Targeting Different Audiences: Three Advertisements Essay

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Purchase the cologne and the male wearer will instantly become like the man in the advertisement, the picture suggests -- or your boyfriend or husband will become like the man in the advertisement. Of course, written out directly, this statement sounds absurd. This message is conveyed in a subtle fashion, through subtext and visual suggestion rather than overtly.

Cologne is not a functional product: it is not strictly a 'necessity.' Any additional cost demanded by the manufacturer is based upon the intangible aspects wearing it conveys to the viewer. Rather than practical attributes (even a cream like Oil of Olay has a certain, specific use it must fulfill -- no matter how well-marketed, it is unlikely to be purchased unless it actually helps the wearer's skin) a cologne's appeal is almost completely based upon the wearer's self-image and the image he wishes to project. The image of the man is much more prominent than the actual image of the cologne, which is relegated to the side of the advertisement.

The watch advertisement, in contrast, must unite some sense of functionality and image, given that the likely purchaser wants a product that can tell time but also projects a certain image to the world. Unlike cologne, a watch is more apt to be purchased by a male for himself. The watch is marketed as a tie-in with a film called G.I. Joe Retaliation. Once again, much like the cologne advertisement, the product is advertised to entice the purchaser to feel as if he or she is part of a particular 'world' by virtue of purchasing the item. In this case, the likely male consumer wants to feel as if he is an 'American hero' like G.I.

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Joe. The male-focused nature of the advertisement is evident in its darkness, its focus on a powerful male with a gun at the photo's center. This is unlikely to be a purchase that a woman would make for a man, based upon the ad's stylization.

A collective analysis of all three advertisements yields the finding that advertisements are rarely based upon logical appeals. Even the Oil of Olay advertisement, with all of its scientific jargon, is not truly 'logical' in orientation, but merely suggests the appearance of this in its fake scientific equations and definitions. In the advertisements for the cologne and the watch, there is little pretense of practicality. The long-lasting effects of the cologne or other functional attributes are not mentioned at all. The watch is marketed in a slightly more practical fashion, given that its watch face is shown (it seems to tell time) but overall, its other valuable attributes like the ability of the watch to withstand water are meaningless. Rather, what matters is that the purchase will make the wearer into the 'person' he or she wishes to become, by virtue of his act of conspicuous consumption......

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