"I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post -- for support, rather than for illumination."
-- DAVID OGILVY
Ok, ok... this post doesn't really belong in my Marketing STD category *technically*; this has nothing to do with sneaky food labels, legal loopholes, or marketing ploys meant to set you up for failure. This is, however, a massive rant I've been meaning to have for a while ever since I signed up for a 1-Week Trial of our local Equinox Fitness Club here in Santa Monica, CA, and I thought it pertinent to also introduce Media STDs in this section of my blog, as well.
If you are unfamiliar with Equinox clubs, they cost like a BILLION dollars a month for a membership. Super snooty. The Equinox I visited had barely adequate amounts of equipment (I'm sure others are nicer... this was a smaller club, it seemed). The club is mostly known for it's fabulous free group exercise and yoga classes, as well as it's status symbol (in my opinion). Anyway, my friend asked me to try the gym out, so there I was sitting in a sales rep's office waiting for her to bombard me with all kinds of sales pitches (just let me sign my waiver and get my sweat on, woman!).
As I was sitting there, I see an advertisement that was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen a gym advertise, and it immediately turned me off to Equinox for all eternity. Companies spend millions of dollars on ad campaigns, research, psychological consumerism studies, and understanding their target markets. I studied consumer psychology and advertising while in college, and believe me: There is not one aspect of an advertisement that is haphazard. Everything is calculated, researched, put through consumer trials and focus groups, and perfectly well-intentioned. Everything from where the light hits, to which direction the angles of the subject's body contours point to, to the colors and prop placements, are ALL purposeful. Therefore, something as simple as a print ad can actually speak volumes about a company, what it is trying to represent itself as, who it is trying to target and sell to, and what message it wants to communicate to those whom it wants to be listening.
This is the ad I saw in the Equinox sales rep's office:
So the ad is campaigning the notion of "Focus". Their slogan is, "It's Not Fitness. It's LIFE." They are trying to tell you that by being a part of their gym, they will help you focus, or possibly to be determined and persevere in pursuing your goals. But... focus on what????? What do you see in this picture? I see two fashion models with extremely lacking amounts of muscle or fat, and who in fact look unnaturally thin, all glammed up and trying to arm wrestle over.... cake and pastries?!?! What in the actual hell is being advertised in this? Someone please, enlighten me. What message are they even trying to send? That their gym members will be focused and will look rich, glamorous, unhealthily lean and can overcome cake?? Look at where the angles of their elbows point to: Plates of cookies. And while they seem to be intently staring at each other, their gaze is directly in line with a wedding cake. Lots of make up, accessories, and sleek hair-dos speaks nothing to me of getting my ass in the gym and working on my health and fitness... I mean, that's what a gym is designed for, right?
I personally go to Spectrum, and thought I would snap a shot of their print ads for the effect of a stark contrast:
Healthy, naturally built-looking humanoid whose body doubles as a spin room, with the logo "Real Change Begins on the Inside", which is SO TRUE when it comes to results, or really anything in life. This, in complete contrast to the seemingly outward-appearance-only campaign from Equinox.
Whilst I may be biased in my interpretations of these two clubs based on my tenure at Spectrum versus my only 1-time visit to Equinox, I can certainly surmise that most would agree that the message of Spectrum's ad is one that is both logically and aesthetically healthy, promotes positive ideas and body image, and encourages people to work out. The Equinox one? Makes me want to feed super models some cake and tell them to do some bicep curls before they attempt another arm wrestling match.
Moral to the story?
Of course, there are many other offenders than just Equinox. I mean, commercials like this actually DO exist..... but French-speaking Canada doesn't count. ;)
Marketing STD #2: Ridiculous Gym Advertisements. YOU'VE BEEN FOREWARNED.
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