第75章
Recognizing these three components of advertisements can help us better understand why
individual advertisements are constructed the way that they are and help us be more critical of, and
less susceptible to, their message. Now let us look at a few specific examples.
Automobiles
The Audience
Every car has its own intended market. How many 70-year-olds do you see driving Corvettes? Who
is the market for a Cadillac? For BMWs? For pickup trucks? Car makers are sophisticated in
targeting sexes, ages, and income groups in their advertisements.
The Message
The verbal message may involve such issues as value, gas mileage, dependability, safety,
performance, and prestige. The nonverbal messages may be far more potent and persuasive,
exploiting such motives as sex appeal, social status, power, envy, success, and confidence.
Backdrops of polo matches and mansions imply wealth; steelyards and factories imply durability;
and bright lights and tall buildings imply success. For Americans, especially males, the automobile
is almost an extension of one’s self. Cars convey an image of ourselves, as we would like others to
perceive us.
227
PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFE
The Communicator
Individuals in automobile advertisements are usually very attractive, modeling the sort of person
the buyer would want to be. Occasionally, the communicator is someone expected to know a lot
about cars, such as a famous racecar driver or greasy mechanic.
Beer
The Audience
The audience for beer is middle- and working-class males, “good ol’ boys” who like to get together
to go fishing, watch football games, or play pool. Females appear in beer commercials, but often
only as props. Beer is a man’s drink, and women are often targeted with other beverages such as
wine coolers.
The Message
Beer is associated with good times. Young, attractive, healthy people are often seen running around
beaches, attending terrific parties, and engaging in thrill-seeking sports. People who drink beer can
also be portrayed as “down to earth” folk, just like you. These “normal” people are more likely to sit
in the kitchen or the backyard than in a formal setting, and they eat hamburgers and apple pie. The
motivation for drinking beer is to have good friends and to have good times with them, to reward
yourself at the end of the day with a beer or two while watching ball games.
The Communicator
Most often, a male without a necktie, or at least a loosened tie, possibly in a flannel work shirt, touts
the beer. He is a good “All-American” man’s man. He knows how to hunt and fish, is a skilled
athlete, can fix cars, and is not afraid of an honest day’s work.
You might have your class discuss other products such as pain relievers, colas, and clothes. Have
your class use their critical thinking skills to figure out the advertiser’s motivation the next time that
they see an advertisement. They might want to ask themselves:
. Am I a member of the target audience?
. Is the product really special and different, or just trying to be?
. What claims does the advertisement make of the product? How are the claims
substantiated?
. If statistics are used, are they used fairly?
. If the product is compared to another, is it compared to a relevant product in a reasonable
way?
. What are the nonverbal messages that the advertisement tries to impart?
. How were the communicators chosen to maximize impact and believability?