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Advertisements have become part of the life of content consumers. For example, newspaper and magazine readers have interacted with ads in the course of their readings. However, the primary division in the field of advertisements is that an ad can be done freely or at a price. The type of advertisement is, however, affected by the target audience. For example, advertisements on children’s toys may be done on adult platforms such as newspapers or television to reach parents. The advertisement industry is a multi-dollar industry and targets the marketing sector in the entrepreneurial field. Several strategies are employed in advertisements in a bid to get maximum attention from the target populations. Although some plans used by advertisers are controversial, such as using sex in adverts, the main goal of advertisers is to reach as many of their target populations as possible. Advertisements have changed over the years with the needs of advertisers changing over time. The advert that was made in the New York Times in 2003 on the beauty and need to visit Quebec City and several rhetorical devices such as humor and satire have been employed to get the attention of potential tourists.
The success of an advertisement is based on the attention captured by the target population. The advert on Quebec City was presented through the New York Times website. Although the target would have been argued to be Americans, the New York Times has a wide range of readers across the world. Advertisements done through the New York Times go for diversity rather than a specific culture. Therefore, the ad takes advantage of reaching a high number of potential visitors who could be interested in having a cool destination for the upcoming holidays. The beginning of the advertisement admits that Quebec City becomes a home during the holidays.
Imagery has proved to be a great way of capturing the attention of the target population. When viewers or readers of an advertisement are taken to an imaginary world, the need for adventure improves; hence, the advertisement achieves its goal. The ad on Quebec City is made in the form of a video clip with a combination of several unique artifacts found in Quebec City (New York Times, n. p). For example, the use of monuments gives the viewer a need for being in one of the oldest monuments in the world. Moreover, the narrator in the video provides a first-person narrative of the experience they have had in Quebec. Generally, the advertisement combines the class that a tourist would look for before choosing a destination for a holiday.
Adventure plays a crucial role while coming up with advertisements on holiday trips. First, visitors need a combination of adventure and surprise for satisfaction. The choice of a city in Canada appears as an adventurous one given the conditions in the North American nation. First, the cities in Canada are not associated with uniqueness, and most tourists prefer choosing the warm beaches in other places such as Africa (Neatby, 34). However, the specificity expressed in the advertisement concerning Quebec could be a real adventure for visitors. For example, the snow and calmness in the city could present an exhilarating feeling for a visitor.
Moreover, the coldness in the city could be overlooked by the visitors due to the excellent services promised. Besides, a visit that gives satisfaction is worth spending on, and visitors would choose satisfaction over adventure anyway. Generally, the advertisement decides to talk about uniqueness in a country that does not pride in several unique cities.
Figure 1Part of the monuments in Quebec City (New York Times, 2003)
A touch of humor pays for the success of an advertisement. However, the humorous bit should be strategically used to create seriousness in what most people would choose to ignore. The advert concerning a visit in Quebec combines humor and seriousness in passing the information to the target population. For example, the narrator jokes about how being in Quebec makes one feel as if they are stepping on the same soil as their ancestors. Although the statement may appear satirical, the message on the feeling of being in Quebec is wisely passed. The possible reaction from the target population is that an individual will be impressed by the passion of sharing a feeling with their ancestors. Moreover, the advertisement takes into consideration the sensitivity of the information passed.
Most advertisements employ the use of sensitive language and visual presentations. However, the adverts in the periods before 2004 seemed to be based on insensitive language. Therefore, the target population becomes specific, and regulations are set to avoid reaching the wrong audience. However, the advertisement for Quebec considers the sensitivity of the language used. The advertisement can be passed to any population with having to give restrictions. Also, the choice of passing the advertisement through the newspaper implies that anyone who can access a journal can become a target population. Ideally, the choice of language in an advertisement plays a crucial role in reaching a larger population. Generally, ads with offensive language such as sex a limited to people of a certain age and therefore reach a smaller target population.
Some advertisements succeed by including other ads in their content. The inclusion of a new ad in an existing ad is crucial in winning more followers. The ad in Quebec City advertises several sites that a visitor can choose while in Quebec City. The main message that Destination Canada is that Quebec City is a unique City to visit. However, other cites within the City benefit from the advertisement. For example, the J. A Moissan food store is revealed to potential visitors in the ad. Generally, the history behind the food store increases the potential visitors’ desire for dining in one of the oldest food stores in America. Also, the narration in the advertisement brings a feeling of visiting the ancient times. Moreover, the target population is living in modern society and will be fascinated by a chance to visit a town that will give them a taste of the seventeenth century.
In sum, the advert that was made in the New York Times on the beauty and need to visit Quebec City and several rhetorical devices such as humor and satire have been employed to get the attention of potential tourists. The advertisement on Quebec City is made in the form of a video clip with a combination of several unique artifacts found in Quebec City. The choice of language in an advertisement plays a crucial role in reaching a larger population. However, the advertisement for Quebec considers the sensitivity of the language used. The advertisement chooses to talk about uniqueness in a country that does not pride in several unique cities. Generally, advertisements offer a fruitful way of bringing entrepreneurs to their target populations.
Work Cited
Neatby, Nicole. From Old Quebec to La Belle Province: Tourism Promotion, Travel Writing, and National Identities, 1920-1967. Vol. 34. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2018.
Times, New York. Visit Quebec city for a distinctly old world holiday. New York, september 2003. Newspaper.