About the Product. Describe the Product, its History, its Corporate Owner. Who Paid for the Advertisement and Why?
The products being advertised are quality, fashionable and affordable clothes for young people. The clothes are sourced from different designers based both within the UK and also other countries (Topshop, 2016). The products are owned by Topshop an organization with operations in different countries. Specifically, Topshop alone has over 100 outlets based in 40 nations. As a subsidiary of Acardia group, Topshop sells both male and female clothes to customers based in various locations across the universe. Since Topshop needed to sell its products in large numbers so as to increase both profitability and revenues, it funded the advertisement.
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Who is the “target audience?” What is their Age, Ethnicity, Class, Profession, Interests etc.? How do you know?
In the advert, Topshop as an organization in the fashion and clothing industry targeted its products to young people of different age groups within the markets of operation. Taking into reality that the young people in their teens and twenties regardless of race, gender and even relationship tend to enter into various personal and professional relationships, the advert informs them of what outfits to use. This is especially when going for dates with specific persons of interest. This information was easily obtained from the video clip since the young people were chatting over phone and sending pictures. However, when it came to what to wear to their first date, it was quite a challenge.
What is the “text” of the Message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken, photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.)
From the video presented to the target market, one can easily discern several messages easily applicable. First and foremost, a young lady and gentleman are seen communicating over phone via text messages and pictures. In the process, an individual also gets to know the characters’ thought processes once a text/picture is received thus understand their responses. When it comes to their first date, both the lady and the gentleman have no idea what to put on. In fact, before settling down on an outfit to put on, several were tried on by both genders (Topshop, 2015). Additionally, when they met, neither the lady nor the individual knew the kind of greeting to offer. Even when it came to ordering food, it was even a little confusing as not only did the waiter confuse the orders but also the gentleman regretted ordering a salad instead of food yet pretended all was well. In between, it is seen that people cannot only get cloths at Topshop and Topman shops but also looks and at the end, the guy requests to keep the pet for a longer period since it made him look cooler on picture.
What is the “subtext” of the Message? (What Messages are below the surface? Discuss any Messages or Appeals that are Unstated.)
In the beginning, the lady receives text messages showcasing shirtless good looking guys. However, these do not appeal to her as an individual and she is heard complaining. However, when one is sent with the guy holding a cat and wearing a cool shirt, she is impressed. This further resulted in the two of them meeting for a date (Topshop, 2015). Before the date, it is also seen that both the gentleman and the lady were nervous and wanted to impress. However, on meeting, the kid of greeting to be offered was a little problematic. From the advert, it is also clear that, the guy wanted to keep the pet for longer since it not only enhanced his looks and date earned him a date but he was also hoping for more dates in future in future.
What kind of lifestyle is presented? Is it glamorized or normalized? How?
The advert presented is normalized in nature. This is mainly because the characters in the advert ended up dressing normally when going for the first date. That is, instead of outdoing themselves, they ended up picking outfits they were comfortable in. However, on getting to the hotel, in order to impress the lady, the gentleman asked for salad while the lady asked for a sandwich. This clearly indicated the perceptions the characters had of either themselves or their dates.
What “Appeals” to the audience are used in this ad? Ethos, Logos, Pathos (refer to the “Advertising appeals” handout). Discuss any Influencing Elements (color, repetition, music) or persuasive Techniques that you notice.
In order to appeal to the audience, the advert uses things young people tend to admire or desire (Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2004). For instance, most young men would like to have a great body and look good at all times while the ladies tend to be drawn to good looking guys. This is especially if they have a common interest such as pets as showcased in video. In addition, the various genders can also easily identify with the thought process.
What Positive Messages are presented? What Negative Messages are presented?
In the advert, it can be clearly be seen that the manner in which people dress can end up emitting positive results (date). However, an individual might end up regretting if bad choices are made instead of being true to oneself for instance, the ordering of salad instead of food.
What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does this serve the media maker’s interests?
This message empowers not only young people but also adults seeking to make a good impression or getting back into the dating scene. However, the young people’s parents as role models get to be disempowered as most of them tend to imitate what they see instead of what is right. This is turn works well for Topshop as a company as sales get to increase due to the desire of the young people to be perceived as cool.
What part of the story is not being told?
In the entire advert, the cost to be incurred on obtaining the clothing products being advertised is not showcased. This is mainly because the main focus is on appealing to the consumers’ subconscious thus ensuring loyalty over time.
Is this advertisement or ad strategy effective?
I believe the advert is effective since the audience gets to see the effects of using Topshop/Topman’s products. Additionally, one also gets to know they can be obtained online. This is effective considering young people constantly make use of the internet in their communications.
References
Prahalad, C. K. & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). Co-creation experiences: The next practice in value creation. Journal of Interactive Marketing , 18 (3), 5-14.
Topshop. (2016) Topshop: Brand Strategy. Retrieved on 8th July from: http://topshopdigitalpromotion.weebly.com/brand-strategy.html
Topshop., (2015) Topshop & Topman Present: Valentine’s Dilemmas. Retrieved on 8th July 2016 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuf1iNnkAAI
