Multiple Styles, Same Message Advertising Design 2015 Lydia Howard
Product: Diamond Ring (from well-known chain of jewelers) Target: Male, 27-34, disposable income available though not “rich”, college educated, about to propose to first spouse (female). Approach: The famous diamond company De Beers was looked to for inspiration. Their marketing has played the role of leader in the jewelry world and they are the ones behind the iconic “A diamond is forever”. De Beers current ads (aimed at men) play on stereotypes and fraternal humor. The language of our ad is casual, but emphasizes the “correctness” of buying the proper ring. The usage of repeated “don’ts” is meant to emulate the gesture of a friend taking you by the shoulders to help you make the right decision. The emphasis on “overthink” acknowledges the complex and sometimes confusing nature of picking out an engagement ring, letting the viewer know that it doesn’t have to be that way. Look: A long, tightly kerned serif is used to create a feeling of authority and tradition. This contrasts with the large, perfect circles of the sans-serif in “overwork”. The text is white on a black background, a clean and classic approach which suggests to the viewer the feeling of looking at something high class.
Product: Top Gaming System, (not a computer) Target: Female/Male, 14-18, limited income due to age, purchaser of product. Approach: Gaming systems are a polarizing product. The “Big Three”, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft stand above any independent system in terms of brand recognition and loyalty. Consumers will fiercely defend their preferred system and the brands have a history of trying to one-up each other. For younger gamers, this ongoing rivalry has the potential to be confusing, and given the limited income of the consumer, make them reluctant to shell out so much money. Our ad relies upon that established brand awareness referencing the “Big Three’s” logos. It presents the three in equal terms letting the viewer know that this rivalry is something they don’t have to worry about. Our product is not recognizable by logo alone, but is a break from the three gaming oligopolies. Look: “Do not” references the look of the Nintendo logo, “overthink” references the type from Sony’s PlayStation series, and “this” references the type from Microsoft’s Xbox series. The middle of the page placement is reminiscent of other gaming ads and keeping the type small makes the message a visual block of easily digestible information. Opposing the dark and traditional white text on black layouts of gaming magazines, the stark whiteness shakes the viewer up and acts as a visual reset from the overly textured and detailed backgrounds of other ads. The ad as whole says, “We’re different, try us”.
Product: Soil premixed for gardening. Target: Female/Male, 36-42, disposable income available, avid gardener. Approach: Seeing results are what gardeners aim for. The fresh fruit, bright flowers, and healthy growth are key. In this ad we chose to focus on end product; the fruit that the consumer harvested after using our soil to plant and supplement their garden’s needs. To gardeners who are hoping to branch out from solely floral to food, we can say, “We’ve got this; you don’t need to worry or overthink all these soil brands, we are best for your garden.” The ad has a casual feel, emulating something the consumer would write down for themselves. Look: Two bright cherries make up the word “do”, taking advantage of its placement as the first word in the copy. San-serif, lower case lettering is reminiscent of something the consumer or a friend might write as a reminder. It has a tone of openness. “This” is slightly larger and green which plays against the “do”, giving the ad a secondary reading of “Do this”. The simple white background acts in contrast to the grass clipping and dirt of other gardening advertisements cementing the feel of a personal reminder rather than a forceful sale.
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Product: Las Vegas Tourism Target: Male, 18-24, disposable income available, average (stereotyped) amount of responsibility and partying for this age group and gender. Approach: Taking inspiration from frat boy humor this ad plays on the idea of picking up a magazine only to find the previous reader has scribbled down their thoughts on what each ad is trying to sell you. The base of the ad is a fake responsibility campaign by such groups as D.A.R.E. The message has been distorted in a similar fashion to the “To cool to take drugs” pencil that slowly turns into “take drugs” as it is sharpened. The unidentified graffitist wants the consumer to know that by doing the exact opposite of the original copy they will be finding both fun and money. Look: The white serif text on black is reminiscent of anti-drug/responsibility campaigns and is representative of a unknown and out of touch authority figure. The red strokes of the scribbled “not” and underlines are like those of someone forcefully writing with a sharpie or pen. There is a visual urgency created by the lines under “this” and through the unknown text along the final line.
Responsibility is key
Product: Guided Tours to Europe (Specifically France) Target: Females, 47-54 (Secondary Target: Male, husband of female), disposable income, parents of 2 grown children no longer at home. Approach: For many, traveling the world is something that cannot be done in young because of financial concerns. Once older it becomes hard to travel because of children and other famial responsibilities. Our targets are mother whose children are out of college and working. Mothers who are comfortable in their finances but still have that gentle ache in the soul to travel the world. Our ad touches the romantic leanings of those mothers who dreamt of going to France in their youth. They know countries in Europe and what they look like, having poured over the map and planned trips when they had no money to take. The ad gently coaxes “You can do this, don’t overthink it”. Look: The colors for this ad are the colors of the French flag (blue, white, red). It won’t read as the USA, though, because the soft opacity and saturation of the colors. In fact the colors are more European because of the saturation, giving a time worn look. The hand lettering is romantic, moving about the shape of the country to fill it. The overall impression is one of French romanticism, but because of the minimalism of text and image it’s not heavy handed or stereotypical.
Product: Grilling Line (American made) Target: Male 48-56, upper class level of income (=�rich�), retired Approach: Those of us who are hobbyists can recognize the tools of our hobby with a single glance. The simplified image of a spatula and grill rack are easily identifiable to our target. Our target, being retired turns to creating their own social gatherings to fill the space that work might fill for others. The star and stripes found in the ad are a simplified symbol for America, where the products are made. Our targets are willing to spend a little extra money if it means a high quality American made product. The ad has a feel of sophistication which our target identifies with personally. Look: White text on black is a symbol of tradition and sophistication. The masculine lines of the thick sans-serif appeal to the target. The arrangement of the spatula and the lines creates an image of a flag, but one that is not so tacky as to be a color one. The text in centered in the page and aligned together furthering the feeling of sophistication.
Product: Tax Service Target: Female/Male, 18-25, recent graduates, 1st job Approach: Taxes are not fun; they can be a long and confusing process, especially for people who are filling them out for the first few times. The ad is a humorous take on this process. The ad taking on the appearence of a cold and sterile govermental form. The conjunction of this ”Authoritarian” type of feeling and the humor of the text is sympathetic to viewers. Look: Designed to look like an exam sheet or government document, the “O”s are all a type of glyph. The sans-serif is in all caps to invoke the sound of a stern voice. The typeface was also chosen to contrast with the thinness of the “O”s. The text sits along a natural line at the top of the page, taking a good third of the pages with the “overthink” repetitions. The green check, stands in contrast with the whole ad, being a symbol of completion and correctness -- what you will have when you work with our company.