Types of Ads: Sexually Suggestive, Humorous, Informative - Elements that Catch and Hold Attention

1. Psy 348 Attention & Advertising

2. Three types of ads that we’ll consider: sexually suggestive/erotic humorous/delightful/whimsical informative Factors to consider: elements that “catch” attention elements that “hold” attention & “sell” the product Freud: major issues in human relations: sex & power/violence Advertisers have long given Freud his due Often via symbols of sex & power Also, increasingly, via explicit depictions of sex & power Humor: Studies of advertising efficacy consistently show that humor sells. Humans like to laugh, so cleverness, whimsy, etc often appear in ads. Information: Humans seem to be gluttons for information & advertisers take advantage of it. Sometimes they just give the facts, straight up. Sometimes they pervert the truth – “infomercials” etc, . . .

3. High-contrast bright colors, white background catches attention Young child - catches & holds attention peculiar “adult” expression – distant, reserved hands in pocket echo reserved image overly wide eyes especially appealing to people who want their child to look artificial! High contrast: baby GAP – white on black background GAP – large letters baby – small letters catches attention Simplicity helps to focus attention Note: GAP has been losing market share in recent years. Why? For Gap Inc, the No.1 clothing seller, the problem continues to be poor merchandise selections that don't resonate with customers. CNNMoney.com August 28 2007 Willie Hallford

4. Naked woman . . . Mermaid Surprise/”shock” Sexual/erotic implication Famous woman Ocean scene - romantic, exotic Sea–green bottle echoes the ocean theme Slightly blurred pic adds to “misty” romantic quality Grey tones = “sophisticated” photo Color of perfume bottle against grey tone background draws attention – esp gold cap GIORGIO ARMANI in bold white catches attention, though a bit subdued Overall, strong sexual/romantic/exotic innuendo UCS - UCR – CS - CR - Willie Hallford

5. The woman as a “waif” in Euro-American ads

6. Men, by contrast, are never “waifs” They’re strong, or sophisticated, etc, or downright “cheesy”

7. Naked muscular man Surprise/shock catches & holds attention sexual/erotic implication Exposed ass = visual pun on the name of the clothing line High contrast of figure on a plain white background MAXIMUM – all caps, bold black font exposure – all lower case, light grey font Much lesser sophistication of this ad versus the Armani ad Maximum exposure is not currently a major underwear company. Will ads like this increase its market share? Willie Hallford

8. In the United States, domestic Vodkas are defined by U.S. government regulation as "neutral spirits, so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.“ Because American Vodka is, by law, neutral in taste, there are only very subtle distinctions between brands. Many drinkers feel that the only real way of differentiating between them is by alcohol content and price. http://www.tastings.com/spirits/vodka.html Famous ad-line, using a double-entendre based partly on the U.S. code: "Smirnoff — It leaves you breathless."

9. High black/white contrastsSimplicityThe halo framing the glass “Subliminal” & “Now you see it now you don’t” in small type refer to famous “subliminal advertising” controversy Recent polls indicate that ~80% of Americans believe that advertisers use subliminal messages “There is no purer vodka.” – attempt to imply that Absolut vodka is better than other vodkas, when actually it’s only the same as the others in the U.S. In Europe, vodkas can be quite different UCS – intriguing UCR – Attracted to controversy the idea CS – Absolut vodka CR – Attracted to it Willie Hallford

10. High contrast: Dark, bold print, bright yellow background Intense pink bottle Famous old punk-rock band: The Sex Pistols UCS: Famous Band UCR: like them CS: Absolut CR: like it In Freudian terms: Bottle = penis UCS: penis ~ sex UCR: Like it CS: Absolute CR: Like it What about BOLLOCKS? To what does that term refer? Relevance to ad? Willie Hallford

11. Contrast: gold crown & bottle against the muted colors of the background The famous halo ABSOLUT QUEEN in bold white letters Queen = the famous band Two Freudian ways to interpret the halo + bottle 1. “Sometimes a penis is just a penis” If so, then the crown = pubic hair 2. Bottle + crown = penis + vagina Not very subtle, but it works. UCS = UCR = CS = CR = Willie Hallford

12. One of many “travelogue” + calendar ads that Absolut produced Not all of them had sex-for-pay themes, but many did Attention factors: UCS - UCR – CS - CR – Willie Hallford

13. Another one. Similar red light district, similar scantily clad woman. Why Memphis? Famous “river town,” rough bars, sex-for-pay for river travelers, etc UCS UCR CS CR

14. Its not always women. . . New Orleans – very famous “bar”on Bourbon Street UCS UCR CS CR

15. Jason Lewis, “Sex & the City,” 2002 Attention catching: Nude maleFamous male High contrasts against stark white background Attention holding: Ads often combine elements – humor is especially often combined with one of the others. This ad makes an obvious play on the stereotype of the “sexy hunk” but in a context that has strong humorous qualities: Lewis’ expression The bottle as penis Was this a real ad by Absolut? UCS - UCR – CS - CR – Willie Hallford

19. One salient truth about white- goods advertising, said Gordon Robertson, senior vice president and group creative director at BBDO Chicago, is that "the ads usually fall into two camps, the bottle-worshiping camp and the camp of extremely happy people having an extremely good time."

20. Interesting picture High contrast: white against dark background, plus the bold blue letters, catches our attention The bowing glass But now you recognize the Freudian symbols: The glass = female, vagina The bottle = male, penis UCS UCR CS CR

21. Similar picture, similar contrasts, etc. But now there are several glasses bowing down. In Freudian terms . . . !

22. A “happy happy people” ad. SKYY vodka trying to horn in on the vodka market. Has their campaign worked? Are they succeeding in taking some market from Absolut, Stolichnaya, Smirnoff, etc? UCS UCR CS CR

23. "We wanted to be in neither camp," Robertson added. The result was a colorful campaign presenting paper animals produced through origami, which has a following in Russia as well as Japan. Each image the initial ads show an eagle, a frog and a butterfly is made from a label off a bottle of Stolichnaya, which uses paper rather than painted labels. The theme of the campaign, "See what unfolds," signals "that it's not about the drink, it's about the experiences you have," Mr. Robertson said. BBDO Chicago, which also creates campaigns for two other Allied Domecq brands, Beefeater gin and Kahlúa liqueur, will run the Stolichnaya ads in publications as disparate as The Advocate and Cigar Aficionado.

27. What do you think – is Stoly’s ad campaign equal to Absolut’s, Skyy’s, etc in holding market share? Why / Why not?