Advertisement Influence: Olay

            In today’s manipulative, beauty-cautious world, money and appearances are everything. Businesses and corporations are always trying to appeal to the consumer, always trying to sell something. Seventeen is a popular magazine; teenager girls preach by it and the magazine knows it. Like most magazines, it features a number of advertisements, and in this issue, an Olay Complete advertisement is the first one seen. It’s two page spread is sure to be an eye-catching influence.

Pop singer Carrie Underwood is the face of this skincare corporation. Just featuring her boosts sales, because all teenager girls want to be like Carrie Underwood, and by subliminal advertising and false authority, they think they can be like her by using the product. The ad claims that “Olay Complete Daily UV blocks 92% of harmful UV rays.” Numbers like 92% also help sales because people are drawn to numbers, and numbers don’t lie. Since the number 92 is so close to 100, the product claims to be near guaranteed to work.

A Seventeen style professional named Ashley recalls a time when she received a scholarship to her dream school. She says that “[it] was one of the most exhilarating moments of [her] life.” The reader can’t help but feel happy for her and as a result, want this kind of thing to happen to themselves. It also says “check out my tips below for making your dreams a reality.” It taunts the reader into wanting to read and follow the tips. The ad makes it so that everyone can be just like Ashley and Carrie Underwood. Of course, Underwood has made her way to fame and fortune, but the ad incorporates their “tips”. Hard work pays off; using Olay doesn’t. This ad also gives the reader “a chance to win big” by offering tickets to see Carrie Underwood at the CMA Music Festival. These irrelevant prizes are like the Happy Meal toys from McDonald’s – a prize for doing something under influence. This ad is telling readers to buy their product so they can step into the shoes of someone they can only dream of being. These girls will change by using this Olay product, and their self-confidence will be boosted when they finally have something in common with Carrie Underwood.