So that's why I have to buy alcohol? Oh, I see...

ahem: "PLEASE MARK THIS ONE!"... i hope i have your attention: now to the blogging. <> All adverts have a single purpose, right? And that is to promote a product, encourage the consumer to buy the product and ultimately increase the sales of the product. In the adverts I find during research, the product being advertised is always alcohol. SO they all have the same purpose, BUT have a different way of getting there. And in doing so, send different messages to the consumer. Let's look at the different message in the adverts I looked at. In certain adverts, alcohol is seen as a reward. The advert sends the message that if you have done hard work, you can be praised by receiving a bottle of "so-and-so-alcohol". This is seen in many ad's aimed at men: they are willing to go the extra mile to receive the award at the end of it. It makes the certain product seem only worthy for the best of people: people who are praiseworthy. I'm not sure, but I don't see any alcohol in the above ad. I wonder what they are selling? Oh, it says Absolut Vodka on the women's skimpy outfit. So they advertising alcohol... OH. So why don't they just show us a bottle of vodka instead of the woman? In other adverts (like the above one) alcohol is seen as a way for men to get women. In many adverts this is used to the extent that women is degraded to being an object that men want to own, taste, drink (in the context of an alcohol ad). Adverts like this encourage the view of women being seen only as a sex object, used only for the pleasure of men. So in this way, women is used to sell alcohol.

(for those who can't read the fine print above, the words on the left state: "you either have it" and the ones on the right:"or you don't ")

Alcohol is also sold by associating it with success and fame. The messge is: if you don't have alcohol, you will not go far in life and will not achieve what you want. Alcohol 'magically' helps you get there and will be there with you to celebrate and reward you in the end. This message can be seen as ironic if you look at any logic or reason. I won't go into the obvious, but indulging in alcohol is a degenerative method of doing anything. However, this is one method of promoting the use of alcohol and can be seen in the above ad.

As I mentioned before in a previous post, humour is also used to sell alcohol as it attracts the consumer's attention easily. This is used more frequently in the 21st century. Overall, the advertisement sells not only a product, but a lifestyle along with it, describing the way their target market either sees themselves or wishes to see themselves. These methods are all effective and are used today in modern advertisements. Many adverts encompass more than one message/method in their ad, making it more efficient.

It is important to look past all the decorations and trimmings of advertisments and instead focus on the few facts they do give us, and the ones they don't.

to be continued...

Laylah Ryklief