2nd paper draft

Morgan Carlson

 Dr. Sonia Begert

English 101

11/1/15

Advertisement Analysis

     Many companies have created fictional characters to brand their products.  Advertisers use these characters to take aim on the consumer's inner child. The characters featured in ads make the brand more approachable. Rather than envisioning a real scene with workers making or growing a product, consumers think of the personality of the cartoon character.  Through the character, products can become part of the family and of the buyers’ everyday lives. The advertisers expect that the consumers will relate the personality of the cartoon to their product and purchase the package with their cartoon picture when they go to the store. 

  

     The Jolly Green Giant was originally a mascot for the Minnesota Valley Canning Co. The Giant was named after an oversized variety of pea that was tender, tasty, and sweet. Rather than apologize for its size they decided to emphasize it.  The Giant has a smile and leafy suit and has the word Jolly in his name. When he debuted on TV in 1958 he had a booming Ho Ho Ho. In 1972 he took on a young apprentice, the Little Sprout who was created because he was like the consumer, turning the giant into a father figure. The Giant teaches the cute little elfish Sprout everything about the special seeds they use, planting, and harvesting at the correct time for optimal flavor. The texts read as though the character is the one who has control of the product. It is the Giant, not the farmers with tractors that do all of the work. One ad 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 Giant is the knowledgeable one in control of everything from the soil to the harvest. Another advertisement shows a family eating dinner dressed in suits and fancy dress with a table cloth and candelabra on the table. This indicates that the vegetables are not any run of the mill vegetable that they are suited to fancy dining. An adoring family all look up to the well-dressed Giant sitting at the table with them. Of course he has a white shirt and tie with his cloth napkin on his lap. He is the father making sure you eat your vegetables. The larger than life image makes him an authority figure to be trusted, respected and obeyed.

     A father is not the only influential figure for our inner child. Tony the Tiger is the figure that Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal developed. He personifies a teammate that has the qualities of a coach. He uses the, “Put a Tiger on your Team.” slogan and is frequently seen on a basketball court throwing boxes of cereal through the hoop. Tony the Tiger puts his arm around the other players, scores baskets, and tells you that frosted flakes are G-r-r-r-reat! This character is aimed at all the “kids” young and old who like sports. It suggests that his cereal will make you strong, energetic, and athletic. “They are jumpin’ with energy!” This ad doesn’t inform us of any of the real facts about the product, it is appealing to us on an emotional level. We can be that athlete we always wanted to be because emotionally we believe that if we eat the cereal that Tony thinks is great, we will be successful because we are on his team. 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 friendly Tiger is now invited into many American’s homes every morning.

    

      What better way to influence our inner child's life than a toy? Energizer Battery Company used a pink bunny banging on a drum wearing sunglasses and sandals in their ads. He is more than just a kid’s toy. He is wearing cool sunglasses and playing a drum which appeals to the stereotype man and pink for women. We never want our toys to stop running so he keeps, “Going and going, and going.”  This ad showed a bunny toy that continued going while other toys stopped. What kid wants his toys to stop working even if they are old kids running their radios, flashlights, etc.? 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 would certainly be something that would represent dependability.

 

    These characters create an association between the buyers inner desire to purchase a product associating that product with a particular image. The picture on the package shows the consumer which one to purchase. It has to do with identity. How does it make me feel? How does the product want you to interact with them? Consider the way you trust the product.  Advertisements aim to increase sales. Branding in advertising is anything that helps get buyers to remain loyal to a product. It involves experiences that an audience expects. A father-like giant, a team player and coach, or a toy that is always there to play with keep their consumers coming back for more. We need more fatherly advice, more playing with our teammates, and definitely toys that always keep working. At any age everyone is still a kid at heart. This is evident because they have kept the same ads for many years. If they were not working they would have changed them by now. We sit down to dinner with the Green Giant, we eat breakfast with a Tiger, and we have toys that keep going and going. We purchase the products that have those symbol and they have become part of our lives. Each of these companies also sell a stuffed character for the children at home. Marketing continues even when people are not using the product. The friendly character can sit on the shelf quietly watching daily activities so their face is always familiar.