I was at the movies the other day and this advertisement caught my eye. It shows a choir of young children singing, dressed in holiday colors and surrounded by candles. There is snow outside and an overall feeling of Christmas in the red and green color scheme. The ad is for Glade candles, which are scented and have titles like "Ginger Bread Jingle" and "Sparkling Spruce". At the end, the Glade logo is displayed along with the phrase, "Inspired by the best feelings in the world."
This ad is obviously trying to give Glade candles a meaning that goes beyond the product. The feeling of the holiday season is usually joyful and inspires tender emotions from most people. Glade tries to play to those emotions by showing an ad that represents the essence of the holidays. The choir sings about peace, there is a feeling of community, and, of course, the room is lit up by candles. I think that Glade is trying to imply that their product is essential to the holiday season -- that Christmas would not be the same without a Glade candle. Since Glade is a branch of Johnson & Johnson ("the family company"), it is easy to see that they are trying to inch their way into the celebration of the holidays and all the emotions that surround it. I remembered what we were talking about in class: companies like Johnson & Johnson are attempting to create a place for themselves in the hearts of consumers by "transcending" past traditional advertising.
Despite Glade's efforts, it was easy for me to see through this ad. After all, it is only trying to sell candles. A youth choir or the holiday season really has nothing to do with that product, no matter how much emotional value it attempts to create. It will take a lot more than that for me to be convinced that a candle is a crucial part of the holiday experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment