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| Buik Reatta advertisement, published in Sports Illustrated, June 13th. 1988 |
Denotation:
This
advertisement from General Motors is promoting a Buick Reatta car. The car
itself is bright red, gleaming, and highly glossed. With a black racing stripe
down the center, aerodynamic design, and two doors, it seems like a sports car.
It stands in stark contrast to the black background it is framed in. Above the
car are the words “Go Ahead. You deserve it.” These are prominently displayed
in all capital letters, in a bold font at the top of the advertisement. Below
the car are the “specs” of the model. These are titled by the name of the car,
“Reatta”, written in a sleek, smooth font. The details of the car itself and
the short note to the audience of the advertisement are written in bright red
letters, matching the car. The details of the car’s attributes are presented in
a bulleted list, and are framed by flattering messages to the audience at the
beginning and end. Underneath the specks is the company name, Buick, written in
bold, red letters as well. Below this is a company slogan and logo, red to
match the rest of the ad.
Connotation:
This
advertisement appeals to the deadly sin of pride. The first words seen justify
self-indulgence: “Go ahead. You deserve it”. At the top of the ad, they are prominent and
bolded; hard to miss. The advertisers use these words to frame the car
underneath as a tempting treat to be taken. The car itself is sporty, sleek,
and attractive, but largely impractical. The advertisement acknowledges the flash
and impracticality of the car, but by elevating the self-concept of the
audience, the audience feels validated in buying the Reatta. The font of the
car name, “Reatta” is smooth and sleek. This reinforces and emphasizes the
sporty nature of the car. The main text of the advertisement works to persuade
the audience that they deserve this car. The first line appeals directly to
their pride: “Like many people of achievement”. It goes on to tell the audience
that they have passed up on many pleasures in life to get to where they are
now. “If so, this is your time- and Reatta is your car”. After describing the
viewer as a successful, self-sacrificing person, they tell the audience to
reward themselves for their excellence. The bulleted list following this outlines
the attributes of the car. It describes a Buick that is worthy of a deserving
driver. Throughout the text and in the slogan at the end, “American” is
carefully placed. A patriotic, high-achieving, and motivated person like
yourself deserves this fantastic car.
Audience:
Published
in a Sports Illustrated magazine in 1988, this ad’s target market was likely
middle-aged, upper-middle class, American men. This demographic is often
searching for something to do with their extra time and money. Eric Erikson
describes this pivotal period in his stages of psychological development. He
asserts that during this period, people begin to use their leisure time
creatively, and reinvent their roles in society. The advertisers are catering
to this psychographic: “You’ve probably postponed some of life’s special pleasures
on your way to where you are. If so, this is your time.” They are offering them
an appealing way to spend their newly freed up money and time. The audience of
this ad is likely familiar with advertisements that appeal to the functionality
and practicality of products. They are mature enough to see through many
tactics used to disguise products as useful and practical. Consequently, the
advertisers are openly presenting the car as a luxury vehicle. Though not
necescarilly functional, it is something the viewer deserves.
This is awesome! I did mine on a Porsche advertisement, and I think it's funny how the techniques that they both used were similar. Both used the concept of "deserving" a fancy, expensive car. It really appeals to that sense of "Yeah, I've worked hard my whole life. I should be able to buy something nice for myself!". Usually being greedy is something that you don't want to do, but car ads in particular love to appeal to that sense of greed. It'd be cool to see if all cars ads had a similar theme like that! Great job!
ReplyDeleteAwesome job, Avery! I completely agree with you too Alex that car commercials tend to have this recurring theme of targeting a prospective buyer's greed while appealing to his or her (usually his) pride. I notice, in particular, that this seems to happen in truck commercials. They always have a manly man saying something along the lines of, "You work hard. You deserve a truck that works just as hard." It is almost a challenge as well as affirmation. If someone else is playing to your ego, you are more likely to be persuaded.
ReplyDeleteI think its interesting that the advertisement techniques have not changed much throughout the years. Old car ads and the new ones use similar methods to entice the public. I agree with Alex. Greed is not something we as people like. We know that it is in human nature, but we try to minimize its effects on us. However, nowadays I find that more and more of the ads now appeal to our sense of greed. Not only car companies, but also name-brand companies such as Apple or MK all emphasize "I deserve better". Do you think appealing to our sense of greed is easy and effective for the company to persuade its customers?
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