Bose Headphones: Dangerously Reducing Noise

Jill Marler

Mrs.Whitsell

English Comp I

15 October 2012

Bose Headphones: Dangerously Reducing Noise

            There are many times you wish you could just escape the noise: around children, when you’re trying to sleep, or you just wish to relax without distractions. Bose brand noise-reducing headphones claim to be just what you need to block out that background noise. The attention-catching ad of Bose’s headphones displays a man rowing his boat directly into Niagara Falls. He is completely relaxed and oblivious to the current danger he is in because he is wearing the Bose headphones, and the sound of the screaming waterfalls isn’t even heard. Bose Company is clearly demonstrating the quality of their product as they show how their product is effective at blocking even the loudest of noise.

            If you have visited the Niagara Falls, you know how incredibly loud they are. It’s hard to think straight with the noise the waterfalls produce. Bose uses the popularity of the falls to show potential customers just how well the product works. Not only is the man in this advertisement rowing straight into them, but he’s smiling and relaxed as if he’s experiencing a lovely day on the lake. A form of danger is present as you wish you could just get his attention so he’d turn his boat around, but he couldn’t even hear onlookers as they yelled in hope of bringing him to safety. Though the danger is ignored, it is sure to catch the attention of many.

            There is a humorous side to the Bose advertisement, as well. The company uses many aspects to make their product memorable, and the laughter it brought was very effective. When people find a sense of humor in something they read or see, they tend to remember it very well.  An advertisement is meant to sell a product, and it does if people share it!  The headphones are often shown being used in airplanes or drowning out cries of children, but in this instance they are blocking out a large amount of noise, and helping a man relax before he plummets down the falls. High quality of this product is promoted, while it brings about a humorous viewpoint to anyone who looks at it. Bose headphones allow a person to take a break from reality, even the reality of dangerous situations. The company very wisely thought up the mix of danger and humor to create an effective advertisement that is sure to catch many consumers’ eyes. Bose headphones seem to be the best selection if you wish to block out all of the noise. “Bose noise reducing headphones” are the only words displayed on this advertisement, and the font gets smaller, which demonstrates the normal volume slowly decreasing as it reaches the headphones. This is craftily designed to present how much the company believes in their product.

            Bose used certain propaganda techniques to sway the viewer’s opinion about their product. The form of assertion was wittily used because Bose didn’t have a slogan, or words to explain their headphones; they simply displayed how well their headphones blocked out noise. The point they were trying to get across was made because they simply demonstrated that actions speak louder than words on their ad. Simplification was another form of propaganda because the headphones are what the ad is selling, and they are simply what is shown.

            We all have times when we want to block out everything, and Bose Company tries to convince you that their headphones have the power to do just that. Drowning out background noise is what the company aims to master, and they feel confident at this by showing their product supplies oblivion to even the loudest of noises. Advertisers wish to convince you of their product’s capabilities over another leading product, and Bose did well at completing that task. Propaganda techniques are wisely used to sway a consumer’s opinion, and the familiarity of a well-known landmark was present in the Bose headphone ad. Bose successfully presented their product in a way that would get someone’s attention, and make them want to share it with others.