These are strategies that advertisers may use in their ads to persuade us to buy
things. Have a read and then see if you can find ads that use these
strategies....
1. Ideal Kids
The kids in commercials are often a
little older and a little more perfect than the target audience of the ad. They
are role models for what the advertiser thinks children in the target audience
want to be like. A commercial that is targeting eight year-olds, for instance,
will show 11 or 12 year-old actors playing with an eight year old's
toy.
2. Heart Strings
Commercials often create an emotional
ambience that draws you into the advertisement and makes you feel good. The
McDonald's commercials featuring father and daughter eating out together, or the
AT&T Reach Out and Touch Someone ads are good examples. We are more
attracted by products that make us feel good.
3. Amazing Toys
Many
toy commercials show their toys in life-like fashion, doing incredible things.
Airplanes do loop-the-loops and cars do wheelies, dolls cry and spring-loaded
missiles hit gorillas dead in the chest. This would be fine if the toys really
did these things.
4. Life-like Settings
Barbie struts her stuff on
the beach with waves crashing in the background, space aliens fly through dark
outer space and all-terrain vehicles leap over rivers and trenches. The rocks,
dirt, sand and water don't come with the toys, however.
5. Sounds
Good
Music and other sound effects add to the excitement of commercials.
Sound can make toys seem more life-like or less life-like, as in a music video.
Either way, they help set the mood advertisers want.
6. Celebrity
Endorsement
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sell pizza. These are ways of
helping children identify with products either now or for the future. Sports
heroes, movie stars, and teenage heart throbs tell children what to eat and what
to wear. Children listen, not realizing that the star is paid really well for
the endorsement.
7. Selective Editing
Selective editing is used in
all commercials, but especially in commercials for athletic toys like frisbees
or footballs. Commercials show only brilliant catches and perfect throws.
Unfortunately, that's not the way most children experience these toys.
8.
Family Fun.
"This is something the whole family can do together!" or
"This is something Mom will be glad to buy for you." Many commercials show
parents enjoying their children's fun as if the toy will bring more family
togetherness.
9. Excitement!
Watch the expressions on children's
faces. Never a dull moment, never boring. "This toy is the most fun since fried
bananas!" they seem to say. How can your child help thinking the toy's
great?
10. Join The Crowd
This is when advertisers try to convince
you that if you don't use their product then you just aren't cool. They make us
feel like everyone who is cool is buying their product.
11. Emotive
Language
Words like "Don't Miss Out!!" or "Hurry, Buy Now!!!" are
designed to get us to not stop and think, instead just buy it straight away.
This is called impulse buying. The emotive language creates excitement with
words that are printed or said with excitement.
Can you think of examples
for any of these?
