Mercedes Benz Ad

I recently came across this Mercedes Benz ad in a magazine. The advertisement was meant to sell their 2012 SLK car model. In this ad they use multiple techniques and appeal to needs to convince you to purchase the car that a fairly common throughout most ads.

The appeal this ad gets to is the appeal to your need for affiliation. This is seen in that the largest font of the ad is saying that most relationships are made online. They then go on in the smaller font to talk about how you will have a relationship with the road if you purchase their car.

The first technique I noticed was that Avante Garde. This is evident in how the ad states that the SLK is all new. This represents their use of avante garde in that they are suggesting that since it is all new, then when you buy it, you will be the only one.

The second technique I noticed was the use of gestalt. The technique gestalt is used because the way the ad is written is off and odd. It is almost joke, advertising their product as if the car was part of a movie that revolved around your life. It could also be argued that it is using wit and humor to appeal to the person being advertised to. In my opinion it is not because I don't see how it could be funny.

Overall this ad is fairly odd but not in a good way to make it stand out but just seems weird. It seems to be average in effectiveness due to the use of the common techniques and appeals.

RBC Capital Markets Ad

I recently saw this ad in a Bloomberg Markets magazine. After taking a glance at it, I realized just how much could be derived from this simple ad. The business that this advertise is advertising for is the RBC Capital Market Bank which is trying to convince to switch to their banking service. Throughout the ad, there are multiple advertising techniques that are fairly common.

Overall, this ad attempts to work your need to achieve as well as the need for prominence. The appeal to the need to achieve is present when the ad states that "Confidence, the key to success on every course." This reflects the need to achieve in that they later state that you can have confidence when using their banking service. The use of the appeal for prominence is evident in the that it shows a professional golfer.

The first advertising technique I noticed was the use of snob appeal. I saw this in how the picture is that of a pro golfer and the statement that the confidence will win you on any course. They are trying to get at through saying you could be golfing with the same guy if you use their bank because you will become wealthier and then you can do what the guy in the picture does.

The next technique I noticed was the use of testimonial. Although not the typical style of an actual celebrity endorsing the business, it used its status as the official patron of the PGA to acquire the same affect. The fact that they are the patron of the PGA is meant to show their success and how powerful they are, hopefully convincing you that they can be trusted and used as your bank.

Overall I feel that this ad was mediocre. No where near super eye catching or convincing. It just would seem  to be the average ad. They do use a fairly standard tactic in utilizing marketing techniques but in my opinion not enough.

Magic Tap Infomercial

I recently came across this infomercial in my quest to find advertisements for my media blogs. This one is definitely a well devised advertisement. Right off the bat I could see multiple techniques in the advertisement. This advertisement is trying to sell the Magic tap product which is meant to go on caps of large jugs and to basically fill a cup with ease through a motorized spout rather than having to take the actual jug out.

The first technique I noticed in this advertisement was the plain folks appeal. They do this by showing random families, kids, adults, and the elderly using the product. They also show different uses of it in instances that the average middle class would most likely use it in.

The second technique I noticed was the use of the simple solutions advertising technique. This is evident in the way they show the product being used as well as the fact that they actually list our recommended uses in real life. They also state how great it is and that your problems regarding spills and the like will be gone. They even go so far as to call it magic which also covers the glittering generalities technique.

The most prominent technique that I noticed however was the use of bribery to promote their product. They say they will give you a double order of the product for the same price. Then they go on to say that the ordering of the family pack will get you a discount as well.

Overall, this ad was fairly effective and in my opinion was fairly well rounded to sell the product. The use of bribery though is a little to prominent in my opinion but that could be seen as an actually good deal so it cancels itself out.

Sport Bean Ad

The Jelly bean Sport Bean ad is quite an interesting piece advertisement. The advertisement is trying to sell their energy candy product Sport Beans which are supposed to be energy enhancers for exercising and is subsidiary of the Jelly Bean company.

The first advertising technique I noticed was the use of the testimonial technique. They did this by bringing in the professional biker Brad Huff. In the picture it shows him all decked out in his pro biking gear to try and sell you the image of that fact the pros use the product. This also goes hand in hand with the need to dominate. This can be seen by giving the connotation that this product will make you extremely good at the sport.

The next advertising technique that I noticed was the use of Transfer Association. They did this through showing the professional biker in the background using their product in the hope that you will think of pro biking when you think of their product.

The last thing I noticed in this advertisement was the use of simple solutions where it states that you will get a fluid balance of energy, vitamins, and optimized energy release.

As a whole, I think this advertisement works somewhat effectively but not as a powerful as some others. It relies to heavily on the testimonial of the pro biker rather than anything else in my opinion which doesn't help it make itself any better.

Tortilla Bowl Infomercial

I recently saw this infomercial on T.V and was interested in how the advertiser devised this infomercial. The product that the infomercial is trying to promote is the a tortilla bowl maker where you just stick the tortilla in the bowl device and bake it.

The first thing about the commercial I noticed was their attempt to use the simple solutions technique to champion their product. Right off the bat, the infomercial states that the product addresses the difficulty in making your own homemade tortilla bowls and how much easier it is to use their product. As an added bonus, they state that it is healthier. They also go on to state multiple recipes to put into the bowls to attempt to show the versatility of the product.

The next thing I noticed is that they try to win you over through the testimonial technique. They do this with having a person named Marc Gill promote it. In this commercial they dress him up to make him appear to be a person who knows what he is talking about. His approach is also somewhat reminiscent of Billy May's technique for promoting oxyclean.

Another advertising technique I noticed was the plain folks appeal.This is emulated through the use of family setting factors. Some examples of this is how Marc Gill is in a random kitchen rather than a professional chef's kitchen. Other examples is the showing of the product in use at normal people's kitchens and dinner tables.

The final technique I noticed was the use of glittering generalities because it hints at that through using the product, it will make you a great cook. It also uses this to try and convince you that if you buy the product all your dinners will be great.

This commercial also addresses one's physiological needs through showing the number of delicious dishes that you could be having. Examples they use are the tortilla bowl fajita dinner, burrito tortilla bowl, and the numerous combinations you see through out the infomercial.

Overall, I think this infomercial is fairly effective. However one thing that stood out to me the most was Marc Gill's approach that is somewhat similar to that of Billy May's and that made it somewhat more memorable.

Nalini Ad

I recently came upon this ad while looking through some magazines at home for a media blog. Right off the bat I could tell that this would be a good ad for a media blog because of the blatantly obvious advertising techniques.

The first advertising technique I noticed was the the snob appeal. It uses snob appeal by putting a picture of a a professional looking biker and saying that if you buy their product you will be like him.

The next technique I noticed was the use of avante garde in that they state that you will do so much better when you go biking by releasing your passion and compressing your muscles.

The advertiser also uses simple solutions by stating that the product will give you increased blood return, reduced muscle pain, faster lactic elimination, and increased  strength. These words are also weasel words. They tell you that you will get results but they don't exactly specify how much. These words are even an aspect of the magic ingredients technique. The compression technology is supposed to be what makes their product so good as well as it being Italian.

Overall I think this ad is fairly effective. This is due to the multiple uses of techniques that elaborate on each other. The actual ad is fairly standard and that is why it isn't extremely effective.

Performance Bicycle Ad

This Performance Bicycle ad seems to be fairly well made and obviously had a lot of work put into it. This ad is obviously selling bikes and all the accessories, but the effectiveness of this ad is what the point of this blog is.

First off, the technique most evident would have to be the use of bribery. By stating that you could have up to 54% off, they are pushing to go with the great buys you could get. This goes along with the facts and figures technique by stating exact percentages of what the sale on the item will be to prove the superiority of the sale they are having. Other statistics like 100 items on sale also promote the superiority of the sale vs. other sales by a different business. Another use of bribery is evident on the back of the ad where it says you could possible win a 2.699 dollar bike. 

Then next technique evident is glittering generalities. A glittering generality that is in the front cover of the ad, is the picture of pro bikers all completely geared up with everything from sunglasses to handle bars. This could also be linked to the technique snob appeal. Snob appeal can be discerned from this by the fact that they are professional bikers and that you are one of them by buying the products on sale inside.

Another thing I noticed was the ads use of weasel words. The one that really caught my attention was where it says "savings up to 54%." Along with the weasel words, the ad uses time pressure/ urgency by adding the dates of the sale right underneath the title in the hope it will give you the idea to hurry up and go to the store to snag the great deals.

This ad by Performance Bikes seems to be a fairly effective adding combining multiple points and techniques of advertisement to sell you the sale. In the end they hope you will end up spending more on the products so they can turn a nice profit and don't actually give you amazing deals. I can safely say this because I regularly get these once a month with a rarity of having the sale better than the last month's.

Deconstruction of Dap X Hose Commercial

I recently saw this commercial on T.V and found the product interesting. The product that the company is attempting to sell is a new type of hose that can expand and contract to save space as well as not kinking. I definitely felt this commercial would be great to do a media blog about. Throughout this commercial, common advertising techniques are seen as well as the appeals they are trying to get at.

The first advertising technique I noticed immediately, was the plain folks appeal. They do this by showing random people using it for everyday uses such as watering their garden. These random people are meant to represent the every day user or plain folk and how effective and useful the product is. The random people are in a variety of different situations as well as details like age and gender.

The next technique I realized that was apparent throughout the ad was the simple solutions technique. This is seen when they state the many places the hose could go such as an R.V or boat. They also make points that it doesn't kink as well as being light and small. They also point out multiple uses such as washing your car or watering your garden.

Besides the simple solutions and plain folks advertising techniques, there is also the use of weasel words like unbelievable. In fact, they use weasel words throughout the commercial to promote the hose's "amazing properties."

Another technique I noticed was repetition. The commercial used repetition in itself by repeating the advantages of the hose numerous times. It also used repetition by playing almost every commercial break, sometimes even more than once.

The final technique I noticed was the use of time pressure. At the end it tells you to call now and in another form of the commercial, it says that it is a limited time offer.

Overall, I felt that the commercial was both effective and ineffective because it uses standard techniques and doesn't make itself stand out as much as it could. It lacks the individuality to make it more effective than it is. In my opinion the product really sells itself rather than allow the ad to do its job and should turn a nice profit for the company.

Anand Tech

Andand Tech Website

Anand Tech is a great website filled with tons information for the purchasing of computers and their components. It is filled with reviews on numerous computers and components as well as other gadgets and electronics. I personally really like this website due to a few factors.


The first reason I like the website is that the reviews and the information is completely unbiased. This is important to me because many people that review products are usually biased to their preference and don't even take a look at something they think is beneath them. An example of this is how many people that do extensive research into the computer market would see that Apple has a huge price tag for what they are selling. This has created a fairly large bias against Apple in regards to it being taken seriously enough to be reviewed. This is where my appreciation of the website comes in. Despite this bias, they still review Apple products and deliver precise statistics. Of course there is still an opinion on products, but you will be hard pressed to find any negative comments without evidence backing up the claim.


The next factor which makes me like the website is the statistical information and well educated on what they are talking about. They not only post what they think of a product but throw up statistics backing their claim. I really appreciate the extensive tests they conduct on the product and the detail in which they post the information. Benchmarks they put up are also completely useful and are easily readable. There is no annoying "Well the Samsung S3 is faster," without proof. Instead they show the statistics like how the S3 has a 1.5ghz dual core processor vs. the Iphone 5's 1.3 ghz dual core processor. The fact that they also use the correct terms to describe products also makes them fairly credible. The fact that they know the difference between a CPU and a GPU is very important. They also understand the market of the products being sold and will comment on price whether it is extremely cheap or overly expensive.


The other factor I really appreciate that the website does is the organization. The overall organization of the website is very clean and precise. Other factors that make it visually appealing to me is the colors and flow of the pictures and background. It is eye catching however it does not overload your senses with to bright of colors or to much color. The color scheme instead delivers a simple contrast between each other. Logos and links which can often make a website's appearance seem messy, are also kept in an orderly and organized fashion. Another thing that I appreciate is the location and number of ads. On the page there is a max of three but when on an actual article page, there is only one. The ads on this site are also usually more on the conservative side and aren't garishly colored. This is important to me because a lot of times ads slow down or eat up bandwidth as well as use a lot of memory. This goes double for flash ads. A comparison I often make to judge how clean a webpage is to compare it to the yahoo home page which in my opinion is a nightmare of clashing links and way to flashy ads.


Overall, the Anand Tech website is superbly designed and a well made for today's media.

Deconstruction of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R and AMD Joint Promotion/Ad

The other day, my friend Wei gave me this flyer/ad/promotion. This ad came with his graphics card he had purchased and was part of a promotional drive by the company that published the game as well as the video card processor manufacturer AMD. On this ad you can see the ATI Radeon and AMD logo as well as the game title in a larger font to attract attention to it. Although AMD's ATI Radeon series GPU's aren't as renowned in the GPU market as Nvidia's GeForce GTX line, they still carry weight with them. In this ad, ATI Radeon is used as a reification for the game's promotion. The same can be said for the AMD logo seeing as it isn't as well known as its competitor in the CPU market, Intel. AMD is still used as a reification for the video game. This reification is not reciprocated back to AMD and ATI in that, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R video game series although not as successful as the Call of Duty series or Halo series video games, has still sold a substantial number of copies, still caries a bit of weight that can be beneficial to AMD.

 Along with the title and the logos, they put a great emphasis on the words expand, accelerate, dominate. These words are meant to be used as weasel words and are exceptionally vague. To begin with, the word expand doesn't exactly give you a clear meaning oh how that works. It leaves the question, "How does it expand your game?" It also leaves room to weasel away from assumption of the oblivious customer who expected it to be able increase their performance when playing a video game. The next word accelerate is less vague but doesn't specify how it would accelerate nor by how much. The naive buyer could rightfully assume that frame per second would go up by 10-20 when it might just improve it by 3-4. This word is also a weasel word because it leaves the room necessary for the company to say that the definition was not understood and that they were not at fault. The final word dominate, is no better than the previous two in regards to its vagueness. The game play in which one would play could only benefit so much from the upgrade the graphics card processors manufactured by AMD would provide. Domination of the game is vague also due to the fact that the way in which one dominates a game could be unclear. Is dominating the game getting 8 kills and 0 deaths, or is it getting 100 kills and 0 deaths. Perhaps it is getting a flawless victory in an MMO or beating the campaign of a a game in record time. But it could also yield very little or absolutely zero improvement to your game play. The word is also a weasel word in that it doesn't specifically state that you will win 100% of the time, no it implies it and leaves the rest to your imagination.

Besides the uses of language on the ad, there is also a very eye catching graphic to go with it. This graphic depicts a man standing or marching with a sniper rifle. This caught my eye especially due to the heavy use of FPS (first person shooter) style game advertisements championed by the Call of Duty series and Halo. These kinds of things catch my eye due to the fact that the games are so popular and are in almost any store that sells a video game. 

Overall, the advertisement/promotion is neither effective nor is it ineffective. I say this because I view it more as a neutral ad. Although there is prominent things on the add that attract attention, it is nothing special or new. In fact I saw it as the generic general ad that can attract attention, just not the amount to make amazing but not small enough that it could be classified as ineffective.