Ads: The American part

      The Nescafe ad displayed on the left is the one that was issued in 2009. Without much exquisite software design and air brushing, it is simple in presenting its content and picture. On the left side of the ad, there is a Large, bold, stacked copy that encompasses over 50% of the ad space writing “WE WERE INSTANT BEFORE A SMALL BECAME A TALL”. What needs to be paid attention to here is that the color of text is alternated between brown and red, and the font size varies to enhance and highlight certain parts of the message. Among the text, the word “INSTANT” and “TALL” can immediately grab consumers’ eyes.  As the United States has a fast-paced society that is in constant movement, most of people follow an “on-the-go” life style which makes them view time as indispensible and finite, therefore a popular American phrase is “time is money”. This consciousness of time has also created the thriving fast food chain market in America. Aside from that, Americans are ambitious and value the competitive spirit, which means that they are interested in building and accomplishing goals. So here Nescafe penetrates these two American culture elements and uses the rhetorical strategy of pathos in the highlighted “INSTANT” and “TALL” in an effort to establish an intimate connection between the product and potential consumers.

     In terms of the right side, there is a coffee-filled red mug with a Nescafe logo alongside a “Taster’s choice to-go” packet. The mug is a sharp red color, which contrasts the whitish-beige background. Meanwhile it is not difficult to find that both the mug and packet stand alone, which makes me connect to a cultural trait here about American individualism(Individualism). According to a scientific survey, the U.S. is classified as the most individualistic nation, which means members identify their own interests and opinions first and make decisions accordingly. Nescafe makes use of this trait to promote the visual of the individual packet (as well as mug) to appeal to the typical highly individualistic American, as in this packet is made “just for you”. Last but not least, there is a very important point that cannot be ignored on the bottom-right corner---- “the smart choice”. Although being so short and simple, it actually implicates a lot more meanings. These few words will surely appeal to the consumers going through the economic recession of 2009, because after experiencing the financial crisis, those people’s consumer attitudes have changed. They now place more emphasis on price and value rather than brand image. This happened to give Nescafe the opportune time to publicize itself: It employs a rational appeal to imply that Nescafe’s coffee is a better value, although it is not positioned as a prestigious brand like Starbucks. By comparing itself to Starbucks and positioning itself as the “smart choice”, the company appeals to the consumers’ intellect and encourages them to be logical in their choice of coffee.