Advertising is a productive method in catching the viewer’s’ eye.  Most advertisers know how to manipulate the viewer by using certain tactics within the advertisement.  These methods can include things like bold colors, strategic wording, and ideal setting, and many other methods.  For example, one Lenoir-Rhyne University advertisement places students in a courtyard, on a sunny day, and they are dressed “with sophistication, style, and southern charm” (1) in bold-colored dresses and button-ups.  The Lenoir-Rhyne uses all of the mentioned tactics and more in their advertisement to attract applicants.

The first method Lenoir-Rhyne uses is bold colors.  The male figure on the left, who is sitting on the wall, is dressed in a bright sky-blue button-up shirt.  The male standing next to him is wearing the same color, but he is wearing shorts that sky-blue color rather than a shirt.  This automatically grasps a viewer’s attention to the screen. Additionally, all of the females in the image are wearing pale but bright blue dresses.  This keeps the viewer interested in the scene that is taking place in the foreground of the ad. In the background, the sky is blue and the trees are green, which brings a blissful mood to the scene.  Lenoir-Rhyne advertises it’s campus and students to be colorful, blissful, and positive.

Furthermore, Lenoir-Rhyne also includes strategic wording within the advertisement.  At the top of the image, the words are written “LR welcomes you” (1). The “you” is an italicized word.  This can make a viewer feel important and drawn to the ad because Lenoir-Rhyne is targeting viewers specifically.  Also, the advertisement has a paragraph that includes the words “donned in suits, skirts, and seersucker, students at Lenoir-Rhyne University bring a sense of style as polished as our programs of study” (1).  First of all, the description is inaccurate and does not parallel with the picture shown. The advertisement does not include suits nor seersucker. The males are dressed in button-ups while the females are in dresses.  This inaccurately portrays the image to be more “dapper” than it truly is. Second of all, the advertisement strategically uses the simile that Lenoir-Rhyne’s students look as stylish as their programs. This emphasizes to viewers that their programs are high-class programs.  In summary, the advertisement uses strategic wording to reel in viewers to hopefully apply to college at Lenoir-Rhyne.

In addition, the advertisement also consists of a strategic setting and environment.  The students in the advertisement are placed in a bright, colorful courtyard. The setting brings a positive mood to the advertisement making viewers feel happy and interested to learn about the school and possibly apply.  Also, in the courtyard, there is a statue of a bear, the university’s mascot, behind the male figure sitting on the left. This scene is on the university’s campus, so the positive mood brought by the setting displays the school to be a high quality or superior place to attend.  An additional part of the setting that is strategic when attracting applicants is the diversity of the picture. To the right of the male sitting on the left is an african-american male. This helps attract people of all races because it shows viewers that the school consists of a diverse student community.  In all, scene is a sharp and well-planned tactic when attempting to attract applicants in Lenoir-Rhyne’s case.

In conclusion, advertisements take time to plan tactics and strategies.  This Lenoir-Rhyne advertisement does just that. Though the words and images don’t parallel with each other, the overall advertisement was well planned and laid out.  The advertisement does not fail to captivate viewers with strategies that can hook someone instantly.

Citations

Lenoir-Rhyne U. Advertisement. Our State, Aug. 2015, p. 1.