how the advertiser has tried to invoke emotion and how it attracts their target market
This essay will explain how the advertiser has tried to invoke emotion and how it attracts their target market. I will be using models such as AIDA to reinforce my answer, alongside communications theories, semiotic analysis and target audience. I will take into account the target market, and will consider the imagery and colours, font, typography, layout, style, model portrayed and organisation brand symbol. I will explain how the creative devices are used and why they have chosen this approach in todays market.
H&M states on its website that they are driven by their desire to make great design available to everyone in a sustainable way (H&M, 2020).. This ad however appeals primarily to the younger female generation who are said to ‘drive the change in attitudes’ (A. Goody, 2019). This is supported by MINTEL (2019) reports which state that spending on womenswear dominates the market with 49.3% in total. Fashion brands are required to stay updated with changing trends and tailor new strategies in accordance to these changes.
The A.I.D.A model was developed by St Elmo Lewis in an attempt to explain how personal selling works (Oxford, 2020). . A.I.D.A is an acronym for awareness, interest, desire and action and it can be used effectively to show the steps the customer goes through in the process of purchasing the jeans. Heavy use of Semiotics are at work throughout this ad and play a crucial role in attracting the customer. The first aspect of A.I.D.A. is attention, what strikes the reader is the model in the centre of the page. She is a pale complexion with light blonde hair, this allows the outfit to look much bolder in comparison. [unique_solution]Using the tagline “Go Green Wear Blue” and having it displayed in blue boldly over the model allows it to stand out and is also what grasps the interest of the buyer. They are interested by the idea of going “Green”, as in today’s market the importance of ethical and sustainable clothing has skyrocketed, with 48% of UK clothing consumers preferring to shop with retailers that are trying to reduce their impact on the environment (MINTEL, 2019). How it is written is also significant as well, ‘sharp transitions in contour might convey a sense of threat’ (Bar and Neta, 2006), therefore they have rounded the letters to appear more calm. The desire is to look like the model, as she has a powerful stance that radiates confidence and consumers will want to mimic this. The action at the end is to buy the jeans in order to look like the model. Using the word “Green” is a greatly beneficial way of promoting the sustainability of their product whilst also connoting life and nature, thus appealing to more buyers. The model is a perfect example of a ‘signifier’ to denim, she is standing confidently in jeans with a serious yet enticing look. Her hands are on her hips which is a sign of silent communication’; strong, independent, rebellious (J. Egan, 2020). This
In order for an add to be effective it needs to stand out from the competition, it needs to be able to cut through the noise. Schramm’s model of communication can be used to show just how effectively H&M do this. The Schramm model views communication as a process that takes place between a sender and a receiver: there will be also a message, and a medium through which the message can be transmitted (Schramm, 1948). This message can become interrupted by noise and interference, noise is a non-intelligent interruption whilst interference is an intelligent interruption that can be emitted to confuse the receiver (Fill and Turnbull, 2016). The sender of the message in this case is H&M, this message is sent to the receiver (the customer) through a non-personal channel. Before the advert was made H&M will have conducted a large amount of market research to develop an understanding of their target market. MINTEL reports show that spending on womenswear dominates the market with 49.3% in total. The same report also reveals that 60% of Gen Z consumers prefer to shop with retailers that are trying to reduce their impact on the environment (MINTEL, 2019). Linking back to Schramm’s model where a source, being H&M, sends a message, sustainable denim’ to the consumer. This message needs to be decoded by the receiver with the senders desired effects. This is done by ‘appropriate words, pictures and symbols’ to enable the message to be transmitted by a medium. However the senders true message is much more discrete and is aided by the use of semiotics. The direct message from the sender is ‘GO GREEN WEAR BLUE.’ The word ‘green’ is used as a signifier for sustainability and environmental protection. Defined in the Cambridge dictionary (2020) as ‘relating to the protection of the environment’ thus enabling a medium to be reached between sender and receiver. Following with ‘conscious Denim’ helps assure that no ‘noise’ intercepts the message the sender is trying to convey to the consumer (P.R, Smith. Z.E, Zook, 2016), that they are sustainable. Using non-personal channels allows H&M to reach a much larger audience as they are characterised by mass-media advertising (J. Egan 2020) such as leaflets, banners and billboards.
The layout of this advertisement is significant as it portrays the brand values to the customer. They have made their logo small in comparison to the rest of the images and also positioned it in the bottom right corner. This shows that they don’t want to be the main point, they want the message of going ‘green’ to stand out, building on their already very ethical image. So impressive that H&M topped the transparency index with 73%, transparency is key to the creation of a cleaner, greener fashion industry (The Guardian, 2020). The red used in the logo allows it to still be noticed in contrast to the blue, whilst not taking away from the key message. For readers that recognise the brand it works as a denotive concept as they associate the logo with the brand and its values.
Improvements to this advert may be as simple as moving the text so that it is not overlapping the model, or changing the colour of the text. This is due to the colours being too similar, on phone screens and electric billboards the colours may be difficult to differentiate due to the contrasts. Therefore the message will be unreadable and lost in the ‘noise’. They may also wish to add a male model as it would connote love and passion as they’d be a pair, as well as doubling their customer base. Attracting young males may prove massively beneficial as 65% of men aged 16-24 have bought a pair of jeans in the last month, making them the main jean buyers. (MINTEL, 2020)