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).
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 21st 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.
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
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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).
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Trade Publishing
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Unraveled. New York: Fairchild Books.
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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:
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