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Advertising Language : Advertising And The Language Of Advertising

Decent Essays

Why are advertisements everywhere nowadays? The simple answer may be that companies want people to buy their product. However, there is a deeper meaning to many advertisements that many consumers fail to see. Companies effectively use imagery, language, and creative approaches to globally advertise their product. “In order to understand advertising, you must accept that it is not about truth, virtue, love, or positive social values. It is about selling a product” (O’Neill 348). O’Neill is clearly stating to readers that the main goal of companies is to get consumers to buy their product. Additionally, advertisement creators creatively portray to consumers their desires, aspirations, and even fears. Therefore, I agree with O’Neill’s statement that advertising language mirrors the fears, quirks, and aspirations of the society that creates it because of the thousands of existing advertisements that support his claim in my own life.
Advertisements are unapologetically sexual to mirror the aspirations of many consumers and demand their attention. Companies prey on a very powerful human weakness of sexuality to sell their products. For example, one of the most popular singers in the world, Justin Bieber, is the “face” of Calvin Klein’s underwear who many female teenagers find extremely attractive. Because so many consumers find Bieber attractive, Calvin Klein utilizes this to their advantage and showcases him sexually to sell their product. Also, since Bieber is a well-known celebrity, Calvin Klein already gains attention from many consumers. “Repetition works, but the all-time favorite advertising device is sex. Why? Because the desire to be sexually attractive is our most powerful instinct” (O’Neill 349). If the desire to be sexually attractive is so strong, why would companies not use this to their advantage to help market their product?
In the advertisement, Justin Bieber is almost completely naked except for a pair of Calvin Klein underwear. Except for the Calvin Klein Logo at the bottom of the advertisement, there is hardly any text. Instead, the advertisement consists of a picture portraying this young man who is extremely muscular, has a six-pack, has tattoos over his shirtless chest, and most of all is

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