ENGLISH 1A

Out of Class Essay 2: Advertising Essay

 

Protection from Rejection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this advertisement for foot deodorant, needs for affiliation and prominence are exploited. The advertiser uses images of two puppets, a male and female, to show the rejection of a romantic relationship, seemingly because of foot odor. The puppets play on many of the appeals Jib Fowles cites in his essay “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals,” primarily the need for affiliation: romantic relationships, and fear of rejection, the need for prominence, as well as an appeal to childhood, aesthetic sensation, and humor. This ad is most likely targeting young males, between the ages of 18-30 as well as perhaps the spouses of males with foot odor, or even parents of teenagers with foot odor.  The advertisement is from a Brazilian ad agency,  Z+ Comunicação in São Paulo, so the ad is probably targeted towards a Brazilian demographic, however the text is in English, and so this ad could be targeted at most people, or other cultures as well. With successful use of a simple, aesthetically pleasing image, the ad conveys a deeper message: prompting the consumer to believe that with this product he/she will belong.

 

The advertisement uses two forms of modeling to play on the consumers discreet desires. There are two puppets in the picture: a male and female. The puppets may be used to invoke childhood memories of security (a feeling that becomes associated with the product), or alternatively perhaps childhood insecurities about things such as BO & stinky feet. With either reaction, the producer is effectively manipulated into believing  product will either replicate their childhood securities or prolong their childhood insecurities. Also appealing to a sense of nostalgia for older consumers as well as the younger more “hipster” population, the female puppet looks quite similar to women in vintage ads: she has a blond bob hair style, pearl necklace, and dress, symbolizing a similar “ideal” girl as those in old Coke or cigarette ads; a girl to do anything to attain, especially something as simple as buying foot odor spray. The woman seems snobbish; she looks very put together, but is turned away from the male puppet. Her face is angled towards him but turned up, as if she can smell his feet from far away.

The male puppet looks more drab and disheveled. His downcast expression makes him appear sad, and the viewer pities him to an extent. He is facing her and holding out a bunch of white flowers, possibly even daisies (“fresh as a daisy”) that are wilting, presumably from the smell of his feet. The male character’s physicality  looks weaker and less prominent than that of the female character. In addition, the colors of the female’s dress, correlating to those of the product, indicate the feelings of  prominence and control (emotions the woman is displaying) the male will feel instead, if he uses the product. The characters’ positions/body language juxtaposes each others’, which is perhaps meant to convey the sense of detachment or rejection a consumer with stinky feet would feel from others.  There are also two human “models” in the picture, a woman and man’s foot pulling the puppet strings, perhaps to make the ad more whimsical, or to show that what the puppets are feeling is the manifestation of the human emotions attached to the feet.

 

The advertisers use the background of the image to complete this imaginative scene, including some symbolic imagery. The two puppets are standing in a mostly black background, indicating darkness and loneliness, however they are in a “spotlight”, showing that they are the focus of the scene, and that the closer you are to the affiliation between them the more prominent or “in the light” you, the consumer, will be. The colors of the product (orange and blue) match the colors of the female character’s attire, obviously the one with power in this ad. The male puppet is wearing plainer, drab colors and is somewhat more in shadow, also indicating that he is not in alignment with the “values” of the product, whereas the female puppet is. The use of puppets and a spotlight effect can be seen as somewhat of a childlike play or skit setting, especially when also viewing the feet as puppeteers. It can also be seen as if the two puppets are on a date or something of the like, but have stopped on the cobblestone street to ostracize the male for his foot odor.

 

The product itself is not the central focus of the advertisement, however, visually, the ad still achieves its goals. The product image is small, and in the bottom right hand corner. The product itself is blue, with white text and an orange cap. Blue and red (or orange) are contrasting colors- blue implies trust and security whereas red or orange imply dominance, strength, and sex-- all things the consumer should feel about or has to gain from the product. The product is located in a relatively non prominent location, however the intent is still clear. Placing the product on the right, below the male character, also implies that the male puppet is the one with foot odor issues, making the scene clearer as well.

 

The words of the ad are in white, cloudy-like text, as if being sprayed out of the bottle in the bottom right hand corner, implying that the essence of the product is “protection from rejection”. The presence of only a few words and the image of the odor spray (the product info) connect the picture’s emotions, message, and scenario to the product. The text is white on the black background, also implying that the spray of the foot deodorant is the “light in the darkness” of your stinky foot solitude.

This ad caters to people who may have insecurities about appearance and scent, have a fear of rejection, or a desire for affiliation. Because these are such general and vastly encompassing needs, a single person, or person in a struggling relationship, someone with foot odor, and a host of other individuals would also probably respond to this ad. The puppets appear to be young and ambiguously, but probably caucasian, especially the woman, whereas the male puppet could be perceived as more Brazilian. If the blond female puppet is viewed as symbolic of the American dream, then  it can also be implied from the ad that only through use of the product will other cultures be able to attain the American dream or American lifestyle the female puppet represents. The young puppets appeal to young people, probably between the ages of 18-30, and may also appeal to mothers or parents of teenagers with smelly feet, who are wishing for their children to have healthy romantic relationships.

 

The promise of this advertisement? Use this foot deodorant and you will not be rejected by everyone. This is probably not a feasible nor accurate promise. As social relationships usually do not “make or break” over foot odor, the advertisement has a challenging goal of piercing past this logical argument to more emotional consumer fears. Most people I know have bigger problems (if any odor problems at all) with body odor rather than foot odor, and some people I know who have relatively strong BO are in romantic relationships, and most definitely aren't rejected by the all encompassing “others.” When the consumer thinks logically, most people don’t tend to be rejected from social interaction because of their scent, however this ad makes the consumer question that observation with the thought  “although if its severe BO that would be a problem. Do I have this problem? Is it the cause of all my other problems?” While this ad originated from Brazil, it is being marketed to an increasingly “Americanized” demographic. I’ve heard that Americans are much more perceptive and less tolerant to bodily odors than other cultures. Americans shower more often, and have a higher awareness of their own and other’s scents, so this ad is also catering to that spreading cultural insecurity (which was probably also somewhat prompted by consumerist media).

“Get rid of the smelly feet before the others get rid of you,” a very clear warning and appeal to needs for affiliation and romantic relationships, and fear of rejection. Use of the word “others” rather than “she” implies that the smelly feet will prompt everyone and not just that special someone to reject you. The implied messages allow for the ad to appeal to a wider audience, and the implications of the word “other” also allow the viewer to ponder who else may be rejecting them due to foot odor. If the ad made broader statements, or more aggressively displayed their message visually, then the viewer may simply disregard it as humorous, rather than seeing the darker message, or subtly and unknowingly experiencing the emotional manipulation taking place.

 

The consumer needs in this advertisement, on the simplest level, are to affiliate and have positive relationships (including romantic relationships) with others. Other more hidden needs invoked in this ad may be to procure a more prominent or powerful position, remedying past insecurities and maybe even attaining an idealized or Americanized lifestyle. The main appeals are: need for affiliation (romantic relationships, “other” relationships, fear of rejection), need for attention, need for prominence, appeal to aesthetic sensation, humor, appeal to childhood security and/or insecurities. Through effective use of whimsy, color patterns, physicality, and text, this advertisement beautifully and subtly plays on consumer fears in order to place its' product as the foremost remedy for them.