Christian Gutierrez

Ms. Caruso
ENGL 1101
29 May 2015

I discovered many issues with this advertisement. If I were to go back and create an
advertisement for Larabar, I would use the magazine genre to sell the product. I would take
into consideration problem areas that the original advertisement had. These areas include the
ads very little information on the product, a visually simple page, and an uninspiring slogan
Less is more.
From the informational standpoint, the advertisement has very vague descriptions of the
product. This lack of information could work in favor of the product by making the consumer
want to learn more about it. The fault in the execution lies with the companys inability to
provide any contact information for the product. If a potential buyer had inquiries, it would
be difficult to find an answer. I would address this problem by including a website in the
advertisement. With this simple addition to the page you can uphold the simple quality of the
layout as well as providing information for the product in a non-obtrusive manner. Rather
than filling the advertisement with a list of ingredients or details regarding the snack bars, I
would continue with the clean format that the original designers had, but further their idea
with one or two lines at the bottom of the page including website, address of a retailer nearest
to the consumer, or phone number that the consumer could call for more questions.
14/6/11 12:17
: ! #$%&' &()* +$% ,$ *-.&/(0 #1+
(, (2 3*,,*4 ,$ )**. ,1* 5&*/0 6$47/, 8
Another design issue with the Larabar ad was its inability to maintain a cohesive style
with all other advertisements in the magazine. With articles that feature how to eat
organically or how to meditate on top of a mountain in Colorado, it is no surprise that
advertisements in the magazine follow suit with this all-natural theme. This is where Larabar
stands out. Conceptually, the advertisement does not fit the magazine as a whole. The
advertisement, which only features a picture of three snack bars overlapping a bright purple
background, seems to have a disconnect with the main idea behind their product. I would
embrace the all-natural quality of the snack bars and try to include an image that showed the
connection it has with nature and healthy eating.
The demographic that subscribes to Experience Life magazine is interested in exploring
new things. My idea for the image is to have a woman hiking. She is momentarily resting at
the bottom of a steep incline. The slogan which I would reword entirely would say, For that
extra boost of motivation. This slogan which could be used in conjunction with many
different images better describes the versatility of the bars. Imagine another ad with a man
sitting at his cubicle at his job. The man is taking a bite from one of the snack bars with the
slogan reading, for that extra boost of motivation. The slogan becomes flexible in its ability
to be comedic, literal, or practical.
I decided to choose the magazine genre to promote the product. I selected the magazine
because of its ability to catch selected audiences attention, its exclusivity in certain
magazines, and its ability to generate curiosity from one picture. If done right, an
advertisement in a magazine can inspire emotional reaction.
The magazine has many pros and cons associated with it. One of which is the exclusivity
that I mentioned earlier. The fact that the advertisement is featured in Experience Life, a
14/6/11 12:29
14/6/11 12:11
14/6/11 12:24
: 9$$' .$(0, ,1/, #1+ +$%
51/0:*' ,1* 3/5):4$%0' $6 ,1*
/';*4,(2*7*0,8
: 9$$' *-/7.&* $6 (0'(5/,(0:
,1/, ,1* 2&$:/0 #$4)2 6$4 ;/4($%2 /%'(*05*28
: <-.&/(0 #1+ (, (2 3*,,*4 ,$
51$$2* 2*&*5,*' /%'(*05* 4/,1*4 ,1/0
'(66*4*0, )(0'2 $6 /%'(*05*28
subscription given to members of a particular health club, makes it difficult for the ad to be
seen elsewhere. An easy solution to this problem would be to expand outwards. I would look
to advertise in bigger magazines (ie. Mens Health, GQ). This widens the audience and helps
promotes the product to different types of people.

*I had difficulties with thinking of more pros and cons with magazines as well as the
direction of where my introduction and conclusion should go. I did not include a conclusion
because I not entirely sure how to end an opinionated piece. If you have a suggestions how I
can close my paper that would be great.


14/6/11 12:34
: ! ,1(0) +$%4 ('*/ $6 .4$2 /0'
5$02 /4* :$$'= 2$ ! #$%&' 2%::*2, +$% ,1/,
,1(0)(0: 7$4* '**.*4 /3$%, .4$ /0' 5$02
,1/, +$% 1/;* /&4*/'+ 7*0,($0*' (0 ,1(2
./.*4 1*&.2 ,$ 2,4*0:,1 +$%4 ('*/ $6
7/:/>(0* /';*4,(2*7*0,8