New York to LA

Beyond the Empire State?

A recent advertisement for the "The New Yorker" released early November of this year. The interesting peripheral cue it that the setting was actually not in New York City, or even in New York at all it was in Los Angeles Union Station.

This ad agency took a different approach, they could of used a location in New York but they chose to be creative and stand out! A previous agency SS+K which brought in film director J.C. Chandor to produce a slick video shot at Los Angeles Union Station. While an L.A setting for a 90-year-old New York brand may seem odd, SS+K chief creative officer Bobby Hershfield says that was the point.

The most recent commercial follows a young man making his way through a splintered crowd as stories unfold around him. Suspense and anticipation build as the man arrives at his train, opens his New Yorker and finds the story it turns out he wanted to finish all along.

The overall concept of this commercial, which was an extremely interesting approach, was to communicate that The New Yorker is not just exclusively for residents of New York but for readers everywhere.

Personally, this approach was a genius way to conclude that there is no proximity for the New Yorker, but my question is does everyone sees it this way? As someone who has had four marketing courses, and shares an extreme passion for the industry, I look beyond the addressed message.

I know we discussed in Promotional Strategy and MK 422, which incorporating too many sources factors can mask the message being presented especially when you incorporate source credibility, source attractiveness, and source power. Source Credibility is the extent in which the recipient sees the sources as having relevant knowledge, skill or experience and trusts the source to give unbiased and objective information. There are two dimensions credibility, expertise and trustworthiness. Another source factor is Source Attractiveness, which is a source characteristic frequently used by advertisers to encompass similarity, familiarity, and likability. Similarity is supposed resemblance between the source and the receiver of the message, while familiarity refers to knowledge of the source through exposure. Likability is an affection for the source as a result of physical appearance, behavior, or other person traits. The last source factor is Source Power, this is when a source may be able to induce another person to respond to the request or position her or she is advocating with a reward or punishment. 

Now, there are some examples of companies who try to promote too much messages appeals whether it is fear or humor. With these types of appeals, an ad agency has to find a balance between promoting a company's values in beliefs in a receptive way and adding source factors. I am wondering if consumers will see beyond the initial commercial, unlike marketing majors and those working in the marketing field, a regular consumer may not see the creative approach that appears in this commercial.