Incorrect Advertising Campaign Methods: Consequences
Advertisements are well-planned, tested, and well-outlined methods of introducing new or emerging goods into the market (Morgan, 2012, p.115). Advertising will be achieved on both new and current goods and labels. There are many types of ads, the most common of which are audio and visual. Depending on the goods being sold, marketing firms will choose the most appropriate method of doing so. Content is funded by company owners who want to boost or increase their profits, and it clearly succeeds (Jacobi et al., 2015, p.50). This paper attempts to discuss some of the consequences of incorrect campaign methods. However, the means by which a product is advertised is of great concern as one has to consider the message sent to the audience (Kunkel et al., 2014 p.475). The choice of words used, and images dictate a lot.
Regarding the television advert, some people filed complaints against the Ashley Madison advert due to some very sensitive issues that the company failed to observe. The advertising standards board had to intervene and help assess the situation. Ashley Madison's advert tends to vilify women, especially married women, as it directly refers to wives. The men from the advert say that they need to find someone other than their wives. The jiggle portrays wives as very incapable or boring to have in a relationship. It also depicts women as a pleasure object which any man can access if they need to. This approach demeans women and would be even worse if children could interpret it this way. The board determined that women were disrespected and should not be treated as replaceable objects.
The advert, even though placed to run between 11pm-5am when children were asleep, condoned immorality. Advertising a dating site like this exposed everyone to immorality. The availability of sex partners on the internet is promoting promiscuity (Cornelio, 2014, p.70). Although it does not only restrict men from looking for women, women may also decide to join the race and everything goes haywire. At this rate, immorality would be the way of life. Marriages would be broken due to infidelity, leaving children in the midst of all this. The fact that you can get a partner from the internet will worsen men who are stereotyped as people poor in commitments (Paat et al., 2017, p.140).
The board also observed that the theme of the advertisement was very explicit and inappropriate, especially the billboard advert. The billboard would be clearly legible and stuck in place throughout, so even children could see it. Children are considered the future consumers of whatever is being advertised and will grow up with a very bad mentality. The presence of a man swiping his phone to view different kinds of women shows that one wife is not enough and men should always seek to outsource sexual affairs from the internet. Immorality never goes unrewarded. In this case, immorality would be rewarded by infections, unwanted pregnancies, and divorce from couples. Many people would say that viewing the advert will not influence their moral grounds as one is left to decide for themselves whether they will join the dating site or not. The truth is many people ought to attempt, and for the married couples, this will place their spouses at risk. Infections of all kinds ranging from sexually transmitted to the fatal ones. The board, however, failed to take this matter with the density it holds, assuming that people are allowed to make their choices. The availability of women images showing cleavage is an example of immorality and giving people more materials once they joined the site.
To sum up, the board determined that the advert had breached several codes of standard and was therefore to be pulled down. This can be considered a brave move as the advert could have eaten up society. The increased number of complaints is evident that the advert was slowly causing problems, and people were advocating for its withdrawal. Also, the fact that the advertisement had been run in several other countries with no problems does not justify that it was okay.
Interpretation of Advertisements
Advertisements are interpreted differently depending on the kind of audience viewing or listening to it. The main objective of any advert is to promote the sale and usage of their product (McMullan et al., 2012, p.840). For this reason, advertisements will always try to show the benefits of a product or brand. Sometimes exaggerations are made to make consumers more interested and willing to consume. Most television adverts will use stereotypes to advertise certain products as they believe that by doing so it will demand more attention and the right audience (Asemah et al., 2013, p.25). This essay, however, focuses on the content in the advertisement, the use of stereotypes, and the kind of message sent to the viewers.
In regard to the "Drinkwise Australia" advertisement, the advert clearly shows men having a chat where only boys are sent into the house to get the men more beer. A woman in the house tries to get the man's attention in vain. The men here are so busy drinking, and they pass the same trend to their sons. The beer is drunk in the home compound in front of children and women. Men have been used stereotypically to show that beer is a male-dominated product. The trait is inherited from the fathers to sons through generations. This belief has been there from centuries ago and is just a stereotype. People will tend to presume that boys adopt drinking habits from their fathers, which is not always true (Winer, 2013, p.110).
In this advert, alcohol has been portrayed as a bad substance that really affects the male gender. They just sit around chatting with their friends drinking all day. They do not even have time for their families as all they are thinking about is drinking beer. This is a negative impact on the society. Furthermore, the boys are introduced to the same habit. Beer is kept in the fridge where even children below the age of 18 can reach it. The use of men as a stereotype in this context simply shows that they are the most affected group in society (Silk & Urban, 2015, p.180). It might also depict that beer is very addictive as the boys start drinking from being sent to get it for the seniors. The use of men as stereotypes helps to target the audience to whom the advert is directed. It reaches the majority of the target audience at once and directly. Sadly, the use of stereotypes excludes women in this context as if they are not affected or involved (Harris & Sanborn, 2013, p.18). Women might also be drunkards, but the use of men in most adverts tends to cover them up. This makes it seem like the brand is mainly for the male gender, which is a very wrong theme. It discriminates against the level of sexism (Wolf, 2013, p.35).
After a thorough study, the conclusion can be drawn that adverts vary depending on the audience and use of stereotypes. Also, the message that the advert is sending really varies, dictating how the advertisement will be portrayed. For example, if an advert was trying to show how good beer was, it would visualize an act of success or achievement after the usage. If the advert was to send a warning message, it would involve a disclaimer or show the side effects of the same brand. Studies have shown that the use of stereotypes will be of great assistance when targeting a demographic population. It also instills a sense of expectation and familiarity to the consumers (Chung, 2013, p.280). However, when advertising something unique and wanting to command attention, it would be advisable to drop these stereotypes. By doing this, even the often left out minorities will be targeted.
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