Faisal K.

Qureishi
 

To educate consumers about new product To show people they have a need and that
advertised product can fulfill it To show that a product now exists that is capable
of meeting a need that had been recognized but previously unfulfilled
Abbot introduced the category of insect repellants in Pakistan


The competitive stage is the advertising stage a product reaches when its general
usefulness is recognized but its superiority over similar brands has to be
established in order to gain preference.


The retentive stage is the third advertising stage of a product, reached when its
general usefulness is widely known, its individual qualities are thoroughly
appreciated, and it is satisfied to retain its patronage merely on the strength of
its past reputation. All that the brand needs now is constant reminder advertising
The “newer & newest pioneering” stages focus on getting more people to use the
product by continuously finding innovative ways to advertise
Safeguard Community & School Health Programs
 

In which stage is the product? Should we use pioneering advertising to attract new
users? Should we work harder at competitive advertising to obtain a larger market
share? What portion of our advertising should be pioneering? Competitive? Are we
coasting in the retentive stage?
 

Semiotic analysis sees the world as symbolic Every advertisement has 3 basic
components: An Object (Brand) A Sign (Symbol) An Interpretation (Meaning)

  


Marlboro (Object) The Marlboro Man (Sign) Tough, Rugged, American Male
(Interpretation)


While the object remains the same, the symbol is extended to include a Harley rider
along with the traditional Marlboro cowboy to make the interpretation more relevant
in an age when Hollywood Western flicks are no longer in fashion
 

Semiotic analysis is cultural Interpretation (meaning) attached to a symbol is

always culturally defined A symbol that works in one culture may just end up
confusing audience in another Consider this example:





Confused? Rightly so Because the interpretation of carrots is purely American in

semantics


Elaborate cultures require and expect a high amount of verbal information – symbols
used in ads may often have to be backed up by explanations (e.g. South-Eastern
cultures) Advertising in succinct cultures can be impressionistic with minimum
amount of words; the audience is expected to be smart enough to draw the correct
interpretation (North-Western cultures)
  

Is semiotic framework always explicit? Studies suggest that is far from the case.
Semiotic frameworks can and do contain subliminal (hidden) symbols, meant to target
the sub-conscious mind to influence behavior To understand, let us take a few pages
out of history:


A movie reel contains 24 frames per second, which is the optimum amount of optical
data that can be registered in brain A 25th frame would render the addition
redundant as it would fail to have an impact in the

conscious mind


In 1940’s, as part of a secretive research, a group of subjects were shown a movie

reel which (unknown to the audience) contained a 25th frame. The 25th frame
consisted of random images that, apparently, went unnoticed by the subjects A few
weeks late, the same control group was shown the images present in the 25th frame
and…, Viola! Every participant in the group claimed to have seen the images
earlier!!!


In 1957, market researcher James Vicary claimed that quickly flashing messages on a
movie screen, in Fort Lee, New Jersey, had influenced people to purchase more food
and drinks. Vicary coined the term subliminal advertising and formed the Subliminal
Projection Company based on a six-week test.


Vicary claimed that during the presentation of the movie Picnic he used a
tachistoscope (developed with the help of his associate, Renshaw) to project the
words "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Hungry? Eat popcorn" for 1/3000 of a second at five-
second intervals. Vicary asserted that during the test, sales of popcorn and Coke
in that New Jersey theater increased 57.8% and 18.1% respectively


Vicary titled his research as the “Incremental Effects Theory”, which argued that
repetitively presenting an image on the subconscious place will ultimately
influence behavior Vicary’s research and his ideas gave rise to a huge controversy.
Under pressure from various public groups, US Congress tabled a bill to ban
Subliminal Advertising; the Congress failed to pass the bill with a majority vote
Therefore, subliminal advertising still remains (technically) legal, yet too
controversial to be openly proclaimed by advertisers


 

More sophisticated and advanced versions of the tachistoscope were subsequently

produced. Openly, no movie theater in the world proclaims using it It is, however,
alleged by conspiracy theorists that tachistoscope and other such devices continue
to be used, not only in movie theaters, but across electronic media (television),
not (just) by advertisers but by governments trying to influence public opinion
 

The Psychodynamic Perspective This theory argues that even without the use of high-
tech devices like tachistoscopes, the sub-conscious can be influenced by using
hidden symbols in a basic semiotic framework This is the current understanding
given to subliminal advertising Let us take begin with a few basic examples:


Q: When did subliminal advertising first make its impact in Pakistan? Ans: As long
ago as 1966 – even before the introduction of television You must have listened to
the song “Mairay

Khayalon Pay Cha’ye hai ek surat matwali see…, KOKO KOREENA KOKO KOREENA” (from the
film

ARMAAN) What is KOKO KOREENA and why did the lyricist choose such absurd but catchy
words… why not RORO ROZINA or GOGO GORINA for that matter?


If you freeze the frames displaying Waheed Murad dancing, clapping, drumming,
amidst random soft drink bottles, not-so-beautiful girls and cheerfulness…, but
wait a minute! Did we just mention soft drinks in the song? Yes! The Song was full
of Coke bottles and its branding all over the place…. All of a sudden it starts
making sense! KOKO KOREENA or

COKE-COKE KOREENA!


 

The launch-ad campaign of Magnum in Pakistan became controversial as its implicit

message started becoming clear to people This ad had to be taken off air in a hurry
It was, perhaps, introduced at awrong time as till then there was still only Ptv –
a strictly monitored staterun channel
 

Another hurriedly called-off campaign Engro Foods deviated from their tried and
tested policy of culturally acceptable advertising using family and Islamic
symbolism Result: Disaster – not only for the ad campaign, but for the brand itself


 

Journalist, Vance Packard published his seminal book, The Hidden Persuaders, about
the inner workings of advertising. The book discussed various techniques employed
by advertisers to influence and even manipulate consumers into buying certain
products. Noted media analyst and researcher, Wilson Bryan Key, notes that
advertisers spend a considerable amount of money on communications that contain
subliminal messages. Why would they spend such vast sums if subliminal persuasion
is ineffective? The fact that these subliminal messages cannot be readily
identified or seen and that the advertisers deny their use further demonstrates the
craftiness of the advertiser and at the same time highlights the persuasive power
of subliminal messages. The debate about the effectiveness of subliminal
advertising continues to this day but no conclusions have been reached. We don’t
know how effective it is; what we do know is – it is practiced!