In “The Hard Sell: Advertising in America”, Bill Bryson gives specific insight on the necessity of being more aware of why you buy what you buy. Bryson argues that the product name must be short, simple and unique. He states, “First. It is short. Second. It is not capable of mispronunciation. Third. It does not resemble anything in the art…” (425). Another effective advertising strategy that Bryson observes is the “giveaway”. Bryson states, “Consumers became acquainted with the irresistibly tempting notion that if they bought a particular product they could expect a reward…” (427). Bryson also asserts the importance of creating in the consumer a feeling of anxiety that makes the consumer feel as if they NEED the product and not just merely WANT it (428-429). Another efficient selling tactic is the use of scientific-sounding terms, according to Bryson, “There was never slightest hint of what GL-70 was, but it would, according to the advertising, not only rout odor-causing bacteria but ‘wipe out enzymes!’” (434).…
The “AllMyLife” item I selected was the “Home Brewing Kit.” When reading the auction from “AllMyLife,” the seller described the auction in a subjective description. The seller used personal experiences to help the reader relate to the product and form a bond with the product. For example in the home brewing kit auction the seller states, “What will you call your first batch? I volunteer to taste it when I come to visit.” (Freyer). The seller continued to talk about personal experiences about the brewing kit and his memories with the kit. Even in the beginning of the auction the seller talks about the name of his first batch of beer he made with the brewing kit.…
What does the image say? Pictures are worth a thousand words, and this is very true for print advertisements. How does the photograph grab our attention? Is the picture depicting the product by itself, or being used by someone? Does the photograph show us a lifestyle associated with the product (essentially telling us how the product would make our life better)? How do the images relate to the text?…
Concise description of the advertisement (no more than 2 or 3 sentences; does not include analysis):…
Note the specifics for advertisements for critique: unique qualities, typical features, differences compared to the typical (158).…
When you think about advertisements you don’t realize what’s within, Weasel words. Weasel words are just a tricky skill used by the advertisers. People who try to persuade you into buying their product are using a trick mask they hope you don’t see.…
Similarly, the second item I reviewed the green sweater had somewhat of a similar trend. Like the teeth, the AllMyLife description had a more objective description as well as picture to go along with it, from telling to what they got for Christmas as…
After viewing several All My Life items and descriptions from John Freyer’s sale listings, the item I chose to compare with other EBay listings was his “Road Trip Cooler tag #000154”. I found a similar item on EBay, the 36 quart Marine Performance Cooler that was slightly used. The similarities are both items are being sold from everyday people. These items are things that you can get the items for a better and cheaper price than an actual store. Both items being auctioned has a description of the item. It also include a picture of the item they were trying to sell. The difference between the two are obvious when you read a description. The Road Trip Cooler, the description is more of a story. The EBay item describes the item itself.…
With exceeding 3.7 billion, more than a half of the world’s population, and Internet usage in the region rapidly growth at 406 percent, Asia became an attractive and lucrative marketplace for eBay to expand their business. Since 1995, eBay enjoyed strong revenue growth and was a dominant player in online auction industry. With previous experience of extending their business in Europe, North America, Latin America and failure in China and Japan, eBay was once again struggling to compete in the Asian market.…
Normally I won't write about products, I may have written about a handful of things over the years. I believe the only item I ever really written a story on something was a Hoodie that had a front pocket designed to carry a cat or small dog. I thought it was a unique product, a little on the pricey side, but it was cool only because one of my cats needs to sleep on my chest for at least 15 minutes each night before he walks off to that nights sleeping spot. Basically, this hoodie fit my needs perfectly so for me that gave me permission to write about them... I did not receive $1 nor did I ask for a discount.…
I personally don't watch much television and whenever i visit YouTube and an ad pops up I am quick to skip it. The last campaign that I latched onto was the Old Spice campaign. It's great use of imagery and comedy made it unforgettable and was something that stuck with you once you went to a store to purchase body wash or men's fragrances. I learned that using comedy to advertise something is a strong method to win over customers. It's even more astounding that in my opinion the target audience is 18-25 year old males that are usually trying to impress the opposite sex and that they seemingly reached out to this intended audience. While it's unclear whether or not sales primarily come from this demographic, I am most certain that interest among this age range exists and from a personal stand point can say I have purchased Old Spice products do in part to these…
“Packaging is the temptation. In many cases, it is what makes the product possible. But the package is also useful to the shopper. It is a tool for simplifying and speeding decisions.” (What’s In A Package, 93) Today packaging has become essential to the consumers’ decision on what to purchase. Rather than looking on the side of the package, the part of the package that is out of sight when placed on a shelf, Americans focus on the bright colors or name brands posted on the packages. Women especially, tend to follow name brand items or the names posted on the package. A women’s retail company that sells their product at Kmart or Target is no match for Louis Vuitton or Coach, two of the nation’s most popular retailers in women’s fashion. Some find this hard to believe, but it is even hard for men to stay away from the persuasion of packaging. When walking into a store such as Home Depot or Sports Authority, men are attracted to the biggest packages or the packages with eye catching photographs on them. This is true especially for those American men who exercise and are looking to stay in shape. For men of this category, Sports Authority becomes persuasion frenzy. The biggest package with the tall, muscular, handsome man on the front wins the buyer’s heart. It is all about the temptation and persuasion of the package.…
Advertisements are everywhere on TV, the internet, movies, magazines, etc. They are there to get people to buy whatever it is that they are advertising. They do it with color, models, and tricky words. In this case my magazine advertised a lip balm called “Baby Lips”. This advertisement says that you can, “kiss dull lip balms goodbye and instead have baby lips” making it so that woman get interested into buying this product because you will have baby lips.…
The words used are easy to understand and don’t require the use of a dictionary but it goes hand in hand with the idea of reading a classified ad. The word choice is still dramatic and helps to paint the picture of the person or persons placing these ads. This simplistic approach allows the reader to make a decision on who the speaker is and what they are looking…
Having a mom that constantly drags me to the grocery store with her at least four times a week for "bonding time" has allowed me to observe the different types of shoppers at my local grocery store. Usually, I end up buying Starbucks inside and sit observing the different ways people behave while shopping. It is quite interesting watching the way people walk down the isles and how they portray themselves. My observations have allowed me to distinguish three different types of shoppers that definitely caught my eye: the bargain shopper, impulse shopper, and the multitasker.…