Week 3: EOC - Bill Bernbach

Who is Bill Bernbach? "William Bernbach was a creative leader who revolutionized the way that advertising was approached. Above all he valued innovation and intuition over science and rules." http://advertisinghall.org/members/member_bio.php?memid=540 "As the single most influential creative force in advertising's history, Bernbach served as an inspiring father figure to some of advertising's most brilliant talents. His copywriters and art directors lived for his approval, competed to make his blue eyes sparkle, to produce work that would earn a Bernbachian smile. 'What did Bill think?' was the question his Doyle Dane Bernbach people and clients would ask when new work was shown. Bernbach ruled." http://adage.com/article/special-report-the-advertising-century/william-bernbach/140180/ "Bernbach insisted on first learning how his client's products related to their users, what human qualities and emotions came into play. Then the challenge turned to deciding how best to communicate those elements, in TV and print, and capture the consumer's understanding and support." http://adage.com/article/special-report-the-advertising-century/william-bernbach/140180/ He essentially created what is now modern day advertising. He wanted to understand the consumers' point of view and target them in such a way they felt like he was personalizing his product for them. In today's world, advertising works by doing just that. People will not be as responsive to a flashy, in your face type of ad. They want to connect to the product and feel coddled by the company. My parents are perfect examples of this. They will not buy a product unless they know the jingle by heart, and they will not try a new product, regardless if it is healthier for them, unless they can attest to its credibility with a jingle! As cultish as it seems, the audience favors catchy advertising and this is all thanks to Bill Bernbach. Even if the ad isn't a catchy jingle, if the audience can relate to it in any way, it's bound to be successful! 

"Mikey" for Life Cereal was one of Bill's projects to target kids who were picky eaters. Kids did not want to eat healthy, bland cereal. However, by depicting "Mikey" the little boy who "won’t eat anything" blissfully enjoying Life Cereal, this created the image that all kids will love Life. I vividly remember eating Life AND watching those "Mikey" commercials. Although it probably isn’t the healthiest option for kids, my parents were avid believers in Life Cereal because of its convincing advertising. 

Week 3: EOC Ethics in Tobacco

  

• Scene – This ad appears to take place in some sort of club. Maybe a supper club, maybe a lounge. It portrays vintage class, there's a beautiful woman in an elegant dress smoking a camel cigarette. Maybe she's the singer since there is a microphone, maybe she's trying to tempt the singer by flirtatiously stroking the pianist's pinky. Either way this ad depicts the sexual appeal of a sophisticated woman smoking.  
• Setting – This ad makes me think of old Vegas. The sultry singer, the high-class piano man. It's insinuating pleasure, whether you're the guest enjoying a night out, sipping on a cocktail, being charmed by world class entertainment or you're the seductress, playfully toying with the idea of an affair.   
• This ad definitely appeals to men, however I believe it appeals to woman as well. What woman doesn’t want to be a smoldering temptress? Women want to be wanted, to be perceived oozing class and good taste. This ad empowers women to believing that because she is smoking a Camel, she can get any guy she wants. On the flip side, men should admire a woman smoking a camel because she has immaculate taste.   
• From her point of view, maybe the cigarette makes her feel sexy. In vintage films, a woman smoking was seen as cool, independent, sophisticated. Maybe his point of view is that a good looking woman smoking indicates she's a little wild, up for anything.   
• Goals – I think the goal is pretty simple. You're getting pleasure from physically smoking the cigarette and you're appealing to the audience by being a sexy female smoking.  
• One is to assume that Camel is the cigarette of choice and that by smoking camel you can get the attention of men. He seems pretty intrigued in this picture, his direct line of sight looks to be either staring at her cigarette or her chest. He doesn’t have eye contact with her, but she has eye contact with the audience meaning she knows what she's doing.  
• The only conflict would be the circumstances. Maybe he's married...maybe he doesn’t care. Maybe she has obligations but because she's smoking a camel, she's letting go of her inhibitions. The flirtatious touch seems to imply that she is interested in him, but who's to say he's interested in her?  
• The outcome I believe is a success. This ad is clearly depicting a typical advantageous situation, all because of smoking a camel.