OUGD501 - Context of Practice 2 task 9 Proposal

OUGD501 - Context of Practice 2 module evaluation

COP 02

Module evaluation

Doing my own question was really useful as it made this essay for enjoyable for me, it allowed me to focus on something I’m passionate about which spurred me to really dive into the subject and go into depth when researching.  I already feel that this essay is a massive improvement in comparison to last year, my writing has improved since then and the practical this year linked far better that it did last year.  Writing has always been a problem for me because of my dyslexia.  It was slightly easier for me to write 3000 words on this subject, as it is a big interest of mine and would definitely be something I would want to go into in my dissertation.

From this year I’ve definitely learned that gathering all the research makes it easier to produce the essay, I found it hard to start the essay but after collecting all the information helped the writing to flow, mainly because it made me more informed on the subject matter which in turn improved my writing.  Also handing in my essay early to get improvements helped me, a definite learning curve would be to hand more frequent drafts.

I decided to go into cosmetic designing for the practical part of this module, mainly because cosmetic brands are always the luxurious companies of the market.  At first I thought this wasn’t going to be as interesting as it was, because that style isn’t was I really go for, however it was very fascinating to actually apply my minimal style to a physical product.  The practical helped me learn even more skills: studio photography and packaging design/making. I feel my practical has been informed by the essay and shows the knowledge I learned through research.

In conclusion I am more positive about this module compared to last year, I have enjoyed the writing, research and practical side of this module and it has inspired me to go into this subject in the future.

OUGD501 - Context of Practice 2 Final Essay

Alex Robertson

COP 02 - OUGD501

How does advertising persuade consumers to need and desire luxury brands?

Marketing is a tool used by Companies to persuade the public to buy into a brand or a lifestyle image; advertising is used to persuade the consumer to buy into luxury brands. This raises the question of: what determines a luxury brand and are they really needed? How does the market manipulate people to buy luxury items at extravagant prices? This essay will focus on brands seen by the public as luxury and desirable. Using ‘Packard’s Eight Hidden Needs’ to dissect the brands advertising techniques, to help us find out why do we need and desire luxury brands. 

Through advertising many of us our convinced to desire certain products by using positive techniques which persuade our subconscious to sway to that product or brand “the way many of us are being influenced and manipulated – far more than we realize – in the patterns of our everyday lives. Large scale efforts are being made, often with impressive success, to channel our unthinking habits, our purchasing decisions and our thought processes by the use of insights gleaned from psychiatry and the social sciences. Typically, these efforts take place beneath our level of awareness” (Liess, Kline and Jhally, 1991, p. 22).

Packard’s Eight Hidden Needs can be identified in the majority of advertising campaigns companies’ use today.  For each of the eight elements it’s clear to identify which type of advert each would mainly aim at, the target audience and how some adverts use particular strategies over others to manipulate the public in a certain way.

Selling emotional security has been used in adverting for many years now, adverts were first identified using this technique around World War 2 and it came from an unusual product. The freezer, “The home Freezer becomes a frozen island of security” (Packard and miller, 2007,p. 86). The freezer became popular after World War 2 when many families would fill their freezer with more than they needed, with the situation they were in during the war too many mothers went back to their childhood where their mothers would never disappoint and love was closely related in giving food. “The freezer represents to many the assurance that there is always food in the house, and food in the home represents security, warmth and safety” (Packard and miller, 2007,pp. 86-87). From the freezer another product also used the same emotional security technique was the air conditioner, the agency found that the public needed to feel protected and enclosed at night keeping the window closed at night while they slept so they didn’t feel threated by people entering their house. Adverts targeted the public’s emotional security in many adverts today from insurance companies, banks and also pets. Apple uses families in their advertisements, being in contact of family members, taking and sending photos of their children or FaceTiming loved ones, this makes it personal, which is really important for Apple.

Companies know the public don’t like to feel unsafe and not protected in ourselves and are loved ones so companies pull at our heart strings and convince us (the public) we need to be safe, companies use this in their favor to generate more profit.

Selling reassurance of worth We can lose a sense of who we are and what we are worth, we seek to add value and prove our place in society. Adverts do this by promising us that the product you are buying is doing something right or help others. Adverts that link really well with this are for charities, they praise you for helping others in need. Packard’s example n reassurance of worth is focusing on the ‘house-wife’, he tells us that the Chicago Tribune studied into the detergent and soap marketing in the mid-fifties, it was discovered that their approach was ‘old-fashioned’. "now shows practically no awareness that women have any other motive for using their products than to be clean, to protect the hands, and to keep objects clean" (Packard and miller, 2007,p. 88). The adverts should have shown the housekeeping role as something to be proud of and how important the role is in a household.  Back then it was expected by a woman to provide cooking and house cleaning to her husband and/or family and if she couldn’t supply that properly for then in many eyes she was a failure.  Thus giving the ‘house-wife’ an upgraded version of detergent would have convinced them they are more fashionable therefore worth more when using the product. Recent Thompson holiday advertisements focus on the ‘All Inclusive’ holiday over the standard package holiday, todays upgraded version of the detergent. Adverts showing families jumping airport queues and receiving celebrity attention, seeking to convince people they are fashionable and worth more than other travellers.

Selling ego-gratification During the early fifties Exposition Press brought out as many as two hundred books a year. The publisher Mr Edward Uhlan states: "Our authors must be prepared psychologically and financially to lose money. Other houses may promise riches . . . We just offer immortality" (Packard and miller, 2007,p. 89). Not only did Mr Edwards print the authors words and names he set up autobiography parties and interviews on the radio and in newspapers, this boosted the authors egos and led to many willing to sell everything to get there books published by him. This meant Mr Edwards Uhlan had endless amount of authors and books to sell. We all feel the need to be praised and have our egos boosted. For example when we succeed at work, we want to have recognition on how well we have done. Similar to when a parent congratulates a child for getting something right, its motivation to encourage the child to learn. Adverts play to this when they praise us for buying their products, this is used in supermarkets, we get rewarded points for buying their products, almost like a congratulation, this keeps the costumers ego-gratification high and keeps them using the store. Rolex a prestige brand of watch globally recognized and associated with success and successful people. Some made with precious metals giving their owner a feeling of status, but it still only tells the time.

Selling Creative outlets everyone seeks to be creative, some products allow us to be creative like Lego or when using food ingredients, however some jobs and products leave us with no creative outlet leading us to seek other creative opportunities. Cooking products are one of the most creative outlets we can buy. For example in The Hidden Persuaders (2007) Packard and Miller talk about when cake mixes were invented and how wives back then couldn’t follow the instructions and just add the simple ingredients, like milk or water, they always wanted to add something extra in order to use their creativity when baking or to make them more deserving of praise. For example after interviews with wives that had complained about the products they said: “what kind of cake is it if you just need to add tap water” (Packard and Miller, 2007, pp.90-91), this defeated the point of the powder package foods, as they didn’t give enough room to the consumer for creativity. So because people were and are still adding fresh eggs no matter what the instructions say, marketers have changed their tactics and evolved their products by urging the customer to use his/hers creative flair.  This is also used in house construction, by leaving space so that the “builders could add their own personal touch” (Packard, 2007, p.91). With Apple iPhone came the ‘App’, small software packages that allow the consumer to modify and add to their Apple product. The iPhone is a blank canvas that the customer can apply his or hers personal touch to the product making it unique to them.

Selling Love objects children and adults have objects they love, children have their teddies and toys and adults have gadgets, houses and cars. Products in the 21th century have become products that rule our lives; one of the biggest products that has become almost a member of the family and is loved by everyone is the smart phone. The iPhone has become one of the most desired and love product in the world everyone has one and the smart phone is loved and cared for, you can even purchase apple care or insurance that protects your ‘loved one’. Apple in their adverts talks about the phone as a living object and gives it a personality; the smart phone has become the adult’s symbolic ‘teddy bear’.  The iPhone has not only become a loved object but an object in which you can keep in contact with your loved ones.
Looking at Packard’s description of selling love objects he uses the example of Liberace and his promotion and presentation on TV.  He talks first about his main audience age and mentions Oedipus symbolism, which can essentially relate to ‘destiny’ in a harsh world. He goes on to talk about how Liberace’s target audience was middle aged women (or how he words it, “past the child-bearing age”) and how when Liberace would play on television there was always shots of his mother throughout his performance, which I think Packard is trying to say pulls on the heart strings of the mothers in the audience (the majority of his fans).

Selling sense of power is all about looking forward, being ahead of everyone else with the latest product. This has been a tool that companies have used for many years and is practiced in all different types of adverts and products from cars, clothing, phones and many more. "it gives him [the buyer] a renewed sense of power and reassures him of his own masculinity, an emotional need which his old car fails to deliver" (Packard and miller, 2007,p. 92), this happens a lot in the 21^st century. Smart phones constantly improve every year and this creates the need and desire for the costumer to get the newest trendy phone, to be ahead of everyone else and to show off their latest gadget. This mostly happens with males and their devices, like cars and boats, it’s called “power profile” (Packard and miller, 2007,p. 93). Packard explains that they have to repetitively always have to have the best. Every machine gets bigger and more powerful, this is especially apparent with the smart phones nowadays, you start off with the newest and latest addition and soon the company comes out with a better version, this carries on and the consumer unknowingly continues to fall into the ‘trap’. Suggested “consumers are manipulated by an advertisement's promise that the product will do something special for them - something magical that will transform their lives” (Liess, Kline and Jhally, 1990, p. 25). Companies convince and influence the customer to believe they need the newest version of a product, it’s a carousel of manipulation which happens constantly, but consumer doesn’t care or realise that companies are using this tool to take advantage of them because we desire and think we need this sense of power. 

Selling a sense of roots One of the main aims for the ‘sense of roots’ technique is to get us to think about our personal life. For example Dolmio is a famous brand for exploiting the ‘family’ theme throughout their adverts; it goes back to the roots of the ‘Mama’s’ secrets recipes, which encourages the audience to believe that it’s a family brand.  Nation heritage is something that works especially well, and has done in the past for Cadburys chocolate; because they originated in England they used the Union Jack on their packaging. Using symbols that represent nationality help promote a product, as patriotism is often successful.  Another reason for using a ‘sense of roots’ in advertising is it gives customers a feel of pride as well, at the end of the day, we (the customer) are proud about home grown products, if it be from our garden or our area we call home, so if national/inter-national companies give us the sense of familiarity it comforts us to invest in their product.
In Packard’s theory on selling ‘a sense of roots’ he uses the example of the Morgen David wine company and how they changed their advertising strategies. To do this they researched into recording the way wine-drinkers discuss wine, they mainly found that they would reflect on ‘the good old days’ when drinking and so they transformed their advertising to display as sense of family by using this quote: “The good old days- the home sweet home wine- that grandma used to make” (Packard and miller, 2007,p. 93).  After doing so, the company doubled its sales, this is a clear example of the success that using a ‘sense of roots’ can have in marketing.

Selling immortality Nowadays, it’s become popular for many people to avoid death and aging; adverts promote this by airbrushing models and encouraging that unreal look of no wrinkles or blemishes.  This is urging more and more people to invest in plastic surgery and products that slow down the effects of aging.  In The Hidden Persuaders Packard’s theory in immortality it’s mainly about selling life insurance, he talks about how Mr Weiss thought it be more worthwhile to focus on the male popularity for the advertising of life insurance, this is mainly because his theories were written in the late fifties which was normal for the men to be the bread winner of the family therefore more valuable, however now his example has become slightly irrelevant as gender equality has changed the typical roles in a household.  Adverts for life insurance in the present day show photos and videos of families and seniors, this is to remind the viewer about their personal lives and persuades them to protect their loved ones after they are gone.  Famous brands use celebrity endorsement to promote their products, this is also a extension on the technique of immortality in advertising as the majority of celebrities have plastic surgery to stop the signs of aging, which persuades the viewer to believe that the advertised product makes them naturally achieve that youth look however its just a facade.

Celebrities are highly important and a valuable commodity to brands, especially in the luxury sector, where the brand is seeking to sell an ideal lifestyle based on the image created by the advert. Celebrity Endorsement is a strategy that is a great importance in the luxury goods, this can be short-term but if managed correctly this strategy has long-term benefits such as brand loyalty and equity.

Chanel is a company that uses consistent marketing strategies. For example, “Marilyn Monroe’s declaration that she wears only Chanel No. 5 to sleep, contributed to making the fragrance an unequalled icon” (Okonkwo, 2007, p. 156). Chanel has been the one of the most successful fragrance brands in the world, as suggested in the Chanel advert (2014) they say: “To me number 5 represents the ultimate perfume”. Recent adverts use female actresses like Keira Knightley and Nicole Kidman for many years. Using them has been a great strategy when selling their products and also getting across the image of the brand. Chanel use high profile actresses that have credibility and global appeal to help maintain the brands own status and credibility. “The celebrity must be credible. This means that he/she must have a high level of expertise and talent in their field” (Okonkwo, 2007, p.160). Brands are seeking to use celebrities that have creditability, sustainability and predictability. However, having a celebrity that has the entire attributes one act out of character can have a detrimental effect on the brand, for example Tiger Woods.

The Chanel advert (2011) featuring Keira Knightley shows her in the city of love ‘Paris’, identifying the sense of roots, linking back to the owner Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel and Chanel being a major Paris based Fashion House that produces sort after luxury items aspired to by many. Her original surroundings and the settings colours such as gold and white giving an image of reassurance of worth. This is the first time the product is seen and it is emphasized by the character on waking her first action is to reach for the bottle. This relates to the early Marilyn Monroe advertisements where she is in bed with bottle beside her, which also links to a sense of roots. The main character can be identified as a love object, with admirers seen chasing her on motorbikes, while the leading man is seen to fall for her. At this point there is a billboard that has the advertising poster with the actress showing the Coco Chanel product, this links to the marketing that will be used at sale points and in the media. The desirability of the character enables her sense of power over the males in the advertisement demonstrated by her leaving the photographer alone and riding off on the motorbike. This shows she has emotional security, and is confident in herself. 

All of the elements of the advertisement are present to make the consumer purchasing the product believe they can attain this life, that by using Chanel products they will become desirable and confident.

Apple is one of the most well-known and largest technology corporations in world. “There are now more than 1 billion Apple devices in use. That's active devices, by the way” (Apple- March Event, 2016). Owning a core product portfolio of 5 families (iPod, iPad, iPhone, MacBook and MacBook Pro) requires their adverts to use varying strategies to entice customers into continuously investing in their new and improved product every year.  They strip back their advertisement styles and use minimal and sleek adverts, similar to their products, to promote their brand image; this purposefully puts the focus on the product.

In Brands and Branding (2003) Clifton talks about how a company has to have innovation and be a level ahead of their competition: “Innovation. To be considered innovative, Symantec needs to be one step ahead of the high-tech revolution. Though an intuitive understanding of what is needed, the company anticipates new developments and problems before they arise.” (Clifton, 2003. p.89) this relates to a clip included in the video Apple- March Event 2016 showcasing a new recycling machine (Liam), this shows that the company is thinking forward to the future as we live in a world where technology is made unsustainably, publicizing that they are becoming a eco-friendly company gives them a new image and shows that they aren’t only thinking for themselves but the planet too.

In the adverts EveryAppleAd (2015) and Apple (2015) featuring the iPhone, they show the evolution of Apple adverts and display how they have used the same sales techniques constantly through the years. Apple uses a sense of roots in most of their adverts, they do this by using families and imitate a user taking photos of their child or FaceTiming loved ones, this makes it personal which is really important for Apple. "We built the iPhone for you, our customers, and we know it is a deeply personal device” (Apple- March Event, 2016) this turns this product into a love object. In the advert it shows the public using the iPhone for everything, which shows how much we rely on this device, it has become a ‘family member’ and a tool for everything. The advert also promotes creative outlet, it discusses and shows the different colours you can get and apps, making the product personal to the user, which allows creativity.  In the original Apple television adverts they only used characters on the phone screen and a pair of hands (demonstrating the phone) this was to keep it simple and carry on their minimalist style, however more recently they have been using active models in their marketing which has allowed them to frequently start including celebrity endorsement.  In addition to celebrity endorsement big brands also use product placement in television shows/ music videos/ movies that are relevant to their product to help advertise to the general public. For example in the television show Modern Family there is an entire episode including the use of Apple products (Season 6, Episode 16), it takes place on a Mac screen and shows the use of FaceTime, iMessage and other tools on the computer.  This episode shows how Apple is very family orientated and keeps everyone connected, which would encourage the viewers of Modern Family to invest in Apple products.

All of the fundamental aspects of Apples advertisements are carefully constructed to appeal to all ages and professions - all the way from businessmen to children. The adverts are there to persuade us that we need to upgrade every release and demonstrate to consumers that each new product is better that the one they already have, this creates a constant desire for the latest Apple product.

In conclusion luxury brands are never a necessity, however, a large proportion of the public desire and crave them as they feel it gives them a high quality ‘look’ and ‘status’, like most celebrities. Many people create an addiction to brands as they know it proves their worth, the majority of the public knows what brands are expensive so this gives the opportunity for people to show their importance through their clothes. 

The market influences the public into buying luxury brands by using different advertising techniques, most you can recognise through Packard’s eight hidden persuaders.  Through companies constantly upgrading and releasing new products people start to yearn for the latest merchandise, eventually this makes a person become a collector of that particular brand, this links to the addictive characteristics of luxurious brands.  Without these strategies, brands like Apple or Chanel would not be as popular as they are today; if Chanel didn’t have celebrity endorsement (Marilyn Monroe) and if Apple hadn’t had advertised their ‘trust-worthy’ and innovative flair throughout their promotions they both couldn’t have been as successful, which means marketing strategies are a key element in all types of businesses to triumph.

Bibliography

Books

Packard, V. and Miller, M.C.J. (2007) The hidden persuaders. United States: lg Publishing

Liess, W., Kline, S. and Jhally, S. (1991) Social Communication in adverting: Person, products and images of well being. 2^nd edn. London: Routledge Chapman and Hall    

Okonkwo, U. (2007) Luxury Fashion Branding: Tends, tactics, techniques. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Clifton .R and Simmons .J (2003) Brands and Branding. London: The Economist in Association with Profile Books ltd.

Silverstien, M.J., Fiske, N. and Butman, J. (2008) Trading up: Why Consumers want new luxury goods – and how companies create them. New York: Penguin Group (USA).

Danziger, P.N. (2005) Let them eat cake: Marketing luxury to the masses – as well as the classes. Chicago, IL: Dearborn Trade Publishing

Hameide, K.K. (2011) Fashion Branding Unraveled. New York: Fairchild Books.

Tellis, G.J (2004) Effective advertising: Understanding when, how and why Adverting works. Thousand oaks, CA: Sage Publications.  

Websites

Austrliaads (2010) Dolmio Italian meal base 2010 ad. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GtrALGLbhI (Accessed: 20 March 2016).

The LitCharts study guide to Oedipus Rex (2016) Available at: http://www.litcharts.com/lit/oedipus-rex/symbols  (Accessed: 15 March 2016)

Inc, A. (2016) Watch the apple special event. Available at: http://www.apple.com/uk/apple-events/march-2016/ (Accessed: 27 March 2016)

EveryAppleAd (2015) 7 years of iPhone ads (2007-2014) Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDZEoBgKTiY (Accessed: 26 March 2016)

Apple (2015) iPhone 6s – the only thing that’s changed is…. Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBYWGjIzvyw (Accessed: 27 March 2016)

CHANEL (2011) coco Mademoiselle: The film – CHANEL. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRV-2_Un-kk (Accessed: 28 March 2016)

CHANEL (2014) CHANEL No.5 set: The fragrance. Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo2Hm0CYi04 (Accessed: 28 March 2016)

OUGD501 - Context of Practice 2 practical evaluation

For this practical I want to create a body of work that related and informed from my essay. I feel I have really achieved this with the final outcome, I have create a luxury fragrance brand (ALEXANDER JAMES) that sells a high-end unisex perfume. The look of both the packaging and advertisement posters give off this high-end image. Looking at Packard’s eight hidden persuaders has give me an insight into how brands persuaded consumers to buy into products and I feel I’ve applied what I’ve leant from my essay into this practical. It was a challenge creating this outcome as it was my first time creating a physical product and packaging, it was a real learning curve and it’s got me into this side of designing and it could be something I possibly want to go into more in my dissertation next year. Looking into branding and packaging more. Doing this outcome for the practical allowed me to use skills I already have- like using photography and creating a professional layout for the packaging- collaborating with a photographer was an exciting thing to do and also I learnt about studio photography which completely new for me. I’ve also learnt that I don’t want to be a model again in a photo-shoot I think I will stick to designing, even though it was an entertaining task to do. Overall I feel I’ve created something that links with my essay and shows the knowledge I have absorbed through researching for this module.