UOB Bank Advertisement

UOB Lady’s Card -â€Å"The men don’t get it† 1. 0 Introduction of the Company United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) is a leading bank in Asia. It provides a wide range of financial services through its global network of over 500 offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Western Europe and North America, including banking subsidiaries in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and mainland China.UOB (Malaysia) offers an extensive range of commercial and personal financial services through its branches, subsidiaries and associate companies: commercial lending, investment banking, treasury services, trade services, cash management, home loans, credit cards, wealth management, general insurance and life assurance. UOB also plays an active role in the community, focusing on children, education and the arts. UOB has been established the annual UOB Heartbeat Run to raise funds for charity.Today, UOB is rated among the world’s top banks by Moodyâ€⠄¢s Investors Service, receiving B for financial strength, and AA1 and Prime-1 for long-term and short-term bank deposits respectively. UOB is proud to be the first to unveil the revamped UOB Lady’s Card in Malaysia. Besides sporting a new card face, the purpose of the advertisement shows that UOB Lady’s Card is staying relevant to the needs of modern women with new features.It is the first in the market to develop a mobile phone application, â€Å"Lady’s Soulmate† dedicated to ladies, which helps card members access privileges through Google maps and a directional guide based on AR technology. Consumers can download the Lady's Soulmate application from the Android Marketplace to compatible mobile phones. It will also be progressively made available on Apple App Store, Ovi Store by Nokia and Blackberry App World. The ad clearly show that the UOB Lady's Soulmate application marks a new era for the UOB Lady's Card, as it remains in touch with the progress o f women nd technology. The advertisement does show its effectiveness as the card was already available in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, has a current membership of over 500,000. The advertisement expected to attract more than 500,000 new lady users. The company claims that the UOB Lady’s Card is targeted to more than double by 2014, driving the continued growth of the bank’s card business in the region. 2. 0 Discussion of the Advertisement 2. 1 Target Market The revamped UOB Lady’s Card placed a strong emphasis on health, beauty, fashion, connectivity and discovery.This make over of the UOB Lady’s Card is timely as a group same gender consumers seek to strengthen the brand promised to valued card members. The ad targets young adult women, and they will buy products not only for them but to show their financial health in their lives. We acknowledge that today’s women are more independent financially, assertive in their choices, mobile and techno logy savvy to stay â€Å"connected†. The reason for the advertiser to choose this market segment is because female young adults may look for the requirement as stated before. 3. 0 Advertisement SourceThe ad focuses on two trendy lady’s high profile, smiling with full of satisfaction, public may easily attract by them who emotionally aroused. The two ladies show in an appropriate way to market the company’s credit card as they are looking relax and rejoice, their face expression and body language prompt the desire of women to obtain the credit card. It also shows that they are able to keep constant contact with privileges and deals via smartphone, the women looked grateful to get the information from their mobiles. Technology on tap is but one of the many benefits available to Lady’s Card members.The new UOB Lady’s Card proposition centres around providing a total financial and lifestyle solution which complements the modern woman who is constantly on the move from connectivity, discovery, fashion and money matters. 3. 1 Visual and Verbal Content Basically the kind of visual image used in ad is photographs. There is a few images show in different ways. The rectangular picture with blank background is composite â€Å"paste-up† of several images from various sources used, whereas the whole image of two ladies adopts â€Å"superimposed† over each other. The others small images place near to the related information.The roses for both types of credit cards seem to stand for women product. The corporate logos included in the design of credit card, the consumer already familiar with the logo. The car and branded stuffs symbolize exclusivity or luxury, visually depicted the financial strength for the group of target market they can have. From the ad, we can see that two young women wearing high heels with an eye catching smile. The clothes and adornments they are wearing look striking as they walk in confidence, simply r elated to self egoism. It seems like two best friends sharing the same privileges and deals from the credit card.The image shows their legs walk together depicted they shopping together, which also shows young women concern about social need. Many women become more financially independent and career orientated. The body language of the models in the ad seem like they don’t have financial worry. Although there are often claims of gender bias and the results have showed that women in general will have a much more impulsive buying behavior than that of their male counterpart. Through this natural disposition it will often hinder them from being able to ever becoming an efficient money saver.Thus, those offer deals in the ad may attract their attention. 3. 2 Semiotic Analysis It has bold print stating â€Å"If we had our way, it would be Wednesday everyday† and smaller print that promotes the offers of the credit card and targets women to purchase the related product and s ervice especially on Wednesday. The ad is implying that women in society now can take care of their financial, yet still targets them to purchase more by using the credit card. At the core of the UOB Lady’s Card popularity is the endearing philosophy of this female-only product, â€Å"The Men Don’t Get It. More than just a signature tagline, it is an acknowledgement of the financial strength and independence of women, and the freedom of choice that is available to them. Now, underpinned by technology and refreshed with a host of new privileges, the company seemed like confident that the Lady’s Card will continue to be preferred, extending their leadership in the female space, I would find this advertisement particularly interesting because it is promoting friendship, financial solidity, health and beauty standards in our society, women's roles as consumers which afford to pay and the graphics of the ad focuses on.It is promoting credit card that only for female , which have previously been viewed as women's products and it will also influences women to buy these products on men's behalf. The two models are wearing striking outfits and expensive adornments. This influence perpetuates the sociological role of women in society as financial takers, as well as encouraging them being active in caring about their appearance and their need to use health and beauty products. This ad clearly promotes the credit card which special designed only for female, that’s why the word stated there the men don’t get it†.The roses symbolized that the only attention of the company focus on the specific needs of women. They have taken a 360-degree approach in the Lady's Card makeover, leveraging our insights into women over the years and research around the region. 3. 3 Layout and Design The headline shows in an appropriate way to has three-quarters up the page or advertisement space. The advertiser position headline statement where it can be seen quickest, this can make sure the reader generally know what is all about.They avoid putting headlines at the very top of the space because the reader’s eye is naturally drawn to between two-thirds and three-quarters up the page or space, which is where the main benefit statement needs to be. The advertisement involves the reader in writing style of using the second and third person-‘you’ and ‘she’. Refer to the reader as ‘you' and ‘she’ in the description of the ad does for the customer to get them visualizing their own personal involvement. The advertiser describes the service as it affects them in a way that they will easily relate to it.This advertising can be defined as using â€Å"cool† tones. It is often referred to as a ‘Black Art', because it is mysterious but cheerful. 4. 0 Publication The advertiser has chosen the two most common print media are newspapers and magazines. Print media is important because it can reach such a large audience, and the great number of specialized publications enables businesses to focus in on a target audience with a specific set of characteristics. The advertiser picks the right time as the Malaysia Mega Sales start from July until September 2010. The consumers can use their Lady’s Card for exclusive privileges.NEWSPAPERS When deciding upon a newspaper in which to advertise, there are three physical criteria to consider: distribution, size, and audience. Newspapers are either daily or weekly, come in a standard or tabloid size, and reach nearly all of the reading public, which is estimated to be around 85-90 percent of the population. Because of the broad demographic reach of most newspapers it is difficult to target a specific audience; however, newspapers are effective in increasing awareness of a business' products and services in a specific geographical area.Types of ads placed in newspapers include: display ads, classified ads, public notes, and preprinted inserts. Newspaper ads have some flexibility in their size. For instance, the UOB ad only takes up half portion of a page, while others might span one or two full pages. Regardless of this flexibility, newspaper ads can only use limited special effects, such as font size and color. These limitations lead to advertising â€Å"clutter† in newspapers because all the ads look very similar. Therefore, advertisers must use original copy and headings to differentiate their ads from their competitors.This is why the advertiser show theirl exclusive shopping, dining and beauty privileges, and the latest technology, a mobile phone application called â€Å"Lady's Soulmate†. MAGAZINES With magazines an advertiser can focus in on a specific target audience. Audiences can be reached by placing ads in magazines which have well-defined geographic, demographic, or lifestyle focus. The advertiser has placing the ad in the localized edition of a national magazine. In addi tion to the above factors, it is also important to consider the nature of the magazine ad copy.Magazines allow elaborate graphics and colors, which give advertisers more creative options than do newspapers. Also, recent surveys have indicated that informative ads are the most persuasive. Therefore, it is important to include copy and art work that is direct and presents important product information to the consumer, such as how the product works, how it benefits the consumer, and where it can be purchased. Besides The Star, it also can be found in female magazine such as New Tide, July 2010.Those magazines are targeted towards young adult women interested in beauty, fashion and relationships. This advertisement is promoting both UOB Lady’s Classic and UOB Lady’s Platinum cards for women. 5. 0 Hierarchy Model Response The AIDA Model Attention The feature followed by ad agencies is AIDA, which acronym stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. The first A equals getting the attention of the readers. The ad in the form of a headline-â€Å"Wednesday every day’’ has grab the attention as it perks the curiosity of readers.The images of the credit cards with the symbol pertain to the company introductory paragraph. The advertiser gets the attention of consumer immediately by using the Wednesday special offer deals; therefore readers will read the rest of the articles. The advertiser is generating an emotion, women walking in confidence with big smile and setting up a situation. UOB (Malaysia) became the first foreign bank to recognize the affluent female segment in Malaysia when it launched the UOB Lady's Card. The ad plays with fear and greed for a moment.These two emotions combined as a key because almost every women would be Interested and has a certain amount of greed (possess everything that they want) and also has fear (questioning what if they missed the chance to get all the great offer deals). The advertiser didn’t use the headline to play the biggest benefit. They choose to appear that not only true but also in an exclusive way. The ad plays on emotions in their headline; the two models address happiness and satisfaction, pump up their egos or show the luxury and branded items. The advertiser chooses the middle part to present the benefits in aspect of the credit card service.The readers may pay more attention on the â€Å"FREE† word which showed in the subhead lines. Interest After the advertiser got the consumer’s attention, they focus on building their interest and supporting what the ad told them thus far. The advertiser makes the reader really want the card but have to start a twinge of reality. Consumers may compare the benefits they offered with the competitors. The newly developed mobile application-â€Å"UOB Lady’s Soulmate App† based on AR technology, female young adults which consider as tech-savvy group may show their interest in the ads.Another way is that the advertiser building interest to include sub headlines throughout the copy. The readers will be more interest when there are a lot of offers with the â€Å"Cash Back† or ‘FREE† words on the sub headlines. Next, the reader embarks on the ever-challenging task of justifying her purchase; especially she wants to do a large purchase. In consumer’s interest section, the ad uses emotion to address the fact that this purchase is a good bargain, the right step, a sound decision, etc. In addition to that, the advertiser let the customer know what will happen if consumer purchase their service.This can be found in â€Å"With it in the bag, every lady gets what she wants, when she wants it†. Depending on this ad, the negative result might be the fact that she misses all those grand offers from the product service. She will have to struggle to get all the same stuffs but in more expensive price or other consequences without the credit card. â€Å"If we had our way, it would be Wednesday every day’’, implies that the consumers can enjoy spending every Wednesday. The goal here is to create a few statements that will cause the customer to say, Oh! I didn’t think of that.Desire The third step in AIDA indicates the desire to buy. This section is really turns on the charm. The ad is written to tug on the heartstrings in order to create that final desire to buy. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the ad is they can get â€Å"FREE Coach Bags & Accessories Every Day†. By using the â€Å"UOB Lady’s Soulmate App†, the interactive application is able to display the latest deals and offers within a 2km range of the card member's location and also contains a personal assistant feature to help connect members with people who are important to them.Customers will have all the information they need right at their fingertips. The advertisement turns deep down inside their consumer to have two desires. The first is the desire to use the convenience of connection that not just technology. The second is the desire to obtain more things and the most common reason is to get a free branded items. The 2010 Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival sweeps the nation up in a frenzied shopping fervor! This is the best time to pump them up and get them excited about the credit card service. They have not yet come to the justification stage where price might play a factor.While always, from the aspect of desire, the ad portrays the best and biggest benefits their customers will receive. It speaks to the joys of being able to relax and run an errand in the whole range of bargains of, the sub headlines of the article indicates that the customer can experience from restaurants, spas, facial service while doing their shopping of the day. Action The final A in AIDA stands for action. During the action phase of convincing, the ad gives them enough motivational cause to take action and buy. At the moment get to this poin t, the customers should have all the information they need.The company as the seller will have walked them through each step of the buying process and emotional journey to the point of purchase. A few ways to create action with the copy are: â€Å"Apply now and get 20 entries for your first minimum RM50 swipe within 30 days from your new card approval†, â€Å"the more you swipe, the better your chances! † The advertisement motivate the readers look forward to get better deals on that special day, which can be found in â€Å"Wednesday are simply wonderful when you have the new UOB Lady’s Card. † The point of the action phase is to get the readers moving. The advertisement ade them drool with the exclusive deals, answered all their questions via Dedicated Customer Service Line, filled them with benefit and the company don’t want to lose them at the end. 6. 0 Overall Opinion In personal view, the main message of this advertisement is prominent. The bi ggest part of the advert is the main benefit statement. This is the part that entices the reader to read on. The ad offers a single impressive benefit, quickly and simply. Research proves that where responses are required, the best adverts are those which offer an impressive, relevant benefit to the reader.This point cannot be stressed enough; the advertiser keep it quick, simple and to the point. More information has stated bottom of the ad, reader who wants to know more detail can read through there. Younger generations are extremely visually literate. The advertiser had thought about the vocabulary and language to use and clearly know their target audience. The ad has avoided any words or grammar that would not be found in the newspaper that the target group would read. Therefore message can be read in quick and easy to absorb. The ad has use a clear layout, clear fonts and clear language.They don’t distract the reader from the text by overlaying images or using fancy font s. They use simple language, avoid complicated words, and keep enough space around the text to attract attention to it. The advertiser also avoids cluttering the advert with fancy images, colours and backgrounds, which make it easy to read. The advertisement has incorporated something new. The Consumers can download the Lady's Soulmate application to compatible mobile phones. The ad clearly show that the UOB Lady's Soulmate application marks a new era for the UOB Lady's Card, as it remains in touch with the progress of women and technology.Consumers respond better and are more easily attracted initially to a concept that is new or original. If they've heard or seen it all before it will be no surprise that they take no notice at all. The advertisement induces reader to believe there's something in it for them right from the start. The advertiser has developed a proposition that is special or unique and emphasizes this. The revamped UOB Lady's Card also comes with a new card face for both UOB Lady's Classic and UOB Lady's Platinum cards. UOB Malaysia is the first foreign bank to recognize the affluent female segment in Malaysia when it launched the new UOB Lady's Card.The ad also states that they provide Wallet Guard coverage and Purchase Protection Plan for the purchases which make their service special. The Advertising Standards Authority or equivalent would prevent the advertiser from making overly extravagant claims anyway, but they still attempt to make their offer seem perfectly credible. 7. 0 Recommendations From the advertisement, the readers might feel the card only available in exclusive world as the car stands for luxury. Not all but some of the readers might feel that the exclusivity rewards, and special treatment reserved for a special few, not for them.The website or service line should explain further to those customers that misleading by the pictures. They can emphasize on the protection plan to place themselves a credible image. The words-† The men don’t get it† didn’t stated clearly that whether the male readers can apply this credit card for the lady. For male readers, they may think they can use this card without the offers which women interested at. The conditions should write clear, not that small which stated in the advertisement. I am not sure that buying branded items necessarily causes happiness to a woman.But many of them tend to believe the advertising; they may feel a let-down when their existing card does not bring the desired partner or other increase in status. When they have such expectation, buying a branded item would be necessarily, make them feel happy. More insidious is the indirect effect, namely that they have to work hard and go into debt to buy all this stuff. That, in my opinion, the debt hidden behind is what makes people unhappy. The company should come out a proper financial plan and clarify to the consumer before the consumer purchase their services.