Download Chapter on Advertising

Chapter Eight
Objectives
Reflections: Critical thinking helps us deal with the amount and kind of advertising in our lives. Ads are
all around us and have become part of our culture, our language, and our ways of thinking about how to
live and how to relate to one another. It would be next to impossible to avoid advertising, so prevalent is
it in our society. Given that is the case, we need to be capable of noticing their power, deconstructing
their message, and assessing their impact. That’s where critical thinking skills come in.
Goals: In this chapter we will look at key aspects of ads: assumptions, power and influence, and
structural components (color, symbol, images, visual and verbal messages). We will also look at related
issues—such as the lifestyle idealized in ads, the winner/loser mentality, the roles of sexuality and
gender, for-profit versus nonprofit advertising, and the question of censorship. My goals are:
Goal #1: Become aware of the power and scope of advertising in our world in terms of both verbal and
visual messages, as well as underlying assumptions on the part of advertising agencies as well as the
audience.
Goal #2: Set out tools for analyzing ads and for examining the ways in which advertising can be
prescriptive and descriptive in terms of its influence and ability to reflect on our society, culture, and
values.
Desire and Illusion: Analyzing Advertising
Advertising frequently offers us an idealized world. We are a society of extremes. There is a wealth of
opportunities, incredible choices of things to make our lives easier, and the means to communicate across
vast expanses of space. We yearn for more than we get—and what we get is not enough. Advertisers
know this. Ads attempt to soothe our spiritual hunger problem and help us find a way to connect with
those around us. And so, advertising addresses the need for gratification by tending to our desires and
dreams.
Reading the Society from Ads
Advertising offers us a parallel universe; through ads we gain insight into our society and discover
prevalent norms, stereotypes, and folk wisdom. We are a society of extremes. There is a wealth of
opportunities and an array of things to make our lives easier. Michael Parenti points out that consumption
is no longer a means for life; it’s a meaning for life.
Assumptions
Contemporary ads bear little resemblance to ads of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Ads today are much more
subtle and sophisticated. They assume a language of discourse not present in the past. And they routinely
make assumptions about consumers’ needs, desires, fears, and prejudices. Decisions therefore center on
how to spend the money, not where it’s going to come from or what is the best use of our money.
The Use of Fallacies to Persuade
Some ads involve the use of fallacies to persuade, namely:
KEY FALLACIES IN ADS
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1. Ad Populum (Appeal to the Masses/Patriotism): This fallacy occurs when there is an appeal
to the masses, patriotism, or elitism (snob appeal) in order to sell a product.
2. Ad Verecundiam (Improper Appeal to Authority): This fallacy occurs when the
testimonyof a public figure or celebrity (unqualified as an expert on the subject) is used to as a
tool of persuasion, rather than citing relevant evidence.
3. Accent: This fallacy occurs when the emphasis of word or phrase is emphasized (verbally or
visually) in such a way as to distort the meaning of a passage, leading to an incorrect conclusion
being drawn.
4. Bifurcation: This fallacy occurs when there is an attempt to persuade by presenting only two
choices when, in fact, there are other options that could be taken into the decision-making.
5. Equivocation: This fallacy occurs when an ambiguity is created by the double meaning or a
word or phrase, resulting in an incorrect conclusion being drawn.
The Power of Advertising
Advertising does more than push a product. It also tells stories, provides social commentary, offers
advice, and makes us laugh. More important, ads claim that our problems can be solved — where the
solution is something we can buy. These, then, are four key things to convey to the consumer:
FOUR TRICKS OF EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING
1. Shame

You’ve got a problem!
2. Optimism

Your problem can be solved.
3. Solution

You need this product.
4. Rationale

You have a right to solve your problem,
regardless of cost.
Sin and Seduction in Advertising
There is a seductive quality to ads, something magical that draws us in. In spite of ourselves, we hope
buying this product really can transform our lives, overcome our inadequacies, and make us feel better.
The fact that envy, lust/desire, and greed are three of the Seven Deadly Sins does not escape the minds of
ad agencies.
Advertising Checklist
1. Values: What values and beliefs does the ad convey? According to the ad, what's the
best use of our time and money?
2. Story: If you think of the ad as telling a story, what story does it tell?
3. Verbal Message: Study the verbal message. What exactly is being said in the ad?
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4. Visual Message: Study the visual message. What images, symbols, and visual impact
are conveyed?
5. Fallacies (See Chapter 4): Watch for fallacies in ads (e.g., Ad verecundiam, Accent,
and so on).
6. Exaggeration: Watch for false promises and exaggerated claims. What exactly does
the ad claim the product will do? What is the nature of the guarantee? Do you see any
puffery?
7. Stereotypes: Watch for stereotypes around gender, race, age, nationality, religion,
economic class, and so on. Look at the various roles (such as dominant or authority roles,
heroes and villains, helper roles, nurturer roles) presented in the ad.
8. Diversity: Who populates the ad? Does the ad reflect the society we live in? Note how
gender, race, age, and economic class are represented and whether they typify the world
we live in.
9. Power and Class: Watch for assumptions around power, class, and patterns of
consumption. What is the economic class of those inhabiting the ad? Who are the
targeted users of the product?
10. Political Agenda: Be aware of political or social messages. Ads often relay a set of
attitudes, in the verbal or visual message. See if there’s a hidden agenda in the
advertisement.
11. Prescriptions: Look at the lifestyle presented. Ask yourself: Do I live (or want to
live) like this; if so, at what cost? And what is the societal impact of this lifestyle?
12. Sexuality: Look at the ways sexuality, sexual orientation, sexual violence, and
intimacy are handled, including turning men or women into sexual objects or using
sexuality to sell the product.
13. What Is Left Unsaid: What is missing from this ad? Will using the product
transform my life, as the ad suggests? Look at the ways ads overlook any number of
societal or personal problems that may bear on buying or using the product.
Power and Class
On the surface, ads may appear to be “just” about trying to sell some product. But, many who study
advertising see much more going on. For example, Robert Goldman thinks ads are inherently political.
Goldman’s Assumptions in Advertising
First Assumption:
Second Assumption:
Third Assumption:
Fourth Assumption:
The Verbal Message
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Ads always have some political agenda.
Ads assume people are paid for their labor.
Ads hide class differences.
Ads imply we can purchase happiness, a meaningful life, an
ideal world.
In addition to looking at assumptions, it is also important to be able to dismantle the ad itself. This
dismantling, or deconstructing, of ads involves:
(1) Analyzing the verbal and visual messages of ads.
(2) Examining the role of images, symbols, and the use of color to create an effect.
The Power of Language: Analyzing Ads for Their Verbal Message
In decoding an ad, the examination of the verbal message is as important as studying the visual elements.
Think of it like this: the ad tells a story. You have to read the ad carefully to ascertain all the fine details
of the story and its possible effectiveness.
Assessing the Verbal Message
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
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Characteristics or qualities of the product.
Consequences of owning the product.
Benefits of this product over rival products.
A particular lifestyle that accompanies the product.
Use of humor, diversionary tactics (such as shocking, insulting or negative comments
directed to the consumer).
Social commentary that may or may not relate to the product.
Use of statistics or statistical claims touting the benefits of the product.
The testimony of ordinary people, so-called experts, or celebrities.
Techno-lingo or pseudo-scientific terms to give weight to the ad’s claims.
Fallacies of reasoning or questionable claims.
The Visual Message
We are a visual culture. We judge, buy, consume, or desire all sorts of things in terms of their visual
appeal. Advertisers know this. We do not normally want to see things that are ugly or unpleasant—unless
it is done with humor. We do want to see beauty and images of happiness, intimacy, and satisfaction. We
like to see images of success, things working correctly, and problems being solved. The idea is to get the
consumer to draw the link between the images and the product; so we think getting the one will result in
the other. We yearn for what the product represents and the lifestyle that accompanies it. Ads used to
focus almost entirely on the product itself, spelling out what it could do for us.
Use of Color and Symbols
One important visual dimension has to do with color versus black and white. Each one can have
considerable impact on the audience. Color can have a powerful effect on the audience. Many ads use
symbols—such as those of patriotism (flag motifs, eagles flying majestically across the page, and the
Statue of Liberty, etc.) This is true even in times of peace—not just in wartime.
Presenting a Lifestyle
Whereas ads of twenty or thirty years ago raved about the product and what it could do, recent
advertising is more contextual. That is, the product is embedded within a particular context, that of the
lifestyle being presented. Advertising has succeeded in creating an art form and perhaps even a type of
literary genre. That is, we “read” the copy and images of ads with a kind of familiarity and acceptance.
Winners and Losers in Advertising
At times it seems like we need to satisfy some list of qualifications in order to deserve the product, such
as being cool enough or attractive enough to get access to the product being advertised. But, because we
want to enter that parallel universe where people are having such a nice life, we are driven to get to that
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point of entry. In these ads, there is a clear line between winners and losers. The winner-loser
demarcation goes inside the ads, as well.
Children and Advertising
Children are also invited to escape into a world that is more exciting than everyday reality.
Using Ads with a Social or Political Theme
Given the potential to reach a wide audience and the power of persuasive advertising, nonprofit groups
are turning to advertising to get their messages across. It is not surprising that advertising is used as a
political or social tool.
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