It even glues a bridge together!

Goldenberg, Mazursky and Solomon (1999) listed in ‘Fundamental templates of quality ads’ six templates in which all quality ads fit into. One out of the six templates is the extreme situation template which shows a product performing beyond the limits of its actual use in order to amplify a key attribute or worth of the product. This template is broken down into three subtypes, the first being the absurd alternative version in which we are shown how easy it is to use the product in question and also an alternative way the product can be used to achieve similar great results. The second subtype is the extreme worth version; here the worth of the particular product is exaggerated immensely. Finally, the third version displays a similar effect; the extreme attribute version, the key use of the product is exaggerated to display how far it could go to give you the desired outcome.

The advertisement for superglue above shows the ‘power’ of the glue, by implying that it can stick together the hardest of materials (metal in this case) and it can be used in all extreme and exaggerated situations (gluing together a breaking bridge). Here we clearly see an example of the extreme situation template in the version of extreme attribute. The attribute exaggerated in an extreme scenario here is the power of the glue, so powerful that it is able to hold a bridge together. This shows the consumer the power of the product and the extent in which it meets its main purpose.

References

Goldenberg, J., Mazursky, D., & Solomon, S. (1999). The Fundamental templates of quality ads. Marketing Science, 3, 333-351.