This made me recall Sony-Ericsson's (SE) slew of other advertisements.
Notice the similarity? SE has cleverly replaced the verb in their one-liners with their logo. The intention? To allow you to fill in the blank, thus allowing your perception to complete the advertisement. For example, these sentences can be completed with 'I like rock music', 'I am impressed with rocket science' or 'I enjoy my long commute'.
I read an article on Utilising Selective Perception in Advertising: 'Since our knowledge of everyday life is structured in terms of what we perceive to be relevant to us and our actions are governed by what's relevant to us, it makes sense that, for advertising to be effective, it must be relevant to us.' In the case of SE's New Brand campaign, they have allowed your perception to complete their advertisements to 'what's relevant' to yourself. Allowing such perception will ensure consumers receive information most relevant to their needs. (It is highly relevant that i use the relavent word in this paragrapgh, and yes, my relavant vocabulary for relavant words is clearly limited.)
Perception also plays an important role in creating a good brand image. Remember the movie 'Super Size Me? Post movie, McDonald's received much flak for the message conveyed in the movie; eating McDonald's is unhealthy. This backlash caused them so much bad publicity that they had to remove the 'Super Size' option and include 'healthy' items like salads and yogurts on their menus. McDonald's UK even had to create a website to reduce bad publicity. McDonald's then went on to run a massive advertising campaign to change the consumers perception of their products. View case study of this campaign on PDF.
With all that said, I realise that Perception is a double edge sword. Used in a well rounded package, it can create positive impressions in people. Used with deception in mind, Perception can be built towards leading people in a pre-planned direction.
So, what do you percieve the SE logo to be in these advertisements?
I read an article on Utilising Selective Perception in Advertising: 'Since our knowledge of everyday life is structured in terms of what we perceive to be relevant to us and our actions are governed by what's relevant to us, it makes sense that, for advertising to be effective, it must be relevant to us.' In the case of SE's New Brand campaign, they have allowed your perception to complete their advertisements to 'what's relevant' to yourself. Allowing such perception will ensure consumers receive information most relevant to their needs. (It is highly relevant that i use the relavent word in this paragrapgh, and yes, my relavant vocabulary for relavant words is clearly limited.)
Perception also plays an important role in creating a good brand image. Remember the movie 'Super Size Me? Post movie, McDonald's received much flak for the message conveyed in the movie; eating McDonald's is unhealthy. This backlash caused them so much bad publicity that they had to remove the 'Super Size' option and include 'healthy' items like salads and yogurts on their menus. McDonald's UK even had to create a website to reduce bad publicity. McDonald's then went on to run a massive advertising campaign to change the consumers perception of their products. View case study of this campaign on PDF.
With all that said, I realise that Perception is a double edge sword. Used in a well rounded package, it can create positive impressions in people. Used with deception in mind, Perception can be built towards leading people in a pre-planned direction.
So, what do you percieve the SE logo to be in these advertisements?
i guess the various perceptions intended to be achieved can never be as strong compared to our personal 'preset' of perception of a certain image, name, etc.
ReplyDeleteafter being exposed to all that advertisement by SE, the only thing i can link SE phones to will be the relatively good camera (rather than it being a music machine).
to me, the idea of a music machine is already linked to Nokia phones (by the way, the mention of Nokia prompts the image of a simple good-to-use interface phone in my brain).
i guess this has pretty much got to do with our stubborn perceptions as per raised during the previous topic on ex-convicts.
d0n^
I have seen such advertisments but i have not related them to myself simply because electronic hardware do not appeal to my sensory processes. But, now that you mentioned that one has to relate it to his or herself before being the adverisement takes its effect is very true. I like to highlight my love for food and when i see an advertisment for food which is often published in food magazines or in the Life section of the Strait times. I relate it to ME,MYSELF and my TUMMY which has always appealed to me in so many ways. However, i consider some advertisements "deceptive" when quality of food fail please my tummy standards.
ReplyDeleteAdvertisement have evolved from being a way to communicate what a product is/does to being a way of emoting a certain, as Zed have mentioned perception. Because any functions that a product offers is easily duplicated, what is important for brands now is to develop an emotional link with consumers. That link, rather than functions is much harder for other companies to duplicate.
ReplyDeleteHence, many advertisements now do not even bother with explaining the functions that it provides. For example, do you even know how many gigs worth of storage does the iPod hold? No, we simply see silhouettes of people dancing and this automatically creates a perception of cool.
Such strategies are definitely powerful if welded carefully. There are times however when being "vague" has worked towards the companies' disadvantage. But as this approach is perfected, fewer companies, the caveat being that they are loaded enough to hire professional advertising agencies, have fail in recent years.
Is this deception? Or just being vague? Is it fair to debase companies and brands simply by not conveying more than is necessary.
And should we become anti-corporations for doing something on the large scale what we have been doing all along?
Do we not create perceptions and deceptions ourselves?
How many of us wear black to create the slimming effect? How many of us change our style of speaking when conversing with different "audience"? How many of us have dressed up and pondered about what to wear for that first date? I know I do... (",)
wow Norisha, you have shed light on why people act different around different groups. i myself have carried this act.
ReplyDeletealso, i never realised that advertising has moved more towards the emotional aspect rather than functional, comparing old car advertisements selling it's features with new car advertisements selling speed, sleek, and coolness.
great feedback!
I use the Apple iPod, and I'm cool. I use the Microsoft Zune, and I'm a dork. Apple has successfully let itself to be perceived as the epitome of coolness in the world of electronic gadgets. Similarly for SE, they are trying to do that too.
ReplyDeleteLike you mentioned, perception is key to our measure of greatness for anything. Worth mentioning too is that although advertisements can change our perception of a company, all it takes is very little of a slip-up to destroy that good perception.
For instance, recently there has been a spate of bad reports about the hygiene of Macdonald's. First there were maggots crawling out of curry sauce packets and then rodents were seen dropping from the ceiling of the Tampines branch.
After reading just those 2 articles compared to the thousand Mac ads that I have watched on TV, my perception of Macdonald's now is a very dirty place, and no matter how mach advertisements they churn out to entice me back, it is going to be of utmost difficulty to get me back there.
I completely agree!
ReplyDeleteThe crucial question perhaps, is not perception-what, but perception-how?
How are our perceptions formed? By social constructs? What feeds our deepest thoughts of cool-or-not? I believe to trust an ad, writings of literature, or even works of philosophy falls short in truly learning to discern.
What do you think we should lean on in this chaotic day and age?
Regards,
Shawn Lee Wei Bin
Shaun, in the narcissistic world that many low self esteemed people dwell, our perceptions are formed by social factors.
ReplyDeletemainly what 'cool' people have i must have in order to be 'cool' like them!
It's just all part of advertising. The companies are merely adjusting to more "discerning" (read: misplaced priorities) consumers nowadays where self-image and the "hip" factor play a very big deciding role in a consumer's decision to purchase something.
ReplyDeleteYou could say that the illustrations of dishes pictured on a hawker's billboard is a deception: it shows 5 cockles in that bowl of laksa but the bowl that you get upon placing an order has only 3 pieces.
As with all advertisements, there's always a disclaimer that "Pictures are for illustration purposes only" and they "May vary from actual item".
Cereal boxes show lovely, vibrant colours of mixed fruits and nuts but everyone misses the nondescript "Serving suggestion only".
Slimming and beauty advertisements run a small line reading "Individual results may vary".
Advertisements for condominiums currently in development show pictures that are of the "artist's impression".
I feel that advertisers challenge themlseves to create the biggest lie they can out of a product, without getting caught in the lie.
lol, xy!
ReplyDeleteand isn't that just the sad truth!
Hi zed.. I think its more than just perception in these advertsing techniques. One which involves feeding information into your subconscious mind.
ReplyDeleteWith the SE logo being replaced as a "personal" verb. Personal as in this verb is unique to each and everyone. Therefore the next time a person sees something that has a link to music, immediately and subconsciously, he thinks of SE.
Whether if it is in a good way or a bad way, it doesnt matter to SE. I wouldnt say that it is a double edge sword for SE as their main objective would be wanting to bring SE subconsciously into the minds of current SE users and those who sit on the fence who may want to use a SE product in future.
Here is a link which shows a video about subconscious advertising by Derren Brown, Although the title is "subliminal advertsing". Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyQjr1YL0zg
I totally agree about the importance of perception (and deception) in advertising. In fact, I may go so far as to say that advertising is almost all about perception.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of an advertisement is not only to broadcast the existence of the product to the consumer, but also to prove its superiority to substitutes from rival companies.
Like what Lucas pointed out, an Apple iPod is considered to be cool while the Microsoft Zune is not. In this case, Apple has successfully managed to make people perceive the iPod's superiority in the coolness factor.
Which is really a superior product nobody can tell. After all, this is decided by things such as popularity and sales. These are determined by opinions which are in turn, influenced by perceptions.
It is up to you to decide.
Now that we all know the powers of the media whats left to be in awe about?
ReplyDeleteMass media certainly is a very strong tool used to manipulate mindsets, change opinions and improve brand's popularity. In fact advertisments do not stand out to me unless they really are something impactful, a question of relativity. But your analysis of this advert has actually opened my eyes to few subtle hints. That sony ericson logo before a word was for the audience to fill in with their own word was something i failed to notice till today. The irony is, i use a SE phone. That was a digression but you get my point..there are certain little hints here and there which carry significance. And this advert certainly has shown that.
If perception is part of deception, then I am certain of one thing: All consumers are the "accomplices".
ReplyDeleteWith one's personal perception, an attracted consumer would always attempt to paint the same "picture" to a second person, hoping that the second person would agree with him. Whether it has been an innocent act or not, he has directly or indirectly attempted to influence the views and actions of another soul.
Hence the severity of his crime to mislead will then depend on the subsequent response of the influenced. In simple terms, you mau influence your friends' action with your own perception, so you are bridge to the act.
Perception is the bridge to all advertisement. It does not matter what one perceives, so long your perception has been shaped.
The job of the media is complete for one notices.
So what I would say is Good Job for SE for my friend "SE" your works...
Funny thing, i always saw it as i LOVE SE..i never saw the SE symbol until you pointed it out to me..
ReplyDeleteLols, they have "DECEIVED" me. Wow, it really is shocking how strong - mere words and pictures on a lifeless paper can reach into my subconscious and tweak my perceptions.
I guess its happening to all of us everyday, the amount of advertisements we are consuming in a day is bound to get to us. At least the thousands they spend on advertising is working. Lets just say i have been a victim for so long, but thanks to you i will from now on consume advertisements with a little more IQ!
:)
hey zed i feel that these logos are like Hearts. when i first saw this adverts, it reminded me alot about the I LOVE NY tee shirts that are so commonly sold in NYC. i think that sony has always have on of the better advertising ideas.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same as tburn.. seeing the SE logo as the word or verb "Love". SE is creative to come out with such an advertisement which caused some of us to subconsciously replace the powerful word "Love" with its logo and whenever we see the SE logo,we relate it to Love and of course, everyone wants to love and to be loved. =D
ReplyDeletehaha . I never thought so much about the use of the icon in their post ads . I simply thought its a way they use to link the icon to the name "Sony Ericsson" by contantly showing the icon to us so we have a mental linkage of the icon to the brand .
ReplyDeleteBut yea , now that you have mentioned it . It is indeed interesting how that little blank space there that is replaced by the icon is actually meant for us to form a closure on what we percieved about SE .
Tahnks for the info =D
one ad can bring about different perceptions, as seen from the comments, and like some of the rest, i too always saw the SE logo as a heart - an example of how closure works in us. i like this series of ads because of the one-liners which manage to appeal to a varied audience yet connect everyone to the main idea of how SE equals love!
ReplyDeleteWell... the first couple of times I saw that ad, I thought it was strange. It irritated me that there was no concrete word in place of the logo, and I just walked it off and forgot about it.
ReplyDeleteNow that you've forced me to analyse the ad, I can't help but think of the word 'LOVE' in place of the symbol. So it would be, I 'LOVE' my long commute. Which is pretty smart, because then I'd associate the Sony Erricson brand with LOVE, like I 'LOVE' SE. Hehe. Subliminal influencing stemming from your own actions. How deceptive.
But still. Since it's not a solid perception (just some random quick musing), this advertisement is still not so effective. But maybe it's just me. I am but just an individual.
advertisements are made to sell something to the consumers regardless of the need.
ReplyDeleteso no matter what element an advertisement uses to attract and sell the product, as long as the company makes money, i guess that constitutes a good advertisement.