Final+Summary

__ CCT210 Advertising Summary __ ** What is advertising? ** · Ads are effective because they reflect 'shifts' already present in popular culture. · Campaigns aim to saturate the signifying order with advertising messages by spreading advertising messages constantly through numerous and varied media. This creates the illusion that there is a correlation between the products advertised and social processes and trends. ** // As Barthes often claimed in his writings, for this reason advertising is identifiable as the root cause of neomania. // **
 * // · Advertising is designed to influence attitudes and lifestyle behaviours by implicitly suggesting how we can best satisfy our deepest desires and aspirations through consumption // **.

· The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for fliers and posters could now be printed quickly and cheaply, and posted in public places · In the 1920s, the increased use of electricity paved the way for the use of new electronic media.
 * Key Points in the History of Advertising **

• 19th Century and earlier: literal description of product. • Late 19th - early 20th century: consumption as a way of solving social problems • 1930s: advertising began to reflect the qualities and values that were important to consumers. • 1950s: advertisements began to promote images of the product that consumers could identify with. • Post 1960s: advertising became more concerned with invoking subliminal and unconscious desires.
 * Trend in Advertising **

· The two main techniques used by advertisers to embed advertising into the social mindset are called //positioning// and 'image-creation'. · // Positioning // is the placing or targeting of a product for the right people. · Creating an image for a product involves fashioning a 'personality' for it with which a particular type of consumer can identify.
 * Spreading the Message **


 * Creating a Signification System **

· Advertisers use signification systems to create a personality for a product o Achieved through giving the product a brand name and, whenever possible, creating a visual symbol for it known as a logo.

· To be effective, brand-naming must keep up with the times o Car brands began naming models in ways that appealed to a generation of internet users who had become accustomed to a different style of communication. § Names using letters and numbers became popular, such as Hyundai’s XG300 model which fit perfectly with the times and the communication techniques, for the younger generation
 * BRAND NAMES: **

·** // Brand Names do more than just identify a product. // ** o // They are constructed to create a connotative signification system for the product. // § naming a product has a ** denotative ** function: Allows consumers to identify what product they desire to purchase (or not) § On a ** connotative ** level, the product name generates the images and notions that move beyond the simpler identifier function o Around 1880, soap manufacturers started naming their products so they could be identified. (i.e. Ivory, Pears.’, Sapolio, Colgate) o By early 1950’s, branding was not just a simple strategy for product differentiation § It was also a semiotic fuel that propelled corporate identity and product recognizability

· // Pictorial counterparts of brand names. // o Designed to generate the same kinds of connotative signification systems for a product through the visual modality o Example: APPLE § Iconic sign suffused with latent religious connotations suggesting, above all else, the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible · Revolves around eating an apple that contains forbidden knowledge o The Biblical symbolism of the apple as 'forbidden knowledge' continues to resonate in our culture, and that is the reason why the Apple computer company has not only named itself 'Apple', but has also chosen the icon of this fruit as its logo ** Advertising Textuality:  **  · ** // the construction of advertisements and commercials on the basis of the specific signification systems built intentionally into products  // **  · // Some of the most common strategies:   //  o the use of jingles; adhere to memory  o the use of certain music genres to emphasize lifestyle: e.g. jazz=cool  o The creation of fictitious characters:assign a visual portraiture to the product: e.g. Ronald McDonald, Tony the Tiger, Mr. Clean, etc.  o using famous personages - actors, sports figures, etc. - to endorse the product;  o Creating ads and commercials to represent the product's signification system in some specific way (e.g. through some visual depiction, through some narrative, etc.).
 * LOGOS: **

**__Ad Campaigns__** Advertising Textuality is built into ad campaigns.

Ad Campaign= systematic creation of a series of slightly different ads and commercials based on the same theme, characters, jingles, etc.

- 1892 Coca-Cola logo appearing across the country - 1985 Nike: Michael Jordan spokesperson and Air Jordan line
 * // Examples of famous ad campaigns // **// : //

__Cooption__ One of the most effective strategies of advertising " If you can't beat em, join em" strategy: - For example, the rise of the 1960's hippies, who were anti-establishment and anti-consumerist were coopted by the use of the "hippie" image in ads and commercials, which mocked consumerism and advertising itself - By doing this, corporate leaders had cleverly " joined the revolution" and created the " cool, anti-establishment" image which catered to the mainstream population

__Other Strategies__ // -Creating a 'history' for a product, thus linking it to a sense of cultural continuity and communal tradition -This is partially done by getting the product " out there" so that virtually everyone can recognize the product and understand its signification system to some degree // -This approach works best with products that appeal to everyone ( i.e. food, pain relief tablets, insurance, beverages, etc.) and not so much ones that have a narrow appeal (ie.cigarettes, certain music styles, etc.) -Example: Coca-Cola is virtually recognized by everyone in this world mainly due to this strategy

__Some Other Strategies:__

- 'something for nothing' ( i.e. buy one get one free) - inducing parents to believe that buying something is an investment for their children - 'scare copy' ; promotes fear of poverty, sickness, loss of social standing etc. to promote products such as insurance, fire alarms, cosmetics, vitamins, etc. __In Sum:__

- Advertising is powerful because it offers recognizable objects and solutions which people are made to believe will bring them all the things they desire in life ( i.e. more money, security, improved appearance, better health, increased enjoyment, etc.)

- Over the past century advertising has become the essence of modern modes of communication through its language and styles of presentation.