First of all, the Nike Shox shoe advertisement encourages a desire for its products with cunning hidden messages. Hidden messages are appeals to the reader that the advertiser conveys in the readers sub conscience. According to professional Jib Fowles, author of the article Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals “An advertisement communicates by making use of a specially selected image… which is designed to stimulate ‘sub rational impulses and desires’ even… if they are unacknowledged by their possessor” (3). The intent is to make the readers desires move faster than it’s thoughts, so that by the time they are considering whether or not to buy the product, they already have a strong desire for it. Advertisers use many different appeals when channeling a reader’s desires, a few of which are a need for affiliation, a need for attention, and a need to achieve. The first, a need for affiliation, is the reader’s desire to associate and be liked by others. Second, a need for attention is the reader’s desire to be noticed, and leave a good impression when noticed. Finally, a need to achieve, channels “the drive that energizes people, causing them to strive in their lives and careers” (Fowles 4-6). In the Nike Shox essay, the advertiser uses all three of the aforementioned appeals to accomplish their means. A picture of Lebron James, NBA basketball star, dunking a basketball while wearing the shoes shows his achievement. When the reader sees this, they automatically want to acquire his abilities. The design of the shoe stands out, promising to bring attention to the wearer. Finally, the Nike logo appears three times in the advertisement, suggesting association attached to the brand name. Hidden messages are not noticeable to the light reader, which makes them so much more potent. When asked about hidden messages in the advertisement, Jon Little, a 19-year old college student stated “I don’t see any hidden messages” but also admitted to being drawn to the fact that Lebron was jumping so high, claiming it was “pretty impressive.”
In addition, the Nike Shox shoe advertisement uses confident words to create a desire for its product. The words in this add are used as two different propaganda techniques. The first technique, the testimonial technique, “capitalizes on the admiration people have for a celebrity to make the product shine more brightly” (Ann McClintock “Propaganda Techniques in Today’s Advertising”). The words are those of Lebron James, and the advertiser uses them hoping that just because James has these shoes, the reader will want them too. The second technique, the bandwagon technique, pressures the reader into buying the product by saying “Everyone’s doing it. Why don’t you?” This propaganda succeeds because people don’t want to be left out. We want to conform to the world because it’s the logical thing to do in order to be accepted (McClintock). Words, as well as hidden messages, appeal to emotional needs, like the needs for attention, affiliation, and achievement (Fowles 4-6). In the Nike Shox advertisement, the words of James are confident-even cocky. He says, “I’m an entertainer. Most entertainers play the guitar, or tell jokes, or sing and dance. They have a routine. I don’t. My show starts when I get the ball. My stage is between there and the hoop. I can’t tell you what will happen, but I can say that you’ve never seen anything like it.” He brings a type of dominance into the picture, claiming that watching him is like nothing you’ve ever seen. The advertisement blends this to make the reader think that the reason he is so successful is because of his shoes. They draw direct attention to them, standing them on a pedestal and showing the reader that if you want to impress your friends you need to have these shoes. Steven Eastlack, a 17-year old college student and athlete, says “What he says, ‘my stage is between there and the hoop,’ is very cool, I’d buy the shoes just because of that.” Eastlack further stated, “The words make you believe that if you buy this shoe, you’ll play better basketball.” Words bring a power to the advertisement that grabs a reader’s attention and holds them until they’ve looked long enough to want the product.
Finally, intriguing images are used in the Nike Shox shoe advertisement to create a desire for the product. Images are used as propaganda much the same as words are. Techniques like testimonials and bandwagon apply to images. When testimonials are used, the creator of the advertisement will often show the celebrity doing what they do best. For example, the Nike Shox ad features a picture of Lebron James dunking a basketball, and one of him training by running up stairs. Helen Ingham, author of the article What Value is there in Studying Advertisements? states “On a single piece of paper, or in thirty seconds of our viewing time, an advert has to be created to make an impact” (7). With only a limited amount of space or time, advertisers use images in order to give as much information to the reader as possible. Words are used to convey the same basic appeals, this time in a visual way. Readers wish to be affiliated, so an advertisement gives them an image of their brand logo. The reader knows they’ll be noticed if they’re seen with that same logo on their belongings. Color schemes also play an integral part in the images of an advertisement, as many different colors convey different meanings. The use of a black and white background in the Nike Shox advertisement “brings a feeling of authority and power” (“Colors in Advertising” Grafica FX). The advertisement’s only color is the shoe itself, which is black and white but boasting a red trim around the tongue, laces, and the Nike logo. “Words and objects in red get people’s attention immediately” (“Colors in Advertising”). The shoe immediately attracts the reader’s eye and brings a “power and energy” to the advertisement (“Colors in Advertising”). Eastlack also saw the significance in the red standing out and stated, “The red in the shoe amongst the black and white really stands out.”
We don’t need to think of advertisements as terrible tricks that brainwash us (McClintock), but we can regard them as impressive techniques that help us discern what product we ought to invest our money in. Advertisers skillfully scatter propaganda techniques and emotional appeals throughout their ads. The Nike Shox shoe advertisement demonstrates wonderful advertising technique and the creator is worthy of recognition for their creativity and clever design.
