Personal Project Essay

by Philip Ballerscheff

A discussion of the advertising techniques used and explanations of their purpose within the advertisement

Car Crash

The imagery of the car crash makes the viewer fearful, as the human mind will automatically imagine a scenario in which it is in a car crash. The vibrant red of the car on the right hand side will attract the viewer, due to red being a signifier of danger, which was encoded into the brain to be noticed more quickly than darker colors, such as blue. The use of blue for the logo of Allsurance was, as a calm color, in juxtaposition to the red car. The viewer would first see the red car, become fearful and worried, subsequently notice the logo and subconsciously associate Allsurance and the logo with the calming effect, thus setting Allsurance as the protagonist of the advertisement in the subconscious mind of the viewer. The vibrant colors, as well as the bolder font allows the logo to attract the onlooker’s attention. The inclusion of the company’s constant availability humane service and embolden the personal connection between customers and real humans. The sharpness of the image of the red car, also serves to draw attention to it and is in contrast with the unfocused image of the blue car.

Money Scale

The advertisement plays of fears of economic scarcity in future times, as well as the fear of unforeseen catastrophes wreaking havoc on one’s property. The viewer is urged to pay in insurance now, so that they will not suffer later, playing to humanity’s isolative nature when frightened, as well as the reckless decisions resulting from that fright.

Focus group results

The focus group of the advertisements was comprised of 20 30-50 year olds, as this was the target demographic of the advertisements. The group was asked to evaluate the advertisements on a scale from 1 (discouraged the individual from purchasing the product) to 10 (fully convinced the individual of the quality of the product).

Car Crash

Scale Response quantity

1 0

2 0

3 3

4 1

5 2

6 9

7 5

8 0

9 0

10 0

Money Scale

Scale Response quantity

1 0

2 0

3 3

4 1

5 2

6 9

7 5

8 0

9 0

10 0

Analysis of focus testing

The data shows that the Money Scale image fared considerably worse than “Car Crash”. This is most likely due to the confrontational nature of Car Crash, which allowed it to make a lasting impression on the media saturated consumers.

Personal statement 1500

I had begun this project with the intentions of improving the image of insurance agencies in general, as they are almost universally depicted as backstabbing bureaucrats and widely distrusted as an industry. Intent on changing this perception, I decided to produce two advertisements for a fictional insurance agency and sample the response of the intended

demographic, namely 40-50 year olds. My focus on that specific age range was intended to manipulate the mid-life crisis and general feeling of emotional, physical, mental, and financial instability felt by the demographic during that period of their lives for financial gain and ameliorate the general image dilemma insurance companies in general face. I decided to compare the effectiveness of emotional manipulation in comparison to financial exploitation. I have attempted to fabricate the image of a trustworthy, humane company by emphasizing that calls would always be handled by humans, rather than an automated call system. I felt that this distinction was deserving of emphasis, in order to fashion an image of individual, compassionate workers, so as to counter the demonization of insurance agencies. I used blue for the logo, drawing inspiration from the logos of banks and other more trusted institutions, hoping thereby to achieve a positive association through the color’s calming effect. The lighting effects help embolden the logo’s presence, drawing the viewer’s eye to it, after having been confronted by the possibility of finding oneself in a car accident, a situation whose imagination is supplemented through visual aid and emphasis on the gravity of the situation and horrifying consequences occurring as a result of the tremendous force of the accident. This is conveyed through the lack of focus on anything other than the logo, message and the point of impact. This would trigger a fear response in the viewer, as would the red color of the car on the right side, due to its cultural context as aggressive and stimulating in Western countries. The record levels of stress would only help to quicken this response and, according to a study by the Harvard Medical Institute, “Health problems associated with job-related anxiety account for more deaths each year than Alzheimer's disease or diabetes.” This study shows that the intended demographic is most likely faced with high levels of stress, thus increasing the probability that the fear response reaction will quicken significantly.

The failure of the Money Scale advertisement can be explained by the lack of an emotional image, as it relies purely on the prospects of financial benefit. As a car accident can result in the death of a loved one, an advertisement should aim to manipulate the viewer through their desire to protect their loved ones by implying that by purchasing the insurance, they could prevent their death. By mentioning financial matters, the viewer’s fear response is left unexploited and the demonized image of sociopathic insurance companies is brought to mind by association. The tactics of insurance companies rely on is the exploitation of the obliviousness to the statistical possibility of the respective event, the consumer’s fear of the aforementioned event and the irrationality of their customers, making this tactic counterproductive. The majority of an insurance company’s profit comes from insurance claims that are purchased out of fear, which the “Money Scale” advertisement does not evoke. The blur effect between the two cars illustrates the force of the potential impact and the immediacy of the problem the viewer is presented with. The location of the logo may have played a significant part in the effectiveness of the ads. While Allsurance’s logo stand front and center in the “Car Crash” ad, it is relegated to the bottom-right corner in the “Money Scale” ad and written in a small, bland font. This obscures the logo among the scale, which dominates the picture, and thus fails to create a path for the viewer to follow.

The slogan “Allsurance always helps” makes use of alliteration, but does not divulge anything more than that vague phrase. This weakens the connection the viewer would make between the ad and Allsurance as a brand and a company. “Car Crash”, on the other hand, has a clear visual structure, which allows it to convey its endorsement more effectively than “Car Crash”. The quality of the image manipulation is noticeably better in “Car Crash” than “Money Scale”, lending it more of an air of professionalism, as does the similar art styles of the images. The watermark on the bag in “Money Scale” also projects amateurism, thus creating negative brand association with Allsurance. The lack of proper lighting on the logo in “Money Scale” draws the viewer’s eye to the visual metaphor, namely the scale, which represents the financial decision the ad confronts the viewer with. As discussed previously, insurance companies suffer from a reputation of financial exploitation through loopholes. Thus, an appeal to emotion would dissuade such thoughts and position Allsurance as the heroic, compassionate friend, advising the consumer to purchase insurance, which implies that their loved one(s) or valuables will be better protected. The “Help when you need it most” message used in “Car Crash” addresses the despairing atmosphere constructed, discussed above. This direct approach comforts the consumer and assures him/her that Allsurance has their best interests at heart. After having created the ads, I decided to focus test them within my previously listed demographic, in order to compare the effectiveness of each approach and attempt to understand which elements contributed to the success of “Car Crash”, which I’ve discussed in the above paragraphs.

Bibliography

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140423110426-176937618-how-to-be-prepared-for-a-car-crash

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http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/01/24/national/ec-allots-scale-symbol-to-ji/

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http://picturesofmoney.org/page/5/

http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/money_bag.html

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http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours

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