ADVERTISING: Week 07
10rd May 2016 (Week 7)
Gabriella Godeliva Adytanthio (0324170)
Advertising Principles & Practice
Influence of Social, Cultural, Economic, Ethical, and Political Factors in Advertising
Lecture
Influence of Social, Cultural, Economic, Ethical, and Political Factors in Advertising
(Long title, I know.)
The lecture started with a quote by Rory Sutherland: "I would rather be thought of as evil rather than useless". He means, he'd rather make an impact irrespective of the truth and possibly the welfare of society. An example is cigarettes: they are not good for your health and may cause death. Knowing this, would you still advertise it to people?
Advertising promotes choices, which comes in the form of different products. It reflects existing cultural values of a region or a country (this can be seen clearly through the ads of America vs. Asia). Advertising tends to promote a certain type of culture that may not be prominent in some circumstances.
Mr. Vinod explained to us about India and closed economy. Closed economy is an economy in which the government controls what is sold. Why would a country implement this kind of economy? Let's say India is a free economy country, and let's say they are importing medicine from Sweden. If Sweden decides to raise the price of their medicine, India has no choice but to swallow that pill and keep importing medicine regardless of the price because they are dependent.
However, if a country implements closed economy, that scenario would not happen. The government will control the products that they buy from overseas, and the local producer of the things they won't buy will have a chance to compete in the market. Closed economy nurtures the industry within the country, and gives it a fighting chance against external sources, because they are comparable.
Advertising doesn't just reflect culture, it also promotes foreign culture. Mr. Vinod showed us in his slides the difference in India before and after MTV. It shows cultural assimilation, the process by which a person or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group. (Wikipedia, 2016)
There is also the issue of truth within the advertising industry. Our lecturer showed us some slides showing ads made by Coca Cola; how they have used culture/issue to promote their product (feminist uprising in India) and how they take advantage of politics (India vs. Bangladesh). They were brilliant ads with great ideas and equally great execution. However, the truth is later revealed within a picture: three Coca Cola drinks—a can, a small bottle, and a larger bottle—are placed next to each other, and in front of them were the amount of sugar inside each drink represented by sugar cubes. The number of sugar cubes were insane, and people around the world are drinking it probably every day.
We realize that child obesity is in the rise, and one of the reasons for that is the unhealthy consumption of junk food and soft drinks, Coca Cola being one of the top brands of soft drinks in the world. Knowing so, a question arises: is it ethical or not to advertise such a product?
The government realizes that information is power, and so to control information, each country has an advertising code to refer to. The Malaysian Ministry of Information calls this code "Kod Ethika Periklanan". It holds a strong role, socially and politically.
Some samples of the Kod were shown:
The Ethical Conundrum in Advertising
We were given a question to answer on TIMeS that said:
Mr. Vinod told us about the story of Edward Bernays, who can be considered the pioneer of the PR industry, and how he utilized his knowledge of propaganda for the tobacco industry in the 50's. He was successful—a whole segment of the market that didn't smoke soon became consumers of cigarettes, although they were right to not smoke in the first place. In short, what he did was manipulate the mental construct of the target audience, and this trick is used until today. Businesses apply this trick, and then later on politics hops in the bandwagon, using it during their campaigns for elections. Two notable politicians are Bill Clinton and Tony Blair.
Having said that, Noam Chomsky thinks that today's advertising is immoral, unethical, and too manipulative. It coaxes the audience to make irrational choices in order to achieve the bottom line of business: money.
Business is about the bottom line, and the bottom line of business is money. In the capitalistic world of today, business always comes first. That implies that businesses don't care about how unethical their advertising activities are, as long as they get money.
In life, there only one thing: compromise. If A thinks they're right and B thinks they're right, they won't have middle ground, and conflict will continue. The same thing applies to advertising. The two sides are 1) the one that thinks advertising is evil, and 2) the one that advertises although it is evil. For side 1), their loss would be in profits, since if advertising is evil and they don't advertise, they won't get any consumers to buy their products. For side 2), their loss would not be in money but in heart; they will have lost their own morality. For the two of them to compromise, they will have to achieve the bottom line (money) without being unethical. It is not impossible, but for that to happen, they should not aim for excessive profit. Excessive profit leads to exaggeration, and exaggeration leads to deviation from the truth. By setting the profit goals to reasonable amount, they can still stick with the truth.
After this discussion we watched the videos that were recorded by the students from Atlanta, Georgia about their favorite food. Drooling ensued.
Instructions
Project 1 brief here
Project 3: Advertising Campaign
Description
Progress
Feedback
Specific Feedback:
A part of the book is called "How Will You Say it?", which discusses the choices of media to you can advertise through. The author talks about:
"Already by now advertising is using so much more than just classic media. Today everything can be advertising–a stunt, a song, a picture, a word, a poem, a dance, a color. The medium will more and more follow the thought."
References
Cultural assimilation. (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_assimilation
Sorrentino, M. Creative advertising.
Picture credits
Figure 1 – Weekly 10 sketches
Personal documentation
Figure 2 – Creative Advertising: An Introduction
http://www.vam.ac.uk/b/sites/default/files/styles/vam_colorbox/public/villa/submissions/creative_ad_billie_jean.jpg?itok=HBTj4DJz
Figure 3 – Example of direct advertising for Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service
http://files2.coloribus.com/files/adsarchive/part_1483/14837155/file/scottish-national-blood-transfusion-service-blood-bag-small-42544.jpg
Gabriella Godeliva Adytanthio (0324170)
Advertising Principles & Practice
Influence of Social, Cultural, Economic, Ethical, and Political Factors in Advertising
Lecture
Influence of Social, Cultural, Economic, Ethical, and Political Factors in Advertising
(Long title, I know.)
The lecture started with a quote by Rory Sutherland: "I would rather be thought of as evil rather than useless". He means, he'd rather make an impact irrespective of the truth and possibly the welfare of society. An example is cigarettes: they are not good for your health and may cause death. Knowing this, would you still advertise it to people?
Advertising promotes choices, which comes in the form of different products. It reflects existing cultural values of a region or a country (this can be seen clearly through the ads of America vs. Asia). Advertising tends to promote a certain type of culture that may not be prominent in some circumstances.
Mr. Vinod explained to us about India and closed economy. Closed economy is an economy in which the government controls what is sold. Why would a country implement this kind of economy? Let's say India is a free economy country, and let's say they are importing medicine from Sweden. If Sweden decides to raise the price of their medicine, India has no choice but to swallow that pill and keep importing medicine regardless of the price because they are dependent.
However, if a country implements closed economy, that scenario would not happen. The government will control the products that they buy from overseas, and the local producer of the things they won't buy will have a chance to compete in the market. Closed economy nurtures the industry within the country, and gives it a fighting chance against external sources, because they are comparable.
Advertising doesn't just reflect culture, it also promotes foreign culture. Mr. Vinod showed us in his slides the difference in India before and after MTV. It shows cultural assimilation, the process by which a person or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group. (Wikipedia, 2016)
There is also the issue of truth within the advertising industry. Our lecturer showed us some slides showing ads made by Coca Cola; how they have used culture/issue to promote their product (feminist uprising in India) and how they take advantage of politics (India vs. Bangladesh). They were brilliant ads with great ideas and equally great execution. However, the truth is later revealed within a picture: three Coca Cola drinks—a can, a small bottle, and a larger bottle—are placed next to each other, and in front of them were the amount of sugar inside each drink represented by sugar cubes. The number of sugar cubes were insane, and people around the world are drinking it probably every day.
We realize that child obesity is in the rise, and one of the reasons for that is the unhealthy consumption of junk food and soft drinks, Coca Cola being one of the top brands of soft drinks in the world. Knowing so, a question arises: is it ethical or not to advertise such a product?
The government realizes that information is power, and so to control information, each country has an advertising code to refer to. The Malaysian Ministry of Information calls this code "Kod Ethika Periklanan". It holds a strong role, socially and politically.
Some samples of the Kod were shown:
- must not project and promote an excessively aspirational lifestyle
- adaptation of projection of foreign culture which is not acceptable to a cross-section of the major communities in Malaysian society (words, slogan, clothing, etc.)
- cannot show armpits or skirts above the knee
- no undressing or acts which could bring about undesirable thoughts
- all scenes of shots must be done in Malaysia
The last point is a result of closed economy, to protect local jobs.
Unacceptable things to show in an ad in Malaysia:
- Alcohol/liquor
- Blue denims (remnants of the mud rock (???) era)
- Disco scenes
- Feminine napkins
- The use of the word "one" (it is only for God)
Ethics is a hotly debated issue in the advertising industry. Advertising sure has its functions and purposes, but it is perceived by the public as negative, more so in the case of online advertising.
We then discussed the idea of #viral(ity) in advertising. Small businesses which have little capital tend to spread viral advertising since it's something that requires less money, but reaps the same.
"The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible."
— David OgilvyWhat I understood from the lectures:
- The ethical concerns in advertising
- Closed economy and the reasons why it is practiced
- The link between advertising and culture, also advertising and politics
- The "truth" in advertising
- Malaysia's Kod Ethika Periklanan
- The concept of viral advertising
The Ethical Conundrum in Advertising
We were given a question to answer on TIMeS that said:
A free-market economy is based on informed consumers making rational choices.
However, Noam Chomsky alleges that advertising (and marketing) creates "uninformed consumers who will make irrational choices..."
Now, where do you stand in this argument?For me, this is a very deep and confusing question, and it is impossible for me to answer it under two hours. On the Friday class we had an interesting and seemingly philosophical discussion based on the question.
Mr. Vinod told us about the story of Edward Bernays, who can be considered the pioneer of the PR industry, and how he utilized his knowledge of propaganda for the tobacco industry in the 50's. He was successful—a whole segment of the market that didn't smoke soon became consumers of cigarettes, although they were right to not smoke in the first place. In short, what he did was manipulate the mental construct of the target audience, and this trick is used until today. Businesses apply this trick, and then later on politics hops in the bandwagon, using it during their campaigns for elections. Two notable politicians are Bill Clinton and Tony Blair.
Having said that, Noam Chomsky thinks that today's advertising is immoral, unethical, and too manipulative. It coaxes the audience to make irrational choices in order to achieve the bottom line of business: money.
Business is about the bottom line, and the bottom line of business is money. In the capitalistic world of today, business always comes first. That implies that businesses don't care about how unethical their advertising activities are, as long as they get money.
In life, there only one thing: compromise. If A thinks they're right and B thinks they're right, they won't have middle ground, and conflict will continue. The same thing applies to advertising. The two sides are 1) the one that thinks advertising is evil, and 2) the one that advertises although it is evil. For side 1), their loss would be in profits, since if advertising is evil and they don't advertise, they won't get any consumers to buy their products. For side 2), their loss would not be in money but in heart; they will have lost their own morality. For the two of them to compromise, they will have to achieve the bottom line (money) without being unethical. It is not impossible, but for that to happen, they should not aim for excessive profit. Excessive profit leads to exaggeration, and exaggeration leads to deviation from the truth. By setting the profit goals to reasonable amount, they can still stick with the truth.
After this discussion we watched the videos that were recorded by the students from Atlanta, Georgia about their favorite food. Drooling ensued.
Instructions
Project 1 brief here
Project 3: Advertising Campaign
Description
The student now has the task of developing an Advertising Campaign – a total of 8–10 ads across different/same media – for the Playsafe Condom Brand, and its Air Ultra Thin product. Utilising the insights researched (Project 2) and the ideas developed (Project 1), choose the most effective combination for the target audience (consumer) in context of the local market. The most important, is an idea with legs, and one that resonates with the target audience (consumer).
In part 1 of the advertising campaign, the focus is on developing the media mix, which media will be used, where, and when. A media mix is a “combination of advertising channels employed in meeting the promotional objectives of a marketing plan or campaign”. It is the process of analysing and choosing media for an advertising campaign.
What are the considerations for choosing the media mix? Arens & Schaefer (2005) suggest the 5Ms: Market, Money, Media, Mechanics and Methodology (Please refer to the PowerPoint presentation on Advertising Message & Media Strategy).
Deadline
Week 8 (23 May 2016)
Week 8 (23 May 2016)
Requirements
The student must document the above analysis in their eportfolio and A3 hardcopy portfolio. The results of the analysis must be collated and presented in a PowerPoint presentation. This will be uploaded to your eportfolio and printed as thumbnail slides 4 per-page for your A3 clear sheet hardcopy portfolio. The use of visuals, diagrams, charts, time-lines are highly encouraged.
Submission
- All gathered information (printouts, websites, images, charts, etc.) documented chronologically in the A3 Clear Sheet folder. The works must be labelled and dated.
- All gathered information (screen grabs, websites, images, charts, etc.) documented chronologically in the eportfolio for every week, for the duration of the project.
- Powerpoint presentation of final analysis and choice of the media mix with relevant visuals, diagrams, charts, time-lines included, along the lines of the 5Ms. Printed as a hand outs, 4 slides per page and presented.
Project 3 submission
ResearchProgress
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Figure 1 — Weekly 10 sketches
|
Feedback
Specific Feedback:
Good work on the YouTube video.General Feedback:
When providing the answers in TIMeS, write down the thoughts instead of directly answering the question.
Reflection
Experience
Midterm break has started, which means we're just going to do work without having to go to classes, which is not very exciting. At least I have more time and freedom to finish everything I need to finish. The Friday class was enjoyable, since we discussed topics that I consider fundamental and deep (impromptu philosophy class).
Observation
I realize that having so many things to do makes me even more high-strung than I already am last week: now that I don't have classes, I want to use whatever time I have to do work. I know that it's not a good thing to do, so I try to socialize every now and then. I realize that I'm nervous in facing submissions for this class and other classes, and this nervousness stems from the self-doubt I have regarding my skills and knowledge in what I am doing.
Findings
Inhale, exhale. I need to relax.
 |
Figure 2 — Creative Advertising: An Introduction
by Miriam Sorrentino
|
This book is really good and I'd like more time to read it, so I'll be talking about this book again this week.
A part of the book is called "How Will You Say it?", which discusses the choices of media to you can advertise through. The author talks about:
- Integrated campaigns
"Integrated media campaigns coordinate the use of a variety of media channels to communicate one succint brand message."
"Integrated media campaigns are arguably one of the most effective ways of getting a message across, and for a creative can be the most liberating." - Transmedia campaigns
- Digital
Print media has been around for a long time, but in this decade there is a lot of shift from traditional media to technology, that includes advertising. Having your advertisement presented in such technology presents boundless possibilities to play around with.
"The techniques for interactive advertising are progressing every day. Therefore we share seeds of an idea with Web productions and do some brainstorming together..."
— Hiroki Nakamura, Hajime Yakushiji, Shinsaku Ogawa, Hiroshi Koike, Tsubasa Kayasuga (Creative team members, Dentsu Tokyo)
- Social media
is a very powerful force to be reckoned with. All social media platforms are interactive, user-generated, and accessible, and are unified in blending technology and social interaction.
"Used in the right way, the social media technologies can be an extraordinary tool for brand interaction. They can be fun, playful, engaging and informative and are definitely a media channel to consider." - Experiential
People (me being one of them) most probably recognize these as "live events". An example of experiential campaign is the 2010 JWT New York Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange project: 14 cities across the world took part and were partnered up with each other, Toronto with Dehli, London with Miami, and so on. On 27 November 2010 clubbers from these cities took part in a club night that reflected the culture, music and nightlife of their partnered city. - TV and cinema
It's a time based medium. Events unfold to reveal the link between the product and the story. The creative is in control of when the reveal is delivered. The nature and type of reveal can add humor, drama, and impact.
"Clients are often very wary of using a reveal as they believe the target market will not remember the product and brand if it only takes up a small amount of screen time, and prefer to reveal the product from the very beginning, thereby removing one of the major dramatic tricks open to creatives." - Radio
"...radio feels very intimate, perhaps because of the fact that you have to imagine the scene within your own mind. This ability to have the audience feel that they are being spoken to personally can be very powerful. Every sound, every pause, is significant and adds to the experience." - Press
"A great press ad should be direct and inform the consumer about the benefits of using the product. It should stand out from the surrounding work and so should look visually appealing. And it should always, always be very simple."
— Raylin Valles (Creative director, Mudra Delhi) - Outdoor
"Outdoor is a tough medium. You have three seconds to raise people's interest for your poster, to make them stop on their way, to fascinate them and make them get your point. That's a lot you ask from them. Therefore you have to make the idea big and quick. Or you can make the logo bigger. Just kidding."
— Sabina Hesse (Copywriter, Heimat Berlin)
Jon Daniel, exec. creative director at Ebb&Flow, suggests asking yourself the following questions when making a poster for outdoor advertising: - What's the single most powerful statement I can make on this blank rectangular shape?
- Can I make that statement without words?
- How can I use the space for dramatic effect?
Where can it be hung or placed for dramatic effect?
- Direct advertising
is usually asked to deliver a specific direct mail message rather than a branding campaign.
 |
Figure 3 — Example of direct advertising
for Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service |
"Already by now advertising is using so much more than just classic media. Today everything can be advertising–a stunt, a song, a picture, a word, a poem, a dance, a color. The medium will more and more follow the thought."
–Sabina Hesse (Copywriter, Heimat Berlin)
References
Cultural assimilation. (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_assimilation
Sorrentino, M. Creative advertising.
Picture credits
Figure 1 – Weekly 10 sketches
Personal documentation
Figure 2 – Creative Advertising: An Introduction
http://www.vam.ac.uk/b/sites/default/files/styles/vam_colorbox/public/villa/submissions/creative_ad_billie_jean.jpg?itok=HBTj4DJz
Figure 3 – Example of direct advertising for Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service
http://files2.coloribus.com/files/adsarchive/part_1483/14837155/file/scottish-national-blood-transfusion-service-blood-bag-small-42544.jpg