For an ad, being rated
Hot or Not
by the consumer is the end result of a complicated process. A glance at this new Goodyear ad reveals techniques advertisers use to dip their claws in your brains.

As a member of a breed of good, modern, pictorial ads, there is a unique product benefit clearly expressed in a visually compelling fashion. In this case, Goodyear says their tires grip in unusual circumstances,
It Grips Where Other Tires Won
t.
Even if it peeves Junior, who also serves as a surreptitious prompt that gripping wheels helps head not get spread like butter on the asphalt.

The ad uses a bold diagonal to enhance compositional dynamics. Note too, leaves: a subtle reminder that leaves make roads slippy and scahweey. Similarly, a foreboding gloom overcasts the piece, creating anxiety, anxiety that might be soothed by the clean and bright Goodyear tire in the bottom right corner.

Discreet logo in the bottom right. This is the classy way to do logos and taglines. Here is the last area your eyes look at when scanning, allowing you to deduce the ad
s meaning yourself. Then the pithy – advertising is all about the pith these days – tagline frames the issue in case you forgot what you were looking at two seconds ago.

The image supports the tagline, the tagline supports the image. Neither makes as much sense without the other. They have a symbiotic coexistence, closely akin to the famous relationship enjoyed by “cock and bull.”

Thanks to the URL, the ad is
immediate and actionable.
You can act upon the message right away. In years past, this area contained an address to write for more information and/or a coupon. This was a time back when elixir drinking homemakers were on the watch for ways to trim their household budget and communicate with people beyond the social circuit designated by their husbands. And save twine. Saving twine was very big. It helped defeat the Nazis.

Finally, note the trees. Play the ad backwards on a phonograph and hold a mirror overhead. They read, almost imperceptibly,
BUY SOME GODDAMN GOODYEAR TIRES OR YOU
LL FRICKIN DIE, BIATCH.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.