Howdy folks! This
is Meng. She’s 31 years old, single, and looking for a man! Oh, and did I
mention that the lives in Guangdong, China? I guess this is YouTube’s attempt
at matchmaking.
No, but let’s be
serious for a second. How the heck – like – I cannot even begin to comprehend
how this ad was chosen to be marketed to ME. First, YouTube assumed that I
wanted to play some sexed-out pirate game and now they think I’m looking for an
international Chinese relationship? What?
As we learned
watching the various episodes of Frontline,
marketers are watching what you look for and what you find interesting online
and they use that information to market products specifically to you.
Delightful! Funny thing though: I’ve never visited a Chinese dating site for
people 30+ years old. I don’t even think I navigate my way through eHarmony! I
just don’t get it.
Anyway, enough of
that ridiculousness. Let’s focus on this wonderful little ad for a sec. The
first thing that you’re drawn to is – we’ll say Meng’s – face. She is looking
up at the audience and smiling at us warmly. This is designed to make us
comfortable. Making the viewer comfortable will make them more likely to pursue
the ad.
The second thing
that you notice in this ad is Meng’s dress – or rather, lack of. I don’t know
what it is about these YouTube ads: they want to show as much cleavage as
possible. They do this in this ad as a means for building our attraction for
Meng.
Next, you see a
little bit of Meng’s personal information: her name, age, relationship status,
where she lives, et cetera. This makes attracted viewers once again feel more
comfortable about Meng because they know more about her. And lastly, you have all
the technical stuff; what the website is designed for and whatnot and how you
can access it.
Alrighty then!
Let’s really get down to the sunny trifles, eh? In regards to Meng, it’s
important to remember that she is just an image; she is a symbol for who the
dating service wants to make you believe you can date: a young, cute, Chinese
woman. Is every woman that you could get together with via this site going to
look as IDEAL as Meng? Nope! But the dating service has already convinced you
otherwise.
Last but not
least, the background and color of this ad plays an important role in the
portrayal of the message as well. These dominant colors in this ad are soft
shades of green, blue, and tan. These colors help add a note of cuteness and
innocence. The background is designed to look like a message board. The text is
surrounded by a rounded box, making it look like an incoming message. This
helps add to the sense of cuteness and also seems to promise success with the
site.
Now: I’m not Meng’s
type. Anyone out there who thinks they’d be a better match?
Sometimes i too wonder how the ads are chosen for me! Like sometimes itll be obvious, like coats or something, and then occasionally ill get like plastic cookwear or something. I dont know dude! I hope things go well!
ReplyDeleteOk first, that's hilarious. I understand where you are coming from with all of the random ads and stuff. Every time I go on youtube, I get ads regarding the size of my prostate, which clearly, I don't have. Second, poor Meng. Ok well Meng probably isn't her real name. She is just another girl who is objectified on the internet. I've seen ads like this before, where weird dating services try to make their women seem "as sexy as possible" so they can try to get a view out of the user. The whole thing is probably just a scam. Anyways, I don't know what else to say. Good Luck!
ReplyDelete-Katie Low
Thanks for the comment. Good luck with your prostate!
DeleteIt's ads like these that make my day, simply by how ridiculous they are. It almost seems like YouTube, or other similar companies, try to make a Hail Mary pass at us, using every single assumption they can possibly come up with, regarding both men and women, although the emphasis is more often on men. What you have posted, the dating sites and the video games are part of what they assume men care about: women and violence. It doesn't matter the age group or demographic, these are primarily what baits men, and so they believe that it will work. If you were to look at it from the female side, you would see a similar pattern, only with household products and cosmetics, as these are the most common assumptions made with women. Of course, now that they have the assumptions there, they simply have to guess whether we're going to be the right audience to fall for it.
ReplyDeleteGood job analyzing this often ignored aspect of advertising.