The Nike advertisement pictured above promises the viewer that if they buy Nike products, they can do anything. This is shown in the hopscotch drawing on the side of a building. Anyone that has played or seen someone playing hopscotch knows that it would be virtually impossible to play on the side of a building. The slogan “Just Do It” in the lower right corner in combination with the picture of the hopscotch on the side of the building suggests that if you buy Nike products, you can play hopscotch on the side of a building which also means you can do anything.
The desire or need that the ad is appealing to is the need for escape as well as the need to satisfy curiosity. Without the notion of being able to play hopscotch on the side of a building, the setting of the photograph is not all that appealing. The bricks are run down, the grass is brown, and there doesn’t really look like there is anything to do nearby. Add the hopscotch and Nike emblem, and suddenly the whole world is your playground. This definitely makes the viewer feel as if Nike products will satisfy curiosity and help you escape from the confines of your current world. (i.e. gravity)
The intended audience for this advertisement is lower and middle class, 8 – 21 year olds. Hopscotch is a grammar school game, and the use of it is clearly aimed at those who still remember it and would be willing to play it again with a new twist (on the side of a wall). I think it is aimed at a poorer audience because it is based around the idea of creating something extraordinary out of nothing (except for a $50-$80 pair of shoes). I think that because the advertisement appeals to a sense of youthfulness, and a feeling of simpler times, that it is aimed at lower-middle class, young people.
here is my comment: http://allblacksfan13.blogspot.com/2010/10/jameson-irish-whiskey-whats-rush.html
ReplyDeleteThe Nike advertisement promotes the idea that buying their products will allow the consumer to do practically anything. Kenzie explores the same idea that I have been coming up with. Nike’s slogan, “Just Do It” encourages the reader to buy into their product to aacheive all of these impossible tasks such as playing hopscotch on a vertical wall. The advertisement draws the attention of the reader by presenting a task that is known to be impossible however it appeals to craving and interests in achieving the impossible. It is human nature to do so and by using Nike products will only help gain these aspirations.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool ad you found! At first I was unable to tell what it was because typically I would not think that a hopscotch would be drawn on the side of a building. "Just do it" fits perfectly with this because it gives the consumer inspiration to try new things. Nike is a shoe brand so the claim they make is that buy purchasing Nike shoes, you can do anything. It makes the assumption that the consumer wants to live in a world where anything is possible, even things that are physically impossible such as defying gravity.
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