Post #5: “The Real Cost” Print Ad

 

This is an eye opening, interactive, double sided print advertisement, by “The Real Cost” anti-smoking campaign, that can be found in the April 2014 edition of Seventeen magazine.
Seventeen magazine targets younger women. Their main readers are between 12-19 years of age. This magazine has a lot of variety. Rather than being a fashion exclusive magazine they have lots of fashion, but they also focus on, health, beauty, body, and love. This gives them the ability to reach many different types of young women all in one magazine.
The target audience of Seventeen magazine is similar to the target audience for “The Real Cost” ad that is raising awareness about smoking. This ad is definitely reaching out to young women with beautiful skin, and who are in middle school and high school which are one of the most peer pressured parts of their lives.
This ad is effective in the Seventeen magazine environment because the young women who are flipping through this magazine are going to be attracted to the ad for many reasons. First, this double-sided ad is the thickest page in the whole magazine. Second, it looks like a makeup ad on the first side with the lift and peel flap under the model’s eye. Also, the headline says, “See what your skin COULD LOOK LIKE…” This headline is very catching to a young woman who might a few skin problems from ever changing hormone levels. These elements hook the reader into paying attention to the ad, then when they flip the page or peel the flap off the first page they see the real point of the ad which is conveyed through the imagery and both the subhead and the body text. The subhead finishes the sentence that was started on the first page, “…if you SMOKE.” Then under this the body copy reads, “Cigarettes can cause wrinkles that age you prematurely. What are cigarettes costing you?” Both the horrifying truth of the text and visual elements are really effective in the power that they give the ad and the message that the ad is trying to convey.
Overall I really like this ad and think that it differentiated itself enough from the rest of the ads in the magazine to really grab the readers’ attention. I do think that if the page would not have been thicker than the rest of the pages that the readers would have passed right past the ad because it is kind of plain and looks like any other makeup ad but less exciting. I also really liked the idea of having a lift and peel piece of paper under the model’s eye. To be honest this interactive part of the ad is what first caught my attention, because I thought it was for some type of makeup. My reaction to this detail of the ad is exactly what the creators of the ad wanted to happen, because as a reader of a girly magazine you are absolutely shocked to see wrinkled damaged skin under the flap when you were expecting beautiful perfect skin to appear. This shock reaction gets the reader interested, therefore they read the rest of the ad. This ad all together is perfectly creative and effective!

 

Post #4: “They Lived”

Post #4: “They Lived”

This heart jerking Subaru national television commercial that aired in the spring/ winter of 2014 is definitely targeting younger families. Subaru is making the point that their vehicles will keep you and your family safe and “alive.” This also becomes very clear and real at the end of the advertisement when the young family is walking out of their house to get into their new and very trusted Subaru.

This commercial is not only found on television, but is also found on both YouTube and Vimeo. It has been not been the most popular video on either site, but it still has about 15,156 views on YouTube and then only 5 plays on Vimeo.

This advertisement is highly effective in the fact that it really touches your heart when you watch it. I know it made me want to own a Subaru when I have a family, so that if there is ever a horrible accident we will all be safe. It also is successful in putting the message across that, if you love your family you will keep them safe and drive a Subaru. Subaru proves through this commercial, that is based upon true stories, that you can trust Subaru with the most valuable parts of your life, your loved ones. Overall they wanted to reach the emotional side of their viewers and according to my reaction and the reactions of others, that I have seen watch this commercial, it does an amazing job of doing exactly that.

This whole advertisement is one huge creative masterpiece. The imagery in the advertisement also jerks at the heart the whole time you are watching it and helps intensify the messages that Subaru is putting across. The very first image of the flat bed tow truck loading up the wrecked vehicle immediately made my heart drop to my stomach because it looked absolutely fatal. Then once the police officer tells the tow truck driver that they lived it gave me goose bumps and completely made my emotions do a 360. Then seeing the amazement on everyone else’s faces throughout the rest of the ad really makes the unbelievable reality of this survival story sink in. Then Subaru ends the ad with a cherry on top by having the family that survived the fatal looking accident get into a new Subaru because they have a now stronger than ever trusted relationship with their Subaru. All of this combined made a perfectly effective and creative masterpiece that truly touches the hearts of its viewers.

Personally this is my favorite commercial. I have never had an advisement make my heart drop like this one did at the beginning, and then in less than five seconds have me be filled with relief that “they lived.” Another thing that I really love about this commercial is that it is based off of true stories. With this being said, I can trust this commercial. I really feel like I got emotionally involved when watching this which is perfect because that is exactly what Subaru was trying to do.