Persuasive Wordplay in Animated Email Advertisements

Animated email advertisements by Google. An incredibly well-known company, which began as a search engine but now houses an entire suite similar to that of Microsoft Office. The following advertisement is for their advancement into becoming something of an "all-in-one" company, similar to Apple's "Siri," "Google Assistant" is an assistant to help people complete tasks by only using vocal commands. However, let's see how their advertisement compares to our standards.

Google Assistant Advertisement - Overall Grade: A

ANIMATED:


The animated portion of their advertisement is extremely well made for email-based marketing approaches. Firstly, it's a small portion of the email that's fully animated, creating smaller file size, and therefore, a shorter loading time. 

The pretense of this advertisement is the sentence, "Have Google -blank- it." Putting different words in place of this "blank" is effective in that it's able to give examples of what the audience can do with this specific product. In giving multiple different uses for the Google Assistant, more people will buy into the idea of using it, because they can see a practical use for the product. Having the text move quicker and quicker as the animation goes on before replacing the changing verb into the slogan is smart because it gives the audience a sense of there being many, many more options available, and that there isn't enough time to look through them all. This is smart as a way to also lead into the ending, where the slogan appears.

The bold statement of "Make Google do it" is extremely effective in that it's able to very simply explain what the entirety of the animated advertisement had been trying to say; essentially, that Google, or Google's Assistant, can do anything you ask it to, and that all you have to do is tell it to do so. It's a smart way to tell the audience that they need to "Make Google do -blank-" in a way that doesn't sound like a command. If it were phrased that way, fewer people would be inclined to listen, even just a little bit, because people don't like being told what to do. However, with the email advertisement saying that they should make Google -blank- it, the audience doesn't feel as if they're being commanded, but that they can tell Google what needs to be done.

To finish off the animated advertisement with the logo for Google's Assistant is extremely smart, especially coupled with the fact that it is the only color in the entire animation. Having it be the only splash of color helps to make the logo stand out, as well as making sure that the audience remembers it from the animation. Considering the logo is also used within Google Assistant itself, it's good that it's in the advertisement to give the audience and customers a tie-in to the product itself.

STATIC:

The rest of this advertisement is great, considering that it came up in time for spring. The imagery of someone pruning a tree, getting it healthy for spring, is not only a great juxtaposition of the monotony of black, grey, and white (minus the Google Assistant logo, of course), but it also brings in the color green as a focal point, which is not only associated with nature and life but also money and wealth, slightly inspiring imagery of Google Assistant being a product that will help someone's life be prosperous. "Spring into action" is a really cute way to blend in the time, and give a reason to begin using Google Assistant, which we'll mention soon. Through the statement, "tidy up and make way for what matters most with help from your Google Assistant," one can assume that the email advertisement is alluding to the fact that, in spring, many people participate in spring cleaning, in order to have a clean start for the rest of the year. This can also be helped through the fact that they're advertising a completely hands-free version of the AI, meaning that the audience can be cleaning with their hands, and begin searching things, create reminders, and more, simply by saying a vocal prompt. 

The final part of the email advertisement states that Google Assistant can be available across different devices, which not only helps sell their product to people who maybe have multiple devices that support Google Assistant, or at least, try to send a subconscious message for people who don't have multiple devices, to perhaps look into buying some for the upcoming seasons. 

Overall, the grade I've given is simply because I believe that every aspect of this animated email advertisement is absolutely wonderful. The subtle psychology behind the wording of the slogan, the color aspects of the animation, the color of the static image below, the wordplay on the season, and the slight advertisement at the bottom; everything works cohesively together, and it's orchestrated into a beautifully simple, yet complex advertisement that is succinct and persuasive.

Related Content: Using Free Email Accounts for Business (Podcast: Morning Joe with Gibrón)