Media Blog #7: Colgate

Okay, first I want you to look at these images closely, and then we'll get started.

Okay.

So did you notice anything odd about these pictures? If not, look at them again one more time. If still no (or even a yes but you just want me to get onto the point), there's more to these pictures than just guys with food stuck in their teeth.

In the first photo, you will notice that the woman's hand has more than 5 fingers. In the second, there is a mysterious hand on the man's shoulder. In the third, the man is missing an ear.

The entire focus of this campaign is to illustrate that a mouth without care is more noticeable than any other flaws you might have. It's true that a smile can say a lot about what kind of person you are, but this might be going over the top. But if you really think about it, that's what advertising does. It takes the tiniest things (imperfections, and desires, etc.) and blows them up out of proportion so more attention will be drawn to them, and they can sell their product easier. It's oddly similar to a straw-man fallacy in a way.

Anyways, the target market for this ad is most likely males 30-50 years old, who are in the upper-middle class to upper class income. I base these off of the appearances of the men in the ads. If you'll notice more than just the missing/additional appendages, all of the men are wearing collared shirts, nice ones too.

A pretty convincing campaign, if I do say so myself.