Friday 7 December 2012

Report: "Re-Civilize Yourself"

Nivea’s “Recivilise Yourself” Campaign (2012) Unknown. Available at: < http://blog.ebuzzing.co.uk/article-social-media-buzz-22-08-11-86282662.html> [Accessed 28th October 2012]
Introduction
We chose to revamp a racist Nivea ad. This advertisement showed a Caucasian male throwing the head of an African American with the tag line, ''Re-Civilize Yourself"". We get what they're trying to say but the way they chose to portray the advertisement itself was considered to be racist. At the same time, they are not just discriminating the race, they are also directing it towards the culture of the African Americans as well.

Purpose
The main purpose of the advertisement is to show the revitalizing qualities of their new line of Nivea products. They want to show the modernization of man where the dishevelled and unkempt look have become outdated and should be replaced with a more civilized  appearance. 

It's Relation To Culture and The Society It Was Made For
This product was initially directed / made for Americans; but in fact, this promotional poster can somehow be related to the Malaysian culture as well. The Malaysian society consists of various cultures and religions. Being a multicultural country, we do constantly have our misunderstandings amongst each other. The relations to both Americans and Malaysians is unlimited because the products aren't just directed to one country, it is universal. Nivea is an international company which sells their products across the globe, so it is not just limited to their country, they have to promote their products to other countries.

Why Do We See The Need For A Change
The promotional poster itself is misleading and it should get its main point across. The designers as well as the superiors who created and approved the poster should have given more thought and consideration of its suitability and how it would affect the society. The poster shouldn't make people angry or hurt, it should make them understand more about the product instead. 

How Different and Effective Our Idea In Relation to Culture and Consumerism
The theme of our idea is street art, it is considered creative advertising. Instead of just putting it on billboards, print outs, flyers and TV ads we decided to make it more interactive with the society. In which people would actually stop and be marvelled by the creative outlook in which the product is advertised. The product itself would be imprinted into their minds, it would be something hard for them to forget. It is also Eco-Friendly, we want to promote awareness among the society of using green products or going green. Every culture appreciates creativity, some more than others. When something is different in the environment  regardless of where it is, people are bound to get curious and attempt to find out more about it. 

Rationale
The reason why we chose old buildings and moss as a form of advertisement for the Nivea product is to symbolize its revitalizing qualities. The revitalizing effects counteract the cracks and dirt from the building to give it a makeover. The moss surrounding the building represented by hair where it is unruly and unkempt eventually destroys the overall appearance. At the same time the moss is also represented by the revitalizing lotion because moss needs water to stay alive and healthy. Just like our skin, if it is not taken care of properly it would begin to crack ,sag and wrinkle. 

Sources of Research:

Links and websites from which we obtained our ideas and inspiration from. Some of our inspiration also came from going out and observing different kinds of advertisements.

(Reference Citing: 

Written by Thong Foong Yann and Komal Puri

Final Outcome

From all the tryouts, we've finally narrowed down the images that we are going to use for the re-advertising. 


Shardinite, (2005) Moss. [digital art] Available at <http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=moss+texture#/dcoem9> [Accessed 5th December 2012] 
Unknown, (2012) Nivea Express Hydration Hand Lotion. [image] Available at <https://redmart.com/nivea-express-hydration-hand-lotion.html> Accessed 6th December 2012. 


 MIRPhotographers, 2012. KLCC influences nearby structural design of other buildings. [photograth] Available at <http://www.mir.com.my/leofoo/KLCC/index3.htm> Accessed 6th December 2012. 


The Process! 



First, I cropped the image slightly because the black border from the original image was abit too distracting.


Then, I made another layer with the moss, and masked out the unwanted area so that it'll only be visible on the building. I also blended in the moss with the building so that it'll look more realistic.


 Lastly, I superimposed Nivea's product on the image, along with some layer building so that it looks more realistic.

Thus, this is our final outcome for the advertisement! ~

Lai Yenn



10 Tips for an effective advertising

What we used as guidance and reference, are the 10 tips for an effective advertising campaign.

Based on allbusiness.com (http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-2.html#axzz2EJR5SM1W) there are 10 effective advertising tips.


1. GO AFTER YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

An advertising campaign should be geared toward your niche market. It is a common mistake to create generic ads that do not speak the language or grab the attention of your potential customers.
Ask yourself what kind of customers you want to attract, and make sure your ads speak to them on a personal level.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-2.html#ixzz2EJTiBCxC



2. HIGHLIGHT YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

One of the keys to all advertising is to accentuate the pros of your company -- those factors that give you your competitive edge. Too many ads are clever but fail to sell the specific benefits of the featured product or service. Unless you highlight these benefits, your ad delivers no value to potential customers.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-3.html#ixzz2EJTxX5F0


3. ESTABLISH AN IMAGE

You can recognize the McDonald's arches while whizzing by on the highway. Likewise, there are plenty of products that you recognize by their packaging or logo.
Image counts when it comes to advertising and promoting your business. Too many advertisers do not work to build a consistent image, and they're missing the chance to make an impression on prospective customers.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-4.html#ixzz2EJUA2D5n


4. YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY

There are ways to save money, but advertising is typically not the place to cut corners. Doing so will affect sales, and that affects the bottom line. Successful advertising may cost some money, but that is because it works.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-5.html#ixzz2EJUMmife



5. ADVERTISE IN THE RIGHT PLACES

Your favorite magazine, radio station, or even television program might not be a favorite of your audience. Do some research about your target market to understand who they are and determine what they read, watch, and listen to. Then advertise in the appropriate media to ensure that you reach your target market.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-6.html#ixzz2EJUZyZjh



6. DON'T ALLOW YOUR BUDGET TO RUN YOUR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

If you budget $5,000 per month for advertising, you've made it very easy from a bookkeeping perspective. However, if like most businesses you have seasonal highs and lows, you are spending too much money advertising during down times and not enough when you want to attract customers. Too many entrepreneurs do not budget according to their seasonal advertising needs.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-7.html#ixzz2EJUj6qZv




7. DIVERSIFY

It is all too common for business owners to choose the best place to advertise based on price and potential rate of returns, and then stop. As is the case with investing, you do not want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Spread your advertising dollars around by choosing a variety of suitable media for your audience and budget.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-8.html#ixzz2EJUqOECT


8. DON'T TRY TO BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE

No product or service will appeal to everyone. Many business owners, including corporate executives, try to come up with ways to reach every market. Typically, this does not work. It can spell disaster for small businesses, who cannot afford to spread themselves too thin. Therefore, find your market and be everything you can be to that audience.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-9.html#ixzz2EJV1YbKB



9. TEST YOUR ADS IN ADVANCE

If you have the time or money to invest in focus groups, you should test your ads on other people. Do they understand and accept the message you are trying to convey? If not, get insight into how you could more effectively communicate your message.
There are other less-expensive ways to test your ads as well -- questionnaires, for example.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-10.html#ixzz2EJVA8IG3


10. MONITOR YOUR ADS

It is very easy to ask new customers or clients where they heard about you. As simple as this is, many entrepreneurs do not bother to do so. It is advantageous to understand which elements of your ads are most effective and which media offer the most profitable advertising opportunities for your company.


Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/10-tips-effective-advertising/16566950-11.html#ixzz2EJVIpEmi


Therefore, based on these 10 tips, we came up with our final idea. 



-Amirah