Advertisements are responsible for comprising up to 30 percent of all consumed material that is included in print magazines, newspapers, web articles, and online video content. More than simply selling or entertaining an audience with product pitches, these marketing strategies utilize normalcy standards such as happiness, coolness, and sexiness which are responsible for society’s interpretation of the world. Every corporation whose advertisements prove successful follow the same fundamental marketing behavior: that is, to develop a consumer relationship that resonates as strongly with their sense of self as possible.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in human history and with its series of carbonated soft drinks, close to 2 billion servings are consumed around the world on a daily basis. The corporation’s ‘Taste the Feeling’ segment is a 1 minute YouTube video advertisement of their flagship product that targets the emotions corresponding to the current working-class generation of millennials.
Opening with a full glass bottle of ice and coke, this perspective is followed by pleasurable moments of love, excitement, and friendship; portraying the extent to which the product exists in everyday life (particularly amongst the young). The lifestyle that the advertisement attempts to display is one that is hip and fun, eliminating boredom. Furthermore, it attempts to connect with the feelings held by the millennial generation: that is, to work hard, and play harder.
Bungie
Bungie is an American video game corporation based in Bellevue, Washington, and known for producing the award-winning Halo trilogy of first-person shooters which quickly evolved into a multibillion-dollar franchise. They recently released the sequel to their newest IP, Destiny 2, and showcased a 2-minute long live-action YouTube trailer to promote the product.
The video targets the viewer’s adrenaline, showing how the world they once knew has been completely destroyed and how it is up to them to arm up with big guns and take it back. Additionally, the video demonstrates the various character classes’ “Super” abilities in action against evil alien races as a way of highlighting improvements and revisions from the original game as well as defining the product’s tagline: “New Legends Will Rise”. Later segments in the video show the player characters running away when heavily outnumbered as a reminder that this is a game requiring skill, teamwork, and cooperation to survive. Near the end, under the logo frame, the advertisement introduces the PC as a platform for the first time in the series’ history.
Next Day Floors
Next Day Floors is a home improvement corporation that provides tile designs, rugs, and installation of their products in consumer households. They are one of the best-known examples of how the implementation of repetitive background music in addition to a bright, joyful phone number song engages the audience, triggers their long-term memory centers, and attracts the attention of their subconscious even if they are distracted by an alternative activity.
One of their most recent 30-second video commercials on YouTube features a happy, clean-cut man named Nic who stands inside a wine cellar whose shelves are decoratively designed to demonstrate the manner in which Next Day Floors rugs can defend against wine stains. The bar owner purposely spills the wine on the carpet, while Nic takes a blank white rag and immediately cleans it up; all while the repetitive merry tunes continue to play in the background to maintain a carefree, relaxed atmosphere. The music is in line with the same tempo and pitch of the end of the commercial, in which a small chorus sings the company’s primary phone number for consumer contact, further implanting the brand into the subconscious.
Progressive
Progressive is an insurance company that provides protection against damages related to vehicles. One of their advertisements found as a side banner on a car sales website, features their flagship market woman named Flo, an iconic character that is consistently utilized as she is considered entertaining, recognizable, and simple for customers to remember without annoying them.
The advertisement, specifically for Progressive Direct, takes the form of a static image in which Flo is smiling and gesturing near the bottom of the screen where viewers are provided an input window to enter their zip code and receive a free quote (pricing) for their specific financial situation. Although the general color scheme is a consistent combination of yellow, blue, and white, the vast majority is blue as this wavelength is scientifically proven to be seen best by any pair of eyes, regardless if one has a form of colorblindness. As blue dominates the general picture, a comparison of the company’s competitors showcases their rates as exceeding that of Progressive. The deep red colors on the slightly faded numerical figures are designed to focus the audience’s attention using their peripheral vision sensors.
Geico
Similar to Progressive, Geico is a vehicle insurance company that attempts to sell reduced payments necessary for protecting an owner’s car. Geico utilizes a bright green Gecko that speaks with a relaxed British accent and acts very intelligent, witty, clever, and as if he is an upper-class citizen who could never possibly be tricked. The word Gecko matches in perceivable sound to the company’s name and the character himself are utilized as a way to connect with the viewer as if he was their friend.
In this particular advertisement, found as a side banner on a car website, the Gecko is holding a cup of coffee that matches his body size. He is pointing with a single finger on the same hand that is holding the cup towards a small piece of italicized text, a body language that continues to suggest a relaxed, friendly atmosphere that is not designed to pressure nor to deceive. The text, written with a gentle white color, states that the company can save the consumer hundreds on car insurance, and underneath includes the phrase “Would you like cream or sugar with that?”, as if the audience is receiving something of value without even purchasing anything; a way of triggering the brain’s reward system.
Burger King
Burger King is a company that owns a series of restaurant chains whose main products include fast food that is sold at reasonable prices. Their main competitor includes McDonald’s, and like that company, Burger King’s logo utilizes red and yellow as primary colors for the fact that they are scientifically proven to inspire hunger in a viewer’s eyes more than any other combination. Their recent online banner ad found on a local grocery store website focuses on product value versus price and the respect the company has for the customer.
Showcasing a faded, yet brightly lit and colorful background to showcase the outdoors, the advertisement features the company’s flagship product (the Whopper) along with a box of thick yellow fries adjacent to it and a tall soda drink dominating the background. The hamburger, occupying all of the foreground, is designed to look perfect and meticulously crafted, with all toppings visible and neatly arranged between the two sesame seed buns. The main slogan includes a price of $3.99 hovering above the three items, showing the value that the company provides the customer for what the ad is trying to convey as a minuscule expense.
Panera Bread
Panera Bread is a company that provides a chain of cafes and specializes in various baked goods that are primarily made with fresh bread. In addition, it markets and sells numerous types of smoothie drinks, coffees, teas, salads, and soups. A 30-second commercial recently featured on YouTube includes a series of customers who approach all things in their life in a carefree, casual manner whilst always adding “or something” to the end of a behavioral phrase.
The difference that Panera Bread emphasizes is how their company takes an extremely focused and dedicated approach to their craft, as the ad claims that they “hand slice avocados, pull smoked chicken, and bake fresh focaccia from top to bottom”. Therefore, their products are not just made “or something”.
FIJI
FIJI is a company that sells bottled artesian water products designed to quench consumers’ thirst. The water itself comes directly from Viti Levu’s aquifers located on the island nation of the same name (Fiji) in the South Pacific Ocean. As a result, the water is designed to be 100 percent natural with no artificial ingredients added to the product. A 30-second commercial featured on television focuses on this specific detail, claiming the product to be synonymous with water itself: a “gift” from mother nature.
The voice of a small girl narrates as a picture of a water bottle colorfully highlights in front of several dark, bleak backgrounds that showcase human intervention of nature, filling the earth with streets, cars, roads, and buildings. The girl tries to separate the product from competitors by claiming it to be filled “right at the source” of nature itself.
Nike
Nike is a sports apparel company that specializes in athletic shoes amongst many other products. A print advertisement found in Sports Illustrated magazine features a grey background resembling concrete, with a pair of dark blue shoes colored with bright red checkmarks that symbolize the Nike brand and logo.
In big capital letters hovering above the shoes includes the phrase “the shoe works if you do”, suggesting that the pair of foot coverings are ready for action at any time the customer walks out their door and engages in physical activity. The shoes are designed to look comfortable yet maintain a unique, attractive style.
Google recently launched its new lineup of smartphones known by the model name of Pixel. The 1 minute 20 second YouTube video advertisements feature a camera rotating about the phone against a clear white background, showcasing all angles of the clean, shiny product. Every few seconds, messages appear emphasizing the “new” additions to the phone, such as superior battery life, various close-ups of the camera, 4k resolution, etc.
However, the most important feature that the company emphasizes is NOT new is the inclusion of the 3.5 mm headphone jack, meant to insult their primary competitor who removed this hardware design in their line of smartphones: Apple, Inc.