How Advertisement Trend Influence Consumer Culture (Term Paper Sample)

How advertisement trend influence consumer culture
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Introduction
Authenticity can be conceived as being the gap that exists between the natural-self and social self.Usually, the self can develop freely in a good society but unfortunately it isn’t the case because society corrupts it (Goldman and Papson ,1996). Nowadays, advertisement has advanced to a higher level, whereby the advertisers use authentication to their advantage. They use signifiers (such as models, celebrities and opinion makers) to create a meaning about a thing through aestheticization. They tend to bring about the aspect of differentiation which most people in a society will find desirable. The geniuses in advertisement have resulted in using this phenomenon in media adverts for the purpose of selling more. This has brought up certain trends in both consumer culture and advertisement. Nowadays, the consumer culture has been influenced to the extent that consumers are tricked to purchase what they don’t require. They have been forced to transform themselves into what they are not supposed to be for the benefit of the brands. Therefore, it’s true to say that, in recent years, more and more brands, through their advertisements, have strived to cultivate a feeling of inferiority complex amongst its consumers so that they will always feel they are in need of their products. Thus, consumers nowadays are in the habit of buying what isn’t necessary. This paper is going to examine ads from Cosmopolitan magazine and Rolling Stone magazine to illustrate this claim.
The Fructis Shampoo Advertisement
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Targeted Audience: This ad is found in Cosmopolitan Magazine. This magazine targets mostly adult women mostly those of 18 to 40 years of age. Such women could be single or married but interested in beauty, fashion and romantic relationships (Keltner, 2005). Therefore, this magazine puts articles that focus on sex, dating, weight loss and even female celebrities. Most women will read this magazine so that they get answers to their beauty, relationship, sex and weight issues. They also purpose to stay up-to-date.
To appeal to its target audience, the Fructis advertisement addresses women beauty and in particular, the women hair issues. Just like in other parts of the World, women hair appearance is of great concern in American society. For this reason, women are constantly researching for services and products that can transform their hair to fit the latest styles. Just like so many ads do, Fructis shampoo advertisement exploits insecurities women feel about their hair to make them feel that they are in need of this product to be better. ‘Better’ here could mean that the women will gain beauty and confidence. Therefore, this ad promises the user of this product confidence, beauty, and strength.
Used graphics
It’s known that graphics does have an emotional appeal (Keltner, 2005).The ad uses a long-haired model. Just like many beauty products ads; the model is to represent characteristic features that most women like to have. The model on the ad has a thin body, shiny hair, oval symmetrical face and flawless skin. She seems to have alluring stare at the reader. She looks more like women seen in music videos and movies. She is someone envied by women and desired by men. She easily fits into the nowadays society’s description of ‘beauty. ‘Women will look therefore at the model and feel more insecure about their appearance. But the good thing is that they are made to realize that Fructis shampoo could help change their appearance to seem like that of a model. The model is a presentation of how a woman is expected to look like so that the society can term her as beautiful.
Language used
The ad uses a language that propagates beauty ideas as well as sending strength and confidence (2005). It makes use of words like, ‘SLEEK & SHINE’ in bold. There are positive connotations attached to such words in the society, and there is no woman who wouldn’t like to have hair that is ‘sleek’ and ‘shiny. ‘Though such words can be considered as being subjective, the ad does not tell the degree of sleekness or shininess it advocates for. But believe me, no woman will like her hair ‘dull. ‘Even though deep analysis can render such words to be useless, the ad succeeds to deliver its message about the product that is not substantiated.
The ad continues to use words such as, ‘Fight the freez. Keep it smooth. The first smoothening system with nutritive fruit micro-oils from Garnier. No one makes your hair stronger. ‘What this does is that it promises its audience smooth hair that is stronger than it is now. In short, the ad is trying to pass the message about the product. Also, it claims that “STRONGER HAIR STAYS SLEEKER LONGER. (Even in up to 98% humidity). ‘’(2005).This statement is trying to showcase the effect the shampoo will have on the hair. But there are a few things to wonder; the hair will be ‘stronger’ than what. In other words, the ad is telling the reader that she doesn’t have strong and sleek hair and if she buys this product, she will gain the same.
Also, the model on this advert is made to look the reader in the eyes. At the same time, the model pulls her hair with the other arm. Essential, the advert is trying to show that the shampoo has the capacity to instill confidence and strength in a woman. The pulling of the hair is an indication that the product will add strength to the hair. The model looks confident despite the rain seen outside the umbrella. Usually, rain is enemy to most women hair as it results in humidity and dampness that is destructive to one’s hairstyle. However, the model makes the audience to feel as though the product will bring confidence and strength to them.
How Fructis Shampoo ad represents a trend in which ads cultivate the feeling of inferiority complex to change consumer culture.
First and foremost, it is not possible for all women to look like models. Everyone has his/her insecurities and that no one is perfect. That is nature. But the ad says that a woman should have long shiny hair, flawless skin and thin physic for the society to consider her beautiful. Naturally not every woman has long hair, thin physic or even a flawless skin. By highlighting these features, is, therefore, making the reader feel insecure about how she looks. The ad seems to suggest that by using this product, one will gain beauty, confidence, and strength which cannot be substantiated and it’s not always true. In other words, the ad is trying to make the women feel that they are of inferior complex and they should use their product to change that. But women have always been beautiful, confident and with strength even without the product. The result is that the ad succeeds to trick them into a culture of consuming such products even though they are unnecessary to them.
Old Spice Swagger Ad
This is a Rolling stone magazine ad. It is worth noting that, the magazine readers are people who follow closely politics, movies, sports and music trends. To reach its audience, the publisher employs sarcasm and humor. Thus, Old spice ad employs humor for its emotional appeal by making the audience to laugh. Therefore the reader will associate the product with positive emotion. The positive emotion created in a way makes the reader connect with the product.
The ad also makes use of Brian Urlacher-an athlete, to appeal (Alfano, Christine, and O’Brien, 2008). The ad here is trying to connect his reputation with that of the product-Old spice, and this presents an ethical appeal. Obviously, the audience is very familiar with Chicago bears...