The public is bombarded with hundreds of advertisements through the media everyday. As a result of this, it has become difficult for the customer to differentiate advertisements and no wonder they pay less attention to it. In such situations, it becomes increasingly important for advertisers to be creative and inculcate new concepts to achieve the status of being distinct in the market. One of the most popular strategies for achieving it is the use of provocation. Since the 1970s, advertising has evolved significantly in its creativity, form and content. Starting from a simple advertisement it gradually went on to become innovative and bold, especially in the 1980s, which was marked by boundless creativity.
Since the late 1990s, a new strategy has emerged i.e. the use of provocation in advertising. The advertisers started to shock the viewers intentionally with their provocative nature of advertisements and this approach helped the advertisers to remain in the viewer's mind for a longer time.
[...] Recently, the brand Maritie + Francis Gibaud organized a repeating visual advertising based on the famous "Wedding at Cana" by Veronese, with mannequins dressed in the clothes they sell. This campaign has provoked a scandal before it was removed from the media. Similarly, the film by Costa Gavras' "Amen" had scored a major coup with its displays, representing a Catholic cross turning into a swastika. The taboos Provocative advertising uses sensitive issues, such as death (e.g. an advertisement for a travel agency, which showed a little girl in an empty house, asking "Where is Grandma? [...]
[...] usage of pictures of duets policies - Nicolas Sarkozy and Dominique de Villepin, Francois Hollande and Segolene Royal - punctuated with the slogan "Together"), or themes related to politics, can provoke a debate. The singer Cali recently attempted such a campaign for his album "Liar", using a quote from President Jacques Chirac, punctuated by a terse "liar" at the end spot. The advertising was not released following a negative opinion from the Audit Bureau of Advertising. Religion The diversion of the theme of religion in the context of provocation advertising is now becoming more common. He enrolled in a current climate tense, in which religion is a sensitive issue. [...]
[...] In general, the rhetoric of advertising uses codes, processes and models which are clearly identified by the public (audience). By resorting to provocation, trademarks escape some of these codes and can capture the attention of the public. With the above accomplishment, an advertiser can also increase brand awareness and obtain memorization scores, as the message will succeed in shocking the consumer and thus gaining his attention. In general, the public reacts well to provocative advertising. The process begins to be known by consumers, who no longer take messages to the text at the first degree. [...]
[...] Patterns of provocation advertising The level of provocation advertising is variable: if some advertisers are attempting to accomplish their advertising objectives with provocative, messages on the other side there are many brands which prefer to protect themselves with limited provocation, often lightened by a humorous concept. It is indeed tempting for advertisers seeking to limit the risk of negative impact, to ensure that their customers are not offended. The levels of provocation High level Advertisements using a high level of provocation generally do not refer to the product itself. [...]
[...] Protest movements Both acclaimed and disparaged, advertising crystallizes the tensions in society, and creates a divided public opinion, especially when it uses the strategy of provocation. At the forefront of these releases, several consumer groups have learned to track the advertising scandal, and are the first to oppose such over provocative campaigns. A set of resistance networks are organized to avoid the usage of the provocative concept in advertising. There are several organizations which are protesting against use of sex in advertisements, as they consider it as a discrimination against women. [...]
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