself. Product description ads still often use emotional language or branding characteristics, but they take second place to information and promises about the product. Source: thumpin.org
Makes a definitive claim that is information about the product. Source: ispot.tv