Gender cliches: Do they work?

The use of cliches is not uncommon in advertising, however I have to question the use of gender stereotyping.
In our current age, gender roles are blurring every day so does gender stereotyping work?

Harley - Davidson uses the concept of a Man's man for their bikes....but really? Are women not allowed to own a Harley? Harley Davidson started the bikers' culture where everyone was welcome but now this seems to be restricted to males? Not sure if that's the right impression you want to give out.

Brian Atwood launched their Spring/Summer collection with a remake of a classic Marilyn Monroe scene. While I love Marilyn and everything is so feminine I'm not sure if I can relate to stripping naked and jumping in a pool with my heels on. The ad is too overtly feminine in a very old concept of what a women is about.

The one interesting point however of gender based advertising is that it exists in extremes. They either embrace the concept of gender roles in today's society or go to extreme end of the spectrum, as above. I don't think many people can relate to either. While males may perhaps aspire to be everything manly, I personally do not relate to a Marilyn Monroe type advertisement and nor would I want to.

How does Kellogg's Special K make you feel? Emotions Sell

One country (Israel) is finally taking a stand against the false beautifying or photo shopping of models' images which decorate fashion magazines as well as banning those models who are below a BMI of 18.5. This is a bold move for any country to make against the 'glorifying of the skinny' and the question is how long will it last?

One of the main reasons behind this ruling is the self-esteem issues many young girls face which can lead to a variety of psychological and behavioural problems, so does the enactment of this law signal a changing trend in advertising for beauty products? 

Traditional advertising naturally positioned the products to reflect the benefits they could provide to the user. They could make them fairer, or skinnier and generally help them to be more attractive. But with an increasing amount of criticism against such advertising, which aimed to encourage sales purely on the fact that people's appearance needed improvement, some change would be in order. 

The latest campaign of Kellogg's Special K cereal reflects this change. It's not about how much you weigh, or what's your size. An individual should not be defined by a number, instead its about you feel. Confidence, pride, self - esteem this is what counts, and Kellogg's Special K can help you achieve that. So the product still makes you look better, but now also helps make you feel better. Emotions sell. 

Initially started by Dove's campaign for real beauty, which changed the advertising rule book, it seems likely that more products will adopt this positioning to garner a better public image and reputation, and eventually trust.

What is integrated advertising?

So what is Integrated Advertising?

The advertising landscape is changing. Previously all advertising was one way where the message was broadcasted to the consumers. Changing technology and the development of the internet have led to new mediums through which advertisers can target consumers. Digital marketing activities have a more focused approach where different consumers can be targeted directly and strategically. Consumers also have the ability to generate free advertising through social media. But while there are pros to new mediums, it also has its cons. With so many new channels, consumers have become adept at multi-tasking usually using multiple devices at the same time, therefore there is no guarantee of an ad being viewed by the consumers. Attention is divided which also has an affect on the overall remembrance of the ad.

So what is the solution? Integrated Advertising which is basically "combining several media channels and tools under one big idea to produce a greater experience for the consumer". In doing so by using multiple channels to showcase the same message, it is not only has a higher chance of being viewed but it reinforces the message for the consumer.

Saatchi & Saatchi have put together this lovely little video to demonstrate the entire concept. Obviously the question of where an agency fits in to the entire process is questioned but as Saatchi & Saatchi state the agency is the navigator who makes sure the message and delivery is consistent across all channels.

While it is certainly possible for a company to launch an integrated campaign in-house they may not always have the resource to do so, so therefore with a little bit of education, humor and fear Saatchi & Saatchi make the case for an agency.

McDonalds photo shoot: Honesty in Advertising?

Is honesty the best policy when it comes to advertising?

McDonalds' tested that question when it decided to answer one of their fans questions (and I'm sure this is not the first time they have been asked that) of 'Why does my food look different in real life than in advertisements?'
Rather than simply stating it is due to the wonders of photography and photoshop, McDonalds went quite creative with a video which demonstrated the entire process.

What were people's reactions?
Well on a personal level I found it to be quite a bold and striking move. A fascinating watch, the video depicts the whole process not forgetting to mention that all the ingredients used were the same as in the actual burger.
Most companies are secretive and hush - hush but McDonalds through this video embraces what social is about through its complete transparency, plus why hide something clearly everyone knows, that an advert is only an ad after all. See the complete McDonalds ad below:

Although this brings to mind the question, if its not ethical for models to be photoshopped, is it ethical for advertisements to enhance products for their sale? Or should they come with a disclaimer as well?

Ads which leave you HUH?!

Have you ever seen an advertisement and been like HUH?!
This usually happens when the ad in question either:
a)  does not connect to the recipient,
b) just does not add any value to the brand
OR
c) Both of the above.

I recently saw two ads which left me wondering what exactly were they trying to convey.
The first is for Chevrolet Celta: False Alarm
After viewing it, I was left wondering what does a "false alarm" got to do with the car? was the car meant for teens/young adults? did it help avoid "accidents"...or is it the car to be used when your still learning? so many questions and no answers... either way I don't see the value.

The second ad was for the Texas Dept of State Health Services (whew), for teenage smoking.

According to the ad's copy as a fact 8 out of 10 teens don't smoke any more...so what's the purpose of the ad? is it to display its effectiveness? or as visuals a teen stopping his friend from smoking the purpose of it is to discourage smoking? mixed signals...

As a future note, it would be much appreciated by viewers like myself if an advertisement was consistent and actually meant something for the brand.