Reflections: Critical thinking helps us deal with the amount and kind of advertising in our lives. Ads are all around us and have become part of our culture, our language, and our ways of thinking about how to live and how to relate to one another. It would be next to impossible to avoid advertising, so prevalent is it in our society. Given that is the case, we need to be capable of noticing their power, deconstructing their message, and assessing their impact. That's where critical thinking skills come in.

Goals: In this chapter we will look at key aspects of ads: assumptions, power and influence, and structural components (color, symbol, images, visual and verbal messages). We will also look at related issues--such as the lifestyle idealized in ads, the winner/loser mentality, the roles of sexuality and gender, for-profit versus nonprofit advertising, and the question of censorship. My goals are:

Goal #1: Become aware of the power and scope of advertising in our world in terms of both verbal and visual messages, as well as underlying assumptions on the part of advertising agencies as well as the audience.

Goal #2: Set out tools for analyzing ads and for examining the ways in which advertising can be prescriptive and descriptive in terms of its influence and ability to reflect on our society, culture, and values.

Desire and Illusion: Analyzing Advertising

Advertising frequently offers us an idealized world. We are a society of extremes. There is a wealth of opportunities, incredible choices of things to make our lives easier, and the means to communicate across vast expanses of space. We yearn for more than we get--and what we get is not enough. Advertisers know this. Ads attempt to soothe our spiritual hunger problem and help us find a way to connect with those around us. And so, advertising addresses the need for gratification by tending to our desires and dreams.

Assumptions

Contemporary ads bear little resemblance to ads of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Ads today are much more subtle and sophisticated. They assume a language of discourse not present in the past. And they routinely make assumptions about consumers' needs, desires, fears, and prejudices. Decisions therefore center on how to spend the money, not where it's going to come from or what is the best use of our money.

The Power of Advertising

Advertising does more than push a product. It also tells stories, provides social commentary, offers advice, and makes us laugh. More important, ads claim that our problems can be solved -- where the solution is something we can buy. These, then, are four key things to convey to the consumer:

FOUR TRICKS OF EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING

1. Shame → You've got a problem!

2. Optimism → Your problem can be solved.

3. Solution → You need this product.

4. Rationale → You have a right to solve your problem, regardless of cost.

Sin and Seduction in Advertising

There is a seductive quality to ads, something magical that draws us in. In spite of ourselves, we hope buying this product really can transform our lives, overcome our inadequacies, and make us feel better. The fact that envy, lust/desire, and greed are three of the Seven Deadly Sins does not escape the minds of ad agencies. The persuasive techniques range from obvious to subtle, ugly to the beautiful, hilarious to the serious, sexless to the oversexed. Advertising offers an escape from the troubles of life and the tragedies in the world around us. It also has power. With large corporations behind them, advertising agencies can determine which images and icons have the greatest appeal

Analyzing Ads

Advertising Checklist

1. Values: What values and beliefs does the ad convey? According to the ad, what's the best use of our time and money?
   
   
2. Story: If you think of the ad as telling a story, what story does it tell?
   
   
3. Verbal Message: Study the verbal message. What exactly is being said in the ad?
   
   
4. Visual Message: Study the visual message. What images, symbols, and visual impact are conveyed?
   
   
5. Fallacies (See Chapter 4): Watch for fallacies in ads (e.g., Ad verecundiam, Accent, and so on).
   
   
6. Exaggeration: Watch for false promises and exaggerated claims. What exactly does the ad claim the product will do? What is the nature of the guarantee? Do you see any puffery?
   
   
7. Stereotypes: Watch for stereotypes around gender, race, age, nationality, religion, economic class, and so on. Look at the various roles (such as dominant or authority roles, heroes and villains, helper roles, nurturer roles) presented in the ad.
   
   
8. Diversity: Who populates the ad? Does the ad reflect the society we live in? Note how gender, race, age, and economic class are represented and whether they typify the world we live in.
   
   
9. Power and Class: Watch for assumptions around power, class, and patterns of consumption. What is the economic class of those inhabiting the ad? Who are the targeted users of the product?
   
   
10. Political Agenda: Be aware of political or social messages. Ads often relay a set of attitudes, in the verbal or visual message. See if there's a hidden agenda in the advertisement.
    
    
11. Prescriptions: Look at the lifestyle presented. Ask yourself: Do I live (or want to live) like this; if so, at what cost? And what is the societal impact of this lifestyle?
    
    
12. Sexuality: Look at the ways sexuality, sexual orientation, sexual violence, and intimacy are handled, including turning men or women into sexual objects or using sexuality to sell the product.
    
    
13. What Is Left Unsaid: What is missing from this ad? Will using the product transform my life, as the ad suggests? Look at the ways ads overlook any number of societal or personal problems that may bear on buying or using the product.
    
    

Power and Class

On the surface, ads may appear to be "just" about trying to sell some product. But, many who study advertising see much more going on. For example, Robert Goldman thinks ads are inherently political.

Goldman's Assumptions in Advertising

The Verbal Message

In addition to looking at assumptions, it is also important to be able to dismantle the ad itself. This dismantling, or deconstructing, of ads involves:

1. Analyzing the verbal and visual messages of ads.
2. Examining the role of images, symbols, and the use of color to create an effect.

Let us look at these aspects, starting with the verbal message. This is created by the use of words and music, when sound is an option. This is the text of the ad. Most ads have a greater visual message than a verbal message, since people are drawn to striking images and vibrant colors. Some ads, however, rely on the use of words to create impact. This could be in the form of a story about the character, a testimonial about the product, or a commentary on events or issues in the society. When it works, the effect can be powerful. Look at the ad for Time magazine and how it relies on the verbal message for its effect.

The Power of Language: Analyzing Ads for Their Verbal Message

In decoding an ad, the examination of the verbal message is as important as studying the visual elements. Think of it like this: the ad tells a story. You have to read the ad carefully to ascertain all the fine details of the story and its possible effectiveness. Sometimes the ad presents evidence that the product being of good quality. Sometimes, the ad presents only the salient selling features of the product. Other times, the ad may rest its verbal message on explaining to your (the consumer) why this product is different and better than its competitors. Or the ad may not direct its attention to the product at all, but try to leave you with an impression, indirectly selling the product. Carefully read the ad, watching for key words that will work to either emphasize the product's appeal or will hook the consumer by pushing the appropriate buttons..

Assessing the Verbal Message. Watch for:

• Characteristics or qualities of the product.
• Consequences of owning the product.
• Benefits of this product over rival products.
• A particular lifestyle that accompanies the product.
• Use of humor, diversionary tactics (such as shocking, insulting or negative comments directed to the consumer).
• Social commentary that may or may not relate to the product.
• Use of statistics or statistical claims touting the benefits of the product.
• The testimony of ordinary people, so-called experts, or celebrities.
• Techno-lingo or pseudo-scientific terms to give weight to the ad's claims.
• Fallacies of reasoning or questionable claims.

The Visual Message

We are a visual culture. We judge, buy, consume, or desire all sorts of things in terms of their visual appeal. Advertisers know this. We do not normally want to see things that are ugly or unpleasant--unless it is done with humor. We do want to see beauty and images of happiness, intimacy, and satisfaction. We like to see images of success, things working correctly, and problems being solved. The idea is to get the consumer to draw the link between the images and the product; so we think getting the one will result in the other. We yearn for what the product represents and the lifestyle that accompanies it. Ads used to focus almost entirely on the product itself, spelling out what it could do for us.

Use of Color and Symbols

One important visual dimension has to do with color versus black and white. Each one can have considerable impact on the audience. Color can have a powerful effect on the audience. Many ads use symbols--such as those of patriotism (flag motifs, eagles flying majestically across the page, and the Statue of Liberty, etc.) This is true even in times of peace--not just in wartime.

Presenting a Lifestyle

Whereas ads of twenty or thirty years ago raved about the product and what it could do, recent advertising is more contextual. That is, the product is embedded within a particular context, that of the lifestyle being presented. Advertising has succeeded in creating an art form and perhaps even a type of literary genre. That is, we "read" the copy and images of ads with a kind of familiarity and acceptance.

Winners and Losers in Advertising

At times it seems like we need to satisfy some list of qualifications in order to deserve the product, such as being cool enough or attractive enough to get access to the product being advertised. But, because we want to enter that parallel universe where people are having such a nice life, we are driven to get to that point of entry. In these ads, there is a clear line between winners and losers. The winner-loser demarcation goes inside the ads, as well.

Sexuality and Gender in Advertising

Many ads use sexuality or sexual images to create an effect and sell a product (and an idea). Freud wasn't the only one to know how powerful the sex drive is and to what extent we identify our sense of self and our choices in terms of body image. There is room for exploitation in this. For example, bodies of women are more likely to be portrayed in advertising than those of men, although men are increasingly becoming sex objects in mainstream advertising. Many ads use male and female sexuality to sell a product. One benefit of studying ads is to gain insight into our society. Through ads, we can discover prevalent stereotypes and folk wisdom.

Using Ads with a Social or Political Theme

Given the potential to reach a wide audience and the power of persuasive advertising, nonprofit groups are turning to advertising to get their messages across. It is not surprising that advertising is used as a political or social tool. Obviously politicians figured this out long ago, as we see in expensive and carefully orchestrated political campaigns. If we can sell people on the idea of buying a particular car, brand of soap, or cell phone, we ought to be able to sell them on one aspiring politician over another. Organized groups can reach the general public via advertising or a public service campaign. With the power advertising has had in transforming our society, it is not surprising that groups concerned about social, political, or environmental causes should turn to it to get their message across.

Political Messages and Manipulation

We've seen public ad campaigns for the American Lung Association, the stop-smoking campaigns, and public service ads by nonprofit groups. Such public service advertising extends even to warnings during the Cold War. We know from Chapter Two on language, that propaganda can be an effective tool of persuasion.

The Question of Censorship

Advertising, like art, operates within a social context and has certain limits dictated by that social context. What is acceptable in television, film, and advertising changes with societal norms. Rear nudity (devoid of pubic hair) is acceptable in mass advertising, male frontal nudity is taboo. Female frontal nudity is occasionally acceptable. Some ads crossed the boundaries of public taste or caused controversy when they first came out.

Analyzing Ideological Frameworks

Jane Caputi, Scholar of Popular Culture and Women's Studies, has developed a method of evaluating ideological frameworks. This technique requires that we study BOTH the text and the ads that accompany (or surround) the text. For example, she would recommend that we not just study the ads placed in a TV show such as Everybody Loves Raymond or Friends or Saturday Night Live. Instead study the combination of the ads and the show together. When we "chart the flow," we are mapping that juxtaposition of advertising images/message and the images/program/message of the TV show itself. How they work together, in sync, is, in Caputi's view, a window for viewing our societal attitudes, prejudices, fears, desires, and values. This technique can be applied wherever ads appear in combination with a text, including magazine covers.