Celebrity Endorsements: Proactiv

Proactiv commercials are everywhere on television nowadays. Acne product commercials, in general, utilize celebrity endorsements very often. But I feel that Proactiv, specifically, has a huge amount of celebrities endorsing their products.


So why is this? The below advertisment stars the blonde (and yes, ditzy) singer/reality star Jessica Simpson.

Jessica Simpson Proactiv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmYZQmX2Jz8&feature=related


This commercial is not done in an interivew-style setting, which could come off as rigid. It is slightly interview-like in nature, but her ease with the camera makes it so that it appears she is talking to her 'best friend' on the couch. Jessica even mentions "just hanging out with my friends." The makers of the Proactiv commercial are assuming we are then thinking, "Hey, I just hang out with my friends too! I relate to her." She also explains her struggle through acne.

Avril Lavigne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CoifDODfFg


This is for all of the Avril fans out there. Here, she is just sitting down talking to the camera. There aren't any 'over the top,' slow motion images of her splashing water on her face, smiling, and using the product. It is her talking about her personal experience with acne.

Are these advertisements effective? Is one commercial's style more effective than the other? More convincing? Why?

When you see your favorite stars telling you that a product helped them get rid of their acne, are you convinced? Is it because you trust this person who you are a fan of? Or do you just want to use a product that a celebrity supposedly uses?

Katy Perry (pop singer), Julianne Hough (country singer), and Ryan Sheckler (skateboarder)...even Lindsay Lohan (hot mess), have all been featured in their own individual Proactiv commercials. They do this because if you're a fan of pop music, you know Katy Perry and therefore some might see her as a role model. And if you're a hot mess, you'll want to use what Lindsay uses on her face.

It is basically the same reason people go out to see these people's movies, shows, or concerts...because THEY are in it. They are the reason people pay money. People pay money for these people's signatures. So advertisers know that people will be willing to pay for acne products these people have touched.

How is seeing a celebrity with a clear, acne-free face better or more convincing than a 'normal' person? Maybe people are more likely to believe an actual teenager who is explaining how they were rid of their acne. I personally feel like I would believe a real person more because when they show before and after pictures, the teens actually have really bad acne in the before picture. With the celebrities, they have to close up to see any blemishes.

Here is a still shot from Katy Perry's Proactiv commercial. Can you spot Katy Perry's acne problem, that was apparently so hard for her to deal with that she needed Proactiv? (The bottom right of the picture clearly states that it IS in fact the Before picture)


How about this teen? Can you tell they needed Proactiv?

BLOG 10: SUPER Awkward Commercials

It's a bird....it's a plane....no, it's a SUPER awkward commercial!

In my last blog, I mentioned how Kotex has a new brand of tampon products out called 'U.' The company used parody in their commercials in order to poke fun at the way they used to sell their Kotex products. Well, here are some more aggressive and 'pushing the buttons' commercials from Kotex. Except these bump up the level of uncomfort to the extreme.

Kotex U commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkkTeAP8d5o


This advertisement's obvious use of a slang term for a body part could be construed in a number of ways. First, it obviously grabs attention. Whether or not this attention is good or bad is up to the viewer. This commercial could be considered offensive as it is using a slang term. The ad could be seen as embarassing for women, or for men. Imagine a living room., a teenage girl, her father, and this commercial playing across the TV screen. Can you say awkward? Both people would probably feel a little embarassed.

The commercial could also be seen as funny, which I am assuming the Kotex company wanted. Or they just wanted to use the shock factor to make their products stand out. The ad could also just be uncomfortable for some people. Or maybe you are not even sure how you feel about it. Which is it for you?

Is Kotex saying that they want their buyers to be women who find this kind of commercial amusing? Because if a woman finds it offensive, what are the chances they would buy the product? Very low. So it is interesting to think about who Kotex is trying to appeal to. Maybe a younger audience, who they believe are more 'laidback' and 'used to' this kind of humor. Something to think about.

Here is another one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fln1UdhCRok&feature=related


These ads come from Austrailia. Wow, isn't it ironic that 'the land down under' is promoting these commercials? Just saying.

And another...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksCBu31264M&feature=related

Okay. I think you get the idea at this point.

There is another ad from GoDaddy.com that utilizes well-known auto racing driver Danika Patrick. This commercial isn't even for the Kotex product. Yet, the concept of beavers is used yet again:

Danika Patrick GoDaddy commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7X0UuA1pZ4


In my personal opinion, I think it's a little sad that Danika is over-sexualizing herself. She's actually made a name in NASCAR, but now the only thing she's really known for are her scandalous GoDaddy commercials and posing in a bikini. But apparently that's the message she wants to send. And the beaver concept is used again...which is the message GoDaddy wants to send..."look how cool we are...we're being naughty." That's what I think is going through their mind when they make these kinds of commercials.

I think the Kotex commercials are more innocent in a way...simply because I think Kotex believes they are being "cute." But with the GoDaddy advertisement, there are middle-aged creepy men with cameras asking Danika, "Where's the beaver?" and are actually looking down at Danika.

Ooops...just kidding. Remember how the first Kotex beaver commercial showed this image:


Yeahhhh...they're both not very innocent commercials now are they?

BLOG 9: Ads making fun of Ads

Slowly scroll through the images below, and try to guess what kind of product these commercials are trying to sell. Who do you think they are trying to appeal to? Why?

A woman surrounded by butterflies...



A woman leaping through the water....



A young girl twirling around with flowers...



Dancing in the water...



A woman doing yoga while holding a red ball...



Young girls dancing...


Well, maybe the red ball part gave it away. But these are still images from tampon commercials. But isn't it funny how you had an inkling as to what they were for? Why is that? Well, check out the spoof below:

Kotex has a new brand called U, which they have recently released some brand new commercials for.

Their new advertisements are poking fun at tampon commercials:

U by Kotex:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRf35wCmzWw

The woman in the commercial says, "How do I feel about my period? We're like this," she crosses her fingers, "I love it." She says how she wants to dance, and twirl around, and do yoga in white spandex. This is when we see the images I've placed above. Hearing a 'real' girl, sit down in front of a camera and talk about doing the things in these images sounds ridiculous and the audience then realizes just how crazy tampon commercials can really be.

There was also another advertisement for the same product (unfortunately, I could not find it on YouTube) in which a woman comes walking toward the camera and says, "I'm a believably attractive 18-24 year old female, you can relate to me because I'm racially ambiguous. Market research shows that girls like you love girls like me."

I just saw this commercial a few days ago, and it immediately captured my attention. I think as a society, we're pretty smart as far as what we choose to believe, and what we know is just dumb, in an advertisement. When we see women dancing in white dresses on the beach for a tampon ad, we're not actually thinking we want to be able to do that, so hey, lets go buy that product. We know the ads are ridiculous. So because we know that...we then 'bond' with these ads that make fun of those ads.

The self-proclaimed 'racially ambiguous' woman also says, "Now I’m going to tell you to buy something. Buy the same tampons I use. Because I’m wearing white pants, and I have good hair, and you wish you could be me.”

This again taps into the fact that we know better. We know that the women in the commercials are not exactly like us, regardless of how they might come across. We all buy products, we either like them or we don't...and then we'll try different products. That is the real process. So I think that Kotex has realized that bringing truth and humor into their ads will help them gain some popularity.

The 'tag lines' for these ads have been "Why are tampon ads so ridiculous?" and "Why are tampon ads so obnoxious?"

Another tampon company, Tapax, also brought humor into their ads when they used the concept of Mother Nature as an actual middle-aged woman bursting into women's dreams and pleasant situations.

Tapax Pearl Mother Nature Commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5ZQdDwncCc


However, Kotex's commercial is actually directly making fun of itself. I did some research and found out that Kotex's commercials used to be exactly like the commercials they are currently making fun of.

“We are guilty, so it’s not that Kotex is any different,” said Andrew Meurer, who is the vice president for North American feminine, adult and senior care for Kotex’s parent company, Kimberly-Clark. “We’re turning the light on ourselves, and we’re not saying, look at what other people do. We’re saying look at what we’ve done in the past, which typifies everyone in the category,” this came from the NY Times website. (See source below).

It's nice to see the Kotex can admit that they were once being ridiculous. Maybe these commercials will make other tampon companies look more closely at their ads. Or do women enjoy imagining the fantasy of dancing on a beach in white during that time? Hmm...



Some quotes from this source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/business/media/16adco.html

BLOG 8: Awkward Commercial

I recently saw this Dentyne Ice commercial a few weeks ago, and sort of cringed, because I was watching it with my little sister sitting on the other couch. I kept looking over at her thinking, "Does she know the subliminal message being sent here?" I don't think she did...thank God!


In case you don't know what commercial I'm talking about, here it is:

Dentyne Ice commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPZuBNH6d00

I think the conntation is very obvious to people our age (college students). But to my little sister, she had no idea.

So that begs the question, "In that case, is the commercial harmless enough?" And I'm not saying that a commercial "secretly" talking about condoms (ah! I said it!) is harmful. Because it's not. But the whole "sex" theme is alive and well.

I'm assuming this advertisement is for older teenagers and up. Which is strange...because the product is not for older people. Gum is something anyone of any age can purchase. So why the subliminal condom reference? I think that one, it's a matter of humor, and secondly, they are trying to make their product appear 'cool' for the older teenagers and up audience. Thirdly, it makes it seem that good breath is just as important as a condom when you're getting intimate with someone (this is getting way too uncomfortable, haha).

But I wanted to address that commercial and just kind of analyze it briefly.

The commercial starts off in the backseat of a car. This is before we know what the commercial is for. So this is when I began to cringe, with my little sister nearby...because I immediately assumed it was a commercial for condoms. And the whole backseat thing is directed toward younger people...because when you're older, you either have your own apartment, dorm room, or home. When you're young, you go out on a date and the whole cliche is that people are making out in the backseat of a car. So Dentyne went off of that concept.



Then we have the guy who is awkwardly buying Dentyne ice gum at a pharmacy, and the lady behind the counter looks at him with a little smile...as if he were buying a condom.



He then looks around in an embarassed way, as if to say, 'just hurry up!' to the woman. And of course, no one is thinking that when they're just buying a pack of gum.



Finally, a guy walks into his roommates room and asks if he can "help him out." He then opens up his dresser drawer, a place where condoms would be kept, and hands his friend Dentyne ice gum.



All of the locations and facial expressions were chosen intentionally to make the subliminal connection to condoms...which relates to sex...which relates to 'being cool'...which is what they want you to think about the gum. So that ultimately sends the message that they want their product to directly relate to sex.

BLOG 7: PETA and Carl Jr.'s

The idea that sex sells is well and alive in advertisement these days.

I noticed that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), in particular, has an entire concept with the slogan: "I'd rather go naked than wear fur," or "Fur? I'd rather go naked."



PETA is an animal rights organization. Having an idea about what PETA generally stands for, and does, I think it is interesting that they utilize sex in their advertisements. I suppose it does grab the viewer's attention. I just do not see how naked women relate back to not harming/killing animals.

So I decided to look up the PETA "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" advertisements that featured men because the only ones I have ever seen are with women. What did I find? A tattoo-clad Tommy Lee. Niiiice. Not.






I also found this ad, which included a man and a woman...a pasty man and woman at that.








The rest of the ads included women, with their bodies exposed like the ad below:


I basically see these advertisements as an opportunity for conceited celebrities to think, "Hey, it's not like it's Playboy, it's for PETA...so I can totally be naked and it'll be classy and cool!" Um...not so much. It might as well be a Playboy cover. So that's my opinion on the PETA ads. Because you know the people in the ads are eating meat, probably purchasing fur coats, etc. And how credible are these people supposed to be anyway? Just because they are celebrities does not mean they are actually legitimate members of PETA. If they were unknown people, instead of celebrities, I think it could increase the advertisements' credibility.

There are also other advertisements that utilize sex. There are A LOT of them.

In this particular Axe body spray commercial, the man who uses Axe has X-Ray vision and can see women in their underwear.

Axe Commercial: X-Ray Vision
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZ-gVV-iq8

Some ads are not only sexy, but extremely provocative too. In the below advertisement, Kim Kardashian (yes, one of those people who is famous for being famous) is eating a new Carl's Jr. salad extremely seductively. I'm sorry, but no one eats a salad like that. haha.

Carl's Jr. Ad- Kim Kardashian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYWQ5sX0-5Q


Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous. There's even a bath scene. So random. It is beyond obvious that these Carl Jr. commercials are almost purely about sex. It's basically worthy of a spoof it is so over-the-top.

Carl's Jr. Ad- Paris Hilton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__HZmDsYK7Q


In the above Paris Hilton Carl's Jr. advertisement, they show the burger only for a few brief seconds. You would think that the point of the advertisement would be to showcase the burger...after all, it is the item you would be purchasing. But no, the main focus is on the celebrity (again, someone who is famous for being famous) who is in a bikini, rolling around wet from washing a car, and throwing her head back. Yeah.

I don't know whether these PETA, or Carl's Jr., ads are actually effective as far as purchasing the product is concerned. I'm sure it will make people talk about the commercial, and remember it, but how many people are actually saying, "Oh my god, that burger looks great!" Hmmm...

BLOG 6: Cigarette Commercials

We've all seen cigarette commercials. I've noticed however, that I rarely see cigarette commercials on TV at all anymore. I mostly see them in magazine ads. So I did some research to find out if this is the way it has always been...or if we have cut back on the cigarette ads we show today.


I found this somewhat disturbing commercial featuring The Flintstones, a popular cartoon show that used to air on television, which I'm sure you are all familiar with. Well, in this advertisement, Barney and Fred take to smoking some good old cigarettes. Watch here:

Winston cigarettes, The Flintstones, Ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYvOgnabABU

I couldn't believe it, because this ad would definitely have children, or teenagers, as the target audience. It is a cartoon show. Children are going to watch it...and when they see their favorite, funny, familiar characters smoking Winston cigarettes, they are going to think it is cool. That's just a fact.

So I could not believe that this ad used to actually run on TV. It goes to show that censorship has increased in certain aspects. I know that nowadays on TV, certain types of profanity are allowed in shows WAY more than they used to be. Today, certain words, or images, go completely uncensored. A few years back, these same words and images would have been considered a HUGE "no-go."

So I thought it was interesting to watch this commercial...because I think that the overall assumption we make, is that we censor LESS things today. But I strongly believe that this ad would NEVER be permitted to run now, unless it was a complete joke and shown on some show similar to Family Guy.

I don't think advertising companies would want to run this, even if commercials like that were permitted. This ad would offend not only parents of children, but even 20 and 30-somethings without children...simply because we know better.

Cigarettes are obviously unhealthy. We all know this. However, years back when our parents were little kids, smoking was basically considered normal. A LOT of people smoked. Overall, it wasn't such an obviously cancerous product to them as it is to us today. So that could justify a part of why this commercial was somehow deemed acceptable. But it STILL begs the question: why would they show this, because they had to of known kids would see it. Regardless of their knowledge, or lack thereof, of the health risks...children still shouldn't be smoking. I think it was very irresponsible.

There were also commercials such as these, where the people in the advertisement attempt to convince you that smoking just isn't THAT bad:

Chesterfield Cigarette commercial, 1950's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyhvHB62ph8


Doesn't he LOOK trustworthy?

This ad utilized a basic persuasion technique referred to as "Experts." This is when people are in commercials or advertisements who appear to be knowledgable and credible in the product's field. The viewer, therefore, believes what the person is saying and takes it at face value. Simply because the person appears to be reputable.

It is also an example of an intermediate persuasion technique known as "Scientific Evidence." This is related to the "Experts" technique. It is when advertisers choose to use statistics in order to prove something. People will become trusting when these persuasion techniques are used...and, as a result, can be misled. Notice how he said the people only smoked Chesterfield cigarettes for 6 months. What they do not mention is that after a year, or 5 years, or 10 years, these people were getting yellow teeth, they always smelled of smoke, and were on their way to possibly getting mouth, or lung, cancer.

And this ad below is just funny because they seem to be comparing the woman to the cigarette: she's long (as in tall), her hair is long, she's cool...just like the cigarettes. Even the name is suggesting it's the cool thing to do. Plus, the song just makes me laugh...lady be coooool...

Old KOOL cigarettes commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTi2T7cUX3E&feature=related


Am I cool now?

Well, I have come to the conclusion that there were WAY more cigarette TV commercials in the past than there are today. I can only assume it is because we're more knowledgeable about cigarettes' harm today.

Blog 5: Axe Commercials, BOW CHICKA WOW WOW!

Keeping in the theme of mens' products, good smells, and over the top commercials...we move onto:



The commercial looks innocent enough since it looks like it is made with clay animation. That is, until you see one of the female characters stick her finger into her mouth.

Axe Instinct Commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGXBlyOXweU

The women characters were created to look skinny, they're well-endowed, and are wearing revealing outfits. He tames a tiger by taking it's teeth out. Then he rides one of the animals like it is a motorcycle. The idea of a motorcycle is sexy, and can be considered manly. So they used these images to make the product attractive...and appealing to men.

One woman even pushes away a man, who we assume is her husband. That doesn't exactly send the best message. Yes, it's funny. But it's saying that if you use Axe, you will attract ALL women. Every single woman in this fictious village is drooling over this guy who uses Axe. It's telling its viewers that if you never get a second glance, the only thing you need is Axe to get more attention.

And how could we forget "Bow Chicka Wow Wow"??

"God Bless America" Axe Ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCP3JDTi_xQ&feature=related

This one involves a man introducing his girlfriend to his father. His father seems to be foreign to the U.S. He accidentally sprays Axe onto himself while using the bathroom, and the result is his son's girlfriend becoming sexually attracted to him. She even goes as far as ripping off his clothes. This shows that by using Axe you can transform into someone incredibly sexy, no matter how old you are, what you look like, or if you are in a relationship or not.

Grocery Store Axe Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BmV9aWqm2E

This one is funny. I think it's hysterical when the woman just lets whoever she is pushing in the wheelchair (I think it's her grandmother in curlers) just roll off. Then she goes OVER THE TOP in the way that she says, "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" over and over again.

In both of these Axe commercials, I took note of the theme of the aggressive woman. It's not like you put the Axe product on, and suddenly a woman comes running out and leaps into the man's arms...and they ride off on a horse. No. The women are sexy, aggressive, attractive, and in the cavemen one, there are multiple women aggressively trying to get to the guy who wears Axe.

There is a lot of passion in these ads. Axe is letting men know that if they use their product, they will attract outgoing women as opposed to finding the love of their life. This is in contrast to the Old Spice ads I examined last week. In one of those ads, some the man already HAD a woman...and they seemed to be in good relationship. Axe is selling itself as a conversation starter. If you're in a random location, and a girl is nearby...she might talk to you because you smell good...or she might start dancing seductively and say "Bow Chicka Wow Wow"...or not. I think it attracts men to the idea that if they wear Axe, they become irresistibly desirable, so much so that women will lose all inhibitions and go "wild."

Axe's use of the saying "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" was also very clever. The use of catch phrases usually always aids in making a commercial memorable. I guarantee you that you have used that saying at least once...and I'm sure you've heard others use it as well. This saying became VERY popular. It has a musical ring to it and in real life, people use/d this saying when they want to come across as being sexual or saying that something is sexual. "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" is basically just an over-annunciated way of singing some disco-esque, sexual, dance song.

ANNNND...I just realized that I've apparently been spelling 'Bow Chicka Wow Wow' incorrectly. At the end of the Axe ads, it reads: Bom Chicka Wah Wah. But hey...it's not the spelling, it's the feeling, right?