new and old print ads

I chose to compare coca cola, Volkswagen, and old spice ads.
The coca cola ads are much simpler now than they were 50 years ago. I believe this is because they no longer need to advertise to build up their name. They need only to keep their name in the publics eye. They can now use their name to help causes like recycling which helps to further enhance themselves in the public’s eye. They are a very smart brand in that they are continually changing their brand to keep the appeal up but they don’t forget the ads that do especially well. They understand that people from all ages drink coke so they bring back nostalgic ads such as the polar bears at Christmas time. The age demographic for the old ad is 4-30. They wanted to appeal to as large of an age group as possible to not only sell to product but to maintain popularity for a long period of time. The new ad appeals to a younger, hipper demographic. The ads are all clever yet simple and include things like recycling. This ensures that the product continues to appeal to young people. The older people care less about the ads and more about the product. They will continue to drink whether they are told to or not.





Volkswagen has changed a great deal. The old ad is one for VW buses, which has a really poor rollover rate. The premesis of the old ad is to buy it to stick out and be individual. The new ad is for the VW Golf. There were 3 different ads to choose from in this series; the one I chose had teddy bears pouring out of the vehicle. The caption in the top right corner says, “12 million children have slept in the back.” The appeal in the car is safety and family. The bus had a lot of room for families but there was no safety element involved. The old ad is directed to the 18-40 age group. The vehicle was hip and exciting so people would want to buy it. Older people would buy it for the storage room. The new ad is directed to young married couples that are hoping for a relatively cheap vehicle that will be safe for their children to ride in.

My final ad was for Old Spice. When I was growing up, Old Spice was for old people. Recently though, the company has been revamped almost entirely in an attempt to appeal to younger people. The old ad lead with the slogan, “sail into dad’s heart” and featured a plain ad of toiletries and colognes. This is the sort of thing you would buy your father or grandfather as a Christmas gift. The new ad features attractive young men sitting in a spa, half naked. The slogan says, “Residue is evil. Stop it.” We have been trained since birth that personal appearance is everything. With Old Spice, we will be able to attract the opposite sex. The target audience for the new ad is 12-25. The audience for the old ad is 30-50.