The aim of this project was to investigate into areas of advertisement, i.e. the way in which adverts are made and the construct which they are based on. In doing so develop a set of rules or guidelines that make an advert an advert! In essence this has developed into a piece of work that uses iconic slogans found in advertising today, and deconstructs their influence on us by removing all forms of branding. This includes any use of colour, image, direction, and also the text itself has become useless and is no longer influential as it cannot be seen for long enough to have an impact. This has been done through the form of subliminal advertising and by adhering to these rules, the final outcome has caused the slogans to have no purpose, and so the advertising power they once had has now been removed. The outcome is a silent movie with flashing text (slogans). This illustrates the idea of subliminal advertising, but in fact doesn't publicize anything as the text has been removed from its original context. The text itself are recognizable however due to the speed at which they are shown, it is difficult to consciously grasp what is being shown. However the effect it leaves on the viewer is that of a subconscious reaction that questions what they have just been subjected too. Similar to the adverts of today.
Evaluation
I think as a whole the project is a success, and has developed over time through research and trial and error. If I had to change anything it would be down to my time management, and thoroughly developing my research in one go to conclusively decide where my project should be heading. However having said that I think the way in which I did my research has worked for this project, but it may not in the future. Furthermore the vlogging idea could have been developed further but once again this is down to my time management and this is a constant occurrence I must address.
The Final
So here it is, the outcome of the investigation into advertising. In essence this is a piece of work that uses iconic slogans found in advertising today, and deconstructs their influence on us by removing all forms of branding. This includes any use of colour, image, direction, and also the text itself has become useless and is no longer influential as it cannot be seen for long enough to have an impact. This has been done through the form of subliminal advertising and by adhering to these rules the final outcome the slogans have no purpose, and so the advertising power they once had has now been removed.
Subliminal Advertising
This is a test run just to see whether the idea would work, taking into consideration the final one will be longer i have decided to use just text and no images with the white noise in the background. The reason i have decided to do this is because if i use images the colour is very noticeable and colours are associated with the brand which defeats the point and so i have decided to use just text.
"Try a neutral video with minimal action, with a voice over + messages"
Ok so this is continuing on to develop i final product, the research that I did informed my decision to uses subliminal messaging to create a final video that destructs advertising, as it itself is seen as a ineffective form of advertising, but is widely believed to be one of the most powerful forms.
However after my first attempt i found that it would be more effective, even if it isn't, to remove all elements of visual distraction from the video so the message is clearer, and can be seen by the viewer, not so clearly that it is obvious, but clear enough to be a success as i attempt to subliminally influence the viewer.
testing- working towards the final
To begin with i would like to test this idea, using the guinness advert i over dubbed earlier thus developing its aim and possibly creating something that could work more like an art piece..
This method is very subtle, however what I chose to do is subliminally advertise or rather promote Michael Jackson songs throughout the video. By picking at choice words that have a link to his songs.
I think the overall effect of this is humorous however i think it is not as effective as it could be.
Areas for development
Try a neutral video with minimal action, with a voice over + messages
Maybe remove the element of actual voice, and maybe a gradual variation of sounds...with subliminal messages...
Subliminal Advertising
The concept of subliminal advertiising was based on the notion of threshold. This was thought to be a fixed point below which awareness does not extend. We know that dogs have a much lower threshold than humans. They can hear sounds that we can't. This is the principle behind the dog whistle.
When we have a hearing test, the loudness of the tone is gradually increased until we indicate to the doctor that we can hear it. This is the threshold at which sound enteres our consciousness. The same applies to sight. If a word is flashed on a screen for a very very short period of time, we will not be aware of it. However if the time of exposure is increased, at a certain point it shall enter our conscious awareness.
Subliminal advertising was supposed to be pitched just below the threshold of awareness. If it was too far below it would not work. However research has since shown that there is no absolute threshold below which we are always unconscious of something and above which we are always conscious of it.
adbusters...analysis
Adbusters
With the use of humour, as i have tried to portray throught my videos, the quite literal take on smoking provides a humorous yet a rather truthful statement. However it quite clearly creates a sense of regret for those that smoke, it's interesting how the context of the brand has now changed, clearly painting a completely different picture of smoking.
following on
So following on from a discussion that took place, the idea was thrown around, of possibly turning this style of video into a vlog..
Now usually i dismiss these types of suggestions but as it happens it is a very apt suggestion for the work, and there can be no harm in trying it out.
So here it is the vlog..
Following on from this i didnt find this particular exercise as effective as the other one could be so i have decided to persue the other over this.
However this does hold potential for an interesting insight to mass communication. But i think i can appeal to many using subliminal messaging and minimal sound.
adverts: what are you on about?
The idea of this is not to dissimilar to the video i firstly did, it specifically is a development on the idea of sheer innocence, and the concept of being completely oblivious to the actual message being portrayed.
Using the iconic adverts and their slogans this experiement aims to remove the conext in which they were initially meant for. However i must mention that this is a developed piece, having initially been in Gujarati. Where only the certain words were recognizable to the western audience it has been adapted to fit the market, in the same way adverts are adapted or dubbed over across the world.
advertising and its influences
Repetition
Volvo traditionally focused its image advertising on safety. Through repeptition, it built up a strong image of the Volvo as a safe car. Other brands have since caught up a lot in the recent years however most people would still consider the Volvo to be a safest car. Therefore safety is now an integral part of our perception of this brand.
Which would lead us to believe that the one effect of image advertising, is to produce gradual shifts in our perceptions of a brand with regard to a particular atribute..in this case safety. So it would be safe to assume that the people that drive a Volvo are very "safe" people.
Which brings me on to user image..
In advertising many brands focus often on the people that use the brand. What changes is not so much our perception, or the image of the product, it is the kind of person who typically uses the brand, or the situation on which the brand is typically used.
When these brands are advertised, the focus is very much on image but often with this important, subtle difference. The advert aims to change not how we see the brand itself but how we see the stereotypical user and the situation in which the brand is used.
So if the user image of a brand resembles us, or the type of person we aspire to be, we buy that product.
Persuasion
We have been told so many times that the role of advertising is to persuade. However how often is it said that after viewing an advert, "I want that now", or "I wouldn't buy that"?
Advertising itself is a relatively weak persuasive influence, especially in comparison with other forms, such as word of mouth, previous experience and reccomendations by "experts".
But what it comes down to, is point of sale advertising, i.e. your market.
- Coke Zero: Great Coke taste, zero sugar
- BA: The worlds favourite airline
- etc..
The words and pictures used to label and describe a brand can direct our attention to quie different aspects of the same thing; they can make us see it in different ways.
For example, take Bill Gates say if he were to release a biography, but the title was "Family Man", rather than "World's Greates Entrepreneur". Each im sure would sell millions, however the market that it would appeal to would bee completely different in both circumstances.
The idea is, that its the same product but being decscribed under one of its many attributes. So if we take the two examples from earlier and change the attribute that they convey:
- Coke Zero: We stole the taste from Coke
- BA: We hold the record for baggage loss
What about Subliminal Advertising?
There are those who believe that advertising is all powerfull and that the mechanism of advertising must be unconscious and that subliminal and this is why its effects are not open to introspection. Moreover if subliminal advertising did indeed have that kind of effect on our behaviour, and without our knowledge, then we clearly would need some protection from it. It is still widely believed that in the 1950s, subliminal advertising was made illeagal. However no actual legislation was passed.
However research into subliminal advertising has disproved this belief, even though subliminal advertising had been supposedly banned, but if this is the case and it has no real effect on the mind of the viewer then surely it would be an ineffective form of advertising. (1984, Advertising Age, James Vicary)
Following this research i believe that my work should veer towards using the method of subliminal advertising, as it quite clearly outlines what i initially intended to do, advertising without advertising, if it is as ineffective as it claims to be then this would be an ideal form to use.
...
The following is a video, exploring ideas of reaction, this video was made in response to the Indian culture I experienced. That is the surroundings and the general environment that I was presented with. The purpose of this is to show, how little you can show, but also at the same time convey.
And so
Here is the first of the videos where the context of the advert has now been changed. After viewing this i have realised that i should be careful of how i portray this character as it could be perceived as being quite inappropriate and insensitive to the Indian public. However this is not a study into the intelligence of the Indian public, its is just an exaggerationor rather an insight into what I came across whilst I was there.
Having said that, after having altered the advert once it is possible to continually change its context and hopefully remove its iconic status as an advert.
Bring on the adverts..
So this is one of the adverts that first got me thinking about this project, i really want to figure out how these completely obscure and irrelevant contexts manage to appeal to such a wide audience. This whole project has been inspired through
The amazing thing about this type of advert, is that it could have been about almost anything where patience is necessary, imagine if this whole atmosphere was then transferred over to a scene from Bill Oddie bird watching. Would it work?
Im not so sure that it would have quite the iconic effect but definatley a humorous one.
So what am I going to do with all this?
Well, the idea I've had is to view these adverts from the perspective of eyes of a completely naive man, however as I am already aware of the purpose of these adverts they have to be seen through naked eyes. Therefore i have taken it upon myself to develop an alter ego, which just so happens to look and sound like me putting on a bad indian accent.
The Inspiration
The project stemps from my recent trip to India, where i spent a lot of the time travelling and talking to many of the local people. Being Indian myself i found it difficult to comprehend the sheer naivety of the Indian people as they attempt to capture the western culture and adapt it to there own.
This is seen quite obviously in the advertising industry in India, unfortunately however humorous it may seem to those of us that have been brought up in a western civilisation, these adverts are the pinnacle of the advertising industry in India.
For example,
This is a video taken from the Indian market, an overdramatized completely mis-guiding advert. There is no direct correlation as to how any of the first forty or so seconds have anything to do with the actual product they're selling. However the use of language and dramatic reading allows the viewer to engage with the advert, regardless of whether it relates to the product or not.
It is this idea that i want to construct, or rather deconstruct existing adverts that do exactly this. Where the whole advert is so far beyond promoting the product that the advert itself becomes an icon for the product.
What i aim to do
Create a video that destructs the theories behind advertising, but actually doesn’t! In order to do this I must attend workshops such as the digital production suite, in order to develop my film editing skills.
^^^^^ Hopefully the end product....
but first > i want to re invent the slogans of the past, from, in my opinion, the greatest adverts of all time!
so im gonna have to take a good look at these slogans as they are the construct behind many adverts and it stands to reason if you have a catchy slogan, you're going to remember it!
Kind of like that annoying song that gets stuck in your head, because your mate woke you up by blarring his ipod at 6am through some "fuck off speakers"...
The Project
This year I want to investigate into areas of advertisement, i.e. the way in which adverts are made, the construct which they are based on, very similar to the way in which I worked last year. In doing so develop a set of rules or guidelines that make an advert an advert! But then remove these ideals to develop a series of short films.
The content which I intend to use is a development of iconic adverts and re-develop them by either editing of re filming them, using the basic principles. For me to do this I must explore the fundamental principles of these adverts and develop them in a manner where there is no product. Thus removing the idea of an advert and creating something more of a parody.
The reason I want to do this is because over the summer I was influenced by a series of bad advertising that didn’t sell a product. However these overdramatized advertisements had a large element of humour, which is where I believe my strengths lie.
Collate various advertising materials and methods through “media and communication theories”; “M’Quail: Mass Communication Theory”. Develop and experiment with ways to show advertising without an end product.
I hope that my elective also informs my practice as it is based in the area of photography and deceptions of photography, hopefully I can use the information I learn there and transfer it across to inform the work I produce in my negotiated module.I hope my end product to be film based and presented on a series of screens that portray a parody of advertising.
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