After reading both Sonia and Nicole's blog posts as well as Eric's comments I started thinking about target audiences and the different tactics that are used to reach them. Do tactics like nostalgic recollection really work? Can advertisements be proven successful within their target audiences? What tactics work best?
Now, I must admit - I am a real sucker for commercials that tug on my heart strings and make me feel all warm and fuzzy, so I quite enjoy the nostalgic recollection commercials below.
Nostalgic Recollection:
Nostalgic recollection commercials try to reach to their audiences by reenacting experiences that they can relate to. Both Tim Horton's and Pampers try to evoke nostalgic feelings in their customers through both imagery and music and hope to conjure up similar memories from their personal past.
Tim Horton's Coffee (I am a Canadian Girl) and Pampers:
Tim Horton's positions is positioned as being a family company, therefore the audience is families. Do these commercials really make you want to drink Tim Horton's coffee? I will admit, the first watched this commercial, I cried. I also found myself thinking back on times I shared with my family. I did not however, find myself wanting a coffee. Does that mean that the commercial did not work? Was this tactic successful?
Pampers is targeting new mother's and families through their commercial. Again, both music and imagery play a large part in the nostalgic recollection. By trying to evoke memories of babies and children within their audience, Pampers shows that they can relate to their clientele. I am not a parent at this point in my life, so I obviously did not want to buy diapers. For anyone who does have children, does this commercial make you want to buy Pampers diapers over another brand?
Nostalgic recollection is one tactic that is used when your target audience is families and mothers. When targeting men however, the tactic changes quite drastically.
‘This Could Be You’
When targeting men, companies must use different marketing tactics in order to reach and relate to their audience. Would nostalgic recollection commercials work when the target audience is men? A popular way to reach an audience of men is the ‘this could be you’ tactic. By creating an image of the ultimate man, companies try to reach their audience by showing them characteristic that are often desired by men.
Old Spice and Dos Equis:
Old Spice uses a tactic that is very different from the nostalgic recollection that was seen in both the Pampers and Tim Horton’s commercials. They also have a completely different target audience, men. By using a 'this could be you' strategy, Old Spice creates the ultimate man that presumably the target audience wants to be. Does this tactic work?
Dos Equis uses a similar 'this could be you' tactic in their Most Interesting Man in the World campaign. By showing their audience The Most Interesting Man in the World, is Dos Equis suggesting that customers who drink their beer are similar to that man? Does this tactic really work?
Overall, I find myself curious as to what the purpose of commercials really is: to increase sales? Promote their brand and intrinsic messaging within their target audience?
Thanks for posting the Tim Horton Coffee video. I watched it mainly because you said you cried and that piqued my interest (interesting that a sad emotion can create a call to action!). I didn’t want a coffee either, I couldn’t smell the aroma the way some “best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup” commercials have done. I almost want to say this commercial is great PR for the filmmakers! It would be interesting to find out how they measure the impact of this sort of advertising. As I’m writing this, I’ve already forgotten the name of the coffee.
ReplyDeleteFolgers Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imNkiRdGTfo