Advertising Techniques Used In Jib Fowles Advertising's Fifteen Basic Appeals

Since the beginning of media and advertising, marketers have employed subtle tactics to attract a more diverse customer base. In Jib Fowles essay, “Advertising's Fifteen Basic Appeals”, he discusses the fifteen appeals advertisers use to engage the consumer’s interest in buying their products. These different advertising techniques are directed towards a target audience; including males, females, elders, and teenagers. However, in some cases, the Carls Jr ad being analyzed has multiple audiences; primarily the male and female audiences. The male audience is more influenced by the sex appeal in the ad (i.e., the use of a model and suggestive wording), meanwhile the female audience is more influenced by the desire for attention and acceptance.

Sex is used in this advertisement as a seductive or erotic tool [visual seduction] to draw interest to the cheeseburger. Besides being an effective tool to increase the profitability of Carls Jr, and its overall food products, the sexual displays and innuendos have absolutely no relation to the food product being advertised. Coincidentally, sex tends to be much more appealing in media advertisement due to the extremely efficient nature of visual medium. In this particular ad, if you were to hide the burger it would become indistinguishable from a ‘Victoria’s Secret’ advertisement! In this situation it may even become necessary to ask what is being sold; the art of advertising sex appeal is closer to suggesting the possible outcome to its consumers rather than delivering the full (sexual) ideal. The assumption can be made that the company doesn’t want sex to be its primary advertising point, but the significant theme of sexual desire is delivered throughout the ad. The models role in the ad is to draw in the consumer’s attention, increase overall reception, and in effect increase the number of prospective customers. Additionally, there’s a quote above the burger in bold letters that says “She’ll tell you size doesn’t matter, she’s lying”; this catchy yet provocative catch phrase is aimed directly at the male

In the ad, the burger is magnified to the point where fine details are made obvious and flavors can be hypothesized. Fowles describes images of such to be “primary and primitive” and emotionally appealing, which attempts to find its way into the minds of viewers (Fowles 76). The burgers position is placed in such a way to where it becomes the primary object that captures the consumer’s attention and interest. Also, in the ad there is a contrast of colors that help bring depth to the burger, such as the black background, to make it appear as if it’s easily attainable to the consumer. The contrasts of ingredients in the burger (bright green lettuce, bright red tomatoes, and orange burger buns) help make the burger stand out, especially when placed over a dark background. These warm colors in particular help to activate your taste buds, appetite, and desire. One of the primary goals of this ad is to create an urgent desire to consume the burger. Due to the universal language of color, this ad is effective on multiple demographics regardless of age, race, or even culture. Regardless of the individual, anybody can fall victim to an effective ad campaign such as the one displayed by Carls