Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Paper #2 first draft

            Companies use advertisements to inform and/or persuade consumers into purchasing their product. There are hundreds of ways to advertise a product. Advertisements can be as small as social media sponsored ad posts to Super Bowl Sunday television commercials. In 2010, Weiden + Kennedy advertisement agency created an ad that shocked the marketing world and changed Old Spice advertisements forever. Old Spice appeals to a very diverse group of people by marketing their products in multiple ways by engaging and appealing a different target audience with each “Old Spice man” and through their individuality, and time management. This sets Old Spice apart from other advertising companies.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VrdqqTvyiV8/maxresdefault.jpgFigure 1.1
            If you look at figure 1.1 (above on the left) this advertisement campaign “Smell like a man, man” was first launched prior to the Super Bowl in February, 2010. This is when Old Spice developed their new advertisement strategies and brand characters which later received the industry’s highest honor, the Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix, where the judges noted it “overnight wove its way into popular culture” and was nominated for an Emmy. One of their newest brand characters, Isaiah Mustafa is a handsome, former NFL wide receiver who possesses a comedic sense of humor. In today’s society, most advertisements are about how that product they are selling can improve yourself in one way or another. This still picture of the video advertisement is an example of just that. They put a very handsome and muscular in the ad to draw attention and for that person to be the “incentive” on “what they can look like if they use this product.” The picture also is taking place on a sunny day at the beach, making the picture look very appealing and relaxing to you. Finally, the center of the photo is the product- Old Spice deodorant.  This video starts out with Isaiah shirtless and in the shower. Isaiah then begins with “Hello ladies, look at your man, now back to me, now back to your man, now back to me.” In the first 5 seconds of the video, it has already established their target audience- women. Old Spice uses a sexual appeal by using an attractive man with a nice muscular body because that is what most women find appealing. Now that they have their consumer hooked, Isaiah says “Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using lady-scented body wash and switched to Old Spice he could smell like he was me.”  This is persuading the consumers to buy their product because if “their man” uses Old Spice, then they will smell more attractive, ultimately giving the impression that they will become more attractive.
            Weiden and Kennedy then began to get creative. As the video continues as Isaiah says “Look down, back you. Where are you? You’re on a boat with a man that your man can small like.” Not only are they reiterating that your man can smell like him, but they grasps your attention because very bizarre and un-natural things are going on. They set themselves apart from others by thinking outside the box and being different. The video ends by the camera panning up and Isaiah riding a horse on the beach. He says, “Anything is possible if your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady- I’m on a horse.” They ended the advertisement this way because it opens the minds of the consumer and makes that advertisement stick with them.
            This advertisement also was very successful because they added onto their first ad with a sequel, which launched in early June. To further build excitement and buzz to the Old Spice campaign, they started to invite regular people to submit questions that will be answered personally by the “Old Spice Guy.” This was very successful because it further engaged the audience in a way that they felt important.  More than 2,000 people submitted questions in the first 48-hour period. The responses for the questions were viewed over 46 million times in the first 24 hours. Because of their “Small like a man, man” campaign launched, they have taken the social media side of it and used it to their advantage. Also, all Old Spice videos are under one minute. “It’s generally a good idea to keep things short on YouTube,” says Jason Bagley, creative director at Wieden + Kennedy. “People don’t generally want to sit through long things.”  Old Spice has nearly 105 million views of their campaign and has become the #1 most viewed sponsored YouTube channel.
            http://media.mediapost.com/images/inline_image/2012/01/12/Old-Spice-B2.jpgFigure 1.2
           

            In the Old Spice advertisements, they take advantage of people’s low confidence levels. They use Terry Crews – famous actor and football player- as the symbol of power. They’re using more of a powerful and muscular man for these ads. This again, appeals to a certain target audience- men. But more specifically, men who want to be more confidant and powerful. As seen above, Old Spice really thinks out of the box when it comes to their advertisement ideas. In figure 1.2, Terry’s head is opened up with its brain flying out- not very likely to actually happen, but is still very engaging. Also, Terry Crews is a very big and build man, which makes the viewer a little self-conscious about what they look like, opening up the doors to the idea of buying the product so you look like “that.” In the video, Terry Crews starts out shirtless in the bathroom saying, “Old Spice body spray will make you feel so powerful, it will blow your mind right in front of your face!” From the start. He gives you a clear and simple message of the product that is easy to remember. Then Terry’s head opens up and out comes his brain on jets. His brain then says, “Goodbye,” and explodes. This is very out of the ordinary, making it catch someone’s eye and stand out. Then the video ends with Terry stumbling on his words (he has no brain remember?) and in subtitles on the bottom of the advertisement it says, “What a powerful mistake I’ve made.” Then they close off in to their slogan, “Smell is Power.” This video advertisement is goofy, silly, and just plain odd- but that’s what works for Terry Crews and their target audience. By bringing out a child-like silliness to their advertisements, they can reach a larger range of people. 

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