Introduction
Print advertisement is one of the most popular forms of advertising. Traditionally, it was done on print media, such as newspapers and magazines which are circulated in hardcopies. With the advent of the internet, print advertising is now also done on online platforms, such as social media. Ultimately, advertising aims to reach the target market and influence them to consume the advertised product.
The Nebraska Tourism Commission’s Print Advertisement
The Nebraska Tourism Commission launched a campaign in 2018 to increase tourist activity. One of the print advertisements read “Famous For Our Flat, Boring Landscape” (Brokaw, 2018). The advert shows two people exploring Nebraska’s Toadstool Geologic Park. One person is leaping across the rocks, while the other is striding leisurely on the rock formation. The slogan of the advertisement was “Nebraska: Honestly, it’s not for everyone” (Champion, 2021). The right-hand side of the advert has a longer message that reads, in part, “There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who think that Nebraska is nothing more than a 77,000-square cornfield, and the ones who don’t. We find that second group to be a lot more interesting and are comforted by the knowledge that there are people willing to look deeper to discover what makes this place so special. We’re not trying to convince everyone. Just you” (Brokaw, 2018). The text covers eleven lines on the right side but does not use too much space since it uses a small font. The advertisement is mostly brown because the rock formations cover a significant portion of the ad.
The advertisement by the Nebraska Tourism Commission was published on print and social media. Before this, the commission had surveyed the people of Nebraska and others living near the state, asking their favorite things about Nebraska. They hoped to receive positive answers to use in their campaign to attract tourists. This was after Nebraska ranked last among US states in terms of tourism in 2017. The survey achieved the opposite of what it intended. Most residents responded that living in Nebraska was unremarkable with some people commenting that “there’s nothing to do here” (Champion, 2021). These comments also reflected some of the stereotypes associated with Nebraska. As the advert says, some people think of Nebraska as a plain cornfield. The Commission used the locals’ comments and other stereotypes to create the campaign.
The Commission embraced the negative attributes associated with Nebraska and employed self-deprecating humor to create a print advertisement that welcomes people to discover Nebraska for themselves. First, the advert jokingly acknowledges that Nebraska has a dull reputation that does not attract tourists. Next, it seeks to change the people’s perception of the state. For instance, the advert shows rock formations in Nebraska, revealing that Nebraska’s landscape is not “flat and boring.” I chose this particular advertisement because I admired its boldness. It was a courageous decision to release an advertisement that uses self-effacing humor. I also chose it because it is relatively recent since it was published in 2018. Advertising is an ever-changing field, and it is essential to be informed on such adverts that have shaped the industry.
The ad targets people from other parts of the United States or even other countries to visit Nebraska. This print advert is based on one major assumption about the target market. It assumes that these people have heard uninteresting things about Nebraska. In fact, it assumes that the target market comprises individuals who have a negative perception of Nebraska. For instance, the authors of the ad assume that the targeted consumers think of Nebraska as a “flat and boring” place that is not ideal for tourism. The authors used the preconceived notions that people have about the place to evoke response. The text that describes two types of people urges them to be like the second type of person who is open-minded because then, they will discover more about Nebraska. It is essential to note that tourist activity increased in Nebraska following this advertisement campaign. Between 2018 and 2019, the number of overnight visitors to Nebraska grew by 300,000 (Champion, 2021). Evidently, the advertisement had a positive reception that significantly boosted Nebraska’s tourism sector.
Despite the brilliance behind this campaign, the ad failed to appeal to some consumer groups. Some people may misconstrue the playfulness of the advertisement and interpret it as sarcasm, which they would consider offensive (Koneska, 2017). They would argue that taking a mocking tone in advertisements ridicules the target consumers. This group would say that there is a politer way to teach consumers to unlearn stereotypes. The ad could also fail to appeal to the consumer group that misses the message in the ad (Khandeparkar, 2017). For instance, an individual who knows nothing about Nebraska might fail to understand the advertisement. Alternatively, another person who holds a negative perception of the place could take it quite literally that Nebraska is famous for its flat, boring landscape. By failing to understand self-deprecating humor within the advert, the person would be further dissuaded from visiting Nebraska. Consequently, rather than attracting tourists, the ad could reinforce the stereotype that Nebraska is a boring place to visit.
The advert by the Nebraska Tourism Commission impacted cultural values. First, the advert showed the importance of honesty and transparency in advertising (Brokaw, 2018). Instead of denying the assumptions that people have about Nebraska, it showed them that Nebraska had more to show. It admitted that the state does not have the best of everything but it was worth exploring because it had intriguing sceneries to see and activities to do. The advertisement was also a display of the state’s humor. Rather than sulking and resigning themselves to the last rank in US tourism, the commission used satire to pass their message. When ranked last, the normal course of action is to embark on an informative and serious campaign to show why this is not the case. However, Nebraska’s approach was bold, playful, and captivating. It changed the culture of approaching matters too seriously and instead advocated for fun accompanied by honesty.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the State of Nebraska launched a clever campaign to increase tourism after raking last in 2017. The advertisement used honesty and humor to acknowledge its reputation and hopefully repair it. The ad was undoubtedly a bold decision that risked offending a section of the target market. Fortunately, the advert was well-received, as evidenced by the increase in a number of people whose interest in Nebraska was piqued due to the ad. In this age, it is essential to be audacious when drafting an advertisement. Consumers are appealed by advertisements that dare to explore novel ideas. Advertisers all over the globe can learn greatly from the Nebraska tourism campaign.
References
Brokaw, S. (2018). Nebraska tourism ad highlights ‘flat, boring landscape.’ UPI. Web.
Champion, M. (2021). ‘Nebraska. Honestly, it’s not for everyone’s campaign grows state tourism. Nebraska News Services. Web.
Khandeparkar, K. (2017). Influence of media context on humorous advertising effectiveness. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 35(2), 259-276. Web.
Koneska, L. (2017). Humor in advertising. European Journal of Economics and Business Studies, 3(2). Web.