Verizon Advertisements Are Designed to Promote a

Verizon Advertisements Advertisements are designed to promote a product, but there are different ways that an advertisement can do that. Sometimes ads can try to introduce products to a new market by describing how those in that market can use the product, other times an advertisement can lay out the information that a company wants the public to know about it's product in an artistic way. Recently Verizon engaged in two separate advertisement campaigns which were very different in their approach.

In one campaign, called the "Verizon Mom" campaign, Verizon sought to convey the ease by which even soccer-moms can use their product. This campaign was vague and non-specific about the features and applications their new "smart phone," and sought to generate popularity of the product through an "ease of use" campaign. On the other hand was the "Droid Does" marketing campaign which was filled with specific product informative in an artistically designed way.

Verizon took two very different approaches with these advertising campaigns; while one was aimed at those who would not normally be attracted to the latest technological device, moms, the other is a radical blending of art and information conveyance which is very appealing to the younger generation. The first advertisement contains a number of people standing around a soccer-mom who is holding a bag of groceries.

Verizon placed two well-known advertisement tools in the ad; first is the "can you hear me now" guy, and the other is the large number of people, many wearing Verizon vests and hardhats, who back up Verizon service in many other commercials. Verizon must be trying to connect the success of the two other ad campaigns to their new "Mom" campaign.

The large group of Verizon employees in the background appear to be wearing red vests, white hardhats, and are working, talking, and generally supporting the mom who is in the foreground. The "can you hear me now" guy is in front of the crowd of Verizon employees, but still behind the mom, and appears to be waving with his left hand while holding a Verizon phone in his right. In the center of the ad is the mom who is the focus of the campaign.

She is holding a bag of groceries in her right hand, and a Verizon phone in her left. She appears to be somewhere in her late 30's or early 40's, has light brown hair and is supposed to represent the average "mom." The entire ad is photographed in what appears to be a normal residential street as in the far background one can see part of a house with a tree in front.

While the first advertisement depicted an average mom on an average street, it was somewhat vague about the product. It did not give any information about the product; it's capabilities, features, or even price. The next ad, Verizon's "Droid Does" advertising campaign takes a completely different approach focusing strictly on important information about the "Droid." The ad has a black background and a picture of the Droid slightly off-center to the right, with the words "DROID DOES" just to the left of the Droid.

The word "DROID" is in white letters, while the word "DOES" is in red, and there is what appears to be a red circle with a white dot in the center of the DROID's touch screen resembling an "eye." Surrounding the DROID are a series of concentric circles made up of 12 small images of what appears on the touch screen when the different features are scrolled up.

In between the images, but sticking further out on the circle, there are 12 titles perpendicular to the DROID at periodic intervals, at the same position as the numbers on a clock. If one were to move the ad in a clockwise motion, the titles are in the correct reading configuration at the three o'clock position, and the words "DROID DOES" appear to be at the nine o'clock position.

Between the titles, in the position of what would be the minutes on a clock are the various features of the corresponding image and title of each screen of features. Overall the DROID is in the center of a circle of small images and surrounded by words which gives the impression of a starburst.

But Verizon did not stop with an informative ad made up of concentric circles of information about the product, in the top right corner is the price, $199.99, along with some information about the price; while listed below the white and red "DROID.