The Evolution of Advertising - Essay Example

? Advertisements have gone through drastic changes over the last half century, from black and white monotonous tones to vibrant and colorful tunes that stick in the heads of its viewers. Ads in the magazines have been a source of reach to the masses and have occupied household shelves since the 1950’s. Magazine ads have changed not only in their appearance but also in their content and intended audience. The way the message was pitched to the audience reflected the thinking of the masses of that era. Nowadays, although some brands continue to capture their target market with the same message they had 30 or 40 years ago, some brands have transformed radically in their approach and have given a new identity to their products often re-inventing their products. Another proper feature of the ads from1980’s was that they focused more on the qualities of the product rather than on how it will affect the customer. A classic example is of Nescafe's Gold Blend. There ads from the 1980's targeted the mature and higher class gentry. This special coffee was for sophisticated people with sophisticated tastes usually drunk in parties and meetings. The ad also showcased bottles of coffee with golden roasted beans on top of the jar. With the passage of time although the intended audience changed to the youth and encompassed people from all walks and ages of life but one thing remained the same, that is the focus on bonding of long lasting relationships. The core emphasis was still on the golden roasted coffee beans. Maybelline, the nail polish maker, focused in their ads on the features and qualities of its nail polish. They emphasized on key words such as smart and beautiful to distinguish its product from its rivals. Moreover, in the ad they only showed fingers with dark red nail polish. Another nail polish ad by Cutex, only showed the fingers that displayed dark red polish. Their ad also emphasized on the unique quality of strong nail strength and used tag lines such as “picture-perfect strength”. Andrea nail polish ad also only showed both hands with dark red nail polish, this highlights the fact that in the 1980’s nail polish companies used red color to draw attention and was as a symbol of universal nail color. It can also be identified that red was the most commonly used nail polish worldwide. Moreover, the showing of only part of the hand signifies the fact that it wasn’t considered appropriate to show a lady in ads, a typically backward approach of that time.i Camel Cigarettes is a good example of how the ads have drastically changed over the past few decades. During the 1980’s the company focused entirely on a limited market of adventurous and rough men by using titles such as, ‘where a man belongs’, ‘it’s a whole new world’ and ‘share a new adventure’. These titles were constructed by targeting only men, especially those who used to spend time outdoors and lived solitary lives. It basically gave them an impression of a companion in places where there was no one else and its pictures portray scenes of mountains, rivers, ice-caps and so on. In short, it was for the most rough and bold type of people who dared to go beyond limits. Camel gave them the opportunity to differentiate from others and establish themselves as the rugged, hardy and robust men. The ads were simple with nothing more than the name of the brand and magnificent scenery at the back. The basic idea was to establish a unique identity through a special journey that the individual had gone through, and Camel cigarettes were always there to share it.ii On the other hand, the new ads of the same Camel cigarettes speak a different story. They are more creative and appeal to a wide variety of markets. Their recent ad campaign “Discover More” used a variety of optical illusion tools to highlight its brand name. This more subtle image of the brand got embedded in the unconscious minds of the consumers who tend to remember the product more. Its existence in so many places through its logo shows how it can be found anywhere and everywhere.iii A latest marketing campaigning by Camel cigarettes featured the words ‘light and luscious’ and surprisingly enough caught attention of the teen girls. According to a study, within a year of this ad’s debut, 22% of the girls listed Camel cigarettes as their favorite cigarette ad. This proves the fact that the way the ad was pitched it was certainly going to interest more than just grown up men. (Szabo, 2010) The world’s largest athletic footwear company, NIKE, still uses a similar strategy as is used year back. In its various ads, it showcased its entire range and highlighted how it has revolutionized the experience of playing sports and running. The main aim was to target athletes from all games all over the world, and they were quite successful in their approach by keeping it simple. The ads consisted of the shoe with the Nike Swoosh logo and were followed by the benefits of the new shoe. The company’s priority was to distinguish its product from competitors by giving its customer a comfortable and memorable footwear experience. ivThe ads from the 1980’s hardly used any celebrity endorsements and stressed only on the shoe itself. When compared to ads from the current year, they still show the Nike shoes excelling because of its features. The only added difference is of the high end celebrities, who endorse the various products of Nike. Sports celebrities give the apparel credibility and guarantee that its use will deliver extreme pleasure along with modern style. To give it a touch of vividness and modernity, the new ads use more colorful combinations to display the products and uses textures that are attention seeking.v Toyota also featured its ads in the 1980’s using a very simple plain background in which the cars were displayed and the benefits were mentioned. Main focuses of that era were better mileage, less fuel consumption and cheap price. The ads highlighted all these features and assured the customer that the drive is as pleasurable as the look of the car.vi Nevertheless, as decades have gone by, Toyota ads have shifted to more personal touch by emphasizing the need for bigger cars for family and growing attachments to your cars. They talk about class, style and the comfort of the new cars. Toyota now uses more indirect approach by persuading its customers to look beyond fuel consumption and make themselves a bigger part of the society. Ads showcasing Toyota Prius depict a relationship between the car and the environment. This highlights the importance that we are responsible for its well being and sustainability. In overall essence the ads have become more mature in the way they target the market.vii The most notable differences in the ads from the 1980’s to today are in the electronics industry, especially that of personal computers. Most of the ads from companies like Apple, IBM and HP were alike. They showed the small microcomputer and gave long list of its features. These ads were filled with texts that described the qualities of the new microcomputers. At times the text was too small to even read and was technical for any ordinary person to understand. The companies basically tried to differentiate their product from the competitor’s product by highlighting its hardware capabilities which people were mostly unaware of. These ads were primarily dull and didn’t have the element of spark in them to catch the attention of the reader.viii Now the desktop and laptop ads are simple and have a lively touch to them. They display the products and instead of giving lengthy details of the features just highlight the most important feature and focus on the price element. Since customers want to save on money, they highlight in their ads that the desktop PCs range start from a specific lowest price. Since technology has revolutionized and people have become more aware of the technological aspects of the products, therefore it has become easier for the companies to just display a few features that will best help the customers in making their decision.ix Overall, ads in the 1970-1980s were focused more towards the product instead of the customers. These ads were constructed by keeping in mind what will attract the customers to purchase these products. In contemporary years ads have redefined the way customers think and view the product. Now apart from just the product features and benefits, ads also guide people how to live better lives. They give the masses the option to choose from the best and live their lives in the best way possible. Although the products have remained the same but the reasons for using the products have changed. Ads in the past were more family oriented and conservative to an extent, but now they promote a sense of freedom for individuals and encourage everyone to try out products and services that go way beyond their limits. This adventurous, courageous and gutsy attitude has revolutionized the way marketers now target their respective market segments. Works Cited Szabo, L. (2010, march 15). Camel No. 9 cigarette ads appeal to teen girls. Retrieved from USA TODAY: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-03-15-teensmoking15_ST_N.htm Read More