To make a product stand out from competition, companies will use extreme exaggerations in advertising the product that they are trying to sell. In this particular commercial for a Dell laptop, a young man carrying a Dell laptop around a city is being cheered on by everyone he walks by. At the end of this commercial the words "Buy Dell" show up on the screen followed by a charity logo "Join Red" and then "Save Lives" suggesting that by buying a Dell laptop consumers are becoming heroes and helping people in need. This exaggeration that one is a hero if he or she buys a Dell is meant to encourage viewers to buy Dell products.
Dell chose to target a broad audience. This commercial was played during the forty second Superbowl. The Superbowl is the most watched sporting event in the United States. By playing the advertisement during this particular time, Dell was reaching millions of potential consumers and increasing the chances that these people will want to buy a Dell laptop.
While the audience may have been broad, Dell was also appealing to a certain age group. The young man carrying the Dell laptop was in his late teens or early twenties, about the same age as a college student. He was dressed in casual clothing including blue jeans and converse sneakers, apparel that one would expect an everyday college student to wear. The music playing was rock and roll, a genre of music popular to college students. People around this age often are looking to buy a laptop for school, so by appealing to the college students, Dell is increasing the likelihood that young viewers will buy a laptop from them.
By including the charity, Dell is also appealing to those who are involved in charity or care about helping those in need. After viewing this advertisement, consumers are led to believe that if they buy a Dell not only will they be investing in a quality piece of technology but they will also be helping those in unfortunate situations at the same time.
This particular commercial attempts to catch the audience's attention by linking something so simple as walking down the streets with a laptop with being greeted and cheered on like a hero. The juxtaposition of something so ordinary with an extreme positive reaction increases the focus on the Dell laptop.This advertisement portrays the Dell laptop as a symbol for accomplishing a heroic deed. The subject of this commercial is being cheered on by young children, patted on the back by police officers, and being kissed by an attractive woman all because he is the owner of a Dell laptop. Although consumers will understand that this kind of reaction is unrealistic for simply buying a laptop, it still suggests that buy buying a laptop one is contributing to a good cause. The connection to the charity is meant to tug on the audience's emotions and encourage the purchasing of a Dell laptop in order to help those less fortunate.
While some viewers may be impressed by Dell's attempt to help those in need by donating a portion of their profits to charity, others might simply see it as an insincere publicity stunt and be discouraged from buying Dell products. When I first saw this commercial, I was appalled at the idea that Dell would use a charity to gain publicity and sell more products. However, I soon realized that whatever Dell's intentions were, the outcome is still the same. A portion of Dell's products goes to helping people around the world and as long as money is going to this charity, I do not mind Dell flaunting their association with it as a means of increasing sales. If more companies did this, there would be a significant increase in funds available to help those who need it.
Although I do own a Dell laptop, I do not completely relate to this advertisement other than the fact that I am a college student who does want to contribute to those less fortunate than myself.While I don't disapprove of it in anyway, it wouldn't have convinced me to buy this product alone. I made the decision to buy a laptop of this brand after researching Dell and other different brands. A laptop is a crucial investment. Not only are laptops expensive, but they are also the main piece of technology that college students like myself will be depending on for the next four years. I rely tremendously on my laptop for academic purposes so I would not buy one based on an advertisement I saw. When I am planning on investing a significant amount of money into something I will using to complete important tasks such as researching for a paper, I am not going to take the company’s word for it than they sell quality products.
This particular assignment has taught me to look beyond advertisements; to see the purposes and hidden agendas of these companies. Advertising is a multi billion dollar industry and companies are willing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in the hopes a commercial or magazine advertisement will increase sales and profit. In advertising, there is a reason behind everything, from targeting a certain audience to choosing just the right time to air a commercial. I have learned what how much thought and reasoning goes into creating an effective advertisement. I can now look at the exaggerations and manipulations companies will use in their advertisements and see what they were trying to accomplish by using them.
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