Persuasive Advertising

I don't watch a lot of t.v., but the best and most creative ads I have seen recently are the Old Spice commericals. They manage to be both cool and funny while still informing the viewer about the product. It shows the man on the left walking through different locations as the background seemlessly transitions behind him. The ads work because it grabs the audiences' attention with the actor's charismatic and smooth persona. Girls like him and guys want to be him.. perhaps because the girls like him.
In Professor Straubhaar's lecture he described the many common characteristics of ads that make them appealing. There are many tactics that advertisers use in order to make their ads effective, such as repetition, style, ubiquity, etc. Repetition is obviously just putting your ads on often so the target consumer audience becomes more aware that the product exists. Sometimes this is effective, but sometimes consumers can find this annoying. Style makes the ads stand out, often including hyperbolic and fantastic claims that jump out at the viewer. Ubiquity means that the advertisement is made availible everywhere at once. All of these characteristics can be seen in the Old Spice ads. They appear on television and in movie theaters often, but not too often, to keep the product out there and fresh in the consumer audience's minds. They are stylistic by being unique and much more creative than the average commercial. They also appear everywhere at the same time through mediums such as network television that broadcast simultaneously throughout the country. People remember the Old Spice ads, and that is what matters.

Swan Dive into this commercial link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTIowBF0kE