Firstly, the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron made use of the bait and switch ad technique. Bait and switch is an effective advertising technique in which an appealing deal is offered but is then changed when direct inquiries are made, as the item that is offered in the ad may not the actual product (Root III,2016). For example, the trailer deliberately misled the audience by introducing the antagonist, Ultron, as a disproportionately terrifying entity. Besides, music plays a major role in emphasizing dramatic moments in films (Huron, 1989). The song used in the trailer was a slower, more ominous rendition of “I’ve Got No Strings”, a song that was previously featured in the Walt Disney animated film, Pinocchio. Paralleling the message of the song to Ultron, it foreshadows the antagonist’s malevolent intentions in a voiceover; as Ultron is freed from his shackles with a promise to rain chaos on the world as heard in a voiceover. Therefore, music choice is instrumental in setting the mood of trailers.
Secondly, the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer also emphasized on emotional appeal. Emotional appeal is an advertising technique using triggers to positive and negative emotions intended to persuade an audience. People are more susceptible to…show more content… Both trailers utilized the bandwagon ad technique. The bandwagon approach involves convincing consumers to go with the trend by using a particular brand that is apparently popular with everyone else, driven by the psychological fear of being left behind. This is an effective marketing tool as trends are instrumental in attracting the attention of a broad audience through the value of uniformity (Cole, 2013; Ricci, 2011). As the superhero genre is at its height of popularity (Romano, 2016), these two trailers engage the audience’s interest by featuring