Joe Leadbeater
Critical Positions on Advertising Word Count: 2892
“Advertising doesn't sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel' (Jeremy Bullmore). Evaluate this statement with reference to selected critical theories”
Bullmore (1998) also believed there were two forms of advertising: ‘1) advertising that people go looking for and 2) advertising that goes looking for people’. I have decided to look at the second aspect, as Karl Marx said 'the product becomes a commodity…it is exchanged for a symbol which represents it as exchange value’(Marx, 1867).
O’Shaughnessy, J, & O’Shaughnessy, raised the point that ‘Persuasion is becoming more important in advertising. A major reason is that competition is finding it easier to erode any functional or price advantage attached to the product’ (O’Shaughnessy, J, & O’Shaughnessy, 2004, p1). Steward Ewan’s concept of the ‘commodity self’ is brought forward. One does not buy a product based on its function; it is consumed based on the lifestyle it appears to portray. This is further emphasized in the Preface of ‘Persuasion in Advertising’: ‘if the target audiences do not have the ‘right’ perspective, this can be changed – not by logic but by the offer of a more appealing perspective, by emotional appeal to their values or by indirect persuasion via rhetoric’ (Cialdini, 1998, p172).
What better example could there be than the superficial fragrance market, which thrives on connotations of glamour, envy and wealth. The sale of the product itself is flawed through visual advertising, since you cannot ‘see’ a smell.
For this reason, I have chosen to analyse two Chanel No 5 advertisements. The first was produced in 1979, just preceding the 80’s, a decade characterised by extravagance. Thatcher was in power, the ultimate in sexual equality. Women achieved as much as men, and the income to match. They became equal breadwinners in the household, and were no longer ‘kept’ at home. This is shown in fashion, and in particular, the workplace. Women wore tailored suits that not only accentuated their
femininity, but also with padded shoulders, resembled the natural physical form of men. There was a huge rise in disposable income earned by women, which perfume companies understood perfectly well. With independence came a rise of self-esteem, and an increase in the consumption of luxury goods.
The advert, entitled ‘Share The Fantasy’ (Figure 1), shows high saturation imagery of a beautiful, empowered woman lying in front of a royal blue pool. Instantly, we are shown an object of beauty. This is often shown in advertising, as Cialdini wrote: ‘It is apparent that good-looking people enjoy an enormous social advantage in our culture. They are better liked, more persuasive, more frequently helped, and seen as possessing better personality traits’ (Cialdini, 1998, p172). The second Chanel No 5 advert, entitled ‘There You are’ (Figure 2) conveys the same message, but through a much more obvious public figure, Brad Pitt. John Berger agrees with Cialdini: ‘glamour is supposed to go deeper than looks, but depends on them, utterly’ (Berger, ‘Ways of Seeing Advertising, www.youtube.com). Glamour is a recent phenomenon. In the heyday of oil painting and fine art, this did not exist. There were ideas of grace and elegance, but these are fundamentally different. The key difference between glamour and beauty is envy. Berger says in his book ‘The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour’ (Berger, 1972, p142). So if we consume these products, people will envy us, therefore making us glamorous. Consciously, we look at these role models and admire, but subconsciously, we aspire to be them. We see them as a lifestyle choice we desire, and consumption of the product as a solution.
Berger states in his television series ‘envy becomes common in a society that moved towards democracy, and then stopped half way. Their status is theoretically open to anyone, but enjoyed only by a few’ (Berger, ‘Ways of Seeing - Advertising, www.youtube.com). We are given an example of a better life to live, be it lying by a beautiful swimming pool next to the perfect sexual partner, or being directly spoken to by Brad Pitt. The connotations are similar for the same product, despite the ads existing in entirely different social
and political contexts, showing that Chanel are reinforcing the same idea, even after roughly thirty years.
Berger goes on to say ‘things that publicity sells are in themselves neutral, just objects. And so they have to be made glamorous, by being inserted into contexts that are exotic enough to be arresting, but not close enough to us to offer a threat’ (Berger, ‘Ways of Seeing - Advertising, www.youtube.com). A fragrance only has one practical function; to make you smell a certain way. Chanel inserts it into a context of a lifestyle that none of its potential consumers lead, but give us the idea that we could live it. We do not necessarily feel that our lives will change entirely and we will gain direct wealth, but we gain aspects of power and envy from our peers. Berger summarises this ‘it proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, our lives by buying something more…. it will make us in some way richer-even though we will be poorer by having spent our money’ (Berger, ‘Ways of Seeing Advertising, www.youtube.com).
The product is given a purpose due to its context, but is still sold without a direct purpose given to the consumer. Pitt delivers an abstract speech with no explicit meaning. ‘Share Your Fantasy’ contains the same ambiguity, with the female briefly uttering ‘I am made of blue sky, and golden light, and I will feel this way forever’, neither of which states the functional value of the product. This is often used in advertising, as Farbey wrote: ‘the stimuli we perceive are often ambiguous. It’s up to us to determine the meaning based on our past experiences, expectations and needs’ (Farbey, 1998, p19). Essentially, we are still given a context, but we relate it to our own. We do this through the process of considering past experiences, and evaluating if the consumption of the product will benefit our future.
Past experiences are often used to sell, and these aren’t always necessarily visual. One example is the common belief that the smell of coffee can help sell a house. Solomon explains this through an example of ‘Folgers’, a US coffee company: ‘Researchers for Folgers found that, for many people, the smell of coffee summons up childhood memories of their mothers cooking
breakfast, so the aroma reminds them of home. The company turned this insight into a commercial in which a young man in an army uniform arrives home early one morning’(Solomon, 2008, p10). The product is being sold on the memories it provokes. You are not being sold coffee for its function; you are sold a nostalgic memory. A website for a property mortgage company even suggest smell as a selling point ‘there are some very important things a seller can do to improve the chance that the buyer will be impressed with what they see . . . and smell’. Coffee is the most recommended of smells, as ‘Coffee aroma is responsible for all coffee flavour attributes’. Interestingly, they also recommend ‘a batch of cookies’, or ‘baking bread’ (Bills, 2011, Let Coffee Sell Your Home, propertymortgageinvestment.com).
Solomon explains, ‘We process fragrance cues in the limbic system, the most primitive part of the brain and the place where we experience immediate emotions’ (Solomon, 2008, p10). So the feelings we experience when a certain smell reaches our nostrils are innate. There is no way of avoiding a reaction to a smell, be it good or bad. Marketers have learnt to tap into this, and use certain common past experiences to trigger a feeling about a product. Obviously the usage of “peel n’ sniff” perfume samples in magazines promote the smell of the product, but the above example shows how the smell of one commodity can sell another.
Scent alone can drive the sales of a product: ‘Mars used scent technology to spread the aroma of chocolate around its M & M’s World retail outlets, and it put Pedigree dog food – scented stickers in front of supermarkets and pet stores (presumably to attract hard-core pet lovers and their furry friends)’ (Solomon, 2008, p10). You could argue that the products are being sold on their physical qualities. This is entirely true, since ‘90 per cent’ (Hirsch, 2010, Taste is Actually Smell, dailyherald.com) of what we taste is smell. However, I am arguing that we cannot escape this form of marketing influence. A reaction to smell is innate, and it is human instinct to desire something that holds a certain smell. Visual marketing and its influence may become apparent and conscious, whereas you can be influenced by scent and not even know it.
Solomon states ‘Ad companies spend around $80 million per year on scent marketing: the Scent Marketing Institute estimates that number will reach more than $500 million by 2016’ (Solomon, 2008, p10). If this much is currently spent on scent marketing, with it hugely increasing, then it must be successful. The future of its influence seems alarming, intimidating and something to fear.
Advertising often plays on a notion of fear in order to attract you towards consumption, as Berger explains, ‘the anxiety on which publicity plays is the fear that having nothing you will be nothing’ (Berger, ‘Ways of Seeing Advertising, www.youtube.com).
Berger also explains its influence on men: ‘it promotes the illusion that a man’s ability to consume is directly related to his sexual mobility’ (Berger, 1972, p140). Traditionally, and instinctively, men feel as if they should provide for their family and household. If they cannot provide the products that their family ‘need’, then they feel emasculated. Solomon suggests that this ‘need’ can be split into three categories: ‘need for affiliation’, ‘need for power’ and ‘need for uniqueness’ (Solomon, 2008, p35).
‘Affiliation’ relates to a feeling of loneliness. One judge’s others on their commodity self, and makes a comparison to their own. They feel as if they should match the commodities of others, or consume the same things in order to bond socially.
‘Power’ is focussed at men. When the right commodities are not within reach, a male can feel weaker, and feel as if they have a lack on control. Often these relate to technology and a constant perpetuation to ‘keep up to date’ with products. Not only do marketers catch onto this, but also the design of products themselves. Products are increasingly made to have a ‘planned obsolescence’. Newly marketed products peak in consumption, then start to break, repair or superseded by a more ‘modern’ version. As this happens, a new product is introduced, solving the problem of feeling ‘out-dated’.
‘Uniqueness’ serves the need to assert one’s individual identity. An example of this could be an old slogan of perfume company ‘Cachet’, which read ‘as individual as you are’ (Figure 3). You are made to believe that through the process of consumption you are in the process of rebellion. If you were to buy anything else, you are buying into the same lifestyle as everyone else, which is consciously considered a bad thing. People who fit into this category consciously seek others to think higher of them, and tend to be ‘older, affluent and highly confident’ (Solomon, 2008, p35). Solomon gives the example of a Subaru commercial that seeks to target role – relaxed customers, a man proclaims, ‘I want a car… Don’t tell me about wood panelling, about winning the respect of my neighbours. They’re my neighbours. They’re not my heroes’ (Solomon, 2008, p133). This theory seems to go against the norm of trying to fit in. Interestingly, this is specific to the Western culture, whereas in a Japanese society, there is emphasis on “collective well – being and group loyalty over individuals’ needs” (Solomon, 2008, p35). Nahai also agrees with this ‘people from collectivist cultures (such as Indian or China) are more likely to rely on the actions of their peers to inform their decisions than those from a more individualist country (such as the UK)’ (Nahai, 2012, p174). Role – relaxed consumers are often in the minority, so marketers tend to only direct them with certain products.
However, the majority of us see our lives as lacking in comparison with our peers, and the solution to be through consumption. Advertising manipulates us into believing that if we consume, our lives will change for the better. Berger describes this process as a ‘fear, often the fear of not being desirable, of being unenviable. It suggests you are inadequate as you are, but it consoles you with a promise of a dream’ (Berger, 1972, p147). We see consumption as a step up of the life we already exist within. With each purchase, we feel closer to an ideology of a better life. We never seem to realise that we are stuck in limbo, ‘endlessly deferred’ (Berger, 1972, p147), and through the process of constantly re-evaluating our lives; we are never fully satisfied with what we have.
Dettol (figure 4) use induced fear to their consumers in order to sell their products. The commercial begins with ‘Fact. Some bacteria are almost indestructible. It can even survive in lava. So think how easily the bacteria in your kitchen can survive’. The image of unrealistic lava – like bacteria is shown, with sharp Horror film style violin sounds in the background. Reification is used to show the bacteria almost as a monster. Then, exactly half way through the advert, we are shown a solution to the problem that we all apparently face. The music changes, the product appears and the scene seems to light up.
Having been shown the ‘awful reality’ in which we live, instantly, we are shown a solution: ‘The purpose of publicity is to make the spectator marginally dissatisfied with his present way of life. Not with the way of life of society, but with his own within it. It suggests that if he buys what it is offering, his life will become better’ (Berger, ‘Ways of Seeing - Advertising, www.youtube.com). Not only do we see the products usage, but we are also shown a situation where a mother is seen bonding with her son having provided a safe environment. We are given the message that if we purchase this commodity that not only will we have a clean kitchen, but our children will firstly love us, and secondly, be safe from this ‘deadly’ bacteria. The product has been reified as the ‘hero’ of the household. You can see this in other cleaning products, famously ‘Mr Muscle’.
Through commodity fetishism we assume Dettol is safe. The assumption is made that the killing of bacteria will have a direct correlation to the increase or safety of our health. We see the product as a way of protecting our children against harmful and deadly bacteria, but never seem to consider the safety and strength of the product itself.
Dianthus, an online medical centre, wrote on their blog ‘we are constantly exposed to bacteria in every part of our environment, and we have immune systems that are rather good at dealing with them. If we are to believe that wiping our kitchen surfaces with antibacterial products such as Dettol will improve our health, and if Dettol are going to make that claim in their
adverts, then we need to see evidence that it is true’ (Jacobs, 2010, Dettol Protects: Facts or Fiction? , dianthus.co.uk). Dettol use the word ‘Fact’ instantly at the start of their advert, which we assume that we can rely on. In reality, ‘No clinical trials have been done, however; and, Dettol is not approved for this indication by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’ (Jacobs, 2010, Dettol Protects: Facts or Fiction?, dianthus.co.uk).
Advertising not only creates a false perception of our needs (‘Dettol kills 99.9 % bacteria’, therefore that’s what we need), but also masks a way of life we could live with, and be satisfied with. Commodity fetishism is used to create a false reality where everything is perfect. This isn’t done just through the promotion of one product, but the constant reinforcement of branding and advertising that surrounds us. Twenty five thousand print adverts are produced each year in the UK, and this figure is growing rapidly. If each of these commodities is promoting a new way of life, then false reality is produced.
Whilst more and more adverts are produced, our perception of a perfect life is constantly updated, with our previous opinions feeling out-dated. Marketing works in a way in which we forget the past expectations we held of our commodities. This is done so we struggle to reminisce and compare how much our lives have actually changed.
Both Dettol and Chanel have been producing the same products for well over half a century, but constantly reinventing how they are marketed. We are bombarded with new adverts, new brands, and never reminded of the old, unless it is used as a marketing strategy to promote the new. Advertising doesn’t sell commodities on their function; it sells on experiences, anxiety and pressure. As the consumer, we don’t realise it, and if it were brought forward consciously, then yes, we would avoid it. But since it’s hidden behind a mask, it does not frustrate us, and the ignorance doesn’t seem to hurt us. We live in a western world where capitalism and consumerism work hand in hand.
Without consumerism culture we would not be anywhere near as developed or as rich in our resources, technology or trade.
Visual References:
Figure 1: Director: Ridley Scott, ‘Share The Fantasy - CHANEL N°5’, 1979 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVwvmozG6-A
Figure 2: Director: Joe Wright, ‘There you are - CHANEL N°5 Part 1’, 2012 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGs4CjeJiJQ
Figure 3: Context : Cosmopolitan , Cachet – ‘As Individual As You Are’, 1979
Figure 4: ‘Dettol – Complete Clean’, 2010 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCOSFTugYZM
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