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... opportunity The problem that exist with testimonials is that there is no way to discover if the spokesperson is a credible authority; therefore, they are not trustworthy. When testimonials are used people are claiming personal success stories about a product. The problem that exists is that there is no way to know if the testifying party is credible. Especially considering that the people chosen are impossible to contact for verification.
Many times testimonials are made from people such as Christy in Memphis or Bob from Las Vegas. Who is Christy in Memphis and why should she be believed or trusted? Also, claims are often made by large, vague groups like the small town used in a Quaker Oats commercial (Consumer 1). This entire community claimed that they all ate Quaker Oats and they all claimed the same results; their cholesterol improved significantly. In testimonials, the party testifying claims the product produces extremely desirable affects, but these claims can not be backed up with authoritative evidence.
However, Quaker Oats is an old well established company, America can trust a company that has proven their claims again and again over so many years (Consumer 1). America is still waiting for Ed McMahon to ring their door bell holding a million dollar check. And to think that Mr. McMahon is compensated for this!
With self-preservation being the strongest, sexual appeal is the second strongest of the psychological appeals used in advertising. The first question that pops into the head is Why? , and the answer is simple, because it works. This is because the biological instinct of reproduction in humans combined with the opposite gender of the target audience creates sexual desire which is then subconsciously paired with the product being advertised. Sexual desire is instinctive and when an individuals ideal mate is perceived with a product, it is obvious that the individual will be intrigued with the accompanying product (Talfinger 3). It is possible to find a connection between sex and a product for almost all products advertised. Often, if a connection can not be found, one will be invented.
However, this connection is much easier to be created with a much higher success rate for men because the basic element needed to create sexual desire for a man is simply a womans anatomy. As long as a women is young and healthy, she can be desirable. Unfortunately in advertising, it is quite simple to get a mans attention. Use a womans body and associate the possibilities of getting that type woman if he has the product (Talfinger 5). In advertising for women, it is a much more difficult process to get her attention with the same strong affects.
A physically fit, healthy man may attract a womans attention, but that would not be enough for a woman to actually go buy a product that a model represents (Taflinger 6). A womans instinctive concern is what she sees in the long run. In todays world, this means money, power, and prestige. Todays culture rates these factors as extremely important qualities. So therefore, these qualities must be seen in men used in advertisements for him to be seen as sexually desirable which is hard to portray in a short commercial (Talfinger 7).
The problem with sexual motivation is not that it does not work, because it is extremely effective. It is that the item is not being bought because it is a true quality product; but instead, it is being bought because of its sex appeal. Sex in advertising is powerful and effective, but only at the expense of another. There is no possibility that the entire population could achieve the lifestyles and figures of the actors and actresses used in sexually motivated advertisements. Therefore, sexual appeal might be an excellent method in advertising, but the change it creates in society is negative. These advertisements make people judge others who are not perfect or sexually desirable (Taflinger 10).
Sexual appeal gains consumers interest by convincing them that the sexual image portrayed in the ad is important and what the consumer should desire and strive to obtain (Taflinger 7). Sex should not be used as a selling tool. Sex appeal manipulates people; for example, advertisements try to sell to men through their biological attraction to womens bodies (Taflinger 9). Sexual advertisements have also been blamed for causing an increase in young people who find sexuality important at an early age. This early sexuality is caused by exposure to the sexual promotions seen in advertisements everywhere, then children imitate the adult behavior they have witnessed in advertisements so many times. Critics say children are rushing into becoming adults which then causes teenagers to engage in sexual relationships prematurely (Day 85).
It was in the 1970 s when journalist, Wilson Bryan Key, proposed that sexual innuendoes were being subliminal y imposed into advertisements in order to persuade consumers to buy the product. Key backed up his claim with the example of a Ritz crackers commercial. He claimed that in the ad he saw the word sex. Also, rumors were spread about the appearance of the word SEX actually imprinted on each individual cracker. This subliminally attracted consumers to Ritz cracker eaters to consume even more.
Experts dismissed this charge, but Key believes these subtle experimental advertisements opened the gate to the controversial advertisements seen everywhere you turn today (Day 16). The following is one excellent example of the sexual manipulations used today from the Sex and Advertising web page, She leans forward exposing an incredible quantity of cleavage. The headline says, This is Debbie. She wants you to have this pair in your car. The rest of the ad talks about buying the grease gun cartridge she holds in either of her hands. Advertisements containing sex appeal are becoming more and more common, even when the sexual innuendoes are irrelevant to the purpose of the product (Taflinger 1).
Most advertisers will do or say anything to sell their product for profit; however, some products advertised are legitimate products. A result of some of the manipulations that commercials contain is mixed messages, which can create problems in the way of thinking in a society. Advertising very well might inform the consumer of products that they were unaware of before an advertisement, but the large amount of advertising drives up the price of products. The consumer literally pays for a companys advertising.
Fourteen percent of a products sale price is created by the amount of money and effort put into the products advertisements. The companies with the most money are winning and the consumers are loosing (Boukhari 2). Advertising is accused of raising barriers for newcomers in an industry. Advertising is also accused of distracting the consumer from price and quality when they are considering a product (4). Consumers need to be leery of items advertised and read between the lines for what is really good and what seems too good to be true, because it usually is. Some advertising is unnecessary.
Like Coca-Cola, the REAL thing sells itself. Bibliography: Bibliography Boukhari, Sophie. The Art of Advertising. UNESCO Courier. Dec. (1998): 2 / 7. July 25, 2000.
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Research essay sample on Quaker Oats Sexual Desire
