Comparing Advertisements
Advertising is a necessary marketing tool, which takes a larger part of our life by performing the products through various media. Today, advertising is literally everywhere: on the streets, in the sky, on the floor, in various types of sport fields, in the elevators, in the television, etc. It seems that there is nothing that advertisers did not do in order to make the product sell. It is interesting to observe what the marketers do in order to grab our attention, in order to make us buy the product. Some of them appeal to the credibility of popular celebrities, others appeal to our emotions and feelings, the third present the unique features of a product in the best light possible. Nonetheless, advertisers do not need any more to present their product and sell it to you, but to create a need, which would require using their product. One way to do this is by focusing on the needs and preferences of consumers, finely selected and well-thought through features of their lives, which require improvement in a specific area, and, of course, on pleasure and satisfaction aspects.
This paper discusses how the advertising industry makes money selling their product, using a variety of advertising approaches. It compares two similar products in the popular USA online magazines, examining the way both are advertised and perceived by the consumer.
Most magazines are oriented towards the larger part of the consumer audience: women. The cosmetic industry, sportswear, and products of self-hygiene are the most spread and are on popular demand, therefore, are in focus of today’s market. Due to the reason that the women shop more, would it be for personal shopping, or their families, the marketing industry creates most advertising with a hint on the preferences, needs, and demand of women. For this reason, I chose to discuss the advertising approaches of the similar skin products, which are very popular among the aging population of women consumers – the anti-aging creams. Whether any of these creams brings the visual effect or not, the mission of the marketer is to make the product sell.
The online magazine Les Nouvelles Esthetiques & Spa is a popular women magazine, which aims at satisfying the needs of consumers, as well as the professionals of the beauty industry. Les Nouvelles Esthetiques & Spa introduces a new alternative to aging by presenting the unique features of Veld’s Nature Primale product Age Killer. According to the advertising, this amazing cream has been synthesized through a balanced optimization of Nature and Science. The Age Killer proposes to “strike back against time” without any surgical intrusion. Due to the wild plant ingredients right from the African continent and the knowledge of the well-known French cosmetologist, experts have found a revolutionary solution for all types of women. According to the advertising, the Age Killer does not contain any parabens, fragrant of colorants, nor alcohol – the ingredients, which are considered to be harmful to health.
The second product is Garnier Skin Renew Brusher Gel-Cleanser, which was found in a women online magazine and forum Chick Advisor, which is also aimed at the female audience. This beauty magazine provides information about the most successful and popular beauty products. Garnier uses a bit different approach then Veld did. Being on the market for many years now, Garnier has a standing reputation, which does not require a lot of information, rather than just a visual emphasis in the advertising of the product. The light green background and a round leaf are the part of consumer’s brand awareness. Therefore, for Garnier, disclosure of the full set of features or ingredients is no longer needed, as the customers trust the product beforehand. Garnier “takes care” about its customers. One of the new ways to do so is through a new Skin Renew facial product.
Comparing the two advertising approaches, we can note both similarities and major differences. Both approaches emphasize the product on the cover of their advertisements, as the product takes most place of the picture, so it is visible and readable, and, as a result, will become recognizable. Both advertisements use the name of the company and product in order to set the credibility of the product and influence by establishing authority through its famous name. Garnier and Veld’s both use the gradient color schemas as a visual representation tool in order for the consumer to recognize the product when see these colors next time. In general, on both ads, the font of the main message is written in capital letters, while the rest of the text, explaining the advantages of the product, is written in contrast to the font sentence case letters.
Contrasting the two advertising, Garnier uses its famous reputation and credibility while introducing the product. As for the Veld’s, which is less recognizable, the marketers make a decision to combine visual and emotional approaches. The advertising explains why would this skincare product be a fit for a woman and how does it work, accompanying the informational background with a transparent picture of the combination of Nature and Science as credibility. Also, the positioning of the products is different on the ads. While Veld’s product stands in the center of the page, communicating the message that the most important for this ad is to see the product, remember, and recognize it; Garnier positions the solution on the left side so that the consumer views the entire picture and visually goes from the product to the writing “Garnier. Take care.”
Despite the differences in the advertising approach, the idea behind the choice of marketing approach for both products stays the same: to sell. In any case, the essential marketing solution is to make the customer happy through the product. As seen from the example of the two skincare products by Garnier and Veld’s, the marketers make it possible through a variety of technics, such as influencing the customer emotionally and visually, transferring the message by the media. From the example of Garnier and Veld’s, we can note that the aim is to make the customer feel a part of the culture, be a part of the specific group, and know that one is not alone. This message does not necessarily need to be logical, yet has to have a deeper meaning, making one feel more optimistic about the self, at the same time, helping the product making more sales.
| Farm Boy | Market Promotion |