Coca-Cola Light and WMF

The print adverts above depict the ‘extreme situation template’, which characterize situations or properties that are unnatural, in order to highlight the main attributes of the product or service advertised (Goldenberg, Mazursky & Solomon, 1999).

The category version ‘extreme attribute’ is displayed in both the ads above. This is because, in the first ad, the prominent feature that the ad wants to convey is the property of Coca-Cola being light. To get this message across, they show the drink to be going against gravity, because it is so light. This is unrealistic, but emphasizes the property of the product.

In the second ad, the message about the ‘extra sharp’ WMF knife is conveyed by depicting a half chopped carrot along with a chopped board. This puts across the extreme situation message about the knife being so sharp that it chops not only the vegetable but also the board – which obviously is unreal, but highlights the quality of the product.

Goldenberg, J., Mazursky, D., Solomon, S. (1999). The fundamental templates of quality ads. Marketing Science, 18, 333-351.