OUGD501: Advertising Strategy

The Advertising Strategy for Status (STATUS)

‘A technique used by advertisers is to appeal to our innate human wants and suggest that a particular product may be able to satisfy them.  They all target our basic needs for shelter, status, sustenance and sex (known as the 4 s’s) and claim  that pushing all the right buttons would sell products, ‘Once a businessman knows where his product stands in relation to the Four-S’s he can gauge his selling appeals with maximum effectiveness’ (Robinson citing Dichter, 1998).’

In response to the essay I am choosing to use the techniques and styles employed by advertisers to sell our innate needs directly back to us. Although advertisements use these innate needs to create a personal connection with the audience and then link that emotion to the product, I will simply be displaying the under lying driving force behind the advert that creates that audience connection in the first place. The innate need I am looking to sell is Status, in the style and aesthetic as products that use status as a key driving force in their advertisements. The product aesthetic I have chosen to replicate are male cologne and watch adverts. The fashion edge to these adverts gives a much more obvious representation of status and they also both rely on very similar and easy to replicate visual devices in order to communicate this innate need directly to the audience. 

From these pre existing adverts we can plan out the strategy for STATUS.

Who will buy STATUS?

STATUS, in the simplest terms, is targeted towards men. Males aged between be 21-35, young workers determined to improve their opinion in the eyes of others. Psychologically we are looking to aim at men who believe the look makes the man. However STATUS doesn’t just aim at this demographic, the campaign will work for various types of men, from the slightly older male fearing he’s past it and determined to reclaim previous power and youth, to the alpha, ‘beating-the-chest male’ who is keen to show off his power through the way he presents himself to the not so confident man who wants to boost their status and power through the use of our ‘product’.

Where will the STATUS campaign be displayed?

We are looking to aim at men who are already interested in improving upon their look and status, male fashion magazines are an obvious home for the adverts, as well as shopping centres and fashion retail outlets, grabbing attention when our audience is out and about on the go. Branching away from printed mediums we would also be keen to create a digital platform for the campaign, product website and social media as well as banner adverts placed in appropriate websites such as fashion websites, gadget websites etc. The campaign will also be translated into a video advert to be displayed on television and the internet (youtube, the product site etc).

What will the Campaign Look Like?

In keeping with the existing campaign aesthetics for various other status related products STATUS will be a photography based advert featuring an attractive male as the central focus point, there could potentially be the inclusion of a ‘draped’ woman to boost the power and influence the man has, the focal point of a man connects the audience to the idea of what the product could do, you could be this man, that could be you with that girl if you use STATUS. The photo will be taken in a severe black and white look creating an artistic and dramatic feel, black and white flatters and adds drama to seemingly uninteresting imagery so it will be perfect to add an extra element to the final ad. It also connotes the idea of simplicity to the audience; have a problem, this is the solution, things are simpler and clearer when you use STATUS. The text will keep a classy and formal feel using a strong, yet elegant serif font, suggesting status mixed with class relating the product to these characteristics. The colour pallet will be simple monochrome, to keep things dramatic and mess free, the message doesn’t need to be obscured with colour based symbolism. Black and white, simplicity and status, crisp and clean- this is the message we need to convey free from outside influence.