Morgan Carlson
Dr. Sonia Begert
English 101
11/1/15
“Still a Kid at Heart”
Advertisements Aimed at Our
Inner Child
Have you ever
walked down the grocery store aisles and wondered why cans of corn, cereal
boxes, and battery packages all have cartoon characters on them? Consider what
makes a buyer trust a product. It involves experiences that they expect. The
cartoon characters have qualities that imitate familiar relationships like
fathers, playmates, and toys. The characters encourage emotional responses that
are associated with happiness, excitement, and wonder. Advertisers use cartoon
characters to target the consumer's inner child.
Cartoon characters
are one method advertisers use to create an association with an image rather
than the products attributes. The key to branding a product is triggering an
emotional response. How does the product make me feel? Rather than envisioning
a real scene with workers making or growing a product, consumers think of the
personality of the cartoon character. In reality, most people do not purchase
all the competitors’ products and compare them. They purchase the product with
the image that appeals to them. Through the character, products can become part
of the family and of the buyers’ everyday lives. Branding in advertising is
anything that helps get buyers to remain loyal to a product. This technique was devised to promote brand
image rather than the product’s qualities.
One well-known brand uses the
image of a mythical figure that has a connection to many cultures around the
world. The Green Giant has a smile and leafy suit and has the word Jolly in his
name. The text states that, “More people today like the Green Giant’s peas and
corn better than any others because HE puts more time and work into
growing them that way. Special ways of making rich earth richer… watchful care
each growing day… split-second timing to pick and pack at the fleeting moment
of perfect flavor”. The ad reads as though the Giant is the one who has control
of the product. It is the Giant, not the farmers with tractors that do all of
the work. With child-like innocence we think of a big green giant who is
responsible for all the work, not a factory with machines stamping labels on
cans. The Giant resembles a green Santa Claus, Ho, Ho, Ho, magically bringing
perfect vegetables to our tables. The Giant is the knowledgeable father-like
figure in control of everything from the soil to the harvest.
This image shows a family eating dinner
dressed in suits and fancy dress with a table cloth and candelabra on the
table. The scene suggests that Green Giant vegetables are not any run of the
mill vegetable, but that they are suited to fancy dining. Flavor is not
something that can be measured and is difficult to describe. An adoring family
all look up to the well-dressed Giant sitting at the table with them. The woman
is smiling so we assume that the food tastes good. Of course, the well-mannered
Giant has a white shirt and tie with his cloth napkin on his lap. The larger
than life image makes him the father figure to be trusted, respected and
obeyed. He could be the father making sure you eat your vegetables.
A father is not the
only familiar figure in our inner child’s life. Tony the Tiger is the figure
that Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal developed. He uses the, “Put a Tiger on
your Team.” slogan and is seen on a basketball court throwing boxes of cereal
through the hoop. The text tells us four points: “1. Big, crisp flakes of corn,
2. Toasted clear through with Kellogg’s secret sugar frosting, 3.They are
jumpin’ with energy! 4. They’re Gr-r-r-eat” We learn minimal facts that they
are cornflakes with a secret sugar frosting. The other points are based on
emotion. The flakes are not literally jumping. This suggests that his cereal
will make you strong, energetic, and athletic. Tony personifies a teammate that
has the qualities of a coach. This creates a connection with “kids” young and
old who like sports. Kellogg’s takes something you already like and pairs it
with something that they want you to like. Our inner child believes that if we
eat the cereal that Tony thinks is great, we will be successful since we are on
his team. We imagine we can be that athlete we always wanted to be. He is a
friendly tiger but tigers can be ferocious if they want. This makes for a good
sports player as well. We certainly wouldn’t have the same reaction if Tony was
a real tiger. Brown flakes of corn in a plain box with black type would also
not attract much attention. A familiar cartoon Tiger is now invited into many
American’s homes every morning.
Other animals that we welcome into our homes are stuffed
animal toys. What
better way to influence our inner child's life? The Energizer Battery
Company uses a pink bunny banging on a drum with the Energizer logo, wearing
sunglasses and sandals. This ad shows a bunny toy that continues going while
other toys have stopped. He brings us back to our childhood days when we all
had loveable stuffed animals. He is pink and fuzzy with cool sunglasses and
sandals giving the impression he is easy going. He is simple with a universal
appeal. The text is minimal including the Energizer logo and the words “Keep
Going”. It does not reveal any information on the construction of the battery
or say anything about what they are trying to sell, instead they sell you on
the brand image. What kid wants his toys to stop working even if they are old
“kids” running their radios, flashlights, etc.? The ad gives us a happy feeling
which turns a boring battery into something fun and entertaining. A stuffed
animal makes the product more approachable. This bunny is so popular that he
has been seen in movies and the phrase “Energizer Bunny” is considered a term
for things that continue endlessly. For consumers, this kind of image gives us
a warm, fuzzy, feeling of dependability. Dependability, means the buyer can
trust the product. Trust means more sales.
An advertisements
goal is to increase sales. Every sale starts with creating a desire in the
consumer. Ads have conditioned the consumer to purchase the package with their
familiar character. A father-like giant, a team player and coach, or a toy that
is always there to play with, keep our inner child coming back for more. We
need more fatherly advice, more playing with our teammates, and definitely toys
that always keep working. Brand images are an abstract representation of the
product they stand for. We sit down to dinner with the Green Giant, we eat
breakfast with a Tiger, and we hope our toys keep going and going. They have
become iconic representations that we can't resist. We purchase the products
that have those symbols, and they have become part of our lives like a family.
Maybe you don’t come out and say, “Oh, Tony thinks they’re great, I want some!
Or, these are the batteries with the bunny” but the products still end up in
the grocery cart. At any age everyone is still a kid at heart.
References
General Mills
www,greengiant.com. 2014 web.
Mehta, Abhilasha. Purvis, Scott C. “Reconsidering Recall and Emotion in Advertising”. Journal of
Advertising Research. March 2006. Web
Rushkoff, Douglas. “Why We Listen to What “They” Say.” Frontline KCTS 9. Chapter Five Nov. 9,
2004. Web.
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