Advertisment Tactics Essay, Research Paper

When reviewing advertisements over a twenty-four hour period, one notices that there are a variety of weasel words and different tactics such as unfinished words and personification used to persuade the consumer to buy a certain product. Weasel words are words that appear to make a claim for a product, but in actuality, they don t. In this paper I will analyze newspaper advertisements and show how these tactics are used to mislead the consumer.

In an advertisement for Pantene Pro-V shampoo and conditioner, the advertisers use the weasel word transform . The ad says, Transform your hair in just 10 days. This advertisement is saying that if the consumer uses this product everyday then it will transform your hair. Your hair won t just get better but it will completely transform in just ten days. It will change from bad and ugly to beautiful and bouncy. This advertisement is very misleading because it makes the consumer think that if you do not use it for ten days then a transformation doesn t occur and the consumer has been mislead. Your hair cannot be transformed, it must make a gradual change.

A second advertisement that does not say much is the Nike advertisements. The type of advertising that Nike is known for is unfinished words . Nike s most famous advertisement is the slogan Just do it. What is the consumer supposed to just do ? Nike uses this tactic because this tactic counts on the consumer finishing the slogan such as just do it and buy the new pair of Nike shoes. Not only do they unfinished words but they also join the advertisement slogan with powerful visual images.

Another example of a company using unfinished words as a form of advertising is SuperCuts. In a recent newspaper advertisement, SuperCuts used the phrase look good . This is a very subjective advertisement because the word look has no specific meaning. By using the word look the advertisers are depending on the consumers interpretation of the meaning. They hope the meaning is positive but in truth what might look good to one person might look bad to another.

Another tactic advertisers use is personification, describing a non-living object with living traits. In an advertisement for Cacharel (a type of perfume) the advertisers use the phrase A fragrance with a new vision. By saying that the fragrance has a vision the advertisers are giving the perfume a human trait, which is that the perfume can see. And by using the word vision , the consumer receives a message that the perfume is positive and has dreams. The advertisers want the consumer to relate to the visions in hope that if they buy the product those positive feelings and visions will be transformed into them.

By using weasel words and other tactics, the advertiser is able to manipulate the consumer into believing something that is not really true. These tactics also make the consumer read too deeply into certain phrases. By doing this, the advertiser is able to persuade the consumer into buying their product, although the consumer does not fully understanding what the advertisement is saying.