Does the Depiction of Flexibility in the Philips ad Give the Vacuum Cleaner a Selling Edge?
Philips is a leading manufacturer of household appliances that are competitive in both price and quality. In an effort to offset competition, Philips introduces user-friendly items in the market. This is followed by a vigorous advertisement campaign to attract new consumers. The Philips vacuum cleaner which the company refers to ‘a small creature for your home’ is described as being flexible and with high suction power. Philips draws the attention of consumers by allegorically using the octopus to depict the flexibility and high suction capacity of its vacuum cleaner. This is the philips ad.
Audience
Advertisements are structured to capture the attention of the target group (Shareef et al 258). The advertisement targets household owners or workers since they are concerned with the cleanliness of their premises. The vacuum cleaner suck dust on floors and carpets. Moreover, the phrase, ‘a small creature for your home’ indicates that the vacuum cleaner specifically targets households as opposed to business premises. This may be due to its size that is appropriate for small rooms or objects
Artwork
To relay the information on the flexibility of the vacuum cleaner and its high suction capacity, Philips an octopus’ arm in the image. The octopus is flexible with its arms and can stick to a surface using the cup-like structures beneath its arms. This gives the impression that the vacuum cleaner can be used to clean under seats and tables without an individual having to struggle. By referring to the product as ‘a small creature’, Philips demonstrates the portability of the vacuum cleaner and this is a selling edge particularly for people cleaning multiple rooms and items.
The image was chosen for several reasons. First, the company is creative in depicting multiple abilities of the vacuum cleaner is a single image. By using an octopus’ hand, the buyer gets the impression of flexibility and high suction capacity. Secondly, as a ‘creature’ the vacuum cleaner can be used for multiple purposes ranging from cleaning seats and surfaces.
Conclusion
Summarily, the allegorical presentation of Philip’s vacuum cleaner demonstrates flexibility and unmatched dust sucking capacity. The image is captivating and consumers may be lured into looking at the product or buying it to authenticate the claims made by the manufacturer. The choice of creative images and pictures may give a product a competitive edge against its close substitutes. However, companies should try to be truthful to avoid depicting non-existent qualities of their products
Works Cited
Shareef, Mahmud Akhter, Yogesh K. Dwivedi, Vinod Kumar, and Uma Kumar “Content design of advertisement for consumer exposure: Mobile marketing through short messaging service.” International Journal of Information Management vol.37, no.4, 2017. pp.257-268.
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