A fit(ting) rhetoric!
Advertisers are always trying to target the deepest needs and desires of consumers. However, does this approach always end in a win-win situation?
What do you see in these two images? Consider the one on the left. A big, fleshy pear with a bold injunction: ‘THIS IS NO SHAPE FOR A GIRL’. On the right we see two silhouettes running, with a simple assertion: ‘You’re more powerful than you think.’ Both are advertisements, both use a combination of text and images, both urge its viewers to be fit. But can you spot the difference?
The first one by Gold’s Gym focuses on girls with a ‘pear-shaped’ body — slimmer on the top and heavier on the bottom. The other, by Apple, shows two people (seemingly of different genders) running with their pedometer on their arm. While the former dictates what a girls’ desired shape should be, the latter seems encouraging and reassuring. For someone insecure about their body, the one on the left might make them feel guilty and lead them to sign up for a gym membership, while for someone enthusiastic about fitness, the one on the right may also lead them to buy an Apple phone for its exercise and training applications. Evidently, both images are directed to sell their product or service, but there is something fundamentally different about them. The two advertisements are trying to capitalize on different emotions to motivate people to use their service. While one leverages insecurities the other channelizes positive reinforcement. It is my argument that while both strategies are useful for persuasion, the one which uses negative emotions is perhaps not sustainable in the long run.
To understand this, first, we need to look at the purpose of an advertisement. Conventionally we would think it is only to persuade people. Yet, a particular theory called the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory says that the purpose is three-fold; we need to attract people, select them, and prevent attrition (Cunningham and Woods 7). However, most advertisers think only about the first stage, that is, attraction, which is why they end up using techniques that entice us — emotionally charged language, vivid art, attractive models that appeal to our fantasies and our fears (Bazerman 104). To retain customers, fitness brands need to better understand different customer motivations for engaging in fitness and targeting that emotion. McClelland identified four major types of motives: achievement, power, affiliation, and avoidance. The first targets the sense of achievement that comes with attaining our goals. Power is associated with many competitive and assertive activities that help attain a sense of prestige and reputation. Affiliation is the feeling of the goal state of being with another. Avoidance motives are those that operate through our fears. While the first three systems involve positive emotions, avoidance motives involve negative emotions.
While both sets of emotions can lead to attraction and selection if attrition needs to be prevented, a greater focus on positive emotions is required.
Let us explore how the use of negative and positive emotions, affects people as they choose between different fitness brands.
In a study conducted among students at the Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, researchers showed two student groups, two different videos. While one showcased two fit models exercising, the other simply talked about the health benefits of joining the gym next door. After watching the video the participants filled questionnaires. The report found that “advertising that focuses on images of very attractive exercisers can have negative effects on men’s self-efficacy in a similar way that images of attractive, thin women can have harmful effects on women’s body image. Also, men who were briefly exposed to advertising that featured muscular men showed a greater discrepancy between their ideal body size and their actual body size” (Berry and Howe 123). This study shows that the advertisement that confronts the audience’s anticipated self-esteem concerns and body image issues makes people self-conscious and negatively affects their self-confidence.
In another study conducted in the Southwest United States, a group of students was shown advertisements for two different fitness clubs. One focussed on improving appearance, while the other talked about improving overall health and well-being. There too it was inferred that “participants had more positive attitudes towards the fitness club when they believed the club emphasized being physically active for health-related benefits rather than being active to improve one’s appearance. These findings complement related studies that have also illustrated the positive effects of emphasizing health and wellness in health-related efforts” (Cunningham and Woods 7). What we can observe from the two studies is that advertising that evokes negative emotions like guilt, shame, regret, or even fear may negatively influence an individual’s self-esteem. It can make consumers feel inadequate in terms of weight, fitness level, or age and subsequently affect their exercise participation. On the other hand, positive emotions like hope, encouragement, and pride that comes with an attitude towards holistic well being are accepted more positively. So how can fitness brands use this observation to ensure effective advertising that motivates people to sign up and more importantly stay with the brand?
We can understand this by looking at the example of Nike. Not withstanding the several controversies that Nike has been mired in recent years, their campaigns have always been successful for knowing the pulse of their audience. One such campaign built around the slogan “Rise Above,” shows the lone athlete, the white lettering, and the Nike logo standing out complex environment (Fig. 3) — urging the potential consumer to do likewise. Through “vivid visual imagery and evocative language, the designers of the ad attempt to equate a product with self-improvement and overall success”
(Bazerman 105). The narrative is compelling and targets the achievement and power motives that McClelland talks about. Similarly, Crunch Fitness has a campaign called ‘No judgments’ (Fig. 4). It encourages viewers to join the gym without any inhibitions and be a part of a community. It successfully targets achievement as well as affiliation motives. Thus, while the aim of the fitness brand remains the same, they can persuade their audience to view fitness positively. This approach will encourage consumers to invest in their fitness and well-being thus, allowing them to commit to it for a longer period. In turn, they will pledge their allegiance to brands that motivate their fitness as well as nurture their holistic well being in the long run.
Read Fashion Bloggers by Navya Karnwal
Works Cited
1. Brockriede, Wayne, and Douglas Ehninger. “Toulmin on Argument: An Interpretation and Application.” Quarterly Journal of Speech, vol. 46, no. 1, 1960, pp. 44–53., DOI:10.1080/00335636009382390.
2. Cunningham, George B, and Jennifer Woods. “FOR THE HEALTH OF IT: ADVERTISEMENT MESSAGE AND ATTRACTION TO FITNESS CLUB.” American Journal of Health Studies, 26(1), https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298385646_The_Influence_of_Fitness_Club_Culture_on_Attitudes_Toward_Joining.
3. “It’s All Canadian to Me: A Rhetorical Analysis of a Fitness Town Advertisement (Rough Draft).” Rhetoric and Civic Life, sites.psu.edu/pmorrisrclblog/2014/10/02/its-all-canadian-to-me-a-rhetorical-analysis-of-a-fitness-town-advertisement/.
4. Jasinski, James. Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key Concepts in Contemporary Rhetorical Studies. Sage Publications, 2001.
5. Bazerman, Charles. The Informed Writer. Houghton Mifflin, 1989.
6. Berry, Tanya R., and Bruce L. Howe. “The Effects of Exercise Advertising on Self-Efficacy and Decisional Balance.” American Journal of Health Behavior, vol. 29, no. 2, Jan. 2005, pp. 117–126., DOI:10.5993/ajhb.29.2.3
7. Pear 26309639. “Gold’s Gym Sends A Rotten Message With Fruit Ad.” Bodybuilding.com, 29 Apr. 2019, www.bodybuilding.com/content/golds-gym-sends-a-rotten-message-with-fruit-ad.html.
8. YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EoCzDTynzc.
9. Wallpapers Nike, 2016.” WallpaperCave, wallpapercave.com/wallpaper-nike-2016.
10. Glowfox, www.glofox.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/12.jpg.
About the author:
Shivani is currently pursuing her passion for being a marketer at a marketing consulting firm. She believes that human behavior is at the heart of what she does and spends her free time learning more about it!
Follow Project Democracy on Instagram for regular updates @projectdemocracy.yif
