This ad for Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream caught my eye in Seventeen Magazine. I immediately focused on the big text at the top, which uses a couple common advertising techniques. The first is simple solutions. Look at this cosmetic! What will it do? It will give you good skin! Every day! And in one step only! These statements are a little overwhelming at first. It's like Maybelline is trying to simultaneously solve all the problems in my life and answer all my questions. To a person who is looking for one product to make their dreams come true, this one is made to look pretty appealing. You'll get good skin, every single day, all in one blow, and it all comes in a pretty little bottle. It seems doubtful that these assertions are true, but Maybelline is definitely attempting to provide a simple solution.
The second technique they used was Glittering Generalities. If these statements were clothes, they would be shiny. I especially paid attention to "1-Step Wonder". They are basically saying that my life will be wonderful immediately after I purchase and use this product. The phrase reminds me of a singer or a magician or some type of performer -- like a "1-Hit Wonder". Although it's trying to be persuasive, I still think of something that is glittery for a second, but burns out quickly.
The list of things that the product will do also made me think. That's so many things! It's really only eight, but it sure looks like more! On closer examination, however, a lot of those words mean the same thing, but they take up separate bullet points. This gives the impression that there is a large amount of benefits to purchasing the cosmetic, but really, Maybelline? "Brightens" and "Enhances" are synonyms and have the exact same definition when it comes to makeup. On the whole, the product looks great. But if you dig a little deeper (actually not that deep, it's pretty obvious), it becomes a lot less appealing and a lot more dishonest.
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