Thursday, December 30, 2010

Ad and Sub-ad written analysis

Advertisement

A hot morning cup of coffee with steam serving to invigorate your senses with the lush and tantalizing strokes of delicate tendrils. Composed of heaven's morning dew, it drives away the remaining gloom from a barely risen sun. The aroma incites a racing heart as your lips descend to take in the caffeine that acts as a life raft to your damaged ship. The copy ad I contrived is meant to play off of the business man or woman's addiction to their morning cup of coffee as they strive to achieve the life raft instead of the chill and unforgiving waters of burn out and failure. It is commonly accepted that caffeine is essential in every successful person's life. When you are busy, your body needs help to keep up with your mind. Therefore, my logo, “The only way to wake up!” is born. It is a testament to the dependency on exterior influences people have in our increasingly success oriented society. Whether that dependency be on energy drinks, coffee or even drugs, it is commonly accepted that a truly successful person does not run solely upon his or her own power. Examples of this concept can be found in many movies viewed today such as “Kicking and Screaming” when Will Ferrel becomes too immersed in coaching his son's soccer team because he wants to beat his own father’s team. He becomes addicted to coffee, is kicked out of a coffee place because he can't wait in line and runs himself into the ground. With this image in mind, one of determined motivation to succeed to the point when the body can no longer function unaided, this ad targets the business community, the entrepreneurs, the doctors and any others who find life wearing them down with its incessant roar.

The mountain lake and blossoming flowers draw the eyes and stokes the flames of the inherent craving for beauty we all have, the evidence of which being in our love of beaches and models. I made the starbucks logo into the rising sun, shrinking the original and creating a reflection in the water. This symbolizes the power starbucks has on the commencement of one's day, and this statement leads into the basic appeals for what a better appeal than a good morning? A morning blessed turns into a day well spent and a satisfied night, something most crave. I have conjured the sense that without starbucks, the sun will not rise over the beauty that it does in the advertisement. Without starbucks, consumers will never be able to achieve such a day.

I believe that the AIDA effect has been rendered acceptably in my ad. The image is eye catching, the slogan quick and to the point and the meaning clear. However, I also believe that an ad with a simpler picture but still with a profound meaning, would have more of an effect on my audience. The scene is too much to take in and make note of with a quick glance, something that ads must be in the competitive world of advertising. There are so many plastered upon every surface that if one doesn’t display what it wants within a limited amount of time, the consumer’s eyes will be drawn away before the message can sink in. Therefore, in conclusion, despite my satisfied attitude towards my ad, I think its impact would be greater with a simpler picture.

Subvertisement

My subvertisement is based on the fact that it costs less than a dollar for a measles vaccination while a latte costs three. It seems that people can afford to buy a product that they can make at home for drastically less, but they can’t afford to save even one of the children that die every minute from measles. The sun rises and Starbucks serves up to 5 million customers as it makes its way across the sky. That is 5 million people who can afford to squander their money on ridiculously priced items. Let’s say, for the sake of ease, that each of these customers merely bought a latte, which is priced at three dollars. That adds up to 15 million dollars wasted, this amount being the barest minimum as most pay much more for pastries and such. 15 million dollars when only $1440 would be needed to save every child from death by the measles for one day. To emphasize the plight of the less fortunate, I placed a spectral figure over the original ad that I created. It is of a little Afghan girl, begging and crying because her parents had just been killed. This little girl exists as a reminder with her wispy body diluting that of the starbucks logo, that as consumers fritter their money away, they are allowing others to suffer and die. It draws the eyes of my audience with its tragic message, and tragedy, as proven with car crashes when everyone stops to look, draws spectators.

The starbucks logo remains in the rising sun, proving to be an irony as it symbolizes waking, yet millions of people remain asleep to the plight of those trapped in poverty and the difference they can make. This fact is represented with my logo’s phrase, “The only way to wake up and still remain asleep.” The audience of this subvertisement proves to be the same as the advertisement, coffee-drinking citizens of the first world whose worth is based on success.

The need sparked by this subvertisement is the need to sate one’s guilt at living such a luxurious life while others live as the girl on the poster does. It makes one think of what really matters in life: a ridiculously priced coffee or the life of a child?

As in my advertisement, I believe there is too much to look at in my ad. Between the logo, the words, the scene and the picture of the girl, a consumer’s attention would be lost and drawn to another ad before my message could take hold.

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