Hidden techniques in advertisements
Advertising has become the most useful and effective tool for companies to promote their products. By definition, advertisement is a form of “promotion of ideas, goods, and services by an identified sponsor” (qtd in Wright 13). The ability to attract consumers is the crucial key to determine if the advertisement can successfully promote the product to consumers. Usually, we can say an advertisement is successful if the product is well-known by consumers, and attract consumers to be willing to pay money for it. Each company has its special technique to persuade consumers to purchase their products through web advertisement. Estee Lauder, a distinguished cosmetics company, attracts more and more consumers to buy their products because it has unique techniques in advertisements. In a particular ad for Estee Lauder, the marketers use, web design, color and rhetorical appeals in ad to successfully increase consumption of their new released product , Resilience Lift Collection, to mid-age women.
One of the crucial keys the ad uses to attract consumers is the unique and reasonable web design which well explains the product. Instead of lengthy and gathered product information, the ad for Resilience Lift Collection divides it into small categories. The close-up facial feature of a captivating woman with the text “ Now, look as young as you feel. Our first, multi-faceted, 24-hour lift” on the side. The picture of the woman subconsciously inject the idea to consumers that Resilience Lift Collection can make consumers look as gorgeous as the woman in the picture. The text does not promote the product directly, yet gets consumer’s curiosity to what can make them feel so fantastic. Then the ad automatically changes to second picture and reveal the answer with four videos the left side. The four videos label attractive words such as “flawless morning” and teach consumers how to correctly apply cosmetics. Most cosmetics ads only focus on selling their products, leaving the question how to effectively and correctly use products to consumers. However, the ad for Resilience Collection provides videos which combine promotion and make-up techniques. There are some hidden sections throughout explaining how useful the product is. The hidden sections allow consumers to look for information they desire to know and automatically avoid useless information.

The ad uses the color pink as a symbol for young girl to not only attract consumer’s attention, but also imply the magic effect on skin. Pink becomes considered appropriate for girls since it is a delicate and dainty color. Women, especially for young girls, are often attracted by pink and show preference to other colors. Pink mirrors the word “resilience” because people believe it symbolizes “reclaim” in some culture. Since most young girls also consider pink as a symbol of romance and youth, Estee Lauder Company also implies that The Resilience Lift Collection can magically make women look younger and back to their high-profile time like a gorgeous young girl.
The background of the “watch it work” video creates a fantastic and romantic background which attracts consumer. Women are more like to be attracted by rare and fantastic products. The Resilience Lift Collection use special techniques to make cream pink which is rare and different from other skin care cream. Some women have special interest to collect rare and unique skin cares. Therefore, the Resilience Lift Collection effectively use color strategy to attract consumers and to make them willing to pay for their products.
Rhetorical appeals are involved in the ad as a form of persuasion that make consumers believe Resilience Lift Collection can make consumers look younger. This ad involves strongly emotional appeals in women’s natural to pursue beauty. For instance, the hidden section “Look Younger From Every Angle” begins with words “Your want it all. The lifted look, the firmer feeling and the radiance that reflects how beautiful you are.” (Resilience Lift, “More Lifted Look”, “Look Younger from Every Angle”) The ad uses the fact that women desire to get anything to make them look more beautiful and younger. It shows tact in making consumers irresistible with the products. Pursuing beauty is considered to women’s nature. Women from different ages, teenagers, mid-age house-wives and old ladies, never stop making themselves more gorgeous. The ad uses pathos appeals to persuade consumers that the Resilience Lift collection is the necessary skin cares to “resilience” your skin condition and make your skin look “younger from every angle”. In addition, the ad uses logos appeals to claim reasonable evident explaining why consumers should purchase the Resilience Lift Collection. The ad suggests that women’s skins damage as they age. Therefore, women need special care to firm and sculpt their skin condition. The Resilience Lift Collection is an effective skin care because a convincible research shows that “92% of women showed a significantly more lifted look” (Resilience Lift, “more lifted look”) by using the Resilience Lift Collection.
Moreover, the ads uses ethos appeals to establish field knowledge and credibility to show the collection is trustworthy because the ad illustrates the Estee Lauder logo and a floating section containing telephone number.
Web design, color and rhetorical appeals allow Estee Lauder to have remarkable market compare to other cosmetics company. A successful advertisement does not necessarily have flashy words and pictures. Women might seldom realize the hidden techniques beyond the non-flashy advertisements. It’s crucial for consumers to realize the techniques and not blankly pay money for products.