Advertising as a Weapon

Advertising as a Weapon

Advertising is a multibillion-dollar industry. It's everywhere we look, everywhere we go, and it seems there is no way to escape it. Precious time and money are spent to change the way we think and feel about certain things. There is no doubt that ads have an impact on society. Plan B One Step created an advertisement targeted towards younger women in order to persuade them to purchase their product. As with all ads, it seems they left out the negative side effects of the product, forgetting to mention the impact it can have on consumers. When looking at an ad, all that is seen is the image, the words and the colors . . .the fluff. But, it's when we when we walk away from that ad that its effect comes into play.

Plan B One Step created a magazine ad in order to persuade viewers to purchase their product. An image of a girl, somewhere between eighteen and twenty-five years of age, is the main component of the ad. She stands upright with her arms crossed over her chest, evoking confidence and power. She appears clean and pure due to her lack of makeup, jewelry and "done" hair. To the left of the girl is large, neon font with the product name, and below it plain white font that decreases in size describing the product. The bright colored font stands out against the otherwise bland grey-colored background. In the far bottom corner of the ad is a photo of the product along with required medical warnings. In order to persuade consumers to buy the product, the ad creates independence and power in its viewers, using weasel words to convey the convenience of their product while toning down it's harsh effects.

The image of the girl appears to be the main focus of the ad because it takes up the majority of the space. Since she appears to be a young woman, it suggests the product is marketed to a younger demographic. Women are able to look at an image of someone similar to them in age and associate her with themselves. In other words, they see themselves as the person in the ad. They are able to put themselves in that women's place and imagine how that product would make them happier. In terms of Plan B, young women can imagine themselves as the girl in the ad. They see themselves as powerful and independent. By making this connection, viewers are already connected to the product. By first establishing who the demographic is, advertisers are able to grasp their audience's attention from the beginning, making them more likely to pay attention to the ad.

As with any product, it must be accessible to the chosen demographic. The ad assures the consumer of this by saying, "The #1 OB/GYN recommended brand is now OTC"(Plan B One Step). By saying that the product is now available over the counter, it makes it seem easy to obtain. Instead of having to go to the doctor and get a prescription, now consumers can just pick it up at a local drug store. This simplicity is supposed to make the product desirable to consumers because it takes out the middleman. Young women won't have to ask permission; rather they are left to make the choice themselves. This independence and self-reliance is what makes the product so desirable to women. The fact that the product is over the counter relates back to the image of the girl. She appears strong and decisive. Due to the fact that Plan-B is OTC she doesn't need a permission to get the product. The advertisers are implying that their demographic is in control and that they don't need to consult with a parent of doctor before making their decision. Advertisers are giving young women their own voice.

The girl's appearance is key in the message of the advertisement because it sets the tone for the ad. This tone is then associated with the product itself and how consumers feel about it. She has a powerful stance, with her arms crossed over her chest, showing that she has confidence and is in charge of her decisions. This says something about the product, that whomever purchases it will also be strong and have confidence in themselves. By adding power to the ad, advertisers are adding power to their product.

Also, in the image the girl appears innocent. She is shown with minimal makeup or "done" hair, is wearing a conservative sweater with no skin showing, no nail polish and she isn't wearing any jewelry. She appears clean and pure, and doesn't have any looks of regret or worry. The advertisement is trying to say that whomever uses their product will also be pure, that there won't be any regrets; that there is nothing to worry about.

While many could consider Plan-B a radical option, advertisers want to make their demographic feel like it's not such a big deal. They do this by using the weasel word "works similar to birth control pills"(Plan B One Step). They are trying to make it seem like emergency contraceptive is the same as birth control pills, that it's not so extreme. Advertisers are able to coax consumers into a trap, changing the way they originally thought about a product. By uniting emergency contraceptive and birth control pills, advertisers take away the extremity of the product, releasing any uncertainty.

Furthermore, the phrase, "helps prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex"(Plan B One Step) is included to reassure the consumer of the effectiveness of the product. However, it's nothing more than an empty phrase. By using the word "help" before "prevent", it diminishes any value that the phrase once had. "Help" isn't a promise, it isn't a proven fact; it's simply a weasel word. Lutz said, "Once the ad says ‘help' it can just about say anything after that"(Lutz 310), showing that the word "help" adds false credibility to the product. This false understanding of "help" adds to the illusion that Plan-B is the best option for most consumers.