Well, a new school year has begun, it's the perfect time for a fresh start. It's a great time to spend money too and all the stores encourage us to buy: new clothes, new school material, new appliances, new electronic goods, new makeup, new apartments!
The new school year is also a time where many of us take stock of ourselves, of our appearances, of our habits and of our insecureties: we believe in self-improvement. Advertisers prey on this desire for perfection and even though we are more media-savvy than previous generations, we are still willing to buy a piece of fantasy in order to boost our self-esteem.
Let's take a look at an ad for a product I'm sure you've all seen heavily marketed on tv. What are people really buying when they order this product?
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ReplyDeletecome on Justin!
ReplyDeleteI think what people are really buying when they order this product is not only the product itself but an image. It is true that teenagers are searching for perfection and they want to be like celebrities (katy perry, Justin Bieber etc.)and by buying this product they feel like it is a first step to their desire of perfection. We are good at criticizing the media but it is so easy to be influenced...
ReplyDeleteMost of the times some people aren't buying "rationnaly" in fuction, let say, of a produc'ts efficiency but on emotional reasons. They want something that suit their tastes and looks better that the others, and in my opinion that's why something that is presented by a famous person or even a peer that recommands it is somehow more attractive. I don't think there is really something to do about it since it's all about human nature itself... But when a product costs ten times the price of something equivalent, we should be able to question our perceptions and decide where are our priorities before making a purchase.
ReplyDeleteIt amaze me how easy it is to trick people into buying expensive crap and how much Justin Bieber lacks of manliness. The thing I hate in those kind of advertising, it's that they are mostly aimed to young gullible teenagers and to old people that have no idea that they are being rip off. I think it is a bit unfair for other compagnies that may have a cheaper but better product, but don't have the money to pay a pop star to advertise their product.
ReplyDeleteI think celebrities have too much influence on people. Teenagers buy those products because their favorite singers use it, and not because it works. They spend all their money to have something like their idols. Companies use well known people to have the attention of people. It's easy for them to give a lot of money to celebrities if they are able to sell a too expensive cream to people just by saying that they use it. I don't really like this type of advertising because it's all based on lying. I can't believe Justin Bieber and Katy Perry use a cream which cost 60$ when they can buy the most expensive, and why would they talk about their acne on tv? Also, the pictures used to show how well the cream works are really bad. You must be naive to believe it's easy like that. It doesn't matter for people if the cream is too expensive only if someone like Justin Bieber says he likes it. It's easy to be influenced by famous people and companies use it to make money. People should think a little more about it...
ReplyDeleteOf course, compagnies like Proactiv, who generally target teenagers and young adults, definitely know how to catch the eye of this generation. I do think that there's a possibility that this product may work but, in the end, I don't agree with using this ''fake'' representation of beauty and wellness. This advertisement uses plenty of stereotypes like the well-known '' it changed my life forever !''. I mean, come on. Folks who suffer from acne only want one thing: clear their zits out for good and they will believe these promises, even if they are aware that this is one of these gimmicky products. However, I agree when you suggest that even if we are more media-savvy, we are still willing to give these products a shot. You know, just in case this one is different from the others...
ReplyDeleteAdvertising being a way to sell people stuff they don't need, I think that this company is efficient at that level. The problem is the cost, about ten times more than other zit creams. Why should we pay that much more for a product that works the same way as the others? Remember, it is made essentially with the same components! People need to be educated at that level to understand that they are just encouraging another corporation... Between paying about 6$ for a zit cream or 60$ for the same thing, I know which one to choose, considerating that it works the same.
ReplyDeleteI think some people might buy the product for its efficiency, the one celebs are claiming for $3M. I remember have been watching a Proactiv ad by Jessica Simpson. At that time she was famous and cause I was less aware of the commercialization, I really wanted to try this product! Young people are targeted by advertisers and using celebrities to tease them is a big profit-making. It is sad to say, but even if the product were weak, they would make a lot of money as well. Cheaper brands of the same kind of product and as much effective - I would say - are left behind because their marketing strategies are not enough convincing. I find it ridiculous. Justin Bieber in this ad could convince a young girl not even acnetic to buy the product. That really works, so why not selling it ten times more expensive? Of course, with a price that high you need stars to help you convince people. Well, never tried out Proactiv, but I guess it doesn't worth $60.
ReplyDeletePersonaly, I don't use Proactiv, but in my opinion, this product does work. According to Dr. Rahul Parikh, it contains the same active compound than every other acne medications. So, that is why I agree to say that this product must work! Doesn't mean, though I agree about the price that is, apparently 10 times what it should be. I have to give them credits though for their wise advertising job because Katy Perry is worshiped by so many young women and well, Justin Bieber is as well... Basically, the only reason this product is high priced is because they want us to think that's the best solution cause it is (supposedly) a quality care. And also because their it's a 4 items product, therefore it looks bigger than it actually is. Despite the fact that they know how to invest their money, this product doesn't appear to me as a scam. So if any fairly priced product doesn't work and if it is the last resort then... Why not?
ReplyDeleteProactive isn't different from other products, it only has better advertising/marketing. They can afford to make it more expensive, since more people will see the ads with their favorite popstar and buy their products. That's a good example of money sucking.
ReplyDeleteAlso...
You can't really stop acne, you just have to wait for it to pass.
You don't NEED Proactive, Oxy, GN Collin or any others. What you need is to go see a derm.
Protip: keeping a clean towel on your pillow every night is more effective.
Marketing knows how to sell a product depending of the customer's age, their interests, their gender and their needs. They know how to convince us to buy one product instead of another one. I am not against this, sometimes it can be really useful to help people to choose what they want to buy. The only problem is that some companies, like Proactiv, take advantages of the naivety of the young women and men. One of the marketing ways to sell those products is using stars to represent it, like Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. They do not only sell a good product against acne, they promise a clear perfect skin, beauty and self-esteem. All those miracles are supposed to come from a simple product that contains almost the same ingredients than all the others acne products. The only difference is that Proactiv cost around 10 times the price of all the other products. When people buy this product, they buy the hope to change, to become like their idols, to be what they always really wanted to be. I think this is stupid, not from the company who is just finding a way to sell more products and to do more profit, but from the customers who do not realize that they pay for the image, not for a better quality product. I think those people try to convince themself that all chan change right now. The fact to believe in something can help to make it become relaity, it is the placebo effect. Celebrities influenced people, but this is not their fault. People are influenced by celebrities, this is the problem. I'm not against Proactiv, that just fing a way to sell its products. I'm not against the stars who just do an advertisement because they get paid. But I'm against the people who buy Proactiv not because of its efficiency, but because Justin Bieber, Jessica Simpson or Katy Perry represented it.
ReplyDelete