Rapallie found that the Culture Code for seduction is manipulation. This is interesting because it allows us to understand why there are so many negative connotations associated with seduction. No one wants to be forced, tricked, or manipulated into doing anything. Therefore the idea of being seduced leaves a negative impression on American minds.
This brings up an interesting topic as it relates to marketing and promotion. There is a tremendous amount of sex and seduction in advertising. Is manipulation the message marketers want to send to consumers? L'Oreal had the right idea when they ditched their overly seductive ads. Rapallie wrote, "When an advertiser knows that associating a product with a certain Code will trigger negative feelings, it can choose to sidestep that Code completely."
This is a good rule of thumb. Think about every commercial you've ever seen for a weight loss system or diet drug. The one's you really respond to show happy, healthy consumers that "everyday women." The average American woman doesn't want to see models talking about how skinny and sexy they are after taking a product. The Fahrenheit Diet pill commercial below is just one example of using sexuality and seduction to sell a product could backfire.
As a woman I find that I am less receptive to marketing that claims to make me more beautiful in unrealistic ways. "Just take this pill and you too can be beautiful!" It's too good to be true and this shredded woman in the advertisement is just further proof. However, this commercial does serve as a great example for manipulation. She is sexy, strong, powerful, and most importantly fit. What woman doesn't want to be her!
Americans are unique in how they view the concepts of home and dinner. The American culture places great importance on the ability to take a house and create a home with it. Author Clotaire Rapaille writes in his book, The Culture Code, that a home is created through traditions which often are completed through the eating of a meal with other individuals. In particular, the eating of dinner together as a family is often the most valued meal.
In many American advertisements, fast food restaurants utilize this idea of meal sharing to market the idea that their food can bring people together. In a literal sense, people are brought together in a circle around food, however, while in this circle, people are able to communicate with each other and feel connected to one another. Families may value meal time traditions in different ways, whether more formal and serious or more casually. Either way advertisers take advantage of this warm feeling people associate with sharing meals.
In the first ad, the commercial for Coke not only highlights the physical actions associated with a dinning room table but also the emotions connected to it. Coke tries to have viewers transfer their personal emotions to their products. Additionally, further utilizing the idea of an essential circle, the camera pans in a circular motion emphasizing the idea of intimacy that a closed circle creates when sharing a meal.
Often the image or portrayal of a busy mom taking care of her family and then picking up fast food to serve to her family at the dinner table is used by advertisers. This is similar to the idea that Rapaille writes about in that home is often viewed as a retreat from the world. Each day a person wakes up, does battle at work or school, and then comes home to recharge and prepare to take on the world again the next day. A parent often has the obstacle each day of taking care of their family and their career.
The comedic movie, Talladega Nights, with Will Ferrell, plays on the idea of a busy family coming together for dinner with the help of some pretty blatant product placement. It's a situation that many Americans can probably relate to in some way.
The essential circle of meal sharing doesn't necessarily require a physical table or a family having a meal together but may also reflect a social gathering of friends that wouldn't occur without the help of food. In the KFC commercial below, the idea of sharing is displayed not only in the seating arrangement of friends in circles but also in that the physical bucket of chicken is round and encourages the idea of family style dinning where food is passed around a room.
For Americans, the idea of home relies heavily on the idea of sharing and congregating together and that most often involves food. For fast food chains, the goal of using the essential circle to sell their food is to eliminate the idea of a home cooked meal and all the hassle associated with the preparation and clean up. They want a consumer to be able to have the fun part of eating with friends and family without all the work required of a traditional homemade meal.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9qrof_american-icon-greyhound-showcases-v_shortfilms This ad features a
young woman who leaves the city on a Greyhound Bus to meet
her boyfriend. The message of the ad is that you can leave your car behind,
leave your trouble at home and travel safely with Greyhound .People can trust
Greyhound to take them to places without any worries. For some people it might
be comfortable to travel by car rather than taking a public bus like Greyhound
but for others IT WORKS. The “function” of the bus is to take you to places safely
and without any trouble. It saves you from the trouble of possible break down
and the wear and tear of your car.
According to Rapaille the culture code for
quality in America is IT WORKS. Americans put a premium on functionality but do
not put premium on quality. Perfection is not just reality. Rapaille believes that
Americans care about the “work being done” and care less about bells and
whistle.
