The main goal of this ad was to convince potential customers to buy the product by using a need for affiliation appeal and also, ironically, a need for autonomy appeal.
The ad consists of a series of people dancing against a white background while wearing Beats by Dre headphones. Each person acts and dances differently, and they are all wearing very different clothing. The song that plays in the background talks about being in a club and having 'all eyes' on you.
The main appeal the ad uses is the need for affiliation. Everyone in the commercial is wearing hip clothing, and the song talks about being in a club, which is a place where people go to be part of a crowd, and to fit in. The song literally tells you that all eyes in the club will be on you. This gives the implication that you are being watched, and that people actually do care about your fashion choices. In reality, most normal people don't notice much about the way others dress or what brand of paraphernalia they choose to buy, but the commercial exaggerates how much you must do to fit in. The commercial also has several pieces of text interspersed throughout it that tell you to be 'fly' and 'rockin' with the Beats logo used instead of the word 'be.' This tells you that to get these qualities that make you fit in, you must buy Beats headphones.
A more subtle appeal used in this ad was the need for autonomy appeal. It is a complex and layered appeal, as the autonomy appeal is used as a method of promoting the affiliation appeal. Essentially, the ad says that you must be unique to fit in. The phrase 'all eyes on us' repeated in the song implies that Beats are such a bold statement that everyone will stare when they see them. Also, the text telling you to be yourself interposed with the hip dancers tells you that you must be unique to be cool.
I really disliked this ad. I think that drilling the idea that what's important comes from popular opinion rather that objective quality or personal preferences creates people that don't think for themselves, and make poor choices because they don't know valid ways to evaluate their actions. In reality, Beats are terrible headphones for the price, and like all other things, it can't make you cool by itself. However, its ad campaign has clearly worked, as many people pay for them in an attempt to fit in.
I have to disagree with your opinion of the need for affiliation being the main appeal. I believe the need for autonomy is more prominent because if everyone is dressed differently they're trying to stand out from everyone else, the ad also say "b yourself" (in other words, be different). But, is this how it normally works out? No, in this case being different is a form of conformity.
ReplyDeleteAnd that 'different form of conformity' is the need for affiliation appeal. The reason the ad says you should try to be an individual is to show it to others; otherwise, why would you need to buy a product to show it?
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