Ad Essay
This ad is for Fin Electronic Cigarettes, in which a darker-skinned lady in her 20’s takes up most of the page. She is dressed in a short, old-fashioned, red and white polka-dotted dress and is conventionally pretty and appears confident. Her hair is up and tied in a bandana. She is holding an Electronic Cigarette to her lips and staring intensely out in the distance. Behind her appears to be an old-fashioned airplane in a desert.
The text says “Fin” in white letters with a red border. In white text there is “Electronic Cigarettes” underneath it. At the top of the page appears the company’s motto written in black writing, “Rewrite the Rules.” At the very bottom of the page is a coupon for $5 off and the website to redeem it is printed. There is also a QR code for smartphones and two electronic cigarettes are shown next to this.
The company uses a few tactics to make the product attractive to consumers, one of which is Beautiful People. The lady in this ad is pretty and confident, making it seem that the consumer will be the same if they buy the product. This is not true. In fact, smoking in general is often considered unattractive, even if it is electronic.Simple Solution is also used. This ad implies that the consumer will automatically be more confident and their life will be better if electronic cigarettes are used.
But confidence is not materialistic and a better life cannot be bought. It also implies that Fin Electronic Cigarettes offers an easy way to quit smoking, although in reality quitting isn’t as easy as buying a product.The final tactic used is Charisma. The company hopes consumers will be attracted to the hubris of the woman. She’s independent – alone in a desolate desert. She doesn’t need anyone, and the company is hoping people will want to be like her.
Some people might consider electronic cigarettes as weak – people need help to quit smoking. This ad is trying to show that using electronic cigarettes is bold and not weak at all. However this could offend those trying to quit, and may be taken the wrong way.The hidden message and subtext in this advertisement comes from the motto “Rewrite the Rules,” along with the lady. Putting these two together implies that smoking is stereotypically a manly action, and a woman using electronic cigarettes is doing something out of the ordinary. This could offend women that smoke, due to the fact they are singling them out,This ad fails to give all the information to the reader.
The company gives a $5 coupon but how much is the actual product? What is inside to make the cigarette electronic? And are these chemicals harmful in any way? There is ambiguity in the statement, “Rewrite the rules.” What are the rules, and how will the consumer rewrite them?Overall, this ad tries to make electronic smoking look attractive by using a confident, pretty lady as the focal point. However this advertisement leaves out key points and puts stereotypes on people, that could be offensive. It tries to offer simple solutions to things that are actually quite complicated.
