A German journey through advertising<\/p>\n
By Kafil Yamin<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Good advertisements can succeed in creating an
\nenduring \"product image\".<\/p>\n
The man in the street may feel he is a real gentleman not
\nbecause his Gudang Garam cigarettes have great flavor, but
\nbecause the product's advertisement proclaims they are the
\nrokoknya lelaki (the man's cigarette).<\/p>\n
A schoolboy plays basketball enthusiastically not due to the
\nextra edge of his Nike shoes, but because ads convince him they
\nare the choice of NBA stars like Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing
\nand Horraco Grant. The boy feels he is linked to the game's best.<\/p>\n
Success in creating a product image hinges on particular
\nfactors. One is aesthetic elements which attract the public.
\nAnother is the psychological relationship it develops between the
\nproduct advertised and audiences.<\/p>\n
With advertising the art of persuasion or seduction that
\nnurtures and articulates the desires of consumers, commercial
\nphotography is the primary instrument of product-oriented,
\ncorporate image-enhancing tourism and professional advertising.<\/p>\n
A commercial photo exhibition at the Bandung Institute of
\nTechnology, organized by the Goethe Institute, from March 30 to
\nApril 10, shows the decisive aesthetic element in creating
\nproduct image in examples from Germany. Above all, it
\ndemonstrates the application of photography in advertising.<\/p>\n
According to German photographer Manfred Schmalriede,
\ncommercial photography inevitably has more artistic control than
\nphotojournalism which is concerned with realistic, factual and
\nauthentic representation of ongoing events.<\/p>\n
\"In commercial photography, photographers stage-manage the
\npresentation of products in order to enhance their public appeal.
\nThus, the camera serves to transpose concrete reality to the
\nrealm of fiction,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Photos on display were produced from 1925 to 1988. Tracing the
\nsix decades, not only do the photos show the estheticism in
\nadvertisements, but also catch milestones of transformation in
\ncommercial photography.<\/p>\n
In its early days, commercial photography combined text with
\nphotographic material, such as the detailed prospectus issued by
\nWerbebau Advertising Agency for the Bochum steelworks in 1925.<\/p>\n
Photographed objects were cut out so that designers could use
\nfragments of the photographs to form a free composition.
\nFragments with a three dimensional or planar effect were
\njuxtaposed with typographic elements to form a message.<\/p>\n
Later, more variants of the steadily improving combinations of
\ntext and image were created through the use of different forms of
\nphotography, as well as of numerous new type fonts. Products were
\narranged facing the camera so that the text on their packing
\nmaterial replaced the typographic section used hitherto.<\/p>\n
An apparently arbitrary arrangement of spilled coffee beans, a
\npaper packet and a coffee cup in the photograph created by Albert
\nRenger-Patsch for Haag coffee is actually meticulously organized
\non the basis of plan view, frame and configuration.<\/p>\n
This simple presentation of products was then followed by a
\nphase of decorative arrangements and sophisticated pictures
\ncomposed of set pieces borrowed from the world of objects, such
\nas those for Frigor chocolate, Odol mouthwash and Knize perfume.<\/p>\n
Reconstruction projects in West Germany after World War II
\nbrought in North American advertising agencies and raised
\nawareness among Germans that advertising was no longer simply a
\nmatter of commercial art, but a combination of solid knowledge of
\neconomics and psychology.<\/p>\n
Designers and photographers harked back to the pre-Nazi era in
\norder to regain full freedom with regard to the choice of means.
\nThe German form of \"subjective photography\" that aroused some
\ninterest in the 1950s even strove to introduce \"subjectivity\"
\ninto the branch of photography used for mechanical reproduction.<\/p>\n
To an extent, the advance of photography is indebted to
\ncommercial photography which articulates the needs of consumers
\nin forms borrowed from reality. On the other hand, without the
\nadvance of photography, the art of advertising would never have
\nreached its present state of perfection and sophistication.<\/p>\n
Success in forming a psychological relationship with the
\npublic determines whether the desired product image is created.
\nHowever, designers must carefully avoid condescension.<\/p>\n
\"You should see audiences as sensible human beings. They don't
\nlike to receive naked messages. Most importantly, they don't want
\nto be told this and that,\" said Iwenk, an art designer.<\/p>\n
\"But sensible people like to hear, to view and to read
\n'something'.\"<\/p>\n
Some ads succeed while others fail. Generally, the failure can
\nbe attributed to the inclination to see the audience as
\nignorance. Blatant utterances to \"use this brand!\" would be
\nperceived as patronizing.<\/p>\n
Local ads commonly use such mediums, and some of them are even
\ninsulting to viewers. Ads for a local cooking oil product that
\nstate Gunakan akal sehat (Use your common sense) is no doubt a
\ngross insult to public intelligence.<\/p>\n
Iwenk does credit several local ads like Sampoerna cigarette's
\nBukan basi-basi (Not empty talk), Aqua mineral water and Lux
\nsoap.<\/p>\n
\"Good advertisements should inform, not tell,\" Iwenk added.<\/p>\n
Women in German advertisements, as in their Indonesian
\ncounterparts, are often exploited. They are scattered across
\nvarious ads, from cars to beer, and even products which have
\nlittle to do with women, like tires or timber-cutting machine.
\nWith products traditionally associated with women, like
\nstockings, perfume or lingerie, they are exploited excessively.<\/p>\n
Advertisements, mainly through their use of commercial
\nphotography, contribute a great deal in enlivening life. \"As our
\nurbanized environment becomes increasingly standardized and dull,
\nadvertisements, placards, billboards and neon signs will assume
\nan entirely new function, namely, that of compensating for the
\ndearth of imagination in this synthetic universe,\" said German
\nfuturologist Robert Jungk. \"They will inject color into the
\ngrayness of everyday life.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-german-journey-through-advertising-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}