Rank's Model of Persuasion
Downplaying:
- Omission — Never once is the price of the ice cream or any of Little Baby’s ice cream flavors mentioned!
- Diversion — Focus of the ad seems to be on generating interest in Little Baby’s through the strangeness of the ad itself and not through actual advertisement of the company’s product; viewers will not think about Little Baby’s ice cream products but instead about how unsettling the commercial is.
- Confusion — The oddness of someone covered completely in ice cream, eating it from the top of his head, and staring unblinkingly at the camera are unnerving; no indication as to why the man is covered in ice cream, so it is an altogether confusing and incoherent piece of advertising—but the confusion is intentional.
Intensification:
- Repetition — “Little Baby’s Ice Cream” repeated three times, company name pictured one more time on the screen. Sentence structure is also repetitious and almost hypnotic; the narrator repeatedly uses “I”, and he makes extensive use of “and” when connecting clauses. He frequently over-enunciates his words and maintains an unsettling tone of voice.
- Association — Phrases like “glistening skin”, “how I shine”, “clean and clear”, “keeps me young”, “light on my feet”, “spring from activity to activity”, “I love my job”, “great enthusiasm”, “special time”, and “ice cream is a feeling” to create in viewers’ minds associations between ice cream and cleanliness, health, vivacity, enthusiasm, and happiness or good feelings.
- Composition — Ad features only the ice cream-drenched figure against a black background; contrast between the white and the dark is arresting, adds to the commercial’s shock value. Since the only thing in the commercial is the ice cream person, the lack of color and background strongly draws viewers’ attention to what is featured center-screen (the creepy ice cream voyeur!)
Creepy, much?
Rank's 30-Second Spot Quiz
Deceptive Claims and Weasel Words
- Attention-Getting Techniques — The stark composition of the ad, the ice cream person, and the narrator’s creepy voice are all elements capable of quickly capturing viewers’ attention.
- Confidence-Building Techniques — Implicit in the ad is the promise that viewers will experience the same joys the narrator has if they eat Little Baby’s Ice Cream; they too will have beautiful skin and a happy, fulfilled life, just like the narrator does.
- When the narrator mentions how Little Baby’s Ice Cream makes his skin healthy and his life so much more joyful, he is claiming very irrelevant benefits, since ice cream neither improves skin health nor makes life as wonderful as the narrator would have viewers believe.
- No weasel words were used in this commercial.
VALS Application
Rank's 30-Second Spot Quiz
This ad appeals most to experiencers, who appreciate odd, offbeat things (since this ad is definitely off the beaten trail!) and whose income goes toward more frivolous purchases. The commercial could also be aimed at achievers, who have disposable income and—due to their family-oriented lifestyles—would be very likely to purchase ice cream for young children, or perhaps just for personal enjoyment.
- Desire-Stimulating Techniques — Viewers are supposed to feel strongly that by consuming Little Baby’s Ice Cream, they will be happier and healthier.
- Urgency-Stressing Techniques — This commercial does not feature any urgent language or attempts to urge viewers to hurry out and buy Little Baby’s products.
- Response-Seeking Techniques — As with the urgency-stressing techniques, there are no response-seeking techniques in this ad; the commercial doesn’t offer any deals or promotions to encourage immediate purchases.
Little Baby's Ice Cream Ad Analysis