OUGD601: Context of Practice 3 - Practical Element, Primary Research

In order to devise informed opinions on the topic I will undertake for my COP3 module it will be beneficial for me to produce primary research on my chosen subject 'How Effectively can Advertisers Influence Emotional Responses in Order to Sell?' From the primary research I am aim to discover the emotions are relevant to chocolate advertising, the advertising strategies used and how effectively they are implemented.

This will not only inform the points I will argue within one of the chapters of my dissertation but will directly influence the design decisions I will make within my practical piece.

When choosing the most appropriate methodology for collecting primary research I did consider a focus group in some sort in which we would discuss the ads.

However as I wanted to to analyse how the adverts use techniques not to just sell a product but to subliminally influence our emotions I decided to separate the different aspects of a ad; the imagery, the language and in some cases the music therefore I could discover how the different aspects are interpreted separately. Would the audience be able to tell it was for a chocolate ad?

Upon discussing it with Simon he decided that a visual survey rather than a focus group would be more appropriate as I could keep some anonymity.

Imagery from chocolate advertising

Language from chocolate advertising

Music from chocolate advertising 

In order to receive the best results to aide my project I began to devise a list of appropriate questions.

In particular, I wanted to find out what emotions they would associate with the language / image? How would they react / interact with it if they saw it as a print ad? What immediate assumptions do they make about the language / imagery used? And do they know it's for a chocolate advert?

My final questions were:

1. What product would you assume this image is selling?
2.  Apart from an end product, what is the image suggesting it will sell to the consumer?
3. Would you buy the product this image was selling? If so, why?
4. What assumptions would you make about the product this image was selling?
5. What assumptions would you make about the product this tagline is selling?
6. What associations would you make with this type of language?
7. What emotions would you associcate with this type of langauge?

Final surveys published via surveymonkey.com

In order to receive the most genuine and accurate results it was suggested by Simon that when distributing the surveys I avoid sending it to pupil on the Graphic Design or Creative Advertising course as it is possible they could give me the answers they think I want rather than answering honestly.

Results

• 57% of the group assumed that the image was selling a cosmetics product, with the majority assuming lipstick - shows how far removed that the product it is actually selling is difficult to determine 
• Although our immediate assumption would be that the advertisement is unsuccessful in fulfilling it's purpose it is effective in influencing the subconscious emotions within us that advertisers want us to associate with chocolate.

• Influencing intrigue or curiosity within the audience is a clever tactic by advertiser to influence them to buy -  in particular suggestive language aroused a feeling of excitement which intrigued them thus encouraging them to purchase the product.  

• Immediate response was that it is aimed towards the female target audience - Shows how effectively advertisers can use imagery alone to morph chocolate from a product that was primarily marketed to all to something which has strong connotations to female sexuality
• Assumption that the product it was selling was sexual - Reiterates our tendency to link chocolate with sexual desire an association that was purely fabricated by the advertising industry.

When shown the tagline out of context the immediate assumption was the the product it was selling was sexual - Language tends to be more effective in terms of influencing emotional responses - perhaps as it is open to more interpretation, let's our curious wander.

The tagline is steeped in sexual innuendo - This would be more explicit than any possible image a advertiser could use

• The provocative nature of the language used aroused a sense of excitement in all of those who undertook the survey - echoing the apparent heightened sexual desire of the women in the advertisements

Conclusions From Results

It is evident from the emotional responses that were gathered and analysed from the results of the survey that advertisers are able to provoke strong emotions such as excitement and sexual desire in response to a given product through the effective use of language and imagery, all of which strengthens our relationship to it. The very notion that they are capable of transforming an inanimate object into a source of pleasure purely through the use well thought-through advertisements shows the how great the overpowering impact that advertising can have on our emotions truly is.