The Reflection

Why are Appeals Necessary for Ads

Advertising has always been about persuading, encouraging and in some ways manipulating viewers to believe in something, whether its a product a company is trying to sell or a social issue that non governmental organizations are trying to create awareness for.

Appeals are used in advertising mainly because we want the ad to speak to audiences on a deeper level. Being exposed to the ad is one thing, but to ensure audiences remember the ad and actually have a connection with it is another. This is where appeals come in, because an ad has to firstly be "appealing" to people before anything else, if it wants to make an impact on its audience.

We can say that appeal is the approach to attract a persons attention and to influence his/her feeling or perception towards a product/brand. These are also necessary for ads because there are basic human appeals that motivate us in our daily lives, for example, hunger, love, sex, etc. Therefore using appeals in advertising may motivate viewers to gravitate to your particular ad/product because it forms a connection through these appeals that are present in ads.

Rational Vs Emotional Appeals

Using rational appeals in advertising would be the same as to use rational logic in ads to try and persuade audiences into believing the message you're sending them. This means using statistics or facts to make the ad appealing to viewers. Examples of this would be listing product benefits or showing proof to convince viewers about your product. 

Samsung and iPhone 5 Print Ads

Emotional appeals on the other hand argues that effective advertising connects to people on a less obvious level. It relies more on the writing and graphic elements of the ad to speak to consumers through a subconscious language. Many believe that for an ad to work well and make a big impact, it needs to connect with audiences on a deeper level, and play with the emotions, where in-turn will form a bond between viewers and product. 

Cordaid Print Ad

It has been argued that rational appeal is the better one of the two because it clearly states the benefits of the product (as seen in the Samsung/iPhone ad) but no one can deny the strength that emotional appeal and connection can have on consumers and their subconscious mind. In conclusion advertisers can and have achieved success with both rational and emotional appeals, the trick here is to find the balance between the two and to also know which one is better suited for your product/service/brand.

Types of Ad Appeals (continuation)

Advertising Appeals 2.0

Volvo's Print Ad

  

Its pretty clear as to what appeal is used in this Volvo print ad, where it displays the cars hand break in focus with the tag line "we're just as excited as you". There is a clear sexual reference here when you merge the two elements of the ad together where sex appeal is clearly the basis of the overall idea.

Types of Ad Appeals

Advertising Appeals 1.0

To get the public to remember an ad or even pay attention to it, the ad must firstly be appealing. In advertising, there are several ad appeals that are used as the basis of the big idea for the advertising campaign. Whether its sex, fear or egotism, these appeals are used to attract people's attention and to influence their feeling and perception towards a product/brand.

  

WWF Print Ad

The ad appeal used in this particular print ad by WWF is the appeal of fear. Fear appeals focus on the negative outcomes that can happen from the lack of using a particular product or the continuation of a bad habit. Advertisers usually use fear appeals in ads where the objective is to change a negative behavior, for example, smoking or drunk driving.

In the WWF ad, it displays a man with a deformed face with the tagline "Stop climate change before it changes you". The appeal of the ad instills fear that if we do not do something about the  rapid change in climate, we (humans) may face dire consequences.

The Reflection

12 Master Formats of Advertising



Donald Gunn



The 12 master formats of Advertising were established by Donald Gunn back in 1978. 

It consists of The Demo, Show the Problem, Symbolise the Problem, Symbolise the Benefit, Comparison, Exemplary Story, Benefit Causes Story, Testimonial, Ongoing Character or Celebrity, Associated User Imagery, Unique Personality Property and lastly Parody or Borrowed Format.

Nonetheless, there has been a shift in format trends in advertising. Advertisers now uses multiple formats as a synergy or fusion to maximise advertising effect on consumers or even customers. In essence, these days due to intensive competition in marketplace, there are also certain advertisements which do not regard to the 12 master formats of Advertising. 

The Ad Types and The Approaches

McDonald's Print Ad

"McDONALD'S CREW CAN HANDLE ANYTHING.

It's no coincidence that our crew wear black belts to work. Our intense training gives them the practical skills required to advance through the ranks and become a Restaurant Manager, or even CEO. Skills like self-discipline, leadership and eventually the confidence to run a multi-million dollar business. If you know someone who could handle an exciting career with McDonald's, tell them to contact their local Restaurant Manager. Because our crew don't just learn how to use a cash register, they learn how to use their minds."

A center-spread print ad from Mcdonald's with the unusual element of visual is attention grabbing. The cohesiveness of the visual and copy is impressive. The overall ad is not cluttered and horizontally consistent throughout. However, the typography could be further improved to enhance the impact of the message. 



Pedigree Dentastix Print Ad



The approach and tonality of this Pedigree Dentastix Print Ad is playful and approachable. A generous amount of white space is provided to emphasis on the dreamy eyes of the dog and the product at the end. Product benefits is also exemplified concisely with one tagline and one slogan. 

Nevertheless, utilising one of The Gunn's 12 Master Formats of Advertising, Parody and Borrowed Format could heighten the mood of the ad. For instance well-known figures that is infused with humor and fun, popular names such as The Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan's Dog or Paris Hilton's Chihuahua will be exceptionally favourable for the setting and to boost Pedigree's Dentastix product and Brand Image. 

The Introduction

SILVER SHOWERS 

denotes ever-flowing positivity, an outstanding statement and the gem in this field of Advertising. 

This is a dynamic group of potential individuals which consist of 

Crystal Loh The Teamleader/Co-Editor, Nikke Ho Chief Editor, Andrew Jin Writer, 

Felicia Cheong Writer, Chin Kah Loong Writer and Lily Wong Writer. 

The group intents to provide and produce level best ads to eventually create an overall effective impact.

With the helpful assistance of The Lecturer, Ms Jenny, with hopes to achieve the 8 goals of learning outcomes in this journey of creative copywriting course.

The 8 Taylor's Graduate Capabilities will be strengthened and practical skills will be sharpened.