Speaking in colloquial terms

We all know adverts have their target audiences (poster ads specifically here), they adopt many different styles, forms, tones and ideas. They all "speak" in some way; be it visually, or via text, to the audience; and in order to relate to them, the ads need to speak in colloquial terms.

These poster ads are from the portfolio of Claire Watson, a D&AD Best New Blood winner, this first few advertising a brand of tea, "Make mine a builders":

Although brash, the text speaks in a familiar tone to the target audience - builders. There's an instant cultural click, and cleverly the product name is ready to become a workplace catchphrase when supported by an effective campaign.

Another campaign of Claire's is for Dickinson & Morris Pork Pies. The product; a mid-priced pork pie, I believe is targeted primarily at middle class families, dads in their 30's-50's who do DIY, BBQs and fix their own cars. I think their secondary market is tradesmen who appreciate a quality traditional snack over the value alternatives:

Humorous, they play to the cheeky personality trait that many of their dynamic, middle class audience have; poking fun at a relatively dark meat breeding industry. The house imagery recognising their practical tendencies. The second ad not only showing the product in all its meaty goodness, is labelled, like a dissection of an object, or a chart. This time stylistically and semiotically, the ads play to the established common ground between the customer and their target audience projections, relating directly to the audience. It seems so specific to the customer that the brand almost becomes an extension of their personality, as with the builders tea, a brand that, amongst all the others on the shelves, makes you feel comfortable and able to trust it and even make you think you enjoy it more than you actually do.

By talking in terms that aren't obviously trying to sell a product, and in such a way that is so familiar to the customer, they will inevitably feel an "attachment" to the product in comparison with the competition, they may even trick themselves into thinking they're enjoying it more than they really are because their anticipation of the product that seems so familiar to them is too high for it to be a disappointment in their minds.

Socially, people are influenced into posing themselves questions by all manner of things, from advertisments to art, religion and news. If a question is implied, or a problem presented and the viewer "gets" it and perhaps even without thinking about it asks themselves the question, the answer will be far more accepted and acted on by them because it appears to have come from themselves, not preached to them by a corporation.

These ads by Durex are aimed at the young adult male market primarily, posing, without explicitly asking, the question, "What's cheaper, some jonnies or looking after a baby?".

The viewer can't help but agree with the ad, no matter who they are. Unless of course they want a baby, in which case they probably won't ever be persuaded to buy the product. It's a far more effective way of posing the question than simply having text saying, "It's cheaper to buy our product than to run the consequence". The viewer doesn't feel imposed upon.

In my opinion, all ads are far more engaging and effective when they speak the same language as their target audience. The effects on the viewer, both consciously and subconsciously are dramatic in comparison to a generically styled ad and develop an early rapport with the consumer that most new products don't have a chance to do until after they have been tested.