The above is an advert used by
Volvic to advertise their new ‘Juiced’ range – in May 2013, shoppers at
Bluewater Shopping Centre could play a giant interactive billboard game where
clicking onscreen apples filled a virtual bottle of the product, which they
were then given as a reward for playing.
Whether you fancy getting fruity or not, this advert is an effective use of an ‘interactive experiment’ creativity template (Goldenberg, Mazursky & Solomon, 1999). The consumer is virtually involved in the process of product making in order to make a point: Volvic Juiced comes from a sunny, blue-skied orchard where fruit falls naturally from trees (but is somehow still superior to actual fruit juice). Senauer (2001) suggests food and drink consumption is used to express both self-image and an image of the environment a consumer wants to live in – through use of one the key tenets of influence, association, Volvic are pairing their product with good weather, green grass and time spent outside (even though, ironically enough, they are doing this through the use of a giant screen inside one of England’s busiest shopping centres).
Additionally, ‘advergames’ such as this increase children’s preference for a branded good over other similar products or food types (Mallinckrodt & Mizerski, 2013). While Volvic haven’t necessarily aimed this advert at children, let’s be honest: what kind of self-respecting adult, even one who fancies a free drink, is going to bob for apples in public when there are easily manipulated ten year olds to do it for them? (Although adults also give positive evaluations to the brands embedded in the games they play – see Lee, Choi, Quilliam and Cole, 2009). Children are the most probable victims of Volvic’s advertising and maybe even their pushy, parched parents. I just hope those parents aren’t surprised when their children start demanding Volvic Juiced...
Whether you fancy getting fruity or not, this advert is an effective use of an ‘interactive experiment’ creativity template (Goldenberg, Mazursky & Solomon, 1999). The consumer is virtually involved in the process of product making in order to make a point: Volvic Juiced comes from a sunny, blue-skied orchard where fruit falls naturally from trees (but is somehow still superior to actual fruit juice). Senauer (2001) suggests food and drink consumption is used to express both self-image and an image of the environment a consumer wants to live in – through use of one the key tenets of influence, association, Volvic are pairing their product with good weather, green grass and time spent outside (even though, ironically enough, they are doing this through the use of a giant screen inside one of England’s busiest shopping centres).
Additionally, ‘advergames’ such as this increase children’s preference for a branded good over other similar products or food types (Mallinckrodt & Mizerski, 2013). While Volvic haven’t necessarily aimed this advert at children, let’s be honest: what kind of self-respecting adult, even one who fancies a free drink, is going to bob for apples in public when there are easily manipulated ten year olds to do it for them? (Although adults also give positive evaluations to the brands embedded in the games they play – see Lee, Choi, Quilliam and Cole, 2009). Children are the most probable victims of Volvic’s advertising and maybe even their pushy, parched parents. I just hope those parents aren’t surprised when their children start demanding Volvic Juiced...
References
- Goldenberg, J., Mazursky, D., & Solomon, S. (1999). The fundamental templates of quality ads. Marketing Science, 18, 333–351.
- Lee, M., Choi, Y., Quilliam, E. T., & Cole, R. T. (2009). Playing with food: content analysis of food advergames. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 43, 129–154.
- Mallinckrodt, V., & Mizerski, D. (2007). The effects of playing an advergame on young children's perceptions, preferences, and requests. Journal of Advertising, 36, 87–100.
- Senauer, B. (2001). The food consumer in the 21st century: new research perspectives. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota.
Isobel Hall
I liked this, well done.
ReplyDelete