‘Advertising doesn’t sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel’
Jeremy Bullmore
Evaluate this statement with reference to selected critical theories (past and present).
This statement can be quite controversial, but in a way true. When adverts are produced their aim is to sell a product to its target consumer, they seem to promote a way of life, which their product can provide or create. Sometimes manipulating the consumer into buying something that maybe they hadn’t thought about or intended to purchase. But they make you feel that actually they do need this product to full fill their lives. Advertising promises another, better way of living.
Persuasion in advertising can be cunning and clever; they play on our thoughts and feelings. They create a need for a person and the persuasion appeals to the persons need for love and self-esteem. They will also try to appeal to the social needs of a person, to be popular and respected by having their product. Television plays on this a lot, as it is widely accessible to almost everyone.
Opinions on advertising and the way it affects consumers are very diverse and somewhat arguable.
John Berger, an English art critic created a series of TV programmes looking at different types of art, he also wrote a book ‘Ways of seeing’, he talks about the effect art can have on our lives and in one instance he focuses on advertising, he says
‘...publicity as a system only makes a single proposal. It proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives, by buying something more...publicity persuades us of such a transformation by showing us people who have apparently been transformed and are, as a result, enviable...’
Quote taken from ‘Ways of seeing’ by John Berger.
(Enviable meaning: worthy of envy; very desirable).
Berger in a way agrees with the above statement, he has said that publicity (advertising) is only a system to make us feel that a product can help us to be a better person and to live a better life. But of course it has the intention of selling things because people believe that they need the product.
‘Advertising is not merely an assembly of competing messages; it is a language itself which is always being used to make the same general proposal...’
Another quote from Berger continues his theory and belief of advertising techniques, it has one purpose and one purpose only, to propose better well being.
Another theorist of advertising is William Bernbach, Bernbach says
‘Advertising doesn’t create a product advantage. It can only convey it...’
He is proposing that advertising does not try to trick consumers into buying a product which will change their way of living, it merely shows how it could if used in the correct way and with the correct person, it gives a bit more freedom to the consumer, to be able to make the decision for themselves in whether or not this product could or in fact will change their life as it were.
He quotes
‘The most powerful element of advertising is the truth...you can say the right thing about a product and nobody will listen. You’ve got to say it in such a way that people will feel it in their gut. Because if they don’t feel it, nothing will happen...’
In other words, if a brand wants to publicise a product they should do it in a truthful and honest way, show how this product could positively affect someone’s well-being or lifestyle, they need to have trust in the brand in order for them to make a purchase. Trust is the key to good sales.
Rosser Reeves was a successful American advertising executive and TV advertising pioneer, he focused on one key technique when creating his advertisement, ‘The unique selling proposition’. The unique selling proposition is the one sole reason that a product needed to be bought by consumers or how it was better than its competitors.
Reeves quotes
‘ Successful advertising for a flawed product would only increase the number of people who tried the product and became dissatisfied with it...i believe it is a waste of money to claim uniqueness that doesn’t exist, because consumers will soon find out, they won’t come back to the brand...money would be better spent building some kind of meaningful advantage to the product before launching a costly advertising campaign to promote it...’
Quote and above information founded on Wikipedia.
Reeves, much like Bernbach, believe in truthful advertising, why lie to the consumer when you don’t actually need to. So in relation to the statement of advertising, it appears that Reeves’s theory may in fact disagree. The statement says ‘advertising doesn’t sell things’, but it must in order for any kind of brand to make a profit, Reeves just believes that it must be done in a way that is honest to the consumer in order to make them feel or think in a different way, it’s by choice in Reeves’s eyes rather than brainwashing a consumer.
Vance Packard and his book ‘The Hidden persuaders’ was first published in 1957, it was about media manipulation in the 50’s and it sold more than a million copies.
It reveals ways in which advertisers use tactical techniques to manipulate the expectations of the consumer and inducing desire for their product. He also identified eight ‘compelling needs’ that advertisers promised their product would full fill. He focused on the way in which advertisers could change the way in which people did think or feel through product publicity, he explores how these worked and if they worked. He looked into consumer motivational research, psychological techniques and subliminal tactics. He seems to have an undecided opinion in relation to the statement, he mainly focused on tactics and techniques and the effects these have on consumers, rather than saying yes advertising does change the way we think or feel; or no advertising does sell things and these techniques often aid in doing that, they are not solely to brainwash our thoughts.
An example of advertising that does change the way we think and feel, is the campaigns bought out by The United colours of Benetton. The purpose of their campaigns is to captivate us and in some cases shock us. They aim to produce striking campaign images that will make us stop, look and think and if successful feel different. An example of an older campaign is that of a black woman breastfeeding a white baby. The campaign, directed by Oliviero Toscani; was released in 1989, it was to campaign for black and white equality and it caused a strong reaction in the black community.
Now although Benetton is renowned for selling clothing, which it does using advertising, it has these campaigns to induce a reaction and feeling, so in relation to the statement Benetton has two ways of publicity for their brand, one to sell things and one to change the way the consumer thinks or feels.
Apple is another example of strong advertising, Apple’s goal is to make the consumer believe that if they buy one of their products they will have a higher status in society and they will become a better person living a better life. Apple is known brand for being expensive and sophisticated. They are a brand that is constantly evolving, which is where they make their profit, if a consumer buys an Apple product they are ‘cool’ as it were, and everyone always wants the newest piece of technology, so by generating newer and better products within shorter spaces of time than some brands, Apple can convince its consumers to update more often, you can see one type of Apple product, for example the ipod, evolve several times in the space of a year.
We could be presented as consumers with an mp3 player and an ipod, both having the same qualities and specifications, the ipod costing the most, and in most cases we would choose to purchase the ipod because we know the brand and we trust the brand. People trust Apple, which is why they are more willing to part with their money, to own an Apple branded product.
In conclusion to the statement ‘Advertising doesn’t sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel’, i think that advertising can be used in many ways to sell a product, some ways are honest and some lull us into false values of a product in order to sell an item and in many cases we fall for this. Advertisers are clever and know how to manipulate us. I can’t say whether i agree with Bullmore’s statement, advertising must sell things or it would be pointless and a waste of money to publicise a product in the first place, it’s just depends on the way in which some advertisers do this on whether or not we think or feel in a different way as consumers.
- Published in 1957, Vance Packard’s, The Hidden persuaders, book details and blurb founded on www.thesocialcontract.com
- Rosser Reeves, Wikipedia
Kirsty Hardingham
