An advertisement is usually designed to inform, attract, and win the attention of prospective customers. In coming up with an ad, the company has to ensure that it meets all the above qualities within the shortest possible time. Mostly, people do not have time for commercials, and their charges make it necessary for companies to make them as brief as possible. To achieve its desired goal, an ad has to be attractive enough to capture the attention of its target audience. In this paper, out attention shall be focused on two Dirty Devil ads on a similar audience. The first ad is a German version (AndreP) and the second the British version (Dirty devil). Both ads in their own way show how the suction power from a dirt devil vacuum cleaner is effective for cleaning. The paper shall also determine whether the ads achieve their intended objective and if they are appealing to their target audience.
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Before looking at the advert, the brand name of the product speaks a lot, which may attract or put off potential customers. The product mainly targets female clients, who handle the cleaning around. The term ‘dirt devil’ does less in attracting first-time customers, unless they understand what it is all about. It is recommended that a brand given to a product does more explanation of its functions and use rather than wait for an oral or visual explanation. I had to watch the ad for about three times before I get to know what dirt devil is all about. The advertisements welcome us to scenarios that are unrelated to cleaning or the vacuum cleaner before they later climax with the information. It is only after watching the film several times that a person tries to make a connection between the images were shown and the vacuum cleaner. The advertiser may have related the wicked acts of the devil with dirt and the ability of the vacuum cleaner to eliminate such fears.
To figure out which ad conveys its message to the audience well we shall look at the presentation style of both ads. For instance, as mentioned earlier, the target audiences for the German version of the ad are housewives. The announcement has been presented in a rather spiritual manner with the ability to exorcise demons/dirt. This means that the ad intended to capture the religious emotions of its audience. With such considerations in mind, it may be assumed that German housewives are religious and will, be attracted to anything that touches on their spirituality. In the ad it appears that demons are a nuisance and almost impossible to get rid. In cleaning matters, these demons are stubborn dirt that is hard to clean. The use of the ‘dirt devil’ vacuum cleaner hence works like prayers, which are believed to be an absolute way of dealing with evil spirits (Neuendorf 82). To the mind of the audience, it implies that dirt vacuum cleaners remove dirt in the house just like the power of prayers to eliminate evil spirits.
This ad has various limitations in conveying its message to the audience. First, for the for the target audience to get attracted and even buy the product, they must be a committed Christian. They must believe that prayers can exorcise demons. The ad, therefore, narrows down the target audience from just Christian housewives, and not just any Christian, but one who believes in the power of a vacuum cleaner too. The adverts may therefore not have an impact on the majority of the people. In my opinion, the advert could have been less spiritual and just focus on dirt without having to involve matters of spirituality. Business ads should aim at targeting more audience than limiting themselves to just particular class of audience. Political, cultural, and religious matters need not to be placed in ads. By placing a Christian exorcism clip, the ad has already lost a number of audience and potential buyers.
The second ad, the British Version of the dirty devil vacuum compared to the German version is shorter and appears to target younger professional women. The ad displays information that a woman can still be in her neat office attire and still use the vacuum cleaner to clean dirty surfaces. Unlike the first ad, which was scary, this ad included humorous aspects.
Compared to the German ad where one can quickly draw a connection between the ad, brand name and the images, the British version leaves more questions than answers about the product being advertised. The only thing that a person can get from the ad is the humor of the hair changing heads, whose meaning is difficult to depict. A good ad should not only be accompanied by humor but also ensure that it conveys the needed information (Neuendorf 55). A person can only buy a product basing on how it has been displayed the advertisement. If the ad is not appealing enough and leaves a potential consumer with more questions, they may not want to watch a second time, leave alone buy the product.
Looking at the two ads, it is clear that the advertisers wanted to mix various aspects and the product. For instance, the German ad embraces aspects of spirituality and the British ad embraces humor. The German ad may have succeeded in showing that the product can remove dirt, from wherever it is hidden. However, the exorcism does not do much in attracting potential clients rather it scares them. Precautions have to be taken when using the spiritual connection of the people to promote a product. The sensitive nature of religious matters makes it easy for the advert to irritate the target audience, rather than attract then to the product. While designing an advert, the advertiser needs to note that it could be the first and the last time that a person is encountering it. The message being conveyed should, therefore, be simple and clear enough to prompt curiosity and the need to buy the product.
In the world where technology is ruling the activities of man, including cleaning, companies are coming up with products that are sure to blow one’s mind. Before a person tests a product to prove its worth, the advertiser should work at ensuring that he or she is not only aware of its existence, but also curious enough to try it. Most companies with quality products fail at a critical stage of advertisement, which makes them not gain value for their products. In my opinion, the advert on ‘dirt devil’ not only failed in its branding but also in the promotion of the products. The association of the product with the devil is enough to put off potential customers. Adverts need to have the element of positivity that relates with the audience. In this manner, the message will be conveyed effectively and attract potential buyers.
Works Cited
AndreP. “Dirty Devil- The Exorcist.” You tube. Dirty Devil Germany, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGb8pMIeY6w .You Tube. You Tube, April 29, 2011. Web. Retrieved 29, June 2015.
Dirt Devil UK. Dirty Devil vacuum advert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNaOqZ8E_Vc You tube. Dirt devil UK, December 7, 2010. Web. Retrieved 29, June 2015.
Neuendorf, Kimberly A. The content analysis guidebook. Sage, 2002.
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