Bentley: The Appeal of Achievement

Since discovering it a few months ago, I have always found this Bentely print advertisement to be particularly powerful. First of all, it is a beautifully edited and developed photograph that commands the attention of the viewer. It would be particularly hard to ignore when coming across in a magazine or an internet blog. Second of all, it is advertising a car company without mentioning or showing any automobiles. Confusing at first to the viewer, this is because it isn’t advertising a particular car or model, it’s advertising a mentality—associating the brand with an idea—and I find this to be particularly influential in successful advertising.

This ad is obviously using the appeal of achievement or prominence. This appeal associates buying the product with being a high, contributing member of society. It is usually reserved for more expensive products that make their money, not buy making their products more affordable, but by severely over-pricing them. Armani, Coach, and Mercedez are all products that use this appeal in their ads. They try and promote the idea that by buying this object you will show achievement because few others have the means to make purchases of such high stature.

In this specific ad, Bentley has analyzed its market and realized that rich, white men are really the only people that buy their cars. Instead of appealing to other markets they are trying to gain a bigger foothold in the one they already dominate by saying, “You’ve worked hard to achieve what you have. Spoil yourself with a Bentley, because nobody else matters.” It shows prominence because it associates the act of buying and owning a Bentley with being an elite member of society, and it would be unrealistic for any other kind of person to buy one—all without a word of print.

The Heineken ad is another example of the appeal of Achievement/prominence. (Emphasis on the prominence.)