Persuasion Techniques in Advertising

Paper Summary:

This paper examines and compares two advertisements - a print ad for Revlon Limited Edition and a print ad for Crest Renewal Whitestrips. The paper discusses the visual elements of the ads and the persuasive techniques that they both employ. It then looks at the meaning of the ads and the statements that they make to the viewers. Finally, the paper discusses the assumptions about human behavior that the ads make.

From the Paper:

"Both ads are based on certain assumptions about human behavior and especially about what women want and how women behave. These assumptions may be true in a society that places a high value on looks, though the value of these attitudes can certainly be questioned. They are not questioned at all in these ads, and the advertiser is relying on them not being questioned by most people looking at the ad. It is assumed that the women looking at the ads want to be seductive and want to hide their age, and the products are then offered to enable them to do just that. The ads use images and copy to link the product to a desired end and imply that there is no other way to reach that end. The ads suggest that the women pictured in both ads only achieved the same end by using the product, though logic would suggest otherwise. The two women in the Revlon ad are beautiful because they are beautiful, not because they use Revlon, and the woman in the Crest ad looks young because she is young and not because she has whitened her teeth with Crest strips."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Crest ad: "Healthy Looking, Beautiful Smiles for Life." Provided.
• Revlon ad: Introducing The Look of Seduction." Provided.

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