#8 Critical Thinking In Advertising

Critical thinking in advertising is very important. Without it, ads would become boring and the same. Nothing would ever break through the clutter and some of the best ads out there would never have been born. 

So first of all, what is critical thinking? I found a good definition on criticalthinking.org from the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking:

"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness."

I think this is a very good definition. When I think about critical thinking, words like evaluating, analyzing and observing come to mind. 

 The website smallbusiness.chron.com has an article called, Examples of Using Critical Thinking to Make Decisions in the Workplace. You can check it out here. They had a small portion of the article dedicated to marketing, that I found very helpful and interesting:

Marketing

"The Critical Thinking Community attributes to Linda Elder a definition of critical thinking proposed in 2007. Elder states that critical thinking is "self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way. People who think critically consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically." Fair-mindedness, complemented by rational decision-making in a reasonable manner that emulates empathy, is a characteristic any employer would be lucky to have in all of its employees.

Using Elder's definition of critical thinking, public relations, sales and marketing employees utilize their critical thinking skills in making decisions related to the public perception of the company and the company's products and services. For example, packaging a product that appeals to certain population groups based on stereotypical assumptions isn't generally a good marketing tactic. However, using marketing techniques that create widespread appeal, regardless of the target market's ethnicity, gender or other characteristics, can prove to be beneficial for the company and may result in the product being accessible to a broad range of customers. For example, a car advertisement that appeals predominantly to women buyers may need to avoid any stereotypical images to enable the product to appeal to a broader consumer base. Thus, marketing professionals must use critical thinking skills to examine their branding concept from a perspective that eliminates gender in advertising the car's features. For example, if the car is eco-friendly, that feature could serve as the advertisement's focus rather than gender."

I liked this article because not only did it define critical thinking but it gives examples of how critical thinking can and should be used. Very helpful for those in the advertising industry.

I found a video on youtube.com of a Critical Thinking class lecture by Dr. Sadler at Fayetteville State University. It is a very long video so I didn't watch the full lecture, but I watched the beginning and found it very interesting. He talked a lot about credibility in advertising, and how advertisements are failures of critical thinking but they still work and "hit your pocketbook." A very interesting way to put it. Check out the video below.

I want to end this post with a few advertisements that I thought were very creative and must have used some serious critical thinking to make them successful. I hope you enjoy!

#7 Legalities

False Advertising Lawsuits

I'd like to start with myprofessionaladvertising.com's Legal Issues in Advertising page:

Truth in Advertising

 According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), “advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive… advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims… and advertisements cannot be unfair.”

Deceptive Advertising

 According to advertising law, an advertisement is considered deceptive if it contains a statement or omits information that “is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances; and is, ‘material’ - that is, important to a consumer's decision to buy or use the product.“

 Essentially, the law states that your advertising cannot be misleading. You have to tell the truth, or clearly label your ads so that no reasonable person could mistake your intent. Advertisers [and their advertising agencies] need to have a reasonable basis for advertising claims before they are published.

Unfair Advertising and Business Practices

 According to the FTC, an advertisement is unfair if “it causes or is likely to cause substantial consumer injury which a consumer could not reasonably avoid; and it is not outweighed by the benefit to consumers.”

 In advertising law, “substantial consumer injury” and “material” are related things. In part, advertising law protects consumers from financial loss due to deceptive practices. 

 The law does make an exception when consumer benefits outweigh consumer injury, but you probably don’t want to pay the expenses of explaining that in court.

Bait and Switch Tactics

 It’s illegal to advertise a product when you have no intention of selling that product at the advertised price. Bait and switch tactics are illegal, period. If you advertise a product, the law says that you have to intend to sell it as advertised.

Advertising Law: Catalog Sales

 As a catalog retailer, you are not obligated to substantiate the claims made by suppliers about their products. However, caution and common sense should dictate your ad copy. Stick to the claims made by the supplier, and do not expand or improve on them. Do not print anything that is not reasonable.

Advertising to Children

 The FTC pays particular attention to advertisements aimed at children. These ads are evaluated from a child’s point of view, not an adult’s. If you advertise to children, be very careful about following all of the guidelines. No company wants the publicity that comes from accusations about possibly misleading children.

Comparative Advertising

 If the comparison you make is true, then it is legal to print it. If you are better than your competitors, the law says that you can tell the whole world about it.

With all of that said, the above is something everyone in the advertising world should know, in order to keep themselves out of lawsuits. Major companies are constantly trying to dodge them, but if they lose, they are a large enough company to afford the payment. However, small businesses can find themselves in hot water!

One super company, Reebok, recently had a lawsuit on their hands. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) claimed that Reebok's recent EasyTone advertisements were deceptive advertising. See below:

They soon announced a settlement between the two. Reebok agreed to pay a 25 million dollar fine and stop the 'deceptive' advertising. 

Tobacco-Free Kids (a non-profit organization) targeted American Spirit cigarettes this summer because the company released advertisements claiming that they were "Eco-Friendly." Tobacco-Free Kids quickly got involved, worrying that consumers would feel that the term "eco-friendly," could be thought to mean "healthier." 

The next lawsuit I want to discuss is that of Kellogg's Kashi. At topclassactions.com you can see for yourself how Kashi products are not what they claimed to be in their advertisements. 

You can see in the video above that the brand claims that their products are "All-natural." Well, a federal class action lawsuit says differently. Kashi Co. is under attack due to claims of mislabeling their products as free of artificial ingredients, while some of their products are almost entirely made of synthetic ingredients. To me, the most troubling of all is the fact that the FDA has listed some of the ingredients in Kashi products as perscription drugs and hazardous substances.

"Some of these "shocking" ingredients include synthetic substances listed as prescription drugs, irradiated substances, pesticides that are a by-product of uranium mining, and federally declared hazardous substances, the class action lawsuit states. Kashi also adds several ingredients that the FDA has declined to declare as a "safe" food additive, and several highly processed exitotoxins to its products that are hidden sources of MSG." (Read more here.)

Now that really seems like deceptive advertising to me!

#6 How Far Should Advertising Go?

Ethics in Advertising


Let me start by sharing Geoffrey Klempner's (philosopher of business) definition of ethics:

Ethics, as understood here, is defined by the I-thou relationship:

"When I engage another person in moral dialogue, there are not two parallel processes of practical deliberation going on, his and mine, but only one. (Contrast this with the case of a 'dialogue' between politicians or traders, where each is privately deliberating how to gain the upper hand.) In opening myself up and addressing the other as a thou I am already committed to the practical consequences of agreement, of doing the action which, by the combined light of his valuational perspective and mine is seen as the thing to be done." 

Geoffrey Klempner The Ethics of Dialogue (1998)

Forbes recently published an article titled Gender and Ethics in Advertising: The New CSR Frontier? It is all about advertisements in which one gender (usually women) is being harshly stereotyped. The first example they talk about is a Got Milk campaign released early in the year. Aimed at men, the ads "sympathized" with males who have to put up with their significant other's PMS. One print ad featured, depicted a man cowering holding his milk with the slogan "I'm sorry for not reading between the lines." A petition created by change.org  surfaced, denouncing the advertisements for being unethical. 


The article then describes a godaddy.com advertisement featuring racer Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels, who are both "Go Daddy Girls." Take a look at the video:

Is it ethical? What about the last few seconds of the video, when the men at the end say, " do you know what would be cool. . . if they both had double D's! Ya get it, ya get it?!" Personally, I have never really understood the Go Daddy commercials. I mean, the ads probably work or they wouldn't keep using them, but I was surprised to find that the Go Daddy website was actually selling domains and websites. The two don't seem to mix well.

The next article I found was published on the American Psychological Association's website. The article, Advertising to Children: Is it Ethical was a pretty interesting read. Psychologist Allen D. Kanner, PhD., voiced his concern:

Ever since he first started practicing, Berkeley, Calif., psychologist Allen D. Kanner, PhD, has been asking his younger clients what they wanted to do when they grew up. The answer used to be "nurse," "astronaut" or some other occupation with intrinsic appeal.

Today the answer is more likely to be "make money." For Kanner, one explanation for that shift can be found in advertising.

"Advertising is a massive, multi-million dollar project that's having an enormous impact on child development," says Kanner, who is also an associate faculty member at a clinical psychology training program called the Wright Institute. "The sheer volume of advertising is growing rapidly and invading new areas of childhood, like our schools."

According to Kanner, the result is not only an epidemic of materialistic values among children, but also something he calls "narcissistic wounding" of children. Thanks to advertising, he says, children have become convinced that they're inferior if they don't have an endless array of new products.

                  (Advertising to Children: Is it Ethical?- APA)

The last thing I want to touch on is based on a study I found; a scholarly journal from the Journal of Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues. The journal can be found here. The title is Ethics in advertising: sex sells, but should it? The following is the abstract from the study:

The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether or not it is ethical to use sexual appeals in advertising. The study also examines (1) if sex actually sells and if so, when and where is it being used in advertising, (2) the use of men and women in ads of a sexual nature, and (3) the role that ethics plays in the use of sexual appeals in advertising. It is important because it not only focuses on the use of sexual appeals in advertising, but also how ethical it is to do so.

The study found that sexual appeals are used often in advertising. Sex does catch people's attention in advertisements, but usually without much brand recognition. Women have been the primary focus in sexual advertising in the past and present, but men are starting to be used more often as the sex object in advertisements. Ethics plays a definite role. There is no clear view of what is ethical and what is unethical when it comes to advertising, but with careful consideration and planning, it is possible for advertisers to find a common ground and use sexual appeals without offending people in the process.

The journal also asks the question: What is identified as sexual appeals in advertising? It is answered by a study from Ramirez and Reichert published in 2000 in which the four characteristics of a sexy ad was uncovered. 

1. Physical features of models
2. Behavior/movement
3. Intimacy between models
4. Contextual features such as camera effects

I've never seen it layed out quite like that, but it seems to make sense. It also says that while women are most often used in these ads as sex objects (Victoria's Secret), men are seen more and more in ads like Abercrombie and Fitch.

I've concluded that when it comes to ethics in advertising, there is obviously no clear line. It is a gray area that no one can seem to figure out. While some ads can be clearly labeled as unethical, others are hard to categorize. There really is no answer.

#5 Crossing the Line

Racism in Advertising


There are hundreds of sites out there that discuss racism in advertising. I find it very interesting to see all of the different points of view. Everyone sees these ads differently. To one person looking at an ad, it might seem fine, but to another, it might scream racist. I decided to check out a few websites and videos and make up my own mind. Racist or not? Some of the advertisements I had seen before and didn't really pick up on the racism until viewing them for this assignment. 


The first website I visited was Ad Savvy. They have an article called the 25 Most Racist Advertisements and Commericals. I looked through them and picked the ones I thought were the most racist. Check them out:

Usually the ads that are labeled racist, show sexism between men and women, or racism of African Americans. I thought this ad was interesting because it is something I rarely see. It is not often that a company thinks it is okay to show terrorism in a comical commercial. No wonder it was banned. And I have to say, that as a person with friends from the Middle East area, I completely understand why this advertisement is wrong and hurtful. 

I thought this next ad was pretty funny. It is a political advertisement insulting the opposing candidate. The ad is promoting a white man for the office and the opposing is an African American man. By showing the hands of a man opening a letter, it is clear that a African American man was hired over a white man, not because of the right qualifications, but because of the racial quota law. The ad ends by basically saying vote for Jesse Helms because he is against racial quotas. It makes me wonder who won. Let's hope it was not Helms who blatantly confessed to being racist!

Sony ran an ad in the Netherlands for a new ceramic white PSP. To me this one is so clearly racist that it makes me wonder how anyone thought it was okay to run the ad in the first place. The ad shows a strong, mean-looking white woman dominating a black woman by grabbing her jaw. Sony pulled the ads after a lot of racist buzz and apologized for the lack of sensitivity. 

This next ad is an ad that ran in Asia. Apparently the ad was supposed to show how appearances can be deceiving. Did it work? I don't know. I, like many others, was just left confused. A black man starts as a good samaritan and ends up turning into black toothpaste? I guess in a way I understand the point of the message, but how this very strange commercial is supposed to promote the toothpaste, I will never know. I wonder if their sales went up! 

I have dubbed this print ad the most racist ad I have ever seen.

I found this print ad on EgoTV, and all I can really say is "WOW!" I started reading it and I thought, "Okay, I guess it is a nice effort to promote equality." Then I got to the end. "...black or yellow or brown or normal." What is normal? Obviously in this context 'normal' means white. This might be one of the most racist ads I have ever seen. It is kind of an oxymoron; an ad to promote equality telling everyone that to be white is normal. Wow.

#4: Creative Concepts

Research & Evaluation in Advertising

I was having trouble on the topic of this blog. Research and evaluation in advertising doesn't strike me as an interesting or fun topic to write about. So naturally, I started to Google the subject. While looking into the purposes of research in advertising, I came across "creative concept research." AQR says this term refers to a form of qualitative advertising research. Creative ideas are studied to advance the development of the most effective ideas.

I found a dozen or so websites that explained the process in great detail. I could show them to you, but I won't. I will however, show you my favorite of the bunch:

http://www.creativeconcepts.ae/index.html

The above website is for a company (Creative Concepts) which takes brands and makes them brilliant. It caught my eye right away with it's unique homepage. The company, founded ten years ago, is based in the Middle East. Dubai, to be more specific. I think their "About Us" page is phenomenal. It provides a very brief background of the company and it tells the viewer what they are all about.

"Creative Concepts exude originality and are responsible for many award winning brand, marketing and creative campaigns in the Middle East. Our unique approach combined with the development of our original concepts ensures that our clients continue to shine – year after year.

We love what we do and we LISTEN to our clients. We interpret your vision, creating sparkling brand identities and crisp marketing copy. We offer our clients cost effective, creative and original solutions to advance their business and we become what is essentially – a part of their team.

Our strength lies in our ability to translate a client’s vision into a reality."

In just a few short paragraphs they had me wanting to work with them. And if that wasn't enough, the "Services" page will surely do the trick. People like honesty and this company seems to be very imaginative and honest.

"The essence of our service:

Well done is better than well said. Give people more than they expect. If we don't take care of you, someone else will. We may not have the answer, but we'll find it, we may not have the time but we'll make it."

When a client signs on, they want to feel like they are your top priority, and I think the statement above, does just that. They are straightforward saying that they may not always have the answers, but they will not stop until they do.

On the Creative Concepts "Portfolio" page, you can find several pieces the company has created for it's clients. And I should mention, big name clients, such as, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco Systems, Norton, Rotana, EMC, Juniper Networks, etc. Obviously this company is doing very well, and I can see why, if their services are anything like what their website describes. Take a look at some of their work:

So, now that my blog has inadvertently become a advocate for Creative Concepts, I want to finish off with an interesting article I found on Smashingapps.com, titled 31 Masterpieces Of Creative And Clever Advertising Concepts. Here are a few of the ads:

Berger

Bugsy's Bar

crisis.org.uk

HelpAge India

Lenovo

Meissen Porcelain...Interesting fact: I was in Meissen, Germany last year! Amazing porcelain!

Don't Drink and Drown

The Prevention Plan

# 3: How To Make Your [blank] Go Viral

The Viral Marketing Theory


We have reached a time where it seems that everything is "going viral." It is as simple is uploading YouTube videos. Record, post, and watch it take off. I do not know how many times I heard someone laughing about a video, email, or commercial they saw and immediately went to my computer to check it out and see what all the hype was about. My first example? This kid:

By just posting himself lip syncing to popular songs he is a perfect example of going viral. To date, his most popular video on YouTube has over 46 million hits! He is now famous and has appeared in commercials and has performed on Americas Got Talent.

So how can a person's [blank] go viral? It may be anything from a lip syncing video on YouTube to a commercial for Coca Cola. They might be completely unrelated, but they both require the same steps. 

Ideally, with viral marketing your audience spreads the message for you. Why pour thousands of dollars into a  campaign when your audience can spread the word for in some cases, no money at all?

A slideshow on SlideShare.net shared the key ingredients for the success stories in viral marketing:

• Huge fun factor, new factor, intriguing factor, sexy factor
• Creative copy writing and visuals
• You should look cool when forwarding to friend
• Easy to forward
• Praise should go to you as forwarder for finding it!
• Cool and easy to summarize story
• Energy and drive of posters is crucial
• Selected and motivated underground posters working day and night
• Credible look and feel (professional amateurism)
• Rumour should be believable; people are credible, corporations not

The slideshow also says that in order to spread "like a virus," the ad (or other medium) must appeal to any or all of the following human motivators:

• Entertainment
• Fun, humour, games, quizzes, videos, songs...anything to pass the time not working.
• Greed
• Sweeps entries and other free offers.
• "Limited free stock" vs. rest of catalogue for sale.
• Charity (and/or fear)
• You can help save the world. Ask all your friends to sign this online petition/buy this item/visit this Web page daily...etc.

I think that in a way, viral marketing is or can be classified as guerrilla marketing. The point of both is to stand out from all the clutter. The video posted below really caught my attention. The ad is promoting Evian. I watched it twice in a row. I thought it was a very creative and humorously disturbing. 

I mean, who doesn't love a posse of rollerskating infants? This commercial, also on YouTube, has 47 million hits since posted in 2009. 

My last example of an ad going viral, is the Smartwater Campaign, launched in March of this year. Jennifer Aniston, spokesperson for the company, made sales skyrocket through print ads and commercials. In one print ad, Aniston posed topless with a bottle of Smartwater. What is interesting, though, is that from the start of the campaign the audience was made aware of the techniques used to make these ads go viral. The company does a great job of showing this in the commercial below. 

Did you see a familiar face? Yep, that's right, lip syncing kid has not only appeared on America's Got Talent, but is now in commercials! 

So Jennifer Aniston starts by saying, "Hi, I'm Jen Aniston and I'm here to talk to you about Smartwater. But in this day and age apparently I can't just do that, can I? ...I have to make a video apparently, that turns into a virus...right, sorry, viral."

As you just saw, the video parodies several videos that have gone viral in the past, such as the dancing babies and the very popular Double Rainbow. It also uses other techniques that catch peoples attention: animals, mild violence and sex appeal. This advertisement is unique because it is honest about what it's goal is from start to finish, and to really make a point, when Aniston asks what to call the video at the end, the "internet boys" say, "Jen Aniston Sex Tape?" And Aniston replies, "I love it." 

Guess what? "Jen Aniston Sex Tape" went viral overnight. Goal achieved. 

# 2: "They're GRRRREAT!"

Tony the Tiger- 1952

The History of Tony the Tiger


The history of advertising is a pretty broad subject. I decided to narrow this down and pick one product (or in this case, mascot). Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (a.k.a. Frosties) were a favorites of mine as a child. It probably had nothing to do with the cereal itself and everything to do with it's mascot, Tony the Tiger.


 Almost all of us are familiar with this famous cereal icon. I remember sitting in my living room as a kid watching the commercials. What child could resist this fun-loving character with his catchy slogan, " They're GRRRREAT!" When I started watching these advertisements it would have been in the early 1990's, but Tony goes back much farther than that.

1961

Tony the Tiger was "born" in 1952. The tiger became an instant success as the cereal's spokescharacter.
Leo Burnett was hired for the ad campaign in 1951. Four characters were proposed: Newt the Gnu, Elmo the Elephant, Katy the Kangaroo, and Tony the Tiger. After Tony was chosen, graphic artist Eugene Kolkey sketched the tiger and sent it on to Martin Provensen to add the finishing touches. The slogan for the product has been voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft for over five decades! The photos shown are Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal box designs, showing how Tony the Tiger has evolved throughout the years.


In the early days of Tony the Tiger, the world was given a brief look at the rest of Tony's family. Tony had a mother, Mama Tiger, a wife, Mrs. Tiger, a son, Tony Jr., and a daughter, Antoinette. His family was 'short lived."

1974

Tony's appearance has had significant changes over the years. As you can see in the images, he started out with a football-shaped head. This was changed early on to a softer look. He also started with many whiskers on his face, but now has very few. His eye color changed from green to yellow-gold, as well. Today Tony appears much more athletic than his former self, showing off a slim body with big broad shoulders. His height has also drastically changed. Starting out at only a couple of inches tall in the first sketches, today Tony has reached 6'6" when standing on two legs.


Tony's appearance has not been the only change. Over the last sixty years his tagline has also evolved.

• They're more than good, they're great!
• They're gonna taste great!
• Bring out the tiger in you!
• The taste adults have grown to love!
• Grrreat for growth!
• Earn your stripes!
• Never let the tiger catch you!
• Put a tiger on your team!
• It's grrreat!
• Super de-duper!
• A grrreat taste!
• They're Grrreat!

1990

In the late 1950s, Tony was shown in television commercials. Through the years, technology allowed Tony to be shown alongside live-action performers. The ads were aired on Kellogg sponsored shows alongside the shows actors and hosts. 

Shortly after Tony the Tiger became famous, competitors such as General Mills came out with their own cereal mascots. The two major competing characters were the Trix Rabbit (Trix) and Sonny the Cuckoo (Cocoa Puffs). While these characters also took off, Tony the Tiger was still on top. 

Once starting out as premiums that the purchaser could redeem with box tops (and sometimes cash), today there are tons of Tony the Tiger collectibles. Just briefly looking at ebay, I found collectors train sets, earrings, cookie tins, cereal bowls, watches and baseballs. 

Today Tony is over sixty years old, but he has still got it. Not many other characters are as recognizable as this tiger and even less are known all around the world, as he is. One this is for sure, Tony is now and forever GRRREAT!

Tony Today

For more information about Tony the Tiger, check out the websites listed below. I found them very useful!

http://www2.kelloggs.com/

http://adage.com/century/icon09.html

JiffyNotes/ Kellogg Company

collectibles.about.com

http://www.kellogghistory.com