About this Project In support of the Give Local York (GLY) group, who are focusing on raising money for nonprofit organizations, our group decided to put up an arts and crafts stand in Downtown York on May 4th to raise money for the GLY stretch pool which would split the money between all of the participating nonprofits. In order to raise awareness for our stand along with the movement, a few people in our group and I created an advertisement to be played on CTV. I decided to do a portion of the editing for the advertisement, so that I could get some experience with iMovie on the Mac for possible projects in the future, school-related or not. We decided to make the advertisement very spoof-like in order to draw attention to the ad as well as promote our stand in an informational way.
I also decided to research advertisements in the 1950s because this was a time where advertisements were a very large part of society. By researching advertising in the 1950s, I can better understand where some of the persuasion tactics that are used in more modern ads have evolved from. This also gives a good look at how persuasion tactics have or have not changed over time with the rise of TVs or radios. Not only that, but I have a personal interest for the 1950s because of the type of clothing being worn, the kinds of cars that were driven, and the style of the architecture as well. The process After a few meetings with the GLY group along with a few ideas for what we wanted to do, I ended up writing a draft for a CTV ad that would promote a movie night. Later we found out we couldn't do a movie night due to copyright issues and so instead we decided to set up an arts and crafts stand for kids along with selling snacks like cookies and popcorn. As I finished the editing for the advertisement, I shifted my focus onto my individual part and decided to research adverts in the 1950s.
I mainly wanted to research this in particular because this was a time where advertisements were a very large part of society. By researching advertising in the 1950s, I can better understand where some of the persuasion tactics that are used in more modern ads have come from. This also gives a good look at how persuasion tactics have changed over time. Not only that, but I have a personal interest for the 1950s because of the style of clothing being worn, the kinds of cars that were driven, and some of the architecture as well. After doing my research, I organized my thoughts and revised it. I also analyzed two radio ads from the 1950s and how they used certain persuasion tactics to their best extent. Language Arts: I wrote a few sections of informational pieces, and did an analysis (turns into expository writing) of two ads. Reasoning: Explaining the persuasion tactics each advert used to try and sell their product or service. Art: I did some of the editing for the CTV advertisement. Reasoning: Why we decided to do certain things in the advertisement; elaborating on certain decisions. Social Studies: I researched persuasion tactics of advertisements in the 1950s focusing mainly on those of TVs and radios. I also took a look at the use of persuasion tactics in modern adverts. |
Logos, Ethos, & Pathos
Before talking about specific persuasion tactics, it is important to understand generally how advertisements work. Each persuasion tactic can be broken into three major categories: logos, ethos, and pathos.
Logos appeal to the logical side of the argument through use of evidence and statistics. It can give a clear understanding of what the product does or what it’s made of. An example of this would be: One glass of Florida orange juice contains 75% of your daily Vitamin C needs (“Persuasive Techniques”). This line informs the viewer that the orange juice is good for getting a lot of Vitamin C, and this can sway more people into buying it if they need Vitamin C and want a tasty drink, or if they just want to be healthier.
While logic is an important part of effective advertisements, a viewer must also trust that the facts come from reputable sources. Ethos appeal to the honest and credible side of the argument. This can be done by giving data from reputable and non-biased sources along with using actual opposing arguments (if there are any) rather than creating a straw man. This can also be done through celebrity endorsement like this: Catherine Zeta-Jones makes us want to switch to T-Mobile (“Persuasive Techniques”). If the research is done by highly renowned scientists or at a place like Harvard, it is much less shady than not citing a source or citing one that is shady. Celebrity endorsements also add a trustworthiness because people who look up to them and appreciate them may want to be like their idol, and in turn purchase the product being sold.
While logos and ethos appeal to logic and honesty, there’s actually another tactic which appeals to emotions; pathos. Advertisements can make someone feel like if they had the product being sold, then they would be happy. This occurs when people on the ad have smiles on their faces and look like they’re enjoying themselves with the product.
On the other hand, some ads like those of the SPCA can make you feel guilty or bad for not joining their cause or having their product (“Persuasive Techniques”). Appeals to emotion work because lots of people are driven by said emotions, and if done correctly, this tactic can be very impacting to those who view the ad.
All three major tactics, logos, ethos, and pathos are used in ads in some way or another. Through use of data from reputable sources or through guilt-tripping, ads get people to buy or support the product or cause that is being shown.
Logos appeal to the logical side of the argument through use of evidence and statistics. It can give a clear understanding of what the product does or what it’s made of. An example of this would be: One glass of Florida orange juice contains 75% of your daily Vitamin C needs (“Persuasive Techniques”). This line informs the viewer that the orange juice is good for getting a lot of Vitamin C, and this can sway more people into buying it if they need Vitamin C and want a tasty drink, or if they just want to be healthier.
While logic is an important part of effective advertisements, a viewer must also trust that the facts come from reputable sources. Ethos appeal to the honest and credible side of the argument. This can be done by giving data from reputable and non-biased sources along with using actual opposing arguments (if there are any) rather than creating a straw man. This can also be done through celebrity endorsement like this: Catherine Zeta-Jones makes us want to switch to T-Mobile (“Persuasive Techniques”). If the research is done by highly renowned scientists or at a place like Harvard, it is much less shady than not citing a source or citing one that is shady. Celebrity endorsements also add a trustworthiness because people who look up to them and appreciate them may want to be like their idol, and in turn purchase the product being sold.
While logos and ethos appeal to logic and honesty, there’s actually another tactic which appeals to emotions; pathos. Advertisements can make someone feel like if they had the product being sold, then they would be happy. This occurs when people on the ad have smiles on their faces and look like they’re enjoying themselves with the product.
On the other hand, some ads like those of the SPCA can make you feel guilty or bad for not joining their cause or having their product (“Persuasive Techniques”). Appeals to emotion work because lots of people are driven by said emotions, and if done correctly, this tactic can be very impacting to those who view the ad.
All three major tactics, logos, ethos, and pathos are used in ads in some way or another. Through use of data from reputable sources or through guilt-tripping, ads get people to buy or support the product or cause that is being shown.
1950s Advertisements - Context and audience
Surprisingly enough, the 1950s largely impacted the ads that we see today. Because advertisements were a very large part of society during the 1950s, it was important for advertisers to develop their craft and the use of persuasive techniques in order to target specific audiences. Understanding the context of change between the 1940s and 1950s is of utmost importance in perceiving the role of advertising and how it has changed.
After World War II, demand for certain consumer products allowed for manufacturing to steadily grow. There was also a large increase in the population after the war which led to more housing and in turn required more appliances to fill the homes. People wanted products like cars, TVs, washing machines, vacuums and other items for their houses and daily lives (“History: 1950s.”). Due to the shift of focus onto consumer products, there was a need for companies like Chevrolet, Hoover, and Tide to advertise their products to people, and the rise of TVs and radios gave them just the platform they needed to help spread their products to an even wider audience. There was also a shift away from the memories of the Great Depression and the war to a more positive family oriented future of comfort and happiness (“History: 1950s.”). More people wanted to focus on brighter things, so recreational activities like bowling, board games, and golf were advertised much more along with items like vinyl records and comic books. After the war, people started to have lots more time to just sit back and relax. Advertisements also started to target more audiences like children and teens, as well as promoting certain ideals like the importance of having a car (“History: 1950s.”). Teens, who were around the driving age, and wanted the freedom to go to many different places, were a target audience because of their potential to buy. There was also an ideal that a good citizen was one who often purchased the newer and better versions of products as they came out, and spending of money should be in a reasonable portion rather than for the luxury (“The Rise of American Consumerism.”). Because of this idea, ads would often stress how their product is new and better in comparison to the ones that they sold in the past, and these kinds of ads would target people who wanted the best of the best. In conclusion, the change and increase of advertising in the 1950s was the start of a major focus shift onto consumers and the consumer products. They moved ads away from focuses on the war and more towards recreational activities or items of practicality, and widening their audiences to young adults and children. |
Persuasion Tactics in the 1950s
As previously addressed, the 1950s were a very important time for advertising as the amount of ads rose with innumerable amounts of new and different persuasion tactics within the ads, and some of which we still have around today. Adverts use many techniques, some to make people relate with the commercial, and others to simply grab the viewer’s attention.
Companies started to build a character around their brands for people to relate to and recognize. The character and the product being sold had a strong relationship. For instance Tony the Tiger and Frosted Flakes or Rice Krispies and the Snap, Crackle, Pop gnomes (Gallegos).
Commercials may also specialize their character through use of anthropomorphism, giving animals human traits, in order to get more people relate with the ad and in turn the product (Suggett). Examples include Tony the Tiger (again) or the bird in the 1957 ad for Gillette Blue Blades. Because animals are so universally liked, it is much easier for people to relate with them, and it will probably draw more attention to the ad than a normal cartoon person would.
Although the character was a large part of the advertisement, the product itself was always the main focus, and the ads always served for one purpose: to sell (Gallegos).
They also used famous people to help sell a large range of products like cigarettes to washing machines (Gallegos). This was seen in the 1956 ad for the Gillette Razor which stars the baseball player Pee Wee Reese. If a person sees a star they like who is supporting a certain brand, that person will be more likely to buy from the brand because they want to be like their idol. With lots of visuals for people to remember a brand by, what about the aspect involving audio?
Companies would create catchy slogans or jingles to help support their brand. Examples like “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand,” from M&Ms or Pillsbury’s “Nothing says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven.” Each good slogan is short and to the point as well as being distinctly different from other ones for people to remember and recognize (Gibson). Although many ads are upbeat throughout, sometimes they can start off rather sad.
Some commercials can make someone feel sad by not buying or having their product. This may be suggested by people who are looking down or blue, but then look very happy after receiving the product. The 1961 ad for Brunswick Bowling uses this technique, as the people look very gloomy, but once they start bowling, they look very happy (Suggett). This technique makes viewers question if they can receive the happiness those in the ads got, and possibly increase the chance of them buying the product.
Each persuasion tactic is used to get people to buy or support their product or cause. The ones that work are still around today while those that didn’t were changed or completely removed from use.
Companies started to build a character around their brands for people to relate to and recognize. The character and the product being sold had a strong relationship. For instance Tony the Tiger and Frosted Flakes or Rice Krispies and the Snap, Crackle, Pop gnomes (Gallegos).
Commercials may also specialize their character through use of anthropomorphism, giving animals human traits, in order to get more people relate with the ad and in turn the product (Suggett). Examples include Tony the Tiger (again) or the bird in the 1957 ad for Gillette Blue Blades. Because animals are so universally liked, it is much easier for people to relate with them, and it will probably draw more attention to the ad than a normal cartoon person would.
Although the character was a large part of the advertisement, the product itself was always the main focus, and the ads always served for one purpose: to sell (Gallegos).
They also used famous people to help sell a large range of products like cigarettes to washing machines (Gallegos). This was seen in the 1956 ad for the Gillette Razor which stars the baseball player Pee Wee Reese. If a person sees a star they like who is supporting a certain brand, that person will be more likely to buy from the brand because they want to be like their idol. With lots of visuals for people to remember a brand by, what about the aspect involving audio?
Companies would create catchy slogans or jingles to help support their brand. Examples like “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand,” from M&Ms or Pillsbury’s “Nothing says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven.” Each good slogan is short and to the point as well as being distinctly different from other ones for people to remember and recognize (Gibson). Although many ads are upbeat throughout, sometimes they can start off rather sad.
Some commercials can make someone feel sad by not buying or having their product. This may be suggested by people who are looking down or blue, but then look very happy after receiving the product. The 1961 ad for Brunswick Bowling uses this technique, as the people look very gloomy, but once they start bowling, they look very happy (Suggett). This technique makes viewers question if they can receive the happiness those in the ads got, and possibly increase the chance of them buying the product.
Each persuasion tactic is used to get people to buy or support their product or cause. The ones that work are still around today while those that didn’t were changed or completely removed from use.
Ad Analyses
1950's Pepsodent Ad
The Pepsodent ad starts off with an animated girl named Suzy Q who receives a comment by one of the two other guys in the ad about how white her teeth are. Having the ad start off like an animated show would is very eye-catching. This is also a very good segway to introduce what they are selling. She then informs the two (along with the viewer) about Pepsodent and the new packaging, flavor, and formula. This goes along with the idea that good citizens should stay up to date with the newest and best version of the product. This part of the ad is also capable of attracting both new or old customers to come and buy their newest version of the toothpaste.
After this, it leads into a catchy jingle with the slogan, "You'll wonder where the yellow went / when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!" The slogan uses simple words that can be easily remembered by anyone. For example they say “you’ll wonder” instead of “you’ll be perplexed” or “yellow” instead of “plaque”. The slogan is also short and gets to the point, so someone who is seeing this for the first time can come to the conclusion that Pepsodent is a toothpaste that whitens your teeth. Alongside the slogan, they make a tune that goes with it so that it will be even more memorable because tunes are a very good way for people to remember things.
As the jingle continues to play, an animation appears as they explain what the toothpaste is made out of and what it cleans. This helps the viewer understand, to an extent, what the toothpaste does and it shows that Pepsodent knows what they’re talking about. The focus returns to Suzy Q and one of the guys while the ad details the pros of what Pepsodent can do for someone’s teeth and breath. They finally, they wrap up with their slogan.
The use of the catchy jingle along with information about the product gives a good idea of what they are selling and is visually attractive due to the fun cartoons that appear and large letterings that occasionally pop up to stress the importance of a specific word. They stress the word, “yellow” which shows up on the person’s teeth, and then they flash it even bigger before they brush it away. This is mainly done to show color because they didn’t have it in color. Before this, they also show the word “Irium” and some of the other words of things in the toothpaste. This is probably done to keep people’s attention in the boring parts of the ad and to stress what was inside the toothpaste.
This advertisement uses logos and pathos in order to get their point across. The explanation of what the toothpaste is made of and what it cleans is the example of logos in action while the story about Suzy Q and her interactions with the others, especially the kiss near the end of the ad, show examples of someone being complimented for her smile and it will relate with people who are concerned about their teeth’s general well-being.
CTV Ad
The CTV ad begins with a title sequence and jumps right into a scene of a rich person in a mansion while the Spiderman 2 Pizza theme music subsequently plays in the background. This was done to get people’s attention because it is much different than many other ads played on CTV. The rich person makes a comment on how they have so much money, but they don’t know what to do with it. With an abrupt explosion, rich person two appears advising the other to go to Give Local York Downtown. He explains what it is as words appear overtop which show the importance of some of the things he’s saying.
Rich person one repeats a summary of what he has heard from rich person two and exclaims that they will definitely be going to the event. The ad ends with a closing circle effect as the two smile and give a thumbs up to the camera. Many parts of the ad were meant to be humorous such as the “sample text” at the beginning and the music being played in the background, but it does use logos and pathos.
Rich person two describing what the event is all about and where the proceeds are going to serve as the logos, and the idea of someone having money and not knowing what to do with it relates to someone who may have some extra cash or a few bucks laying around and wants to be generous. While the latter is a rather big stretch, the reason for this is to make the ad even more out of place than it already is, so that it will catch people’s attention and maybe entice them to visit the event on May 4th.
The Pepsodent ad starts off with an animated girl named Suzy Q who receives a comment by one of the two other guys in the ad about how white her teeth are. Having the ad start off like an animated show would is very eye-catching. This is also a very good segway to introduce what they are selling. She then informs the two (along with the viewer) about Pepsodent and the new packaging, flavor, and formula. This goes along with the idea that good citizens should stay up to date with the newest and best version of the product. This part of the ad is also capable of attracting both new or old customers to come and buy their newest version of the toothpaste.
After this, it leads into a catchy jingle with the slogan, "You'll wonder where the yellow went / when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!" The slogan uses simple words that can be easily remembered by anyone. For example they say “you’ll wonder” instead of “you’ll be perplexed” or “yellow” instead of “plaque”. The slogan is also short and gets to the point, so someone who is seeing this for the first time can come to the conclusion that Pepsodent is a toothpaste that whitens your teeth. Alongside the slogan, they make a tune that goes with it so that it will be even more memorable because tunes are a very good way for people to remember things.
As the jingle continues to play, an animation appears as they explain what the toothpaste is made out of and what it cleans. This helps the viewer understand, to an extent, what the toothpaste does and it shows that Pepsodent knows what they’re talking about. The focus returns to Suzy Q and one of the guys while the ad details the pros of what Pepsodent can do for someone’s teeth and breath. They finally, they wrap up with their slogan.
The use of the catchy jingle along with information about the product gives a good idea of what they are selling and is visually attractive due to the fun cartoons that appear and large letterings that occasionally pop up to stress the importance of a specific word. They stress the word, “yellow” which shows up on the person’s teeth, and then they flash it even bigger before they brush it away. This is mainly done to show color because they didn’t have it in color. Before this, they also show the word “Irium” and some of the other words of things in the toothpaste. This is probably done to keep people’s attention in the boring parts of the ad and to stress what was inside the toothpaste.
This advertisement uses logos and pathos in order to get their point across. The explanation of what the toothpaste is made of and what it cleans is the example of logos in action while the story about Suzy Q and her interactions with the others, especially the kiss near the end of the ad, show examples of someone being complimented for her smile and it will relate with people who are concerned about their teeth’s general well-being.
CTV Ad
The CTV ad begins with a title sequence and jumps right into a scene of a rich person in a mansion while the Spiderman 2 Pizza theme music subsequently plays in the background. This was done to get people’s attention because it is much different than many other ads played on CTV. The rich person makes a comment on how they have so much money, but they don’t know what to do with it. With an abrupt explosion, rich person two appears advising the other to go to Give Local York Downtown. He explains what it is as words appear overtop which show the importance of some of the things he’s saying.
Rich person one repeats a summary of what he has heard from rich person two and exclaims that they will definitely be going to the event. The ad ends with a closing circle effect as the two smile and give a thumbs up to the camera. Many parts of the ad were meant to be humorous such as the “sample text” at the beginning and the music being played in the background, but it does use logos and pathos.
Rich person two describing what the event is all about and where the proceeds are going to serve as the logos, and the idea of someone having money and not knowing what to do with it relates to someone who may have some extra cash or a few bucks laying around and wants to be generous. While the latter is a rather big stretch, the reason for this is to make the ad even more out of place than it already is, so that it will catch people’s attention and maybe entice them to visit the event on May 4th.
Art - Reasoning
We used the Free Real Estate Ad as an inspiration for the text that appeared overtop along with the constant movement of the shots to make things interesting and keep people’s attention. We also repeated important words like they did not only because it makes the ad more humorous, but because repetition is actually a good way to get people to remember the event along with the important details of it.
With our ad “competing” with other CTV ads, we decided to make the music different from the average “trashy CTV rap music” and put the Spiderman 2 Pizza theme music in the background mainly because of how funny it is due to it’s funky beat and use of the flute which makes it sound like some of the videos where people would intentionally play the flute poorly to make it sound bad while also making it funny in the process. This song is also out of place with the theme we were going for which makes the ad a little more intriguing.
For the the theme of the ad along with choice of clothing and the backdrop, we were going for a “I have lots of money” feel by having Wyatt’s pockets and neck collar be filled with money, having Robert dress formally in a suit, and having the backdrop be a very decorated mansion. This was used as a very odd segway (because a lot of people don’t have money to just give away) into our proposition of helping Give Local York.
The sample text in the beginning and the closing circle effect in the end both add to some of the cheesiness we were going for.
With our ad “competing” with other CTV ads, we decided to make the music different from the average “trashy CTV rap music” and put the Spiderman 2 Pizza theme music in the background mainly because of how funny it is due to it’s funky beat and use of the flute which makes it sound like some of the videos where people would intentionally play the flute poorly to make it sound bad while also making it funny in the process. This song is also out of place with the theme we were going for which makes the ad a little more intriguing.
For the the theme of the ad along with choice of clothing and the backdrop, we were going for a “I have lots of money” feel by having Wyatt’s pockets and neck collar be filled with money, having Robert dress formally in a suit, and having the backdrop be a very decorated mansion. This was used as a very odd segway (because a lot of people don’t have money to just give away) into our proposition of helping Give Local York.
The sample text in the beginning and the closing circle effect in the end both add to some of the cheesiness we were going for.
Works Cited
“History: 1950s.” Ad Age, Ad Age, 15 Sept. 2003, adage.com/article/adage-
encyclopedia/history-1950s/98701/. “The History of Television Ads.” Https://Www.qualitylogoproducts.com/, Quality Logo Productions, Inc., 2018, www.qualitylogoproducts.com/promo-university/history-of-tv-ads.htm. Gallegos, Jose Angelo. “The History and Evolution of Advertising.” TINT Blog, TINT, 20 Apr. 2018, www.tintup.com/blog/history-evolution-advertising-marketing/. Gibson, Nick. “5 Vintage Advertising Techniques That Still Work Today.” Udemy Blog, Udemy, Inc., 13 June 2014, blog.udemy.com/vintage-advertising/. “Persuasive Techniques in Advertising.” ReadWriteThink, 2009. “The Rise of American Consumerism.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 2018, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/tupperware-consumer/. Suggett, Paul. “13 Ways Advertisers Persuade You to Buy.” The Balance Careers, The Balance Careers, 8 Dec. 2017, www.thebalancecareers.com/10-ways-advertisers-persuade-you-to-buy- 4084767. |