The Hidden Message of an Advert
by Preslava Petrova (Bulgaria)
Every day while watching TV we cannot avoid
seeing adverts as well. They are an inevitable part of every single TV program
and this is not at random.
Each one of us is familiar with The Coca-Cola
Company. Their products are widely spread around the world. The company is also
very well known for their advertisements, especially the Christmas ones. When
the Christmas adverts start showing up on TV we all know that the holidays are
approaching.
The advert that I chose to talk about is one of these. Its message
is to persuade as many people as it can to buy the product by tactfully using
the holidays. The leaders of the company paid a lot of money in order to
achieve this effect, because if it had been done the right way, it would have
gained times more.
Throughout the year people impatiently wait for
Christmas to come. This is also a part of a technique used by the Coca-Cola
Company in order to accumulate consumers, who belong to the “target group”. I
personally think that the advert in question is designed particularly for
children. To support my opinion I would say that adolescents are most likely to
trust what is being told or shown to them. The ad tells about a magical
Christmas, which is what all kids believe in – that miracles happen on
Christmas. There are a couple of clues used to achieve this. On the one hand is
the fact that the advertisement is animated, which immediately transfers the “target
group” to an imaginary world. On
the other hand is music. The melody is truly catchy and gets stuck into
people’s minds easily. Thus, whenever the song is being heard, the image of the
advert will emerge and will unconsciously make somebody buy a bottle of Coke.
While watching an advert we do not pay
attention on the “tools of persuasion” which aim to make us buy the product.
But if you look deeper, those techniques can be easily spotted. Association is
such a tool, used in the advert. Santa is the symbol of Christmas. Despite not
being shown he is actually presented. The trucks passing through the town
spread gladness, enjoyment and happiness just like Santa does. But instead of
presents they give away bottles of Coke.
Like in every story, in this one there is also
a part that remains not being told. The ad shows just the basics of the story
matching with most people’s ones. After watching the ad viewers complete the
created picture with personal details that are significant to them. These can
be memories, habits or traditions, which bring them back in times they were
glad and contented. Doing this the advert aims to get into their mind and stay
there.
To sum up I would say that consumers should be
more cautious, because on the surface of it advertisements are made just to
promote a service or a product. But in reality they are sources of media which
aim to manipulate audience’s minds.
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