Strategic Briefing
With the increase of the global competition and the rapid progress of the IT
technology, the logistics industry has become one of the most influential industries of
the 21st century. The scope and role of logistics have changed dramatically over
recent years. In the past, logistics has played a supportive role to primary functions
such as marketing and manufacturing. The European Logistics market is anticipated to register an annual growth rate of more than 3% during the period (2021-2026) (Mordor, 2020).
Emma & Arnold Reliable Logistics (E&A) wishes to take part in the growth of the logistics industry while adjusting herself to the continuously changing Covid rules in various countries. In this respect, and because E&A wants to take part in the growth of the industry, communication with clients is considered important. Therefore, the aim of our contribution is to find effective ways in which E&A can engage clients through its online content.
"We at E&A Logistics offer business owners exceptional value through both our professional service and our inspirational content. We aim to set the standard for professionalism in delivering a positive, reliable experience for business owners through our online contents, by connecting businesses and providing clear information”.
On the Stock Logistic website there is a link to a YouTube video ad, which has had more than 22,000 viewers. The colour of the ad, representing the company brand, is blue. The advertisement effectively uses logos, ethos, and pathos to convince viewers to use the company’s services (Stocklogistic, 2021): “To offer quality and confidence in every step we take in the logistic chain”.
The Stock Logistic ad features people all over the world in busy, beautiful cities. They are people of different nationalities. At one point we can see the Statue of Liberty, which is used to convince clients that the company is the leader in solving logistics problems. The ad persuades (potential) clients to use their services. It especially targets the logistics business owners around the globe.
Theoretical framework
Persuasive advertising is a component in an overall advertising strategy that seeks to entice consumers into purchasing specific goods or services. Rhetoric Theory according to Aristotle, is the art of seeing the importance of persuasion (Minio, 2019).
Ethos, pathos and logos are techniques of persuasion that form the rhetorical triangle. A compelling argument, a good sales pitch, a convincing speech, or a strong commercial idea uses elements of all three strategies. Each category makes a different appeal to the audience (Avada, 2021). Ethos is called an appeal to ethic and is used as a means of convincing an audience via the authority or credibility of the persuader. The ethos technique is considered
one of the best ways to unlock trust between businesses and potential buyers (Avada, 2021). Pathos appeals to emotion via an appeal to shared experiences. It is a way of convincing an audience by creating an emotional response. The last category of persuasive advertising is the Logos appeal. It focuses on logic behind the whole message and is a way of persuading an audience with reason, using facts and figures (Lien,2013).
Target Audience:
The Stock Logistics' advertisement on the company website states that the company will solve the problems the clients have in delivering their goods at any time, anyway and anywhere, and states that it will help the logistics businesses to grow. The target audience consists of all people involved in logistics.
Implicit message
The advertisement appeals to the logistics business owners by addressing the problems they face in their logistics businesses and by stating that Stock Logistic is the best party to solve these problems. Delivering goods effectively is paramount to the logistics business. The logistics business owners are consistently seeking for the best logistics partner to help them with effective services. The implicit message in this ad is to promise the (potential) clients to help them grow their business: “The client’s needs are our concern”, “To offer quality and confidence in every step we take in the logistic chain”.
The graphics have a strong emotional appeal (pathos). The main focus of the ad is the beautiful cities and different ethnic backgrounds. All these beautiful cities tend to represent all the historical cities that the viewers would like to visit.
Appeal to personal character (ETHOS)
The advertisement tries to establish a connection with the audience by refencing their services in the logistics industry. It appeals to company character as a leader in logistics services: “We are leaders in the national logistics market. Our expansion has crossed borders and reached the furthermost places of our planet, opening a pathway to the import and export of all kinds of goods. Our clients’ needs are our concern, promoting their ambitions and helping them to reach their goals. Our team of professionals throughout the world shares the same Principle.”
Appeal to emotion (PATHOS)
The ad says the company looks after every detail and offers quality and confidence in every step it takes in the logistics chain: “Our goal is that you enjoy the taste of your first cup of coffee of the day without noticing we are behind it”, “Our experience in storage and distribution of forest products places us as a reference in the national and international market.”
Appeal to reason (LOGOS)
Logos in this ad is displayed when facts and reasons are mentioned as credible evidence why potential clients should choose Stock Logistic. The ad states: “Today we have logistics platforms at strategic points in Spain”, “Our aim is to generate movements by land, sea and air. Intermodality is a way of life. It is our way of promoting the progress of your company, wherever it is needed.
The brand chooses a certain way to communicate with the audience. This has to do with the choice of words, the communication style, and the emotional tone. The Tone of Voice of this ad is authoritative. The advertiser’s Tone of Voice is communicating the distinctive nature of the brand. The aim of a brand Tone of Voice is to make sure that the values, personality, or essence of the brand makes it the top brand in every situation in which people come into contact with it. The Tone of Voice in this ad is “Authority”. The ad theme is “Our clients’ needs are our concern”.
Conclusion
This ad effectively uses ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade the audience to use their logistics services. Stock Logistic makes the audience remember their brand, by mentioning their slogan in the ad (“carrying your business forward”). According to Rhetoric Theory, the persuasive ad is an important component in the overall advertising strategy. The ad has a strong connection with the clients.
In principle, the idea of this ad is best suited for my client, because it suits the persona I distinguished for Emma & Arnold Reliable Logistics. Therefore, I will advise my client to make a similar ad, but one that focuses more on the connection with the potential customers.
DHL Express – YouTube Advertisement
DHL has had numerous successful video ad campaigns, but their “DHL Express Commercial” ad made a great impression. On YouTube, the ad had more than 30 thousand viewers. This campaign focuses on the brand DHL Express Excellence and features a father and son relationship (Solk, 2016): “It is not flesh and blood, but heart make us fathers and sons.”
The advertisement
The advertisement is about creating awareness of the brand. It announces the new app to track the orders online. The storyline illustrates the relationship between father and son. The father uses his computer to order the goods and uses his mobile phone to track his order online. The son looks through the window patiently waiting for the goods that were ordered by his father through DHL online. The ad tries to create the brand image, and as part of this tries to convince the customers that DHL’s services are the best. Its goal is to influence consumers to remain loyal to the brand.
Theoretical framework
Narrative Transportation Theory focuses on the causes and consequences of an individual being immersed in a story or transported into a narrative world. In this context ‘Transportation’ refers to the feeling of being very much absorbed in a story, which has some connections to the real world; it includes cognitive empathy, emotional experience, and the presence of mental imagery (Green, 2017). Narratives have a special ability to transport us to different realms, captivating our attention and arousing our emotions. Indeed, a lot of research on narrative transportation has shown that incorporating transportation into a story can have an impact on audience members' beliefs, attitudes, and ways of thinking (Zheng,2014). Transportation can take place in a variety of ways. People can be transported into books, movies, audio storytelling, and even virtual reality. These can indicate that the story's content is the most essential factor, allowing entertainment-education professionals to select the media that is most appropriate or practical for their target audience or that they believe would best deliver their message. The video version of a narrative created higher levels of cognitive and emotional involvement than a print version. Similarly, transportation can happen whether a story is about actual events such as a documentary or whether it is the creation of an author’s imagination. Persuasion and transportation can occur in both factual and fictional narratives.
Target Audience
DHL advertisement comes from the SOLK Photography website and here it is used to convince customers that DHL’s services are the best. It also is meant to increase the awareness on part of the customer that DHL delivers goods to their customer in a unique way. This commercial targets families.
Implicit massage
The advertisement narrates the family ties between father and son. One of the implicit messages in this ad is that the target audience can trust the brand (DHL). The viewer identification in this ad shows a strong cognitive and emotional engagement between the target audience and the brand
Mental Imagery
The transportation imagery model highlights the role of visual imagery in transportation-based belief change. The experience of being transported into a story links the vivid images with beliefs that implied by the story. The DHL commercial is a short video narrative that advertises both the brand and the services. The viewer becomes mentally engaged when he sees how easy it is to order through DHL and follow the delivery of the goods via the mobile. Through this engagement, the customer becomes aware of the brand and is invited to become interested in using the services
Emotional Engagement
The core on many stories is the feelings they inspire for example, stories can make the audiences cheer, laugh, or cry. In this context, narrative is particularly powerful when they evoke strong emotions.
The DHL delivery guy stops his bus in front a five-star hotel to deliver the goods for to family. He rings the doorbell, and the father opens the door. The goods are handed over to the boy and he is shown to be happy. Emotional engagement in this context is that the advertisement utilizes a typical elite lifestyle and that there is a loving interaction between the family members. Through this engagement, customers will be induced to use the brand.
The Tone of Voice in this ad is “commitment and consistency” while the Theme is “values of the relationship between father and son”. However, emotional shifts may be less effective in some kinds of shorter narrative (Green, 2021).
Conclusion
The advertisement ends with an extended display of the DHL logo. It is a carefully executed advertisement that is fully in touch with the values of the relationship between father and son.
The ad is relevant for the target audience, which especially includes educated people. It feels like a natural, authentic story of a strong family bond.
The ad is not really suitable for my client to replicate, because the target audience does not fit the chosen persona that represents clients of E&A. Nevertheless, I will advise E&A to adopt part of DHL ad, especially the part of the using of gadgets to order the goods.
Trends
B2B online contents is ideal for capturing user’s attention. According to a Cisco report, video will account for 82% of all online traffic by 2022. In addition, 84% of users say that they are more likely to invest in a product or service after watching a video. Buyers prefer LinkedIn as the top social network for sharing business related content, with 84% sharing business content on LinkedIn (Ann, 2021). But email remains the channel most buyers employ to share content, with 94% saying email was their number one channel for sharing (DemandReport, 2017).
Recommendation
E&A could use some inspiration from the two ads. Firstly, in principle, the idea of the first ad is best suited for my client, because it suits the persona I distinguished for E&A. Therefore, I will advise my client to make a similar ad, but one that focuses more on the connection with the potential customers.
Secondly, the first ad effectively uses ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade the audience to use the company’s logistics services. Stock Logistic makes the audience remember their brand, by mentioning their slogan in the ad (“carrying your business forward”). According to Rhetoric Theory, the persuasive ad is an important component in the overall advertising strategy. The ad has a strong connection with the clients.
Finally, the second ad is not really suitable for my client to replicate, because the target audience does not fit the chosen persona that represents clients of E&A. Nevertheless, I will advise E&A to adopt part of DHL ad, especially the part of the using of gadgets to order the goods.
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