This design conversation is focused on looking at advertisements, in how they use certain ‘characters’ in promoting the product and actually asking why do they need to use this person within the advertisement.

1. Was it necessary? Is it suitable?

2. Was the product’s sale figure increased because of that use of character?

3. Isn’t it risky business in using a character’s face in promoting a brand, after all it entirely rely on that character’s reputation?

Advertising Faces

Writing in boxes like this means they are my change of ideas on advertising using celebrity faces during the discussion of this topic, in the talk I led on the Wednesday 19th February 2014.

Is this advertisement offensive?

Over Christmas 2013 I saw this statement saying “I believe in you!”on a coca cola advertisement, and my first reaction was I found it offensive.

Reasons were:1- The value of those words aren’t being said correctly, exactly what is he believing in?2- Coming from a fictional character who don’t exists just makes the statement even more unbelievable3- Who would believe this? Even some young children already know Santa doesn’t exists.

This advert would have been better without the statement, ‘I believe in you’ as Coca Cola traditionally used Santa Clause over Christmas ads, therefore, it makes sense to keep him on there with the three coca cola bottles.

Susan Blakely Becomes a Star by asking“Like my hair? Meet my hairdresser.” Understanding of ‘power and concept’ is what makes an advertisement successful in the long run, the idea is so direct it works.

Even though they had used a model, Susan. It was how she was presented that was key, just placing any model and glossing up their hair would look like every other shampoo advert.

Unique style is: It was how they used her that was most effective, she was in a meadow and once the camera zoomed out it revealed a cow as the hairdresser the reaction from the viewer was amazement, it’s unexpected but effective.

They branded their product Milk Plus Six, highlighting its key ingredient above anything else. Now that’s the power of a well thought out idea and brilliant execution, which give it’s brand a healthy perspective for over a decade.

Without the actual ad it wasn’t as strong ad for discussion, however, from the description many found this ad rather a comedy one for a small laugh and would be forgotten, however, the result was a decade of healthy respect for this company brand of shampoo, therefore it must had some good long term result.

Why is this Shark laughing?

If Phoenix’s Dr Gerta can transform Pinocchio’s wooden grin into this real life one.If our Dr. Glovsky can reshape Jews’ mouth into a friendly lovely one.If Dr. Wickson can make Mona Lisa’s smirk a work of art.

• This was a very successful dentist advertisement, which raised the patients percentage was described as “soared dramatically.”

• It doesn’t have to be famous people who can pursued people into buying what they’re selling, even an interesting image can do the job perfectly.

• As long as the concept is good, then the promotion will be memorable.

Overall it was a text based ad and it wasn’t very clear it’s related to teeth but it’s a similarity from a dentist advertisement and a toothpaste ad is confusing. I think even though the concept is refined in play of words and knowledge it would have been a more longer lasting result of using a celebrity to advertise dental health surgery.

The beauty of a dead cold stone upon a living pulsing being.

Background info:Miranda is a model and is exceptionally perfect for this poster advertisement, Swarovski has always been a outstanding jewelry brand and their target audience are woman who wants to be beautiful and elegant and live a fulfilled life. And Miranda as a person is viewed as a role model she started off like every one of us and finally found the path she stars at, as a model. She is also one of the top highest paid models. But not only that, she’s also a person as a woman can relate to, she has lost people she loved and know the industry world isn’t all that glamour and yet she stay strong and became the woman she is now.

• For her to be the model of this jewelry brand is an honor and she was able to bring beauty and value to those rocks that are lifeless.

• Advertisement not only consist of creating a mood of the product but is also helped by the model’s reputation this way it helps the buyer to feel like they’re getting more out of the product then what they paid for.

• Swarovski brand identity could be quoted as. ‘Within them, crystal figurines resonant with their ode to light and dreams, while jewels with a soul are brought to life. ‘

Well I must say. I ought to have recorded my own reaction when I first saw this ad, it was ‘oh this is a very beautiful but who is she?’ ‘Oh look there’s a name, let’s Google it’, ‘Ah she’s a model and a famous one too’. The ad works as of surface meaning only, but not everyone would know she is a famous model in the modeling industry, therefore, it wasn’t the best ad. If they were willing to spend that much money on hiring the best top model on this advertisement then why didn’t they hire a celebrity instead?

You would think in this advert they might use the James Bond leading men in this, but they didn’t. Instead they used the character’s action packed lifestyle in creating this fun daring event using interactive vending machine. And it’s completely captivating to watch to see the ordinary men trying there hardest in getting to the final destination of the winning vending machine. It’s creative, imaginative and fun.

Character

This ad fails to advertise Coca Cola brand as even though it’s great to watch, it’s really a verbal advertisement and when it’s promoted word of mouth it’s ‘007 ad’ being explained the keyword Coca Cola isn’t the the first relevant word. Therefore, they strayed from the successful result of advertising Coca Cola drinks. And it didn’t last long, it was soon forgotten.

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The distance between an 2D advertisement and virtual world experience.

• When I first saw this advertisement, I was like wow, it would have been even better if they partnership with a friends of the Earth champagne.

• At times advertisement likes this, where they only show still images of what is going to be seen on the day isn’t very motivating, however, in this you can really sense the excitement from those children and family members.

• To be able to close the gap from standing behind a thick glass looking at bones and stuffed animals is a completely different feeling due to it being interactive.

• It’s sense experience is captivating.

This type of interactive virtual world experience isn’t a new invention even though it works, it was designed in the baby bloomers generation. This type of advertisement is only short lived and doesn’t really work, it’s a day event at the most for each individual person, because in their memory it was about polar bears and whales, the term Frozen Planet isn’t what they ought to remember therefore, this event fails to promote ‘augmented reality’.

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Lifestyle adapted into ways of shopping • Celebrities aren’t the only models that can sell

clothing brands, even not so well known models can.

• People’s lifestyle has changed over time due to digital technology which changed our way of living, for instance now that we can shop online we don’t even need to go out to make that journey to a shop. All we see on the digital device are pixels of colours, some would even say its a “cold” way of living.

• However, even though what is shown in this advert is also people interactive with digital device the difference is that it isn’t just a click of a button but a self learning way of discovering how this interactive board works. E.g. go there early in the morning or late at night when the store is closed, they still have access to a shop window display.

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Even though it’s promoting people to online shopping in your own free time and prefect for busy lifestyle people, in fact the people who are on there shopping has too much time. When they could have walked into the store tried it on, than compare and see what other seasonal style are available and brought it there, instead they rather look at pixels. If they wanted to get their money worth on any product they should go on store and touch, see and compare before buying. What’s the point of earning so much money when in actuality your method of spending isn’t pleasurable.

What I learnt from delivering this talk: At first I didn’t truly answered the key question of Advertising Faces when making this Powerpoint, until on the day I was questioned by my the tutor who attended my talk, ‘Are celebrity needed in advertising?’

What I learnt from my own talk was that sometimes a good concept within an advertisement helps, however, we pay millions of pounds on hiring a celebrity in promoting a product, why not use them? In the end I think using celebrities is necessary but also using them appropriately.

But I think I understand why advertising is shallow, because looking at all those advertisements they are all short lived and really works when a celebrity is used in it for it to be known. However, I can say that not all celebrity hired promotion are real, e.g. Beyonce Knowles has her own brand of perfume and actually she’s allergic to it, she has her own personal made perfume which she can wear. And people who think a certain celebrity is using a certain item, they’re actually using top brands perfume, clothing, lipstick, makeup etc. They may be paid to advertise something, it does not mean they believe in it. Therefore, celebrity may be great to use but really they’re just paid to sell something and the next thing you know they have done 10 other ads on the same item but under different brands.

Karen Pang