Assignment 6: The Dark Side of Advertising - Persuasion and Manipulation.
Television Commercial Reviewed: State Farm - Remodel, released June 2017
Television commercials have to be very careful to be truthful in advertising. But misleading promises happen all the time. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed suit against Q-Ray bracelets costing them $87 million. Companies Sketchers and Reebok were penalized over $65 million for claim that their shoes make you fit while you walk (Watchdojo, 2014). Another unscrupulous effort to advertise involves sending subliminal messages. While research has shown that flashing hidden images and messages at speeds so fast that only our subconscious minds perceive is not effective (Edwards, 2011), the very short one-minute commercial I have chosen to review confirms for me that I have made the correct choice in State Farm as an insurance company.
Overall Message
This feel-good, almost chick-flick style commercial opens with a beautiful male/female couple smiling approaching a cute, little house with a “sold” sign out front. It’s a definite fixer-upper that’s probably been vacant for a long, long time. All of that happens in the first two seconds. Then comes the demolition scenes with an interesting twist. Mr. manhandles the sledgehammer while Ms. goes on about routine daily events such as shushing him while she takes a phone call, and brushing her teeth (with bottled water since they haven’t gotten it running yet). We see time evolve with Mr. all dressed and headed presumably to work and then back home in the shower -- with a tub of water to spill over his head in lieu of what most of us take for granted, running water. We see Ms. surprised by a single, lonely Happy Birthday balloon. By twenty-two seconds in, they’ve survived rainy days and even have drywall up on some of the previously bare walls and have welcomed a new baby evidenced by cries in the monitor in their bedroom. Lounging around smiling at their progress with yet a lot of work to come, both adults join in the work and household chores - she paints, he burns dinner, prunes the weedy front yard, prepares dishes for another meal (again, presumably) and lays hardwood flooring. A touch of humor, and some of the few words spoken in the commercial, occurs with Mr. kneeling over the floor while Ms. gazes down and says, “That was easy.” Mr. looks up and says “It wasn’t easy.” An argument ensues, along with an emotional make-up hug, followed by more proof that Mr. and Ms. embody the culture of America with more work, more burned dinner, a toddler at their feet, and more work to do on their dream house. The final scenes show Mr. and Ms. entering the front porch with a newly sodded lawn in the foreground and freshly painted exterior highlighting their lovely craftsman-style home in the background. That’s the first time with hear from State Farm. We get this verbal message:
“While other insurance companies just see a house,
we see the home you’ve worked really hard for.
So why not give it the protection it deserves?”
And then the text that drives it all home (pun intended):
Here to help life go right.
State Farm
Production
Western culture is rooted in the American Dream, sealed by the Declaration of Independence right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The American Dream has long been symbolized by hard work resulting in a happy family and home ownership. The writers of the State Farm commercial are banking on viewers still being captured by this ideal. With the combination of hard work, the adorable “real” family, house, and peppy, upbeat Doris Day singing the whole while, State Farm wants us to believe with all of our heart that they are the company that understands what our dreams mean to us and that they alone can protect us from any harm.
Persuasive Techniques
Around for over 2000 years, most advertisements use at least two of Aristotle’s ideas that describe how to persuade others. The writers, producers and directors of the State Farm commercial (2017) used the concepts of Pathos and Ethos (Kuglich, 2014). Pathos implies our response to the stimuli will be emotional. This happens through a combination of some of these multimedia: images, video, spoken words, text and music. Clearly, the one-minute drama is meant to tug at our desire to be happy in our own home - and to be driven to protect it. State Farm went overboard in their efforts to paint a picture of a real, American family with whom anyone would want to befriend (well, they could have increased the dream scene with the presence of a cute puppy and kitten). They are using Ethos or making attempts to establish their credibility and our trust in their insurance.
While there is nothing about the State Farm commercial that falls into the category of propaganda, the “beautiful people” technique (Wikipedia, 2017) identified by Wikipedia contributors as commonly used in propaganda advertising, was the mainstay of the advertisement. The smiling all-American perfect man, woman and baby are all key ingredients to roping viewers into believing the message. The producers were careful to save the finished image (green grass, beautiful home front and the happy family) for the very end when the spoken message comes through. Their use of soft colors increased the emotional appeal of the advertisement.
With the many action scenes in the one-minute video, transitions were commonplace. As described by Hagen and Golombisky (2013), the producer used cutaways to focus on one action (the burned dinner pan in the hand of Mr.) while still seeing Ms. in the background working. On two separate occasions, the videography features what would likely “fade to black” in a homemade video. Instead, they used a quick night scene to transition the viewer to the next day.
State Farm’s message came through with very few words. They followed Hagen and Golombisky’s (2013) recommendation to perfection to “Show, don’t tell” (p. 189). The audio consisted of the song, A Bushel and a Peck, two very very short exchanges between Mr. and Mrs., and then the very nice State Farm lady suggesting that our homes deserve State Farm’s protection. It’s hard to say which dominates more: the scenes described in the opening paragraphs above or the music played throughout, Doris Day singing, “I Love You, a Bushel and a Peck,” written in 1950 by Frank Loesser. The words to the song discuss how much someone loves someone else, in spite of the messiness of life.
Distribution
This commercial was viewed on September 16, 2017, between 7:00 p.m.- 10:00 p.m. during the Tennessee v. Florida NCAA college football game. I find that to be an interesting choice and hope that their marketers also air this commercial during prime time female-oriented shows as well. Regardless, the age range is correct. College football draws a huge audience, many of whom are young adults, both men and women, approaching homeowner status. The commercial is more likely to appeal to young adult women as well as middle to older aged women and men. I base this on the content as well as the music playing throughout with Doris Day’s voice, familiar to an older audience.
Reflection
As a result of reviewing the materials and analyzing a commercial in detail, I learned so much about the world of advertising. First, I’m relieved to know that subliminal advertising in the classic sense (fraction of a second flashing of images and words) isn’t effective. Next, I’m relieved to know that lawsuits against companies whose advertising makes false claims have actually been successful. And finally, I have a new toolbox of persuasive techniques to watch for as I enjoy the world of creative advertising. I don’t watch much T.V. so I miss a lot of advertising, but I know the opposite is true of many of my students. Therefore, teaching them to watch for the hooks in commercials will help them to grow into smarter consumers. After reviewing an infographic defining the various techniques of persuasive advertising, I will have small groups of students create two different commercials employing some of the techniques they learned. The topic: “selling” a character they are studying in U.S. history.
References
Edwards, J. (2011). The ten best subliminal ads ever made. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-10-best-subliminal-ads-ever-made/
Hagen, R. & Golombisky, K. (2013). White space is not your enemy: A beginner's guide to communicating visually through graphic, web & multimedia design. 2nd edition, Boston, MA: Focal Press.
Kuglich, D. (2014). The art of rhetoric: Persuasive techniques in advertising. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCz5fy02JE
State Farm Insurance. (2017). Backstory - remodel: State Farm commercial. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JosRNhwRrIU
Watchdojo. (2014). Top ten misleading marketing tactics. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-HrTC8QCbM
Wikipedia. (2017). A bushel and a peck. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Bushel_and_a_Peck
Wikipedia. (2017). Propaganda techniques. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_techniques
Television commercials have to be very careful to be truthful in advertising. But misleading promises happen all the time. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed suit against Q-Ray bracelets costing them $87 million. Companies Sketchers and Reebok were penalized over $65 million for claim that their shoes make you fit while you walk (Watchdojo, 2014). Another unscrupulous effort to advertise involves sending subliminal messages. While research has shown that flashing hidden images and messages at speeds so fast that only our subconscious minds perceive is not effective (Edwards, 2011), the very short one-minute commercial I have chosen to review confirms for me that I have made the correct choice in State Farm as an insurance company.
Overall Message
This feel-good, almost chick-flick style commercial opens with a beautiful male/female couple smiling approaching a cute, little house with a “sold” sign out front. It’s a definite fixer-upper that’s probably been vacant for a long, long time. All of that happens in the first two seconds. Then comes the demolition scenes with an interesting twist. Mr. manhandles the sledgehammer while Ms. goes on about routine daily events such as shushing him while she takes a phone call, and brushing her teeth (with bottled water since they haven’t gotten it running yet). We see time evolve with Mr. all dressed and headed presumably to work and then back home in the shower -- with a tub of water to spill over his head in lieu of what most of us take for granted, running water. We see Ms. surprised by a single, lonely Happy Birthday balloon. By twenty-two seconds in, they’ve survived rainy days and even have drywall up on some of the previously bare walls and have welcomed a new baby evidenced by cries in the monitor in their bedroom. Lounging around smiling at their progress with yet a lot of work to come, both adults join in the work and household chores - she paints, he burns dinner, prunes the weedy front yard, prepares dishes for another meal (again, presumably) and lays hardwood flooring. A touch of humor, and some of the few words spoken in the commercial, occurs with Mr. kneeling over the floor while Ms. gazes down and says, “That was easy.” Mr. looks up and says “It wasn’t easy.” An argument ensues, along with an emotional make-up hug, followed by more proof that Mr. and Ms. embody the culture of America with more work, more burned dinner, a toddler at their feet, and more work to do on their dream house. The final scenes show Mr. and Ms. entering the front porch with a newly sodded lawn in the foreground and freshly painted exterior highlighting their lovely craftsman-style home in the background. That’s the first time with hear from State Farm. We get this verbal message:
“While other insurance companies just see a house,
we see the home you’ve worked really hard for.
So why not give it the protection it deserves?”
And then the text that drives it all home (pun intended):
Here to help life go right.
State Farm
Production
Western culture is rooted in the American Dream, sealed by the Declaration of Independence right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The American Dream has long been symbolized by hard work resulting in a happy family and home ownership. The writers of the State Farm commercial are banking on viewers still being captured by this ideal. With the combination of hard work, the adorable “real” family, house, and peppy, upbeat Doris Day singing the whole while, State Farm wants us to believe with all of our heart that they are the company that understands what our dreams mean to us and that they alone can protect us from any harm.
Persuasive Techniques
Around for over 2000 years, most advertisements use at least two of Aristotle’s ideas that describe how to persuade others. The writers, producers and directors of the State Farm commercial (2017) used the concepts of Pathos and Ethos (Kuglich, 2014). Pathos implies our response to the stimuli will be emotional. This happens through a combination of some of these multimedia: images, video, spoken words, text and music. Clearly, the one-minute drama is meant to tug at our desire to be happy in our own home - and to be driven to protect it. State Farm went overboard in their efforts to paint a picture of a real, American family with whom anyone would want to befriend (well, they could have increased the dream scene with the presence of a cute puppy and kitten). They are using Ethos or making attempts to establish their credibility and our trust in their insurance.
While there is nothing about the State Farm commercial that falls into the category of propaganda, the “beautiful people” technique (Wikipedia, 2017) identified by Wikipedia contributors as commonly used in propaganda advertising, was the mainstay of the advertisement. The smiling all-American perfect man, woman and baby are all key ingredients to roping viewers into believing the message. The producers were careful to save the finished image (green grass, beautiful home front and the happy family) for the very end when the spoken message comes through. Their use of soft colors increased the emotional appeal of the advertisement.
With the many action scenes in the one-minute video, transitions were commonplace. As described by Hagen and Golombisky (2013), the producer used cutaways to focus on one action (the burned dinner pan in the hand of Mr.) while still seeing Ms. in the background working. On two separate occasions, the videography features what would likely “fade to black” in a homemade video. Instead, they used a quick night scene to transition the viewer to the next day.
State Farm’s message came through with very few words. They followed Hagen and Golombisky’s (2013) recommendation to perfection to “Show, don’t tell” (p. 189). The audio consisted of the song, A Bushel and a Peck, two very very short exchanges between Mr. and Mrs., and then the very nice State Farm lady suggesting that our homes deserve State Farm’s protection. It’s hard to say which dominates more: the scenes described in the opening paragraphs above or the music played throughout, Doris Day singing, “I Love You, a Bushel and a Peck,” written in 1950 by Frank Loesser. The words to the song discuss how much someone loves someone else, in spite of the messiness of life.
Distribution
This commercial was viewed on September 16, 2017, between 7:00 p.m.- 10:00 p.m. during the Tennessee v. Florida NCAA college football game. I find that to be an interesting choice and hope that their marketers also air this commercial during prime time female-oriented shows as well. Regardless, the age range is correct. College football draws a huge audience, many of whom are young adults, both men and women, approaching homeowner status. The commercial is more likely to appeal to young adult women as well as middle to older aged women and men. I base this on the content as well as the music playing throughout with Doris Day’s voice, familiar to an older audience.
Reflection
As a result of reviewing the materials and analyzing a commercial in detail, I learned so much about the world of advertising. First, I’m relieved to know that subliminal advertising in the classic sense (fraction of a second flashing of images and words) isn’t effective. Next, I’m relieved to know that lawsuits against companies whose advertising makes false claims have actually been successful. And finally, I have a new toolbox of persuasive techniques to watch for as I enjoy the world of creative advertising. I don’t watch much T.V. so I miss a lot of advertising, but I know the opposite is true of many of my students. Therefore, teaching them to watch for the hooks in commercials will help them to grow into smarter consumers. After reviewing an infographic defining the various techniques of persuasive advertising, I will have small groups of students create two different commercials employing some of the techniques they learned. The topic: “selling” a character they are studying in U.S. history.
References
Edwards, J. (2011). The ten best subliminal ads ever made. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-10-best-subliminal-ads-ever-made/
Hagen, R. & Golombisky, K. (2013). White space is not your enemy: A beginner's guide to communicating visually through graphic, web & multimedia design. 2nd edition, Boston, MA: Focal Press.
Kuglich, D. (2014). The art of rhetoric: Persuasive techniques in advertising. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCz5fy02JE
State Farm Insurance. (2017). Backstory - remodel: State Farm commercial. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JosRNhwRrIU
Watchdojo. (2014). Top ten misleading marketing tactics. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-HrTC8QCbM
Wikipedia. (2017). A bushel and a peck. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Bushel_and_a_Peck
Wikipedia. (2017). Propaganda techniques. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_techniques