SUBTEXTmodel sitting in a modern chair. Again no mention of product
What are they selling? Is it the aura of the model? Or the aura
of the striking design in the ad?
In this case, it may be the aura of the company that produces
the object. If the company is strong enough to have a well-
established aura, we are conditioned to accept any product it
makes: Elizabeth Arden, Bill Blass, Ralph Lauren. To get down
to more useful things, the names Electrolux, Hoover, and Whirlpool
have each developed an aura whose subtext is dependability and
quality.
Maytag, in an attempt to build up a subtext of reliability, doesn't
bother to tell us how good their machines are. In their ads they
show repairmen who despair because there is no work for them.
Honda attempts the same sales approach in its advertising,
trying to create a subtext equal to the big names. Its ads show
salespeople who are unhappy because the car sells itself. The
trick in all these cases is to send out a subtext of durability and
desirability so that we assume their products are the best.
THE SUBTEXT AND THE SELLER
Even when the product and the manufacturer send out solid subtexts
of dependability, there remains the subtext of the salesperson.
Successful salespeople are those who send out subtexts of honesty,
trust, and sincerity.
One of the best salespeople I knew was in real estate. She
gave the appearance of being naive, a little confused, always
shuffling through her papers to find the right one, and in the
process sending out a subtext of guilelessness. She always managed
to come up with just the paper she needed, because in reality