Psychology of Advertising Term Project
Mike Czarnik (RU: 900276595)
April 20th 2014
Professor Sarah Jones

Advertisement #1: Heineken Beer This advertisement is made for the beer Heineken. It was published in a 1974 edition of Playboy magazine and took a full page out in order to grab reader’s attention. According to Playboy Magazines media kit, almost 80% of the readers are male and the reader’s median age is roughly 39 years old. Because of this demographic, an assumption can be made that Heineken was trying to target this group of people. Playboy’s media kit also offers further information on their readers. It states that their average male house hold income is about $71,000 and that nearly 65% of all readers are single. Although these facts are for the 2014 media kit, it can be assumed that for a men’s entertainment magazine the demographics have not changed substantially. Heineken was most likely trying to appeal to this male demographic when they placed their ad. The ad itself was showcased on a full page of the magazine. It displayed an unopened bottle of Imported Heineken Lager beer resting at the edge of a beach. Water from the ocean is coming up around the bottom of the bottle and nothing but ocean can be seen in the background. This is the main focal point of the ad. The secondary focal point and another focus for the reader are above the bottle. The words read, “Oceans apart from the ordinary.” The words are the boldest on the page and in the largest font. Next, the reader’s eyes are drawn to the very bottom of the page where, “Heineken tastes tremendous- no wonder its number one” is written. The last detail on the advertisement that the view is drawn to is a small phrase off to the side of the bottle saying where it’s from and how it’s, “America’s number one beer.” The lighting is made in order to highlight the label of the beer. One of the very first things the reader will notice is the setting of this ad. The beach and sunshine aspect of the ad gives Heineken a position. A position is a distinct image that differentiates itself from its competition (p.10). This aspect of positioning will help in its promotion and sales to readers possibly traveling to or wanting to be on a beach. This setting also gives of a sensation of a beach. This sensation is a stimulus that will affect the reader’s perception of the beer (p.157). Keeping this in mind, by the Heineken ad presenting itself on a beach, the reader may remember a beach experience they had. If this experience was a positive one, they may be more inclined to purchase the product. A key aspect to this advertisements selling point is the phrase, “Oceans apart from the ordinary.” This message is indicating that their beer is not like all of its competitors. It relates itself to setting of the ad is well which is a catchy tactic used by the company. This statement is giving a sense of uniqueness to their product and is backed up by the fact that the ad says its “Number one” multiple times. This is giving the reader a perceived quality of service before the product is even consumed (p.178). This idea is then perceived by the reader and they measure it themselves. In figure 6.11 on page 179 of the text, it can be seen that the audience of the advertisement takes what the brand is giving to them in the ad and then perceived in a new way. In my opinion this ad does present a few issues. For one it does not exactly portray to the demographic of Playboy magazine. Being a men’s magazine, one would think that this ad would attempt to attract to men, but instead the ad does not portray to either sex. It may be possible that at the time, using sex to sell the product was not common and the company did not want to take the social risk (p.184). Society as a whole may have judged the brand for a sexual way of marketing and refused to purchase the product. As we all know in today’s society, sex sells and going above and beyond societal norms is a great way to market. The advertisers for this company however may have been attempting to make their beer look like a model posing on a beach, which would then relate it more to the magazine itself. Many iconic photo-shoots for models in magazines like Playboy or Sports Illustrated have their models posing seductively on an exotic beach. If this was the view that the company was going for they nailed it. However as I previously stated, I believe that something more could have been done to fit into their target demographic. Perhaps by having a model hold the beverage or using a different type of scandalous technique to attract the viewer’s attention.
In summary for this advertisement, Heineken takes a simple approach. They simply try to reach an audience that does not seem gender specific, by attempting to position themselves apart from the others. By stating that they are the best and that their competition cannot be compared to them, they hope the reader will try their product. The setting of the ad hopes to reach the reader’s inner perspective and by taking a full page, it’s difficult for anyone to miss. Heineken is branding themselves as individuals.

Advertisement #2: Natural Light Beer This next advertisement is for the beer Natural Light. This ad was found in a copy of Sports Illustrated in 1980. Sports Illustrated is a weekly magazine that focuses on all sports around the world. It highlights many details and gives many stories that a true sports fan would want to read. According to the 2013 media kit, Sports Illustrated is read by nearly twenty million sports fans each week. This total is made up of 80% men, the remaining amount women. The kit also gives the median age of the reader to be forty-two. It also gives the reader an average household income of nearly $70,000 and finally it gives examples of the amount of money readers spend on different items yearly. For example, readers spent nearly $1.1 billion on cell phones featured in the magazine last year alone. Natural Light was attempting to appeal to this demographic when placing their advertisement in Sports Illustrated, but it is important to note that these demographics may have changed since 1980. Being a magazine with a specific topic since it was created; it is safe to say that many of these statistics are what would have been seen in the year this ad was released. This ad for Natural Light has many features that the reader will notice right away, starting with being a full page ad. The ad shows Mickey Mantle, a baseball Hall of Famer, holding a glass and can of Natural Light beer. Mickey is also seen smiling while holding the beverage. In the direct center of the page it reads, “Look who switched to Natural Light.” This sentence is in bold, white font and is the largest writing on the page. Directly below this are a few short paragraphs that showcase a few things. It tells the reader who the man is and that Mickey prefers Natural Light over their competitors because of the taste. It also tells the reader that there are not artificial ingredients and lists the actual ingredients for the reader to see. Below this is slightly larger print is a form of slogan for the beer reading, “Natural Light. Taste is why you’ll switch.” The final piece of writing that should be noted is printed aside Mickey’s head, causing the reader to automatically see it when looking at him. Reading, “Mickey Mantle. Famous ex-Miller Light drinker” addresses its superiority over its main competitor. The main focal point of this ad is Mickey Mantle. By holding the Natural Light beer, his is showing the reader his endorsement. Mickey gives his testimonial that the taste of this beer is more satisfying than the others. A testimonial is an overall assessment of a product and in this case, it was a good one (p.291). By using this famous baseball player, Natural Light is attempting to use the culture of the reader to earn their purchase. Since the demographic is entirely sports fans, most will know who Mickey Mantle is. His belief in this product, due to his position in society, will cause readers to want to follow in his footsteps and drink Natural Light (p.348). Using Mickey Mantle also reaches a subculture of baseball fans. This is a group that shares the same beliefs and values as one another (p.374). Naturally, baseball fans will get behind a product that Mickey, a member of the same subculture, endorses. The tactic of having a celebrity endorse a product has been well studied to be effective. A study done by Yeung-Jo and June-Hee (2007) focused on the concept of an endorsement coming from an athlete. Through research they concluded that having an athlete endorse a product that was sports related was highly effect where as having an athlete endorse and product non-sports related was relatively less effective. This being said, they saw that even when an athlete endorses a non-sports related product, the effectiveness is still greater than having no endorsement at all (Yeung-Jo & June-Hee, 2007). This research further enhances the idea that having an endorser such as Mickey Mantle will greatly improve sales for Natural Light. Comparative advertising is a major theme in this ad. This is a strategy used by companies that involve stating that their product is superior in the effort to gain customers (p.285). By stating on the ad that Mickey Mantle is an ex-Miller Light drinker, Natural Light is placing themselves over their competitor. This use of comparative advertising may have been gender specific as well. Studies have shown that males are positively affected by this strategy in terms of the company (p.285). This ad also compares Natural Light’s own ingredients to other brands, stating that they are natural and do not use artificial flavoring. This presents the reader with a sense of fear when looking at other brands and may make the reader switch to Natural Light (p.285). These strategies have all been proven to win over consumers. This ad is a fantastic example of the correct way to target consumers. This meaning that the placement of this ad was seen by the appropriate audience (276). Having Mickey Mantle endorsing a product in a sports magazine will captivate the audience much more than if it was placed in a beauty magazine. It reaches a large demographic and makes the reader think that Natural Light is the best beer on the market and with the approval of a sports icon, they’ll believe it and purchase it.

Advertisement #3: St. Pauli Girl Beer The final advertisement being analyzed is for the beer St. Pauli Girl. This specific ad was found in the March, 2006 issue of Maxim magazine. Maxim is known as a men’s magazine that focuses on all aspects of entertainment. According to the magazines media kit from 2013, the readers of Maxim primarily male, comprising of 78.1% of the total viewership, being nearly nine million. The median age of readers is 33.5 and has a household income of roughly $71,000. The kit also notes that their primary viewership, men between 18 and 34, are the most desirable and elusive consumer in the world. With this ads date placement and this media kits year not being even ten years apart, it is safe to say that these statistics are close to them same as they were in 2006. The ad itself for St. Pauli Girl filled an entire page in Maxim. Seen on the page is the figure of a woman, positioned in a manner to showcase her sexuality. This outline of the woman is then made to look like a beer, filling her entire body and having her head be the foam head of a glass of beer. Using a black background for this figure, the reader’s eyes go immediately to the “woman” of beer. At the bottom of the page, backed by a blue bar, is a six pack of the product. Next to that reads the line, “You’ll never forget your first girl.” The reader is left with only those three aspects to see. This advertisement for St. Pauli Girl beer is simple, but still grabs the reader’s attention. Its primary way in doing this is through sex. Sex in advertising is growing and the themes portrayed, the woman of beer in this case, increases the attention it draws (p.290). This ad is grabbing the attention of straight male readers before they even know what the product is. This use of sex and its attention grabbing qualities can be describes using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality. This theory states that unconscious needs and desires are key aspects to human motivation and personality. Specifically the id system of the theory show that humans seek to satisfy basic psychological needs, one of which being sex (p.119). This unconscious drive may cause the reader to associate this girl with sex and desire to have it. The bottom of the page reads, “You’ll never forget your first girl.” If a person were to read this without seeing the rest of the advertisement, they would think of the loss of ones virginity. By showing this phrase with the woman of beer, St. Pauli Girl beer is using symbols as a form of marketing. The use of symbols, this one being verbal, gives the product an image and/or characteristics (p.354). By stating this phrase with St. Pauli Girl beer, the company is saying that the drinker will never forget their first one. Instead of the man and woman stigma that usually is thought of when hearing it, the phrase is played on to showcase the beverage. This advertisement is also a perfect example of advertising resonance. This strategy is defined as, “wordplay, often consisting of a humorous double meaning, and usually accompanied by a relevant picture” (p.283). The phase at the bottom, having the double meaning already discussed, was placed along with the outline of a woman in hopes that the reader would take notice and remember the ad. Research by Mcquarrie and Mick (2003) was done to analyze rhetorical advertisements with other key symbols. Their study concluded that using resonance in ads increased the viewer’s likelihood to take notice of the ad and also make the reader more likely to remember and respond favorably to the ad (Mcquarrie & Mick, 2003). St. Pauli Girl marketed to the correct demographic when placing this ad in Maxim. It will reach a largely male audience, many of which at a sexually active age. Using sex to sell this product may not be as good of a strategy as one may think though. Studies have shown that using sexual imagery and slogans often detract viewers. This causes the product to not fully be processed. It is also documented that the use of sex has little effect on the viewer’s intent to purchase (p.290). This being said, the old phrase of, “sex sells” may not be totally true. The phrase may need to be changed to, “sex attracts attention.” To sum up, this ad does many things. Firstly, this St. Pauli Girl beer was placed in Maxim that had a perfect demographic for what their ad portrayed. The company also had many aspects that grabbed the reader’s attention immediately, as well as making the reader think about the product. The use of sex in this ad attracted the male population and may or may not have increased consumption. Research says no, but with the increase of sexual advertisements in the past decade, the use of sex must be helping companies. Finally their use of resonance was well done and will cause the reader to remember the product itself. Overall, this ad for St. Pauli Girl was simple, sexual, and attracting.

Comparative Analysis: The three ads analyzed in this report all share the same product category, but are all very different in many aspects. On the other side of this, all three ads also share certain characteristics that make them strong advertisements. One of these reasons being how and where they were published. A few reasons why they were different include their stricter and type of advertising. By comparing and contrasting these ads, the reader can obtain a sense of how companies attempt to get a consumer to buy their product and the different ways it can be done. Taking into account all three ads that were analyzed, one thing can be seen clearly. The companies knew the demographic they would be marketing to when publishing them in the three different magazines. For these ads, there was a constant in all. Men were the overall target audience. In all three magazines, men dominated the readership by 75% or more of the total. A reason why these three beer ads were in these male dominant magazines could be stereotypes. Everyone in the world, including the viewers and creators of these ads, have a preexisting thoughts and biases in their minds that can effect decisions (p.165). In our society there is a stereotype that all real men drink beer. This stereotype may be the reason why these three different companies all posted their ads in male dominant magazines. All three ads also chose to do the same thing with the size and location of their ads. All three companies choose to place their ads in magazines and take up an entire page of the magazines selected. The choice of placing their ads in magazines may have come from a number of reasons. For one, magazines have a very selective demographic based upon the magazine itself. Magazines also come with a sense of credibility; along with a long message life due to consumers shows that magazine to other people (p.278). This choice of print media was great for these ads due to the demographic they hit and the credibility of the magazines themselves. The size is also a huge factor in attention grabbing. By taking a full page, specifically for a magazine ad, the reader cannot miss it. It also gives the advertisers themselves to have more room to give a message. This message being either verbal or nonverbal is the overall image or information the advertiser hopes the viewer receives (p.281). The message is the key to a successful advertisement. Having a full page to work with will increase the likelihood of the viewer not only seeing, but also comprehending the message. The methods and techniques of these advertisements are where all three contrast with one another. Advertisement number one established a personality for its brand, number two used a celebrity endorsement along with a comparative technique, and finally advertisement number three relied on sex and resonance to present their message. By seeing these differences, one can notice how diverse advertising really is. Every ad is slightly different in its presentation, even when comparing products in the same category. The actual ad depends of the variables discussed being demographic and placement along with many others. Through the process of studying sociology, psychology and the consumers themselves, marketers are able to create ads that display messages that better communicate with the audience (p.24). For this reason, all three of these ads are different in their presentation. The ads for Heineken, Natural Light, and St. Pauli Girl beer can all be seen in a variety of different ways. It is the consumer themselves that makes a depiction of the message the ad is giving. Even with the fact that all three ads used different techniques along with the same idea to reach the male population, not one of these ads are perfect. This is due to the fact that every single consumer is different. All three of these ads are effective to different consumers, some being the same and some being different for each ad. In my opinion, due to this analysis, the fact that every consumer is evolving and is different than one another is why there are a variety of different marketing techniques through different sources of media. Even with analyzing a specific category, in this case beer, different methods can be seen being used by different products. Marketing techniques used in product advertisements will continue to evolve with the consumer in order to keep them noticing, remembering and most importantly, purchasing the product.

References:
Maxim (2014). Maxim Media Kit. Retrieved from http://www.maximmediakit.com/print/
Mcquarrie, E. F., & Mick, D. (2003). Visual and Verbal Rhetorical Figures under Directed Processing versus Incidental Exposure to Advertising. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(4), 579-587.
Playboy (2014). Playboy Media Kit. Retrieved from http://www.playboyenterprises.com/media/2014MediaKit.pdf
Schiffman, L. & Kanuk, L. (2010). Consumer Behavior (10th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Sports Illustrated (2013). Sports Illustrated Media Kit. Retrieved from http://simediakit.com/
Yeung-Jo, K., & June-Hee, N. (2007). Effects of Celebrity Athlete Endorsement on Attitude Towards the Product: The Role of Credibility, Attractiveness and the Concept of Congruence. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 8(4), 310-320.