Jib Fowles Fifteen Basic Appeals

Are People able to Resist Advertisements and Their Emotional Appeals? People see advertisements everywhere, on the streets, at the airport, on television, and also magazines. Advertising has become such an essential part of life that people are subconsciously internalizing the effect that advertisements have on them. Jib Fowles, the author of the article “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals,” claims “by giving form to people’s deep-lying desires, and picturing states of being that individuals privately yearn for, advertisers have the best chance of arresting attention and effecting communication” (137). He explains that advertisements target people subconscious desires. To help audiences have a better understanding of how advertisers use …show more content…
Fowles says that, “since the desire to duck out of our social obligations, to seek rest or adventure” (146). To achieve higher and higher positions in lives and careers, many people can feel exhausted and need to get out of their stressful environment. So advertisers understand that need and often target this appeal. For example, the advertisement for Toyota Camry shows the view from inside the car’s interior picturing an adventurous outside the world through the car’s front window. The view outside the car is beautiful green site with a calm river on the left, several hot air balloons hanging low close by, shallow hills on the right, and a happy couple hand-in-hand looking at each other happily while strolling toward nature. In addition, the navigation screen in the car shows a spot in the “middle of nowhere,” and no name. This ad urges the feeling of escape to nature. Another advertisement that conveys the same feeling is an ad for the new 2016 Ford Explorer above with an expansive view of the wild outdoors, and the message “BE UNSTOPPABLE”. The second advertisement for the need to escape is the ad for Channel Allure Homme Sport cologne. Beside a huge picture of the fragrance bottle covering the full page, there is extra half page picture that shows a man walking toward the ocean with a surfboard in his arm. This advertisement meets the feeling of refreshment, and escaping to thrilling adventures. The …show more content…
It is the combination of the need to dominate and the need to be prominence. Fowles says (144). For example, the advertisement for the new 2016 Nissan Maxima shows a beautiful red car in the focus view of the ad, next to it is Herschel Walker a star Heisman athletic in his uniform, and holding his helmet on his arm looking proudly up, and behind him is a beautiful estate. Then above the ad is a caption of “ALPHA DOG” and small print to explain more about the car features, and an explanation of its star model can achieve with the Nissan. Fowles state that “the focus here is upon the independence and integrity of the individual; this need is the antithesis of the need for guidance and is unlike any of the social needs” (145). So the audience can affiliate themselves as the independent, prominent, and dominant individuals. They can be the “Alpha Dog”, bold, and winner. Another advertisement shows the need of autonomy is the ad for Skechers Gogolf Pro shoes. The ad shows a huge shoes in the center of the page, and behind it is Matt Kuchar picture of him swinging golf club and look straight to his focus target, everything else around him doesn’t seem matter. The ad shows caption of “SKECHERS GOGOLF Pro,” and some information that explains the shoes’ features: “ultra lightweight”, “increased stability”, and “maximum comfort”. The background view of the ad shows part of a high mountain. This