Secret Strategies

The Secret deodorant ads that I browsed mentioned a couple of the reasons I have for being a loyal consumer. It works well and it lasts long. One of the ads eluded to it smelling good. None of the ads named my other reasons: it’s reliable, low in aluminum, and it comes off of clothes and skin easily.

The ads were all a little different in how they appealed to my identity. One gave me permission to “Be funky” and reminded me I should have this product, “because you’re hot.” Another ad showed a shimmering product with an elegant border and artistic design with the printed descriptor “flawless. ,” appealing more to my intimate nature, suggesting an intimate bond with the product. In both ads, there was a great deal of attention to mood, color, lighting, and tone.

Not a lot of images were available online and the Secret website was surprisingly short on images. But, I remember growing up with Secret ads and noticing that the ads were slanted depending on the magazine and target audience ages. I recall finding the ads for older women less appealing, even laughable, compared towards the ones geared for teens. This indicates that they do a good job of identifying the target audience, because now, as one of those “older women” I still respond favorably to their ads.