STRATEGIC ADVERTISING OF THE 2014 ALWAYS ADVERT
In 2014, Always launched an advert that has a substantial positive effect on girls. For the longest time, girls were limited by society’s expectations of what they could do. Both boys and girls in the advert were asked what it meant to do things like a girl. Simple exercises like running, tossing things, and fighting was to be done to mimic the girls’ actual performance—some models who were both male and female depicted girls as weak. Phrase #LikeAGirl deflates a girl’s confidence, especially during puberty. Always wanted to change the trajectory of thinking by drawing girls as reliable and bringing back their confidence. The advertisement was a success because it acknowledged the exact representation of girls in the society through the models used (Writer, 2016). By using different advertising strategies that were comprehensive and resonated with the general public, Always was able to change the public’s understanding and sale more by communicating the message to the subconscious.
Color
The advert used the color blue in its logos which are seen in the beginning and at the end of the advert. The color is used to covertly convey the message to the audience as an expression of the company’s feelings. Symbolically, dark blue represents sincerity, trust, loyalty, confidence, stability, knowledge, and power. In the advert, the color logo is depicted to represent girls as strong, intelligent, and confident, which is essential, especially because girls at puberty tend to have low self-esteem because of the limitations set by society. A majority of girls feel that they do not belong to sports, and the feeling worsens at puberty, making them quit games (Pro, 2010). The blue color and depicting the young girl holding a ball ready to throw it encourages girls to be more self-confident. Blue is also used by P& G Company to gain the trust of the audience in its authenticity.
Audience
The direct audience in this advert is girls at puberty, as represented by the young girl holding the ball. The advert also indirectly targets the older girls who are included as models in the advert. They also seem to have instilled the negative beliefs the society has of girls as frail and unable to engage in sports. The company includes different ethnicities as audiences by choosing models from different ethnicities.
Context
Always is owned by the Procter and Gamble a multinational company that’s in New York. P&G is to be recognized as the best in consumer products and service delivery. Its mission statement is to provide products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the consumers and the community in which it sets up the company(Smithson ,2017). P&G seeks to create diversity and inclusion in the workplace in all countries; it is stationed. It has also been recognised as one of the companies with a considerable number of female representatives in the corporate board. It is known for supporting girl education and agitating for gender equality in the workplace. The company is also known for the community donations it has made. In effect, the advert was created in 2014 by Leo Burnett and has been viewed by over sixty million people in u tube.
Purpose
The purpose of the advert is to promote the sale of sanitary towels. P&G Company also seeks to change the trajectory of cultural beliefs and encourage girls to be more self-confident and assertive in themselves. A majority of girls think that sports are not for them and quit games when in puberty. The phase #likeAGirl is also deemed as embarrassing because of the deeply rooted cultural perceptions. The men and women in the advert are asked to run like a girl, fight like a girl, and toss like a girl. They do this while giggling, making their hair in the process, and ran with weariness.
On the contrary, younger girls think that running like a girl is running fast and throwing things with energy. The advert, therefore, depicts girls as strong and able to play soccer and other games like their male counterparts (Writer, 2016). Since the advert was viewed, there have been reported cases of growing female confidence who do not place limitations on themselves as society does. In doing so, the company can sell more sanitary towels.
Text
The text in the advert is in large bold letters, which emphasizes the message #LikeAGirl of cultural expectations of girls and what they think they can do and catches our attention. The phrase #LikeAGirl has also been made brief with less than five words and, therefore, a memorable slogan.#LikeAGirl also reinforces the companies mission and vision of advocating for gender equality, and it identifies the audience( pack, 2013 ). The Always logo is in blue font and white text color. The background and the text color are contrasted in complementary colors, which makes it easy to be read and intriguing.
Arrangement (Location and Scale)
The picture of the girl holding the ball and the phrase #LikeAGirl have been made to be the most conspicuous images. It conveys the message that the girl is more important than the product to be sold. The model and be the company slogan was strategically placed at the top where the viewer first viewed when scanning the advert. The company logo was later viewed as secondary to the message the company intended to convey. The text and logo placement are also strategically arranged to influence the subconscious. The logo is placed at the bottom left while the company slogan is placed on the top right. Because the audience targeted is broad and the most developed hemisphere is relative to each individual, the advert has targeted both the left and the right side of the hemisphere. The right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for creativity and imagination and the left side of the brain which is responsible for thinking analytically and reason are both involved (Wagle & Kizilbash, 1999). Combining graphics and texts is a memorable way to intriguing the audience.
In conclusion, the Always advert has been a success for the strategies used in communicating its message on gender parity and the limitations it placed on girls. By seeking to change this perception, the brand held out that it could be trusted. The different strategies all play out in promoting the sale of Always, such as color, which holds out the girls’ strength, the logo, visual and slogan arrangement, and the background information on the company.
References
Hanna, N., Wagle, J. and Kizilbash, A.H. (1999), “Brain Dominance and the Interpretation of Advertising Messages”, International Journal of Commerce and Management, Vol. 9 No. 3/4, pp. 19-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb047387
Pack, J. (2013). Breaking down an image. 0 SINCLAIR COLLEGE, 126.
Pro,C. W. (2010). See color theory in action.
Smithson, N.(2017) Procter & Gamble Co.’s Mission Statement & Vision Statement: An Analysis.
Writer, S.(2016) 2014: Always unveils groundbreaking ‘Like a Girl’ campaign. The Drum.