Technology for Kids, Essay Example

In the contemporary world of supply and demand, where customers’ behavior is crucial for conducting one’s business, it is difficult for an individual to be separated from his second nature of being a customer. In this regard, contemporary advertisers became advanced in the art of calculating and stimulating customers’ behavior. Consequently, contemporary advertisements contain a hidden message and incentives triggering desiredbehavior of the target audience. The aim of this paper is to analyze various elements of a chosen ad and how they fit into its message to the target audience and stimulation of the desired purchasing behavior.

The chosen ad is for the Amazon’s Fire HD tablet Kids edition. The visual aspect of the ad demonstrates the bright blue tablet with a screen turned on, showing Disney cartoons, zooming the image of the main character from “Finding Nemo” smiling at the viewer. The background behind the tablet is orange with white letters, saying “Built for even the toughest kids”. The textual part of the ad explains the benefits of this product starting with the emphasis that it is not a toy but a real tablet. It says that although kids adore tablets, this one is created with all the benefits for adults’ peace of mind. In this regard, it is argued to be educative with an access to numerous developing books, videos, educative apps and games kids would be fond of. It also has parental control settings, which will allow parents awareness of what exactly their child is dealing with.  Another crucial benefit is that has 2–years guarantee, irrespective of what might happen to the device. In terms of it visual-textual integrity, the main message of the ad is that it appeals to parental audience having middle or late childhood kids, suggesting that the advertised product will not only educate and entertain their children but also will provide safety for the kids and peace for their parents. In other words, the main purpose of the ad is to appeal to parents desire to keep their children safe and joyful, while parents had fulfilled their duty of protecting their children by purchasing the safest tablet for kids available on the market.

Regarding the elements to which the ad appeals, from the first glance, it may seem that there is no actual ethos in the ad itself. On the other hand, at a closer examination, it is revealed that there is that cartoon character from “Finding Nemo” that smiles at audience. The main rationale for placing him is related with the story of a movie that any parent knows. The story is that of a father Marlin, a clown fish, who is looking for his son Nemo, who was caught by a diver. Thus, in the context of the ad, the main meaning of this character is it symbolizes children, in general. Consequently, intuitively parents can relate to the story of Nemo and compare it with their own children.

The image of Nemo is even more crucial in terms of appealing to pathos. In this regard, the very association of Nemo with one’s child triggers a subconscious protective instinct and desire to defend one’s child from the same situation as the shown character. Emotionally parents think about fears and hardships Nemo’s father had gone through in his searches of his child, and they inevitably begin to think in a defensive context regarding their own children. Thus, appeals to both pathos and ethos created a framework for the logos to process the rest of the information. From the logical perspective, the target audience will think about how child’s security can be provided by purchasing tablet. In this regard, the logic argues receives relevant data stating that the tablet has numerous apps, and access to various books and videos, which are protected by parental control and it is up to apparent to decide what and how much his/hers child will see. So, logos fill in the rest of the rationalization for the purchasing of this particular product. Furthermore, the ad also appeals to the practical side of buying this tablet for a child, stating that it has two years of guarantee. In this regard, the logical thinking processes this information in the following manner: children like breaking, throwing their toys, spilling drinks and dropping food on everything; 2 years of guarantee secure the value of a product against its functionality.

Regarding the fallacious appeals to logos, there is a certain miscalculation regarding the rationale of parents buying their children a tablet for kids. It is quite logical to watch cartoon together with a child in front of a TV and read traditional books (Pricken 64). In this regard, the assumption that even the youngest child should have an advanced technological marvel is fallacious because from the parental logic, the main emphasis is placed upon child’s well-being and eyes being exposed to screen from an early age can have a negative influence in the future. Another aspect of logos is that some middle-class parents are motivated to raise their children in traditional ways, where tablets are of no use (Stoklossa 51). In terms of the appeal to child’s security through a parental control, the absence of a tablet makes the child even more secured.

Regarding the advertisers unstated assumptions, it can be concluded that they perceived most of the target audience being IT proficient and driven by advanced technologies. In this regard, this assumption can prove to be more applicable to the American market within urban areas rather than rural (Pricken 81). It is also assumed that the target audience is acquainted with the popular culture and Disney movies; thus it can relate to the characters of “Finding Nemo”. The advertisers also assume that the target audience will view a tablet as a means of education for their children. However, they do not take into account that parents are trying to discourage their children from playing games at their PSP devices, so buying another device like a tablet could be a counterproductive measure in making children study instead of playing games.

The main reason why the audience can be susceptive to this ad is because the ad elaborates on the vital matter for the target audience – parental desire to get the best for their children and to provide their security. That is why although appealing to logos is relevant in any ad and persuasion techniques, in the case of children;it is the emotional element that proves to be most influential. That is why constant repeating of phrases regarding child’s joy or things children love makes parents feel guilty that their child will not have the same thing. Thus, the parents are eager to buy the new device they are convinced is safe and entertaining for their child because parents want their children to be happy. In general, in the promotion of goods and services, appeal to family values and parents love for their children are the most efficient since they appeal to the primeval instinct to protect and safeguard well-being of the beloved ones (Pricken 78).  That is why this ad is excellent in structuring its appeal in all three elements of pathos, ethos and logos.

Thus, from all mentioned above, it can be argued that in order to persuade the audience for the purchase, the elements of the ad were structured in a certain order. First of all, before selling anything, the audience was influenced by visual aspect appealing to pathos and ethos, the actual tablet with Nemo on it. When the viewer realizes consciously or subconsciously the connection between Nemo’s story and the security of one’s own children, he is ready to process the further information on the logical reasoning for buying this product (Stoklossa 54). This is where textual aspect is the most functional, it provides the relevant logical arguments for the purchase yet the very reasoning is already conditioned by emotional stimulus of looking after one’s children and keeping them safe. Finally, when the viewer finishes reading the text, then looks up and sees the picture of Nemo and the slogan suggesting that this device is suitable even for the toughest children. This slogan serves as a conclusion of the textual message sent to the audience and also a suggestion that it is suitable for all kids, meaning that all children would want to have one (Stoklossa 54). Thus, the ad is effective in pointing the viewer in the needed direction of thinking, bringing him to the outcome – purchasing the product.

Works Cited

Pricken, M. Creative Advertising: Ideas and Techniques from the World’s Best Campaigns. New York: Thames & Hudson. 2004. Print.

Stoklossa, U. Advertising: New Techniques for Visual Seduction. New York: Thames & Hudson. 2010. Print.