• Selecting the Message Source

• Selecting the Message Source

Studies show that the message's impact on the target audience is a!so affected by how the audience views the communicator. The credibility and attractiveness of the message source ­ the company, the brand name, the spokesperson for

message source the brand or the actor in the ad who endorses the product ­ must therefore be

The company, [he brand considered.

name, the salesperson of Messages delivered by highly credible sources are more persuasive.

the brand, or the actor in Pharmaceutical firms want doctors to tell about their products' benefits because

the ad who entlorses the doctors rank high on expertise in their field, so they have high credibility. Many product.

food companies promote to doctors, dentists and other healthcare experts to motivate these professionals to recommend their products to patients. For example, Sensodyne Toothpaste has, for years, promoted the product in dental surgeries, and ads use endorsements by dental practitioners to persuade target users to adopt the brand. However, the expert loses credibility if the audience

believes the person is being paid to make product claims. To remain credible, the

766 • Chapter 18 Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy

Marketing

Communications: The puzzle. A little intrigue adds inter­

est. But the intrigue can only be

Kine Line Between

Highlight

stretched so far.

Attraction and Irritation

18.1 Bud Taste Ads?

Very few advertisers set out delib­ Established brands using shock erately to trick, mislead, insult or

tactics can also do as much offend the public. Those that do,

damage, although observers argue face a backlash from consumers

that it is really a question of what and other parties, or find them­

is socially intolerable and a matter selves debarred at source from the

of taste. Recently, charities and means to publicize their messages

pressure groups have inspired a further because the media reject

considerable amount of criticism. the ads that conflict with a coun­

An RSPCA (Royal Society for the try's codes of advertising practices.

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) campaign drew attention to the plight of horses exported for con­

Teasers: Good Campaigns (ret the I'unters sumption by using a harrowing image of a dead Talking, a Bud One Attracts Complaints

pony hanging from a hook. The advertising Advertisers acknowledge that getting viewers to

watchdog, the ASA, upheld complaints against solve a puzzle in an advertisement is fair game in

the ad, not because it had any wish to frustrate advertising. However, campaigns can backfire.

the RSPCA's efforts to enlighten the public, but Britvic Soft Drinks aired a 'Still Tango' ad which

because the visual image used was deemed mis­ appealed to consumers to report any sightings oi

leading and grossly offensive. The advertisement an apparently unlicensed product in the ad.

did not successfully reflect either the argument Almost 30,000 consumers responded, only to be

advanced in the text or the way live horses were told that it was all a joke ­ they'd been 'Tango'd'!

actually herded for transportation. Sixty­three oi" those 'Tango'd' were so annoyed

A British Rail (BR) newspaper advertisement that they complained to the Independent

featuring 12 yellow condoms arranged in a circle Television Commission (ITC), which accused

against a blue background was severely criticized Britvic and its agency of undermining the credi­

for being 'grossly irresponsible in its encourage­ bility and authority of the medium ­ TV ­ and

ment of promiscuity', and for 'denigrating the misleading consumers. People felt used, express­

European Union flag', after the ASA received 164 ing irritation with the company for playing a

complaints. The ad was intended to boost BR's prank on them. Britvic's teaser grabbed the audi­

Young Person's European rail card sales. Its eap­ ence's attention, but it ended up getting the wrong kind of publicity!

A campaign of a different kind caused uproar in .Spain. An agency in Madrid sent out love letters to 50,000 young mothers in a direct­marketing cam­

paign for Fiat's Cinquento car. A second hatch of letters was then sent revealing the Cinquento as

the secret admirer. Rather than this being seen as an amusing piece of junk mail, it caused a storm of protest. The agency claimed the reaction was mainly positive. The Spanish Women's Institute denounced the campaign. Some women were so troubled they were seared to leave the house.

There is a fine dividing line between attract­ ing and irritating consumers. For most of the time, people are prepared to enjoy a light­hearted

Steps in Developing Effective Communication • i(>7

tion was 'Inter­Rail. You've got the rest of your life tries. For example, in 1995 some ads were to he good' and supported the European

banned in Germany following protests from the Commission's 'Europe Against AIDS' initiative.

firm's retailers, and three of Belgium's largest bill­ BR denied that the ad encouraged promiscuity.

board operators refused to carry the 'black horse Rather it was consistent with research evidence —

on white horse' poster in August 1996. that a significant proportion of 18­25­year­olds

More recently, Benetton has been changing had sexual encounters without a condom while

its style, dropping its 'shock' posters in favour of on holiday, BR was urged to avoid further adver­

more subtle ways of communicating its business tisements in that style!

philosophy to target audiences. The company is More noteworthy is the controversy that has

opening up shops all over the world. But its new dogged Italian clothing designer and manufac­

shops are no ordinary outlets. One in Milan, turer Benetton's 'United Colors' ads throughout

for example, is staffed by penniless north African the late 1980s and mid­1990s. In 1989 public

immigrants. And there is a common thread — opinion in the United States forced it to withdraw

shops in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, those showing a black woman breastfeeding a

in Siberia, Albania, Estonia, Ukraine, Libya, white child. In 1991 a blood­smeared newborn

Cameroon and Croatia, Benetton's publicity baby ad received more than 800 complaints to

strategy is 'to make consumers think', says the the UK's ASA, criticizing Benetton for provoking

controversial Oliviero Toscani, Benetton's free­ public distress and outrage, and displaying a con­

lance photographer and advertising guru. spicuous disregard for the sensitivities of the

Benetton's new­image shops do just that. The public. Benetton agreed to withdraw the adver­

one in Milan was a response to European Union tisement. Magazine publishers and poster con­

moves to restrict immigration to Europe. tractors supported the ASA in its ruling against

Benetton's message remains the same as in its Benetton by refusing space to the advertiser.

'shock' ads. But now, these shops give Benetton Other Benetton ads ­ a black child depicting a

another channel to make challenging gestures. devil contrasting with a white cherub, an AIDS

The big question is: Will this help to sell lots and victim, a baby's bottom stamped 'HIV positive', the

lots of clothes?

Queen of England as a black woman, the bloodied uniform of a dead Bosnian soldier, a nun kissing a priest, a black stallion mounting a white mare ­ consistently created furore. Benetton argues that

the campaigns were not about pushing sales. Nor were they intended to insult or hurt. Rather they were designed to capture people's interest, pro­

mote tolerance and provoke reflection. There is little doubt that Benetton's shocking ads succeeded in creating worldwide publicity and kept its name on everybody's lips. But was it good or bad publicity? Over the years, its cam­ paigns have been rejected in a number of coun­

source must be perceived by the target audience as being an expert where the product is concerned and trustworthy: that is, objective and honest in his or her opinion of the benefits claimed for the product.

Marketers also use celebrities to speak for their products. For example, when the pan­European television station MTV launched its UK­only music channel VH­1 in September 1994, it chose a cast of UK celebrities who would appeal to its target audience of 'older' viewers. Ads featured, among others, fashion designer Bruce Oldfield, England rugby captain Will Car ling and Anglo­Norwegian tele­ vision presenter Mariella Frostrup. 6

768 • Chapter IS Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy

Other notable examples are Michael Jackson, who was the star in Pepsi­Cola's

ad, and O.J. Simpson for the car rental firm Hertz, Celebrities arc effective when they personify a key product attribute, but there can be a backlash, as in the case of both Jackson and .Simpson, when they are caught up in unsavoury publicity, which tarnishes their credibility and esteem with the audience.

Attractiveness is associated with the prestige of the source, his or her simi­ larity with the receiver, or the physical or personal attractiveness of the source. It is also likely that the more attractive the source, the more he or she will be liked

by the audience. It is therefore not surprising that many advertisers use well­ known film stars, fashion models and top sports people to endorse their products.