Week 13 Part A - Online Advertising

In studying advertisements and sponsored posts on social media, I discovered specific trends by sales companies, and I also saw some advertisements that tried something a little different. The ones that use a different tactic stand out more, but are they making the best use of that attention? An ad that stands out isn't always a great ad. 

Percent Off


These ads are typically in sales, as opposed to the service industry. The tactic is straightforward: offer a discount for those who click on the advertisement. The "percent off" has the biggest font, so it's the most eye-catching piece. The call to action that they offer is "shop now." It's an effective tactic to those buyers interested in the products. That's how the skincare line Origins got me to purchase more on my last shopping round. I already like their products, so I could spend more later or save 30% and order products now. If I weren't already interested in a product, seeing a sale could still spark my curiosity about the brand. The biggest obstacle for the seller is to actually get you to browse at their site, so I appreciate the straightforward strategy.

A Little Something Different


For the two ads above, one strategy was visually appealing, while the other was mentally annoying. The Book of the Month ad was a video in which 5 books would appear and disappear on the shelf one-by-one. The strategy is simple: show 5 books the buyer could be receiving. I honestly didn't pay any attention to the book titles, but the animation caught my eye with the festive and clean background. I thought the ad idea was great, with a positive call to action of "Treat yourself to a new tradition." The only thing that would ruin the ad would be if the recommended books were awful, but the viewer would really have to pay close attention to the video. I was not impressed with the Capital One Shopping ad. The image is ugly. The call to action is expressed in a negative light of "Don't overpay online again!" I get easily annoyed my headlines that try to instill worry or try to lure you in. Yes, all advertisements are aimed to act on the individual seeing them. However, if Capital One Shopping is so concerned for my spending, offer the information up front and then encourage me to click for more details. They haven't gained my trust with that ad. 

Stereotypes


Education-based advertisements are close to my heart and hold the most interest to me for my business. Unfortunately, they are riddled with stereotypes. Education-based ads have to be crafted carefully, through a lens that takes many relevant social factors into account. One issue is the "white" factor among the actors in the ads. Where are the people of color in these ads? Data already supports the fact that people of color are underserved in education (or disproportionately served compared to white students). The second stereotype is the male tutoring the female and the accompanying message that women aren't good at math. The subtle messages being sent out ruin what could have otherwise been a good ad for GoPeer. They showed how their product works online. The photos demonstrate a personal interaction in an online setting, but I can't shake the feeling that more positive messages could be sent if the creators of the ads had put more thought in them. 

What Could Be...

I think social media advertising has the ability to be much more impactful than on other platforms when it's done well. There are several reasons. There is a more personal connection. An individual can be more concerned with other individuals. Another reason is if someone is following your brand, there is already common ground or some mutual interest already built in. There is already a built-in following for the material. The author of the ad just needs to stay true to the brand. With newspaper or magazine, there are common interests among readers and subscribers, but on social media, niche ads can be created. There isn't the same ability on other platforms. The ads on tv in print have to satisfy a wider audience. 

An advertisement on social media should be thoughtful, simple, and either funny or meaningful if possible. I think these two ads are great examples of successful ads. They aren't sponsored by big businesses. They are representing two small tutoring businesses trying to generate business. The Math Guru is direct and simple with the statement "affordable tutoring." There is also an element of social consciousness in the ad. This is most likely due to to the fact that the creator of the The Math Guru is a woman of color in mathematics, and she is an anti-stereotype herself. 

Math Matters Mostly had a very amusing and relatable ad melding math to the Thanksgiving holiday. When I read "when the kids make desserts, but they don't know how to convert measurements," I laughed right away. This is the basic type of knowledge that you want students to have because it ties in to their everyday tasks. The call to action was even better: save X-mas dinner and book a tutoring appointment. Humor and meaning...it's tough to beat! 

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