Motivational appeals in advertising generally refer to the strategies aimed at influencing how buyers, both potential and existing, view themselves and how by them ways buying certain products they can derive satisfaction and benefits from them. The appeal persuades the buyers’ decision to purchase certain goods and services. Such appeals include fear, humor, warmth, security, pleasure, status and acceptance amongst many others. These appeals are either emotional or rational in nature.
The first case analysis will be the motivational appeals used to advertise Rolex brand of watches. First of all Rolex appeal to the desire of achieving a high class status. It gained popularity in the United States since it was loved by former presidents. Most consumers to this date have branded Rolex, “The President”. The watches symbolize prestige, class and wealth to the consumers. By acquiring a Rolex watch an individual targets to improve on his or her perceived wealth, class and status. The consumer is made to believe that by owning a Rolex watch, they are successful. The brand is associated with people perceived to be successful in society such as presidents, sports personalities and celebrities. Whereas all watches have the same purpose and tell time, Rolex appeals more to the buyers since it brings with it a feeling of intelligence, class and wealth. The status appeal used by Rolex has been successful to the extent that consumers buy Rolex to associate with the status appeal. This appeal has enabled Rolex to sell at a higher price than competing brands. Because of this status appeal, Rolex has been able to grow into a global brand and improve on its annual sales revenues. There is the human desire to be successful. No one ever wants to be a failure. In their advertisement posits “Want to be successful, buy Rolex”. This appeals to all consumers who want to be associated with success. The desire for success and status are best brought in the Rolex advertisement appeals to the consumers.
The second interesting case is the advertisement of Ford F-150 pickup truck. The advert of this truck first of appeals to the masculine (males) audience. The car possesses masculine qualities of extreme power. Men are known to be aggressive and dominant. To begin with the advert depicts six men in social setting. So it first of all appeals to their need to socialize. Potential buyers will attribute the social power to Ford F-150 truck. The aggressive nature of the brand is evident in the use of the words “I don’t bring anything to the party, I bring the party.” The strong negative statement at the onset depicts aggressive nature. This quality will appeal to the masculine gender in order to acquire the Ford F-150. The words in red, “I bring the party” really depict dominance. The owner of the truck is portrayed as dominant. The truck is also labeled as, “Built Ford Tough” which shows masculine, toughness and dominant nature of men. In other words this model of vehicle tends to appeal to the masses who want self-images of masculinity and dominance. The vehicle is also portrayed as strong with ability to carry six men. The company was successful in this advert based on the number of F150 models that have been sold. Ford F-150 has been one of the best-selling American truck brands.
In conclusion, motivational appeals are powerful marketing strategy tools that if well used have great sales and revenue potentials for companies. Caution needs to be taken to avoid boomerang effects that might come from poor quality goods and services.
References
Cline, T. (1999). The Joint Impact of Humor and Argument Strength in a Print Advertising Context: A Case for Weaker Arguments. Psychology and Marketing.
Gass, R. and Seiter, J. (2014). Persuasion: Social Influence and Compliance Gaining. California: Pearson Publishers.
Meyvis, T. C. (2002). Consumers’ Beliefs about Product Benefits: The Effect of Obviously Irrelevant Product Information. Journal of Consumer Research, 1(1), 618-630.
Schiffman, L, O’Cass, A, Paladino, A & Carlson, J. (2013). Consumer Needs and Motivation in Consumer Behavior, (6th edition). Pearson Australia.
