May 12, 2013
This ad shows a very guilty looking man sitting in an optometry chair. He's sitting a dark room with a single harsh light shining down on him, which makes it look like he is being detained for questioning. There are shadows cast about on his face, which adds to his guilty face and the sense that he is going to be called out for sleeping in his contacts. Being a contact lenses wearer myself, I'm familiar with visiting the optometrist. The reality is that you sit in a chair in a darkened room and stare at a lit eye test on the wall. This ad exaggerates the experience of going to the optometrist and the man has a guilty look on his face because he was sleeping in his contacts. He's sitting on his hands, like a child who is about to be scorned because they did something naughty. Then the truth comes out. The caption reads, "We know you've been sleeping in your contact lenses."
The contact lenses box is not the center of the ad because the box isn't anything special. The ad wouldn't be interesting if it focused on the box. That's why there's a guilty man in the center, looking like he has to admit he did something bad. But no worries! Air Optix Night and Day will last a month of continuous wear!
This ad could be appealing to our need for guidance because under the contact lenses box, it says "The lens you can rest easy in." This gives the feeling that there's nothing to worry about if you wear these contact lenses. If you're going to sleep in your contacts, you should wear the ones that last for 30 nights of continual wear. Then you will rest in peace. Isn't that a nice and easy solution?
A technique that this ad uses is simple solutions because it's saying that you can rest easy if you switch from your current contact lenses to the Air Optix Night and Day. You will no longer have that burn in your eyes from sleeping in your contacts, nor the guilty feeling that comes along with leaving your contacts in continuously (I wouldn't know about the guilty feeling, since I've never slept in my contacts).
I agree with your analysis of the advertisement. Though I don't wear contacts myself, I understand the guilt of doing something I shouldn't have been doing. The man's guilty face emphasizes the wrong doing of wearing contacts, and though the box is not centered, it contrasts the dark scenery the man is in, so you really look and it and go "Oh wow, with these new contacts, I can sleep with them in guilt free!"
ReplyDeleteSeeing as I have 20/20 vision, I have no reason to wear contacts so I guess I can't really relate in that way, but what I can say is that your analysis is pretty spot on with the ad using various techniques to exaggerate the guilt the guy must feel for wearing that wrong contacts and that only these contacts provide you with the best care. So, I'm also in agreement with your decision to call it need for guidance because if the guy were to have chosen the contacts advertised he would no be in the present situation that he is in.
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