APM Visual Communications ADV 204

To drink? Or not to drink? A Contrasting Advertisements Report

By Kelly Clarke

Report to: Desiree DeKlerk April 22, 2012 INTRODUCTION In recent years there has been a great deal of controversy over the role of adve rtising as a possible motivation of alcohol consumption, but does it really? Adv ertising of alcoholic beverages is a potential public health issue if it can be shown that advertising has a direct and material effect on alcohol consumption, but how can it be proven? Vodka Cruisers are a brightly colored vodka-based alcoholic drink, with an alcoh ol content of 4.8%. Sometimes described as an alco-pop, this premixed drink is a vailable in seventeen flavors, originating from New Zealand, they are produced b y Independent Distillers in Australia. While alco-pop producers may stress the yre exclusively aiming at the 1825-year-old market, the producer of Vodka Cruiser, describes its drinker as someone who seeks fun and enjoys social interaction. T he marketing team particularly draw heavily on pop-culture references and young, hip images to create a sense of identity and individual style, clearly appealin g to the young, fashion-conscious consumer. With the creation of these (and many ) brightly coloured alco-pops, comes the responsibility of appropriate drinking and drinking behavior. With all the fun, colour, taste and advertising, it would seem easy for those markets being targeted, to get swept up in the hype and not give a second thought to consequences. It is because of this, the health issue of binge drinking more significant in yo ung Australians and the Australian Government has created strategies to control alcohol consumption. This is a refreshing change to the anti this and anti that camp aigns advising not to partake, or to quit. With this refreshing reapproach, the South Australian Government has recently launched an advertising campaign aimed at encouraging responsible drinking, to which will help tackle binge drinking. T he purpose is to show the destructive consequences of drinking; to make viewers stop and think about their actions. The purpose of this Contrasting Advertisements Report is to analyse these ads, s how their similarities, their differences; compare them and evaluate the success of each ad in terms of visual communications; show which ad works better and wh y? ANALYSIS AD 1

Advertisement one is a Print Ad; Vodka Cruiser Poster on wall of popular night s pot well known club in Adelaide. It advertises the drink, Vodka Cruiser, with th e perception that doing so brings fun. PHASE ONE: The benefits of this ad include: Raise positive awareness of brand A reminder to buy for the next party. Happiness aroused by recognizing the brand and past experiences. Brand association with fun, partying and good times. Social and personality enhancer. Research has proven a positive association between alcohol advertising and alcoh ol use among young people.

PHASE TWO: The drawbacks of this ad (to consumers) include: Excessive drinking can lead to alcohol related harm. This harm may include healt h problems, injury, violence and social problems including the breakdown of rela tionships. If the consumer drinks to excess theyre likely to experience a number of physical effects, including: hangovers, nausea, shakiness, and vomiting and memory loss , Injury to ones self or others and alcohol poisoning. Continuous heavy drinking over a long period of time can lead to: physical and p sychological dependence on alcohol, damage to the brain and liver as well as emo tional and mental health problems developing, such as depression and anxiety. What the ad portrays and real life may be different (happiness, carefree and fun may not happen when drinking Vodka Cruisers. The ad doesnt tell viewer about the consequences of drinking excessively or a lim it of how much can be consumed. ANALYSIS AD 2 Advertisement Two is a TV Ad; a 15 second ad encouraging responsible drinking. I t is a message from the Australian Government; addressing the high levels of bin ge drinking among young Australians. For these reasons, 15-17 year olds and 18-2 5 year olds represent important target audiences for a campaign targeting the ha rms associated with binge drinking. PHASE ONE: The benefits of this ad include: Raise awareness of the harms and costs associated with drinking to intoxication. Will prompt people to consider the destructive consequences of drinking. Encourage people to consider how their drinking might affect those around them. Compel people to assess their own drinking behavior; and make changes to their o wn behaviors where necessary. If those watching took notice and then consumed less alcohol, there would be a d ecrease in alcohol-related harm in the community. The cost of alcohol-related issues and injuries would fall. Time, money and resources would be better spent elsewhere.

PHASE TWO: The drawbacks of this ad (to consumers) include: The images and shock tactics used in this ad may offend people. Consumers of alcohol may ignore the ad a this isnt me approach. Viewers may by-pass the ad (tune out or walk out the room).

COMPARISON AND CONTRASTING OF AD 1 & AD 2

The main purpose of advertisements is to get the consumer to purchase th e product in question, listen and take notice of the message and encourage the c onsumer or viewer to act as a result of the advertisement. The message within th e advertisement has to be as persuasive as possible and ensure that certain emot ions, feelings and values are awakened in the consumer, this is what I feel thes e to ads have in common. The most obvious similarity of these two ads is the theme; alcohol / dr inking. The first ad glamorizes the consumption of an alcoholic beverage and the second ad (using shock tactics) points out the harm excessive drinking will cause . Another similarity these ads share is they are of a female nature, meaning the colours, images and tone of the first ad and the girl (actor) / situation used in the second ad (TV ad). There are a few differences comparing these two ads, the obvious being o ne is for (partaking in the drinking of alcohol) and the other is against (anti b inge drinking). One is more positive and the other a more negative approach to t he extreme and the colours / tone used is of complete contrast (bright and colou rful for the Vodka Cruiser Print ad and whites, blacks and natural tones used in the SA Government TV Ad These two ads are almost amusing, in the respect that they were extremely stereo typical at what the lighter side of drinking is like, as well as the darker side (possible end result). They are both true to their word, relatable (circumstanc es) and get their point across. Both ads work; to the correct targeted market ye s, to what degree and by how much? For this I will need to compare the success o f visual communications.

SUCCESS OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION FOR AD 1 & AD 2

Visual communication is what can be seen, through messages, emotions and ideas; through the use of images instead of simply with words and examples include the print and TV ads chosen for this study. The Vodka Cruiser print ad promotes what they are known for a party drink, the ad uses bright colours and party style props to do this. The brightly coloured balloo ns, streamers, little drink umbrellas and the party horn blowers create a fun, p arty type atmosphere, full of creativity and wonder of what the experience will bring. The ad targets the appropriate market 18 to 25-year-olds (predominately f emales) by the use of colours (red, pink, yellow and blue) and the scene that ha s been created. The use of words brighten the party, make your mix allows the view er to be a part of the scene in front of them (the party), form a feeling of cre ativity and wonder and this leaves the viewer feeling happy, excited and positi ve about the brand. Through this print ad, Independent Distillers Australia has successfully reinforced their identity; Vodka Cruiser - a party in your mouth. The SA Government TV Ad Drink too much, youre asking for trouble Is a 15 second ad shown on free-to-air TV. The ad is targeted at young women; rumours are spread a bout a girl who has collapsed in a toilet after binge drinking. The girl is life less; passed out over the toilet bowl, toilet paper over the floor of the cubica l. 2 other girls (presumably friends) discover her, laughing and joking about it and presumably are going to remind her of this the next morning spread rumors. The campaign aims to make people sit up and take notice of the negative impacts of drinking too much in terms of health/safety, legal and social harms so they s tart to think about whether they need to reduce their alcohol consumption. The SA Government targets the right market; knowing the situation will be close to home both the incident and the following days stories and rumors being spread. T his is something many females fear; to get a bad reputation. The ad is very real a very real situation being played out with the blunt words Drink too much, youre a sking for trouble spoken and written in bold, white letters; this drives the mess age home.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion to this Contrasting Advertisements Report was to analyse 2 ads (on e supporting and one against an act of human nature), show their similarities, t heir differences; compare them and evaluate the success of each ad in terms of v isual communications. I was to show which ad works better and why? After comparing these 2 ads, discussing their similarities and differences as we ll as assessing the usage and success of visual communications I have come to th e conclusion that although they share a similar theme (drinking alcohol) and are t argeted to the same market, they are both very different ads. The Vodka Cruiser print ad is positive, fun and colorful and The SA Government TV ad is dull and n egative they have used shock tactics to show the cold hard truth of their message. Both messages are said (visual, verbal and written) exactly the way they are me ant; fun and exciting and a real and relatable situation hash truth. Both ads pl ay on emotion; the first ad plays on fun, excitement and good times, and the sec ond ad plays on humiliation, embarrassment and insecurities.

In conclusion, I think the first ad will be more successful than the second as i t is positive, upbeat and brings enjoyment. The second ad has a cringe factor to i t; like a car accident you shouldnt watch but you do. I do not think it fully con nects with its audience; who are likely to become defensive and think yeah right, that wont happen to me! and therefore do not reduce alcohol consumption or abuse. I think one way the TV ad will get through to people is through guilt; the guil t of a person letting that situation or worse, happen to their friend.