3CIL1fl4 CAMPUS LEARNING RESCOURC: UM:UM of Freshman Writing Volume 4, Number 1 Florida Community College at Jacksonville Winter 1994 Advertising Goes to Hollywood by Guy Patton The next time you watch a movie,pay attention to the brand ofsoft drink the starring actor or actress enjoys.Is it Coca-Cola,Pepsi,or maybe Mountain Dew? More often than not,the companies that manu- facture soft drinks,or any other name-brand products that may appear in a movie or television show,pay a pricey sum to the producers ofthe film or show to have their products displayed in the hands ofa star. The advertis- ing community haslong known ofthe power ofcelebrities and their effects on the popularity of products in the minds ofthose who admire the said celebrity, and advertisers use this idoliza- tion offamous people subliminal- ly to sell their products. Hollywood's subliminal sales techniques are nothing new.The popularity ofIndian Motorcycles was never as high as when James Dean blazed across the screen astride one in Rebel Without A Cause.In more mod- ern times,Stephen Speilberg had children begging in the aisles ofgrocery stores all across America for their par- ents to buy them Reese's Pieces after the candies were show- cased in the movie E.T..The Extra Terrestrial.In the film's original script,afir M candies were to be used by the celebri- ties,but the advertising agency representing Reese's made Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment,a better offer. Madison Avenue ad agen- cies are more than willing to grease Hollywood palmsto get positive placement oftheir clients'goods in a major film. Ofcourse,advertisers don't always use celebrities to sell their products in such a subtle fashion as subliminal advertis- ing. Many celebrities agree after being paid large sums of money to be the spokesperson for a product. Recent examples ofthis blatant capitalization on fame are Suzanne Somers' "Those ad agencies try- ing to market a product mustshout to be heard over the din ofthe advertising glut." Thighmaster commercials, comedian Alan King's ads for Pilot Pens,and even Tom Sell- eck's off -camera voice-overs for the AT&T television ads.The AT&T ads are potentially the most subversive as they use Selleck's voice, which most Americans recognize from somewhere but probably cannot identify;as a result, many peo- ple unconsciously trust this familiar yet unidentified narra- tor. This form ofsubliminal advertising is quite effective. Subtle,subliminal ad cam- paigns make it harder and harder to differentiate between the ads and the movie or televi- sion show that we actually intend to view.This point is illustrated in the recentfilm Demolition Man in which Sylvester Stalone is placed in suspended animation and awakes after a 40-year sleep to discover a new,almost utopian 1 society in which the only fast food restaurants(or restau- rants period,for that matter) are Taco Bells. The ad agency responsible for Taco Bell's advertising truly outdistanced its competition with this cam- paign.It used the celebrity sta- tus ofSylvester Stalone to add a "hipness"and desirability to the product,while making the advertisement an integral part ofDemolition Man's storyline. The success or failure ofthis ad campaign is significant,as it will affect the ways in which celebrity power is used to con- vince consumers which products to purchase. Consumers are constantly bombarded by advertising; Americans are exposed to a staggering average of3,000 advertisements per day.This eventuality has led to the use of celebrities in advertising.Those ad agencies trying to market a product mustshoutto be heard over the din ofthe advertising glut,and one way to do that is to shout with the familiar voice ofa star,especially a star who is looked up to or admired by the potential buyer ofthe product being marketed. Aslong as companies have products to sell, and as long as celebrities agree to align themselves with a prod- uct for a price,famous people will continue to be used as the most visible ofsalespeople. Practice CLAST Essay (Illustration) ENC 1101 Prof. S. Koeppel , OCR Text: 3CIL1fl4 CAMPUS LEARNING RESCOURC: UM:UM of Freshman Writing Volume 4, Number 1 Florida Community College at Jacksonville Winter 1994 Advertising Goes to Hollywood by Guy Patton The next time you watch a movie,pay attention to the brand ofsoft drink the starring actor or actress enjoys.Is it Coca-Cola,Pepsi,or maybe Mountain Dew? More often than not,the companies that manu- facture soft drinks,or any other name-brand products that may appear in a movie or television show,pay a pricey sum to the producers ofthe film or show to have their products displayed in the hands ofa star. The advertis- ing community haslong known ofthe power ofcelebrities and their effects on the popularity of products in the minds ofthose who admire the said celebrity, and advertisers use this idoliza- tion offamous people subliminal- ly to sell their products. Hollywood's subliminal sales techniques are nothing new.The popularity ofIndian Motorcycles was never as high as when James Dean blazed across the screen astride one in Rebel Without A Cause.In more mod- ern times,Stephen Speilberg had children begging in the aisles ofgrocery stores all across America for their par- ents to buy them Reese's Pieces after the candies were show- cased in the movie E.T..The Extra Terrestrial.In the film's original script,afir M candies were to be used by the celebri- ties,but the advertising agency representing Reese's made Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment,a better offer. Madison Avenue ad agen- cies are more than willing to grease Hollywood palmsto get positive placement oftheir clients'goods in a major film. Ofcourse,advertisers don't always use celebrities to sell their products in such a subtle fashion as subliminal advertis- ing. Many celebrities agree after being paid large sums of money to be the spokesperson for a product. Recent examples ofthis blatant capitalization on fame are Suzanne Somers' "Those ad agencies try- ing to market a product mustshout to be heard over the din ofthe advertising glut." Thighmaster commercials, comedian Alan King's ads for Pilot Pens,and even Tom Sell- eck's off -camera voice-overs for the AT&T television ads.The AT&T ads are potentially the most subversive as they use Selleck's voice, which most Americans recognize from somewhere but probably cannot identify;as a result, many peo- ple unconsciously trust this familiar yet unidentified narra- tor. This form ofsubliminal advertising is quite effective. Subtle,subliminal ad cam- paigns make it harder and harder to differentiate between the ads and the movie or televi- sion show that we actually intend to view.This point is illustrated in the recentfilm Demolition Man in which Sylvester Stalone is placed in suspended animation and awakes after a 40-year sleep to discover a new,almost utopian 1 society in which the only fast food restaurants(or restau- rants period,for that matter) are Taco Bells. The ad agency responsible for Taco Bell's advertising truly outdistanced its competition with this cam- paign.It used the celebrity sta- tus ofSylvester Stalone to add a "hipness"and desirability to the product,while making the advertisement an integral part ofDemolition Man's storyline. The success or failure ofthis ad campaign is significant,as it will affect the ways in which celebrity power is used to con- vince consumers which products to purchase. Consumers are constantly bombarded by advertising; Americans are exposed to a staggering average of3,000 advertisements per day.This eventuality has led to the use of celebrities in advertising.Those ad agencies trying to market a product mustshoutto be heard over the din ofthe advertising glut,and one way to do that is to shout with the familiar voice ofa star,especially a star who is looked up to or admired by the potential buyer ofthe product being marketed. Aslong as companies have products to sell, and as long as celebrities agree to align themselves with a prod- uct for a price,famous people will continue to be used as the most visible ofsalespeople. Practice CLAST Essay (Illustration) ENC 1101 Prof. S. Koeppel , Z ArchiveInABox,JAX,Voices of Freshman Writing,Scans,1994 Winter,1994 Winter 1 Page 1, 1994 Winter 1 Page 1