This is a record of the ups and the downs; the struggles and the achievements; the laughter and the frustration and what it takes to break into The Industry...the radio industry that is.
Day Twenty Five - Emo-Appeals
By “Emo-Appeals” I don’t mean appeals made by thirteen and fourteen year old kids dressed in the latest black fashions from head to toe, complete with slogans in angry style fonts disclaiming “The End of the World is Near” or “I Hate Mondays” no it’s back to creative techniques. Emotional Appeals, and speaking of which I have a story for you that has made me quite emotional today, to do with movie theatre etiquette. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re probably the person in the theatre that everyone hopes spontaneously combusts so they can enjoy the movie and I highly suggest you continue to read so you don’t end up slipping on a carefully placed pool of “real” butter as you leave to go pee for the 5th time during the movie!
Before I move onto emotional appeals let me quickly give you a run down of my past two days. Nothing exciting, literally just chilled, relaxed and such, but yesterday I went to go see the new Karate Kid movie (decent… although definitely a rental) and today I saw the new Cruise/Diaz movie Knight and Day (better, but still a rental). What do these two movies have in common? Besides a large popcorn with extra butter, medium coke and a bag of nibs to share, they both had “Loud Larry’s” (although one was a woman).
There is nothing wrong with enjoying a movie, I have no problem with that… however at Karate Kid, the guy sitting two rows behind me decided that it was absolutely essential to translate EVERY word to his friend in his booming voice. “SHE SAID ‘EXCUSE ME, CAN I ORDER?’ I THINK SHE IS HUNGRY! ISN’T THIS MOVIE GREAT?!” To which I replied (in my head) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Today was pretty much the same… except for this version of the Loud Larry was more of a “Commentating Carol”. ” NO, NO, NO YOU SHOULDN’T ANSWER THAT PHONE…FRED SHE ANSWERED THE PHONE… NOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET IT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”. Needless to say I have a bald spot. This leaves me with the opportunity, nay, the DUTY to outline the proper movie theatre etiquette.
- During the movie pre-show and initial commercials it’s ok to whisper and hold a conversation, but when the trailers start… zip it.
- If you are the person who gets up several times through the movie to get more popcorn or eleviate your bladder, take an aisle seat close to the door.
- There should be no reason, unless you’re at a Dora the Explorer movie, that you should need to clap along with the movie.
- Laughing is acceptable as long as it is not associated with ” WOOOHOO-OH-MY-LORD!-THAT-WAS-SOOOOO-FUNNY-I-KNEW-THAT-WAS-GOING-TO-HAPPEN-IT-WAS-ON-THE-TRAILER-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA’s” and kicking of the seat in front of you.
- All of these rules do not apply if you are the only one in the theatre, in fact its encouraged that you disregard the rules. However, if there is even one other person, follow the rules and everyone will have a good time!
HAHA… ok I think I’m over it. So frustrating, almost more so then trying to get a job in this business. Again, if you have no idea what I’m talking about… I highly recommend printing this post out and bringing it with you to your next movie so you can make sure you are being an abiding movie watcher. Now that we have covered this…
Emotional Appeals.
Two days ago I covered Functional Appeals, check that out if you are not sure what an appeal is. I wanted to quickly go over the other kinds of appeals just so you have more to choose from.
Emotional appeals are used to evoke emotions in potential consumers. The commercial that holds your attention all the way through and leaves you with the desire to buy the product, is most likely using an emotional appeal. So what are the different types. Well just like with functional appeals you can remember them by S.I.M.P.L.E. you can remember emotional appeals by - P.L.E.A.S.U.R.E
- People Interest
- Laughter
- Enlightenment
- Allurement
- Sensation
- Uniqueness
- Rivalry
- Eminence
Again I’ll go over what each one means quickly, as this is already a really long post!
People Interest. This appeal is all about placing the consumer in the character’s shoes. Make a connection between the characters in your script and your audience that you are trying to attract. Words that come to mind: Sympathy, Empathy, Trust, Hope.
Laughter. Humour solves everything. If a commercial is funny it will hold the consumers attention, will break the mental wall of being “advertised at” and allow your message to truly sink in and of course leave a smile on a persons face. This of course, will leave the consumer with recognition of your product because they will connect that funny commercial they heard to the product and will probably tell their friends!
Enlightenment. This method is all about trying to make the consumer feel like they are a King/Queen. That they are privy to new information that no one else has. This helps to make the consumer feel that they have power! It’s all about speaking to the ego!
Allurement. This is basically the not-so-racy equivalent to saying sex sells. The consumer is attracted to the product through sexuality. Passion, desire, lust etc.
Sensation. This one focuses on the five senses. Taste, Touch, Sight, Sound and Smell. Some of the most powerful ads just use imagery to trigger as many senses as possible just by using words. This builds an immediate connection to the product.
Uniqueness. Most common. This technique is centered around the newness of the product/service. It makes the consumer feel privileged. It’s all about having a high status.
Rivalry. This method takes the “my product is better then the competitions because….” approach. It makes the consumer thrive for the best gadget or whatever. A good example, I think, would be the whole Mac vs. PC commercials… purely showing the superiority of one product over another.
Lastly, Eminence. Luxury products use this appeal the most. Vanity, vanity, vanity. This is to strike the inner desire to improve the consumers image. Buy a $100,000 car and your neighbour will be so jealous, he will move!
Again, emotional and functional appeals do tend to overlap. Play around with them. Some products might fit perfectly with a certain technique, but don’t be afraid to try a different one… it might be the one that is needed to have your product stand out!
LONG POST…. Stopping now. See you tomorrow!
-Mitch
