Thinking Visually? You are now! (Draft)

Thinking Visually? You are now!

            Advertising is all around us, all day, everyday. We soak in every bit of persuasion that any ad may have to offer whether subconsciously or consciously choosing to do so. Each month as technology advances and people come up with more and more abstract ideas, advertisements, whether printed or televised, are becoming what I would consider ridiculous. Maybe it’s the typical “beer brings happiness to your rainy day” ad, or the “using this deodorant will make girls chase after you down the street” one; long story short, advertisers of companies, products, and foods world wide are making people believe that what they have to offer can bring you perfect happiness in unheard of ways.

One of the most widely used advertisement methods is sexuality and is being mostly found in fast food ads. This Arby’s ad has countless hidden messages behind it other than saying, “We have good burgers; come and eat them.” I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this ad and had to do a double take to make sure I wasn’t just thinking in a, what some would say, “dirty way!” But then I realized that what I thought it might be, it actually was. Yes. Arby’s is comparing their newest burgers to female’s breasts. Shocking, I know, but what exactly is the hidden message behind this?

The image displayed in this ad is implying that the feeling a man gets by seeing a naked female body should be how they feel when they see an Arby’s burger because that is how delicious it is. When you think about it, this ad doesn’t even really elaborate on what makes their product so great. They don’t refer to what’s on it or what makes it so good. One could say the main hidden message is “Arby’s, its better than boobs!” It may then be obvious to you that Arby’s is more focused on their male customers, therefore choosing to compare its products to a naked woman.

This ad also has the halo effect present. What is the halo effect you might wonder? According to Jean Kilbourne, “products such as jewelry shining in a store window are often displayed as if they were sacred objects (Kilbourne).” The halo effect gives us this almost religious connection to what we are viewing by making it seem sacred or holly. The hamburgers are enlightened, with the “ahh” moments provided by the halo. It’s the feeling you get when you have something extremely tasty and you think it is just the best thing in the world at that moment. This is exactly what Arby’s is trying to tell people, that their burgers will give you that “ahh” moment, just like the feeling men apparently get when they see a naked female holding their breasts.

In a blog that directly criticizes this advertisement from Arby’s, and another from Burger King both which tie their products to sex, written by Jesse B, shows a very interesting point of view, “I feel like advertisements such as these may actually deter women from buying from these restaurants, feeling possibly disrespected. If you read the fine print in the Arby's ad, it starts with the sentence "What a tease." They use this double meaning phrase because not only are they not showing you the entire burger, but it also was not released yet at the time of publication. Also, this makes the argument that women that cover up their breasts are teases... hmmmm (B, Jesse).”

I believe that Jesse pointed out one of the deepest hidden meanings in this advertisement. What better way to tell the world that this burger has not yet been released by teasing men with a literal visual tease! Why try to find a naked woman when you can just have Arby’s new burger! It really is amazing how far these advertisers stretch reality to make people feel the need to want certain things. It seems you can compare just about any product to sex, happiness, or sacredness to get people to want it.   “Advertising encourages us not only to objectify each other but to feel passion for products rather than our partners (Kilbourne).”

This is another one of Arby’s ads that they have decided to compare to female breasts. This one isn’t so suggestive as the other one in a sense that men will not want their chicken like they want a female’s breast. But, this ad does suggest that their chicken compared to other fast food places is real instead of fake. In other words, the chicken has “real breasts” instead of implants like a woman may have.

This visual is also taken with a beach in the background. This could mean that Arby’s chicken can bring you to a peaceful place where all your worries can go away.

All of these hidden messages are necessary to make people want to buy their food. According to an article by Seth Fiegerman, “Companies are reaching a point where conventional advertising no longer works, our attention is just gone. People don’t look at a full TV ad anymore, so companies need to find other avenues to stand out (Fiegerman).” This is why advertisers have gone to the extremes that they have such as making these sexual references and playing jokes out of words that can mean two or more things. Ads like these Arby’s ads make us laugh but they are also working with our subconscious minds even though we don’t notice it. “As consumers, we watch ads with a defensive screen up telling us ‘this is trying to sell us something, watch out (Fiegerman).” Even when we know something in an advertisement is completely ridiculous and seems extreme, the fact that we are seeing the ad is still giving us ideas and putting brands in our heads. “Still, even three seconds seems pretty quick to be influenced by an advertisement. It remains to be seen how this will influence marketing agencies down the road, but one thing seems clear: We are in many ways witnessing a new and slightly more acceptable version of subliminal advertising. While subliminal ads imply that you can be influenced by something that you might never normally be able to notice (like small details that can appeal to your subconscious even though you are fully capable of noticing it after the fact) (Fiegerman).”

So what is it exactly that we learned from these two advertisements? We could say that simply Arby’s has amazing food but I think now we all know that it goes much deeper then that. These ads made us believe that the new Arby’s burgers are so mouthwatering that men see them as females breast and that they use 100% real breast meat. These are two ads that show how company’s ads have several hidden meanings behind them that make us want to buy what ever it is that they are selling. “Advertising creates a world view that is based upon cynicism, dissatisfaction and craving. Advertisers aren’t evil. They are just doing their job, which is to sell a product; but the consequences, usually unintended, are often destructive. The story that advertising tells is that the way to be happy, to find satisfaction is through the consumption of material objects. And the major motivating force for social change throughout the world today is this belief that happiness comes from the market( Kilbourne).” It’s quite remarkable how advertisers come up with all these abstract and ridiculous ideas to make us want and crave companies’ products. But hey, that’s just how we live our lives. We pick the brands we know best, we go for the products that we have learned to believe are the best. Just remember, advertisers aren’t out to get you, they are simply doing their job. They are the reason you use the products and eat the foods that you do!

Works Cited

B, Jesse. "Thinking Visually at UNL: Arby's! It's Better Than Boobs! (Response to Blog 3)." Thinking Visually at UNL: Arby's! It's Better Than Boobs! (Response to Blog 3). Blogger, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://thinkingvisuallyatunl.blogspot.com/2011/02/arbys-its-better-than-boobs-response-to.html>.

Fiegerman, Seth. "The New Subliminal Advertising." MainStreet. N.p., 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.mainstreet.com/article/small-business/marketing/new-subliminal-advertising?page=1>.

Kilbourne, Jean. "Jesus Is a Brand Of jeans." New Internationalist Magazine. Creative

Commons, 1 Sept. 2006. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.newint.org/features/2006/09/01/culture/>.

Picture 1: Found on this blog

Megginson, Tom. "The Ethical Adman: Arby's Embraces the Sandwich on Social

 Media." The Ethical Adman: Arby's Embraces the Sandwich on Social Media.

N.p., 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.

<http://workthatmatters.blogspot.com/2012/03/arbys-embraces-

sandwich-on-social-media.html>.

Picture 2: found on this website

"SWIMSUIT ISSUE." - Arby's Chicken Naturals Range Print Ad. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct.

 2012. <http://www.advertolog.com/arbys/print-outdoor/swimsuit-issue-

8082205/>.