The Geico Advertising: The Power Of Advertising

“The Power of Advertising” Every day in today’s world, people encounter advertisements through various media forms such as television commercials, magazine ads and billboards. Through advertisements, advertisers can persuade their viewers to buy their products through persuasive tactics. In a September 21, 2015 Sports Illustrated issue, Gieco Insurance ran an ad which used subtle hidden messages, encouraging words, and appetizing images to create a desire for its product. First, the Geico Insurance advertisement uses subtle hidden messages to create a desire for Geico’s insurance product. In an article by Jib Fowles “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals” Fowles explains, that people have fifteen emotional appeals that ads

In the Geico advertisement the statement “Make the Smart Choice,” makes the viewer believe that if they choose the product, they will be smart like the rest of the Geico customers. This type of hidden message appeals to one of the fifteen basic emotional appeals that Fowles discusses in his article and that appeal is “2. Need for affiliation…. The need to associate with others…” (Fowles 5). The Geico ad fulfills this by making the viewer believe that if they choose Geico they will be affiliated with smart people who also use Geico insurance. Two interviewees, Jason Cressman and Robert Cressman, were asked if there were any hidden messages in the advertisement and both of their responses were “No.” As Fowles explained in his article these messages are undetectable by the viewer and go unnoticed. The statement in the Geico ad “Make the smart choice” also relates to another article written by Ann McClintock. In her article called “Propaganda Techniques in Today’s Advertising” she explains the seven main techniques associated with advertising. The technique used in the statement

In the articlee by Ann McClintock called “Propaganda Techniques in Today’s Advertising” McClintock states “Propagandist want people to believe the message being sent” she later explains, “They work because they appeal to our emotions, not our minds.” (McClintock). This is evident in the Geico advertisement when the ad states; “satisfying professional service”. In McClintock’s article, this propaganda technique is considered a glittering generality. McClintock describes a glittering generality as “advertisers surround their products with attractive-and slippery-words and phrases” (McClintock). Geico’s advertisement achieves this technique because “satisfying professional service” is one of those “attractive-and slippery-words or phrases” (McClintock). The use of this phrase in the Geico advertisement creates a desire for their product because everyone wants to have satisfying service from their insurance company. The statement “satisfying professional service” also relates to the article by Jib Fowles. Fowles Explains in his article that people have the “Need for guidance…to be protected, shielded, guided” (Fowles 6). The statement from the Geico ad “satisfying professional service” relates to this appeal because professional service can help guide the viewer. In return, it appeals to the viewers need for guidance as Fowles explains. In an interview with Jason