Thursday, 14 May 2015

Present a 1000 word magazine article arguing one point of view of a social issue of your chosing

Discussion of Racism in the UK

In February of this year a video began circulating on various media platforms of a group of British Chelsea football supporters refusing a black man entry on a tube train in Paris whilst shouting 'we're racist we're proud' (Tovey, 2015). This is just one example of the institutionalized racism that the UK still suffers from. Ironically Prime Minister David Cameron was quoted as saying the incident was 'worrying' and 'very disturbing' (Anon, ITV, 2015), yes this is the same man who sent buses ablaze with slogans stating 'go home now or face arrest' into migrant dense parts of the country (Hope, 2015). As you can see this racism often goes hand in hand with xenophobia, in part due to the 'rampant anti-migrant sentiment' (Okwonga, 2015).

Institutionalized racism refers to how racism is 'structured into political and social institutions' for example the police or political organisations (Anon, 2013). In the run up to the UK General Election 2015, a UKIP party Councillor was interviewed and said that she '[doesn't like] people with negroid features' (Anon, BBC, 2015). This was one in a string of 'questionable' quotes that arose from UKIP party members, most recent, Jack Sen, a candidate who was set to stand was sacked after saying in a radio interview that minorities were being 'ethnically cleansed' (Rawlinson, 2015). UKIP party leader Nigel Farage defended the decision to sack this individual and took the opportunity to say yet again that UKIP is not a racist party and that the few incidents they have had do not represent the party as a whole. This coming from a man who stated people should be worried if a family of Muslims moved in next door to them (Anon, BBC News, 2014).

There is a quote of unknown beginnings that says 'I'll respect your opinion as long as your opinion doesn't disrespect my existence' and I feel as though it can be used with many issues spanning racism to sexism to homophobia. In terms of racism, for example, slur use is disgraceful and its continued use in society is a reminder of not only slavery but harmful and negative stereotypes that continue to permeate out society. A contestant on Big Brother last year caused controversy after repeatedly using the word 'negro' and upon being questioned about it he defended himself by stating but 'it means black in spanish', thankfully another contestant pointed out his complete inconsiderate ignorance and said 'but you aren't spanish' and told him to not use that word anymore. This is another example of how this quote can be applied.

Within advertising, a UK company Popchips came under scrutiny last year after making an ad portraying Ashton Kutcher in brown face and faced massive backlash due to this horrendous cultural appropriation. The character he was playing an Indian man called Raj (Minato, 2013), dances on screen with apparently Indian music in the background whilst eating the crisps. The CEO quickly apologised after the negative reacts from the public, stating 'our team worked hard to create a light-hearted parody featuring a variety of characters that was meant to provide a few laughs. We did not intend to offend anyone.' (Garcia, 2013). This naive attempt to brush the blatant racism away under the guise of humour is another way in which people are often unable to speak up due to the light-hearted and funny way people deal with their racist ways in the UK. For example, on the above article there are 31 comments (as of the 14 May 2015) and 18 of them note that 'people are too sensitive' which just goes to emphasise the ways that people seem to over react and get annoyed when its pointed out that yes, racism still exists.

A report was disclosed in October of last year after a Freedom of Information Act request was submitted by Black Mental Health UK about an incident that occurred two years ago in reference to allegations of racism in the police force. After a mental health facility requested help from police in regards to four individuals, three black and one white, the black individuals were handcuffed, attacked with batons and one had a plastic restraint put around his head whilst the white individual, who health nurses at the scene described as being 'a significant player in the disruption', was simply left to sit in a television room (Gallagher, 2015).Nurses commented that the white individual was treated ' It is important to note that even after the report was released the parts concerning racism within the police force, the ethnicity of the individuals concerned in the incident and allegations that had been made to individuals within the police force were all censored out. This racially biased treatment backs up the fact that data released by the Office of National Statistics found that black people made up 3.1% of the population yet 7.8 % were the victims of assault by the police, this is 4 times higher than that of white victims of assault by the police (Violent Crime and Sexual Offences 2011/2012, ONS, 2013).

Similarly, research carried out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that black people were stopped and frisked considerably higher than white people, Asians and mixed people (Hurrell, 2015). When you average out the data across the ten counties that they used in the study, black people were stopped six times more than white people (Anon, BBC News, 2013). For example, here in the Midlands, Section 60 enables police to search people based on whether they think they have a weapon, police stopped black people 29 times, yes 29 times, more than white people. After this study came out, Home Secretary Theresa May said that it was police 'duty to not stop people on basis of skin colour or ethnicity' (Travis, 2013).

It is clear that the structures that govern and police our country are acknowledging but not working hard enough to educate themselves about racism and aiming to slam down the disproportionate ways that black people and ethnic minorities are treated by the police force, people of political higher standing and the public at large.


References

Anon, BBC News, (2014). Nigel Farage attacked over Romanians 'slur' - BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27459923 [Accessed 12 May 2015].

Anon. RacismNoWay. (2013). Fact sheets Institutional racism.[online]. Available from: http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/factsheets/32.html [Accessed 5 May 2015]

Anon. BBC News. Now ex-UKIP councillor Rozanne Duncan: 'No regrets' over comments.[online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31565770 [Accessed 12 May 2015]

Anon. BBC News, (2013). Stop and search used 'disproportionately' on black and Asian people - BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24902389 [Accessed 12 May 2015].

Anon. ITV News. (2015). Prime Minister: Chelsea fan racism 'extremely disturbing'. [online]. Available from: http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-02-18/prime-minister-chelsea-fan-racism-extremely-disturbing/ [Accessed 12 May 2015]

Gallagher, P. (2015). Campaigners accuse Met Police and mental health trust of racist cover-up. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/campaigners-accuse-met-police-and-mental-health-trust-of-racist-coverup-10237504.html [Accessed 12 May 2015].

Garcia, T. (2013). Popchips Founder Apologizes for Offensive Ashton Kutcher Clip. [online] Adweek.com. Available at: http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/popchips-founder-apologizes-for-offensive-ashton-kutcher-clip/38420 [Accessed 13 May 2015].

Hope, C,. (2015). Home Office's 'Go Home' immigration vans campaign overwhelmed by hoax texts and calls, Telegraph. [online]. Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10417987/Home-Offices-Go-Home-immigration-vans-campaign-overwhelmed-by-hoax-texts-and-calls.html [Accessed 5 May 2015]

Hurrell, K. (2015). Race Disproportionality in Stops and Searches, 2011-12. [PDF] Equality and Human Rights Commision, pp.1-39. Available at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/documents/research/Briefing_papers/briefing_paper_7_final.pdf [Accessed 13 May 2015].

Okwonga, M,. (2015). If you think the racism in the Chelsea fans video is a ‘one-off’, you're dangerously wrong, Independent. [online]. Available from:  http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/if-you-think-the-racism-in-the-chelsea-fans-video-is-a-oneoff-youre-dangerously-wrong-10053520.html [Accessed 5 May 2015]

 Rawlinson, K. (2015). Ukip suspends election candidate Jack Sen over racially charged comments. [online] Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/01/ukip-suspends-election-candidate-jack-sen-over-racially-charged-comments [Accessed 13 May 2015]

Tovey, J,. (2015). Video of racist Chelsea fans sparks police hunt, condemnation in football and politics. Sydney Morning Herald. [online]. Available from: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/video-of-racist-chelsea-fans-sparks-police-hunt-condemnation-in-football-and-politics-20150218-13ip64.html [Accessed 12 May 2015]

Travis, A. (2013). Stop and search: home secretary launches consultation on police powers. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/law/2013/jul/02/stop-search-theresa-may-police-powers [Accessed 13 May 2015]

Violent Crime and Sexual Offences 2011/2012. (2013). [PDF] Office for National Statistics, pp.14-75. Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_298904.pdf [Accessed 13 May 2015].

Wednesday, 29 April 2015

Analyse how music has been used in an advert in relation to appropriate theory


.



Since 1926 when General Mills recorded the first ever jingle for Wheaties (Modesto Radio Museum 2006), brands have been jumping on them as a way to sell a brand. Tony the Tiger and his signature jingle phrase 'they're grrrre-e-e-a-a-t' has been used by the Kellogg's cereal Frosties since 1951 (Castle 2011) and was voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft until his death in 2005 and Lee Marshall took over but sadly died last year (Robson 2014).


Frosties ad 1993
Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPZlZz6BEQE

Frosties ad 2009
Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgn4KVkeYYk
Pak wrote that participants often imitated the lyrics and words from an ad due to the increased recall and Kellogg's Frosties are a good example of this (Pak 2012). Alongside this increased recall of words in the form of a jingle as has been used by Kelloggs is an increased likelihood of the swinging arm and thumb up motion that is used alongside the jingle.



As an example of a low involvement advert, Kellogg's Frosties can be seen as an advert that has taken a peripheral route of persuasion (PRP) with a clear indication of this being the 50+ years of repetition. Another hint at it being a PRP is the emphasis on the visual aspect of the advert which aids the foreground musical stimuli as the phrase 'they're gre-e-a-a-t' gives the idea that the brand wishes to be seen as fun- and the colourful and bright colours used, for example of Tony the Tiger himself, aid this assumption too as it is message enhancing (Drewniany, Jewler 2011 pg 194).

The phrase 'they're great' as used by Kellogg's in Frosties adverts is an example of cadence and may have been used to entertain and interest viewers of the adverts (Literary Devices, 2015). This rising and falling in voice as it is described is often used in poetry and in music to keep the audience interested and its use in the Frosties ads may have been done to employ this effect. Listener situation is one of the four variables of advert response and the attention grabbing use of cadence can be interpreted as technique to counteract the ongoing activities of the advertisement audience.


Tony the Tiger saying 'they're great'
Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6EcMSWRpms
Lantos and Craton noted how likability can be increased by having music that is familiar and simple to remember (Lantos, Craton 2012). This increases likability partly due to the ease and goes back to the repetition that can encourage likability for example with the gocampare ads, they were not liked at the beginning but the catchy jingle caught on and 'grew' on people. You could also note how this likability establishes the brand image as Kelloggs is a core brand and its good perception, credibility and recognisability can be seen as a cause for its success as a business.


Craton and Lantos found that music can trigger emotional responses due to the memories that they provoke whether they be positive or negative (Craton, Lantos 2011). Yalch noted that jingles were more effective when it came to recognition and recall from consumers than a voice-over with background music playing. Science has proved that eating good tasty food causes the brain to release dopamine from the reward part of the brain (Wise, Rompre 1989), this release of hormones can also happen when exercising or having sexual relations. This dopamine release can be an indication of the favourability of the taste of the cereal with the consumer and will help with retention of the consumer which can be linked back to peripheral route as the emotions that are triggered will likely be nostalgic in style.

In conclusion, Kellogg's Frosties use of the jingle 'they're grrrre-e-e-a-a-t' has been used as an example of cadence to inspire interest and attention from audience. Similarly, the jingle has taken notes from peripheral route theory in its repetitive nature through time and likewise the tie in with the message enhancing nature of the colourful Tony character to form a 'fun' feeling for the brand. Jingles have been shown to increase emotional response because of the memories that they link with, this works favorably for Kellogg's Frosties as our human brains release dopamine in response to food which strengthens this emotional response in consumers. The simple jingle and ease of remembering has been used to increase Kellogg's likability and credibility as a core brand and this has been done via the use of repetition of this established jingle.


References

Castle, T. (2011) Kelloggs Breakfast. [Online] Available from: http://www.lavasurfer.com/cereal-kelloggs.html [Accessed 29 April 2014]

Drewniany, B. & Jewler, A. (2011) Creative Strategy in Advertising. 3rd edition. Wadsworth, Michael Rosenburg

Gupta, V. (2013) Jingles: Brand recall. Journal of Indian Management. [Online] 10 (2) Available from: http://mt6qm6wx6p.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Ad.+Jingles%3A+Brand+Recall&rft.jtitle=SCMS+Journal+of+Indian+Management&rft.au=Vandana+Gupta&rft.date=2013-04-01&rft.pub=School+of+Communication+%26+Management+Studies&rft.issn=0973-3167&rft.volume=10&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=78&rft.externalDocID=3337680461¶mdict=en-UK [Accessed: 29 April 2015]

Lantos, G. & Craton, L. (2012) Journal of Consumer Marketing. [Online] 29 (1) 22-42. Available from: https://blackboard.worc.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-511088-dt-content-rid-644947_1/courses/BUSM2619_AS.14-15/Lantos%20and%20Craton%20%282012%29%5B1%5D.pdf [Accessed: 29 April 2015]

Lantos , G. & Craton, L. (2011) Attitude toward the advertising music: an overlooked potential pitfall in commercials. Journal of Consumer Marketing . [Online] 28 (6) 396-411. Available from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/07363761111165912 [Accessed: 29 April 2015]

Literary Devices. (2015) [Online] Available from: http://literarydevices.net/cadence/ [Accessed 29 April 2015]

Modesto Radio Musuem, . (2006) Radio Jingles. [Online] Available from: http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/radio%20jingles%20&%20logos.html [Accessed 29 April 2015]

Pak, M. (2012) Effectiveness of music in advertising. Warc. [Online] 4. Available from: https://blackboard.worc.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-511088-dt-content-rid-644948_1/courses/BUSM2619_AS.14-15/Effectiveness_of_music_in_advertising.pdf [Accessed: 29 April 2015]

Wise, A. & Rompre, P. (1989) Brain dopamine and reward. Annual review of Psychology. [Online] 40 (1) 191-209. Available from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/ehost/command/detail?sid=2fd3928b-26b6-4d6c-80a4-da003b645b94%40sessionmgr115&vid=0&hid=107&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWF0aGVucyZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#db=bth&jid=ARP [Accessed: 29 April 2015]

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

Created an advert for Cadbury's Creme Egg

Open shot into a large family kitchen, middle aged attractive normal looking woman is sieving ingredients into a mixing bowl and box of Cadbury’s Crème Eggs can be seen on the side of the counter. Mixing follows and mixture is poured into a tray that is in the shape of a milk bottle, Crème Eggs are broken into halves and pressed into the top of the mixture and try is then slid into a pre-heated oven- as indicated by the oven light being on already and background fan noise. Radio plays and song changes to ‘Groove is in the Heart’ by Deee-Lite and lady looks at the camera Office-style and begins lip syncing along with the words to the song. Song reaches completion, kids come running down the stairs to the smell of the brownies baking, tray is taken out with much ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’. Screen goes purple, phrase ‘Make all their dreams come true’ appears and underneath are the hashtags #FreeTheJoy #SpreadTheJoy.

The use of seasonal relevance of one of Cadbury’s primary Easter offerings comes together with the USP of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk products, ‘glass and a half of milk’ and the slogan of Crème Egg ‘how do you eat yours’. This USP is referenced in the advert through the specially shaped baking tray for the brownies, this can be interpreted as an example of resonance, which McQuarrie described as being ‘an echo or multiplication of meaning’ whereby the bottle shape increases exposure to a direct link to Cadbury’s USP (McQuarrie 1986: p 181). Hyperbole is use of ‘egg’ageration or use of extreme claims and is used via the tagline ‘Make all their dreams come true’ as Crème Egg brownies are probably not warranting of a dream (Literary Devices 2010), The Drum points out ‘consumers are presumed to see through such slogans’ (Gardner 2014).

Slice of life has been used alongside an association strategy in which the brownies being cooked with the addition of the Crème Eggs work as a reminder of what can be done with them creatively in the kitchen. Creative director Jerry Daykin said he hoped it would ‘keep crème eggs front of the mind right up until easter’ (Eleftheriou-Smith 2015). To change the format to demonstration, an ad could be made with celebrity chef Eric Lanlard, the creator of the original Cadbury Crème Egg brownies recipe.

Pathos is emphasised within the ad as the positive emotions joy and happiness are stimulated when people have baked goods, this creates empathy with the audience of the ad and persuades them to want to bake. Additionally central route is used via high involvement and the use of a motivating and positive message to consumers, reinforced by the persuasive message to bake with Crème Eggs this Easter.

The hashtag #FreeTheJoy has replaced the Joyville campaigns made by Cadbury’s since 2012 and so far Cadbury’s have made two television adverts in this new campaigns (McCabe 2015). The first was made by Fallon London and shows a man, ‘Keith’ namesake of the ad, sliding on a swivel chair through offices lip syncing to Duo Baccara’s hit ‘I can Boogie’ (Hayden 2015). Furthermore the second shows actor James Cordon lip syncing to Estelle’s track ‘Free’ (Swift 2015). Note that there is no pattern with age of songs, only that they be pop, lip sync-able and upbeat- as parallel with the ‘joy’ from the Cadbury products.


References

Anon. (2010) Literary Devices. [Online] Available from: http://literary-devices.com/content/hyperbole [Accessed 17 March 2015]

Eleftheriou-Smith, L. (Wednesday 18 February 2015) Cadbury Creme Egg challenges consumers to top brownies recipe in Google+ activity. Marketing Magazine. [Online] Available from: http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1281224/cadbury-creme-egg-challenges-consumers-top-brownies-recipe-google+-activity [Accessed 17 March 2015]

Gardner, M. (Monday 13 October 2014) Is metaphor in advertising dead? What the Red Bull payout means for brands and their slogans. The Drum. [Online] Available from: http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2014/10/13/metaphor-advertising-dead-what-red-bull-payout-means-brands-and-their-slogans [Accessed 17 March 2015]

Hayden, L. (2015) Cadbury Dairy Milk Yes Sir, Let’s Boogie Again. [Online] Available from: http://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/2015/02/cadbury-dairy-milk-yes-sir-lets-boogie-again/ [Accessed 17 March 2015]

McCabe, M. (Tuesday 13 January 2015) Cadbury ditches 'Joyville' campaign but commits to TV advertising. Marketing Magazine. [Online] Available from: http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1226825/cadbury-ditches-joyville-campaign-commits-tv-advertising [Accessed 18 March 2015].

McQuarrie, E. & Mick, D. (1996) A critical pluralistic inquiry into advertising rhetoric. Journal of Consumer Research. [Online] 19 (2) 180-197. Available from: https://gates.comm.virginia.edu/DGM9T/Papers/McQuarrie_and_Mick_1992_On_Resonance.pdf [Accessed: 18 March 2015]

Swift, J. (Wednesday 18 February 2015) James Corden 'frees the joy' in Cadbury campaign. Brand Republic. [Online] Available from: http://www.brandrepublic.com/article/1281536/james-corden-frees-joy-cadbury-campaign [Accessed 17 March 2015]

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

In relation to classical and operant conditioning, analyse how the three given ads can be persuasive


Behaviourism is a school of psychological thought that concentrates on the study of observable behaviour rather than inner mind workings that were concentrated on beforehand, i.e. Freud and Gestalt. Watson, who went on to work in advertising, led many people into this new way of thinking, with an emphasis on wanting psychology to be more scientific and measurable than the previous mixings with a more philosophical leaning.  Classical conditioning is described as a reactive behaviour as it’s ‘beyond voluntary control’ and becomes an involuntary response after the conditioning occurs (Psychology, pg 22). In the same way that heuristics means that you pick up the same brand of toothpaste regardless of advertising as it’s a habit, post conditioning an animal will have a response that is like a reflex. On the other hand operant conditioning is described is an active behaviour, where stimuli to response to consequence occurs, and the consequences affect the future behaviour of the organism.
The first advertisement is the seat belt ad which formed part of the ‘Backwards’ campaign in 2003. Operant conditioning can be seen here as the stimuli, response, consequence sequence is used. By showing a situation with the inclusion of injury or death being a likelihood, the consumer is persuaded of the importance of wearing a seat belt when travelling by car, thereby encouraging a respect for their own life. By using a demonstration situation, the consumer is further aware of the contrast of effects of not wearing a seat belt vs wearing a seat belt, this further encourages them to keep themselves safe by wearing a seat belt when travelling. It could be noted that in real life, wearing a seat belt as an example of classical conditioning due to the progressive conditioning you receive when young, i.e ‘get in the car and put on your seat belt’, much like the ongoing progress Pavlov had when working with the dogs in the food and fork tone research (Psychology, pg 224).


Backwards Campaign 2003
Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWN6kchSI2E


Petty noted that attitude was an important factor when researching persuasive techniques and found three attitude-led responses, affect, individuals personal feelings, cognition, thoughts and associations linking it to the stimulus and conation, an individual’s behavioural response (Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion, 1986). In the case of this car ad, someone could have previously not worn a seat belt and been involved in an accident, their affect response could be fearful and wary, their cognitive response could be associations with not wearing a seat belt being the cause and the conative response could be that they always wear a seat belt now and encourage others with them to do the same. In relation to the ad this individual would not be persuaded as their mindset is already clear; seat belts are effective.  Petty went on to argue how an individual’s attitude to stimulus within an advertisement would be important to how persuasive they found the ad. Alternatively to the previous example, a person could have previously not worn a seat belt and been safe (affect), with thoughts and associations being that nothing bad had happened  to them (cognitive), and the conative response being that that they don’t bother with wearing seat belts. This individual would likely have a bigger change in attitude and interrelated persuasion from this ‘Backwards’ campaign.

This is the first ‘Diet Coca Cola hunk’ as he’s become known, making a first appearance as a construction worker in 1994. Positive reinforcement is one of the key concepts in operant conditioning and has been used in this ad. Skinner notes a reinforcer as being ‘any stimulus that functions to increase the likelihood of the behaviour that led to it’ with the words positive and negative being used to ascertain whether the stimulus was ‘presented or removed’ (Psychology, pg 227). Correspondingly, a woman in the ad can be heard saying ‘same time tomorrow’ which increases the sense that the behaviour will be continued. This sense of continuity can be interpreted as persuasive as people like routine (The Efficiency of Social Comparisons With Routine Standards, 2009) and therefore Diet Cola would become part of that.


Diet Coke Coke Break ad featuring Diet Coke hunk 1993
Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdrE1VMxzoE

The way in which the Diet Cola ad gives the impression that the employees are having a break coincides with Albers-Miller and Stafford who noted how positive emotional appeal often increases effectiveness (An international analysis of emotional and rational appeals in services vs goods advertising, 1999). This similarity to the joy people often feel when given a break, which has been noted to enhance productivity and morale in the workplace could be seen as a reflection of the satisfaction of drinking Diet Cola (Impact of Employment basics on Employee Engagement, 2014). Notably Coca Cola do use classical conditioning with their Christmas ad, as the US, getting towards Christmas time, and CS (the ad), then UR and CR being excitement about Christmas coming- emphasised by the theme ‘holidays are coming’.



Zazoo condom ad 2003
Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWkZ_StRjU0

Zazoo are a French condom brand who in 2003 ran an advert that included a screaming child in a supermarket. This ad shows an example of a different operant conditioning concept, negative reinforcement, whereby the child is the negative reinforcer for using condoms. Thorndike said of operant conditioning that ‘the consequences of an organism’s behaviour will determine whether it will be repeated’ (Psychology, pg 24). This ad can be interpreted as persuasive due to the use of humour, in order to convey the social embarrassment the man feels as a result of the screaming child.  Persuasion can also be seen in the way that the message isn’t entirely clear until the end of the ad, by holding interest you decrease the chance of skipping, fast forwarding or avoiding the ad (The Residual Impact of Avoided Television Advertising, 2010). Another example of a negative reinforcer would be a bad grade for a student, whereby the student would study in order to get a good grade, in the same way the man could have used a condom and avoided having a child and being in the situation that the ad shows.

In conclusion, examples of operant conditioning can be seen within the given adverts, including negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement as well as the use of humour, emotional appeal and demonstration as persuasive techniques.


References

Albers Miller, N. & Stafford, M. (1999) An international analysis of emotional and rational appeals in services vs goods advertising. Journal of Consumer Marketing. [Online] 16 (1) 42-57. Available from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/07363769910250769 [Accessed: 17 February 2015]

Bellman, S. Schweda, A. & Varan, D. (2010) The Residual Impact of Avoided Television Advertising. Journal of Advertising 39. 66-80. Available from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=58a68794-9858-4864-8020-23038ba257eb%40sessionmgr110&vid=1&hid=107 [Accessed: 17 February 2015]

Corcoran, K. & Mussweller, T. (2009) The Efficiency of Social Comparisons With Routine Standards. Social Recognition Journal 27. 939-948. Available from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=626badde-d9c3-4c2c-9d20-2b2c1bc8d40c%40sessionmgr4002&vid=1&hid=4106 [Accessed 18 February 2015]

Gilbert, D. Schacter, D. & Wegner, D. (2012) Psychology. Pg 20-24, 227. St Martin Press, New York, Palgrave Macmillan. 

Medlin, B. & Green , K. (2014) Impact of Employment basics on Employee Engagement. Journal of Marketing 19. 3rd edition. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. 21-25. Available from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5cad171c-aa40-4bfd-b976-134ddd811488%40sessionmgr4003&vid=1&hid=4106 [Accessed: 17 February 2015]

Petty , R. & Cacioppo, J. (1986) Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion. [Online] 123-162. Available from: https://www.uni-muenster.de/imperia/md/content/psyifp/aeechterhoff/wintersemester2011-12/vorlesungkommperskonflikt/petty_cacioppo_elm_advaexpsocpsy_buchkapitel1986.pdf [Accessed: 17 February 2015]

Till, B. & Priluck, R. (2000) Stimulus Generalization in Classical Conditioning: An Initial Investigation and Extension. Psychology and Marketing. [Online] 17 (1) Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(200001)17:1%3C55::AID-MAR4%3E3.0.CO;2-C/epdf [Accessed: 17 February 2015]


Wednesday, 7 January 2015

Persuasive techniques used by Christian Dior when advertising the new Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet fragrance


Natalie Portman in Black Swan, 2010
 According to WARC research, an average women’s magazine included 30 pages of fragrance adverts, also noting in the research that women aged 19-24 placed much significance on brand imagery used (So… Successful, 1996). This may be a reason that the Miss Dior logo and the sense of prestige both feature so prominent within the print ad.



Natalie Portman in The Other Boleyn Girl, 2008
 The Dior website notes that Miss Dior perfumes (there is a collection including Miss Dior, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet and Miss Dior Cherie) are ‘made for elegant spirited young women in love’. Natalie Portman is known, amongst many, for her roles as a queen in The Other Boleyn Girl and a ballerina in Black Swan, it’s easy to see why they drew such parallels between her and their intended target audience for the Miss Dior range, of which Natalie Portman is a long time ambassador.

(Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet - The Film. 2014)
 The use of celebrity endorsement on this occasion can be seem to be an attempt to encourage the target market young women to buy the product and wear it to feel the same way as Natalie Portman looks in the print ad, young beautiful and carefree and innocent. The suggestion being that Miss Dior perfume can help them feel this way and gain this ‘new love’ experience as per the description of the scent from Christian Dior website (The Designers Perfume, 2014). Christian Dior even explained the ideal Miss Dior as one of ‘absolute elegance’ which could indicate that this is how he wishes the wearers of this perfume to feel. Shaughnessy emphasised the importance of boosting ego when using persuasion in advertising which could be seen with Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet print ad partly due to the distinctive prestige brand and sense of increased self-worth from such a luxury item.

(Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet - The Film. 2014)
 Miss Dior retails at between £46 and £95 (The Perfume Shop, 2014) depending on bottle sizes and would be classed as a luxury perfume, one factor that McIntyre notes is prevalent in those that purchase luxury perfumes is an increased sense of attractiveness and desirability that will come from the ‘consumption of the luxury good’ (Perfume Packaging, Seduction and Gender, 2004). This increases the adverts effectiveness as it is not only selling the product but added value from gained confidence in oneself for example. Packard noted that celebrities are often used to say ‘you will be admired and valued like me’ (Packards Eight Hidden Needs, 2015). This sense of value could be extended to the purchase of the perfume ie ‘I deserve to have this’ or even to the outfit which Natalie Portman is presented, a piece of Christian Dior’s haute couture designed by Raf Simmons ‘this could be mine’ in terms of reassurance of self worth (Dior brings back Natalie Portman for Miss Dior expansion, 2014).

(Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet - The Film. 2014)
There also seems to be an element of storytelling, and customer involvement through social media and exclusive content (the new perfume was even introduced via MissDior's Facebook and Twitter pages), as this print ads adjoining television advertisement, which can be found on Christian Diors’ Youtube channel, called Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet - The Film. This is a short 23 second movie featuring a heterosexual, boy-meets-girl interaction between Natalie Portman and an unknown male which leads to a kiss, joyous smiles then relaxing from which the print ad with Natalie Portman on the stairs featured above is a screenshot.

The music that is used on this advertisement that links with the print advert is La Vie en Rose, originally by Edith Piaf which translates as life in pink which is the main colour in the print ad itself (La Vie En Rose: Edith Piafs remarkable voice comes back to life, 2007). Pink is a stereotypical feminine colour that is often linked to romance and could also be an indication of the rose-like floral notes of the perfume.

Persuasion is created by the use of a celebrity alongside a prestige product with undertones of added value via the possible increase in perceived confidence or self-worth in the hope that their target audience young women will buy Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet.


References

Assaf, S. (Tuesday 26 June 2007) La Vie En Rose: Edith Piafs remarkable voice comes back to life. Socialist Worker. [Online] Available from: http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=12189 [Accessed 06 January 2015]

Cory, J. & Brain, V. (1996) So... Successful. [Online] Available from: http://www.warc.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/Content/ContentViewer.aspx?MasterContentRef=347a3d07-2977-4d35-a748-49c778424efe&q=jo+cory+vanessa+brain&CID=A5531&PUB=IPA [Accessed: 06 January 2015]

Dior, C. (2014) Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet - The Film. [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3N9wi-9X84 [Accessed 06 January 2015]

King, J. (Thursday 20 February 2014) Dior brings back Natalie Portman for Miss Dior exxpansion. Luxury Daily. [Online] Available from: http://www.luxurydaily.com/dior-brings-back-natalie-portman-for-miss-dior-fragrance-line-expansion/ [Accessed 06 January 2015]

O'Shaughnessy, J. & O'Shaughnessy, N. (2004) Persuasion in Advertising. 2nd edition. 128. Psychology Press

Packard, V. (2002) Packards Eight Hidden Needs. [Online] Available from: http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/packard_needs.htm [Accessed 06 January 2015]

Petersson McIntyre, M. (2004) Perfume Packaging, Seduction and Gender. Journal of Current Cultural Reseach. [Online] 5 291-311. Available from: http://www.cultureunbound.ep.liu.se/v5/a19/cu13v5a19.pdf [Accessed: 06 January 2015]

The Perfume Shop, . (2014) Dior, Miss Dior. [Online] Available from: http://www.theperfumeshop.com/fcp/product/dior/miss%20dior/1707 [Accessed 06 January 2015]