Analysing Ads
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Analysing Advertising Advertising tends to follow a basic format - a slogan or a striking image catches our attention, the body of the ad contains more factual information about the product , and a pack shot or logo reinforces the brand identity.The combination of these elements, even though we may only look at them for the average time of 1.5 seconds, leaves us with an impression of the values that are attached to that brand, and a sense of who the target audience for the product is (male? female? pensioner? teenager?). When first analysing an ad you need to decide • WHO the ad is aimed at - describe them demographically and psychographically • WHAT is being advertising and WHAT is specifically highlighted about the product (the benefits) in this ad? •
WHY this helps sell a product
•
WHERE/WHEN this ad might appear in order to reach its target audience
Appeals Then you need to decide what techniques are being used to communicate with the audience. According to Gillian Dyer (Advertising as Communication Routledge 1988) advertisers use, among other techniques, the following lines of appeal. They use images of or references to these things to tap into our desires - and fears: •
Happy families - everyone wants to belong
•
Rich, luxurious lifestyles - aspirational
•
Dreams and fantasy
•
Successful romance and love
•
Elite people or experts
•
Glamorous places
•
Successful careers
•
Art, culture & history
•
Nature & the natural world
• Beautiful women - men AND women like looking at beautiful women, so the thinking goes: men admire them, women admire what makes the men admire them. •
Self-importance & pride
•
Comedy & humour
•
Childhood - can appeal to either nostalgia or to nurturing instincts
These lines of appeal are effective because they deal with our social needs.15 Basic Appeals are listed by Jib Fowler in Mass Advertising As Social Forecast. You can read the list here. Children are considered a special target group when it comes to advertising, and strategies are used to especially target them - read more from the Media Awareness Network.
When analysing an ad you need to consider what kind of appeal is being made - does this ad tap in to your desire to be considered successful by your peers, for instance, or is it more about making you feel as though you will belong to a happy group if you own a certain product? Often advertising creates need - in order to sell a product that we did not know existed, advertisers have to make us aware that we need it. Language of Advertising The purpose of advertising language is to persuade. Whereas the slogan and the image can be humorous or attention-grabbing, the body copy is always to extoll the benefits of a product and thus persuade the audience to buy buy buy! In his influential book, Confessions of An Advertising Man (Atheneum, 1988) David Ogilvy lists the most persuasive words in advertising as
suddenly now announcing introducing improvement amazing sensational remarkable revolutionary startling
miracle magic offer quick easy wanted challenge compare bargain hurry
These words act as triggers to interest audiences in a product. They are also over-used, and may, these days, be counted as clichés. Advertising makes use of a direct mode of address (the most commonly used word in advertising is 'YOU') and short, active words. Read a list of the most commonly used adjectives and verbs. When analysing an ad you have to identify the key persuasive words and consider their effect on an audience. Be critical: are the advertisers taking a tried and tested approach or are they being original? Does the approach work? Images in Advertising Understanding the image is key to understanding the message of the ad, which may work on many different levels. You must consider the following: Denotation • What is it of? How many images are there? Is there a main image plus a pack shot? It is a literal representation of the product or is it a metaphor? • How is the image positioned - ie what is the camera angle and where does this place the reader? Is it neutral (an eye level shot) or is the subject give authority over the audience through a low angle? • What kind of image is it - high quality, full colour, lovingly enhance image or fuzzy black and white shot? If a TVC, is it shot on tape or film? • Non-Verbal Communication - what is being said without words by the body language of the model? Once you have explored the basics you must consider the connotations.
• Content Signs - what information is imparted by the mise-en-scène? the costume and accessories of models? The setting? What do we infer from these signs? • Intertextuality - does this ad refer to any other media text? Is it a parody? Through the use of music or characters does it evoke eg) a major motion picture or a novel • Combinations of signs - what does the image, together with any music, or with the anchorage provided by the caption suggest, as opposed to the image just by itself? Stereotypes Ad campaigns often make use of stereotypes - as a shorthand way of communicating a set of meanings. Sometimes the stereotype is deliberately set up and then challenged, to comic effect. However, given that a considerable proportion of our self-identity comes from the images and messages in the advertising that surrounds us, stereotyping in advertising is seen as potentially harmful. Gender stereotypes are the most common. Men are shown as primarily functional, associated with heavy machinery, business decisions, wearing executive suits and watches, being taller than women etc etc. Women are decorative, associated with kitchen equipment and domestic financial decisions, often shown lying down on beds and floors. •
Female Stereotypes in Advertising
http://www.saintmarys.edu/%7Emedi0639/femalestereotypes.html •
Male Stereotypes in Advertising
http://www.saintmarys.edu/%7Emedi0639/malestereotypes.html Race is also the source of stereotyping in many ads. •
About Racial Stereotypes
•
Italian American Stereotypes in US Advertising
You must be ready to spot any sort of stereotyping in your analysis of an advert. Why was that stereotype used? Is it likely to cause offence? Does it distort the intended message of the ad? Further Reading
•
Making Sense of Ads - from History Matters. Detailed advice on deconstructing ads and considering their sociohistoric context.
•
Ad Dissection 101 - a whole range of activities
•
A TV Commercial Webquest - some useful strategies for analysing tvcs
•
Analysing Magazine Ads - step-by-step from The Media Room
Find Ads To Analyse You will find a good selection of the latest advertising on these sites
•
The Creative Lounge - from The Guardian. It's worth signing up for the Creative Club (it's free)
• Adforum - 100s of ads, but unfortunately you have to pay to see the bigger versions. Just get close to your screen.
WHY this helps sell a product
•
WHERE/WHEN this ad might appear in order to reach its target audience
Appeals Then you need to decide what techniques are being used to communicate with the audience. According to Gillian Dyer (Advertising as Communication Routledge 1988) advertisers use, among other techniques, the following lines of appeal. They use images of or references to these things to tap into our desires - and fears: •
Happy families - everyone wants to belong
•
Rich, luxurious lifestyles - aspirational
•
Dreams and fantasy
•
Successful romance and love
•
Elite people or experts
•
Glamorous places
•
Successful careers
•
Art, culture & history
•
Nature & the natural world
• Beautiful women - men AND women like looking at beautiful women, so the thinking goes: men admire them, women admire what makes the men admire them. •
Self-importance & pride
•
Comedy & humour
•
Childhood - can appeal to either nostalgia or to nurturing instincts
These lines of appeal are effective because they deal with our social needs.15 Basic Appeals are listed by Jib Fowler in Mass Advertising As Social Forecast. You can read the list here. Children are considered a special target group when it comes to advertising, and strategies are used to especially target them - read more from the Media Awareness Network.
When analysing an ad you need to consider what kind of appeal is being made - does this ad tap in to your desire to be considered successful by your peers, for instance, or is it more about making you feel as though you will belong to a happy group if you own a certain product? Often advertising creates need - in order to sell a product that we did not know existed, advertisers have to make us aware that we need it. Language of Advertising The purpose of advertising language is to persuade. Whereas the slogan and the image can be humorous or attention-grabbing, the body copy is always to extoll the benefits of a product and thus persuade the audience to buy buy buy! In his influential book, Confessions of An Advertising Man (Atheneum, 1988) David Ogilvy lists the most persuasive words in advertising as
suddenly now announcing introducing improvement amazing sensational remarkable revolutionary startling
miracle magic offer quick easy wanted challenge compare bargain hurry
These words act as triggers to interest audiences in a product. They are also over-used, and may, these days, be counted as clichés. Advertising makes use of a direct mode of address (the most commonly used word in advertising is 'YOU') and short, active words. Read a list of the most commonly used adjectives and verbs. When analysing an ad you have to identify the key persuasive words and consider their effect on an audience. Be critical: are the advertisers taking a tried and tested approach or are they being original? Does the approach work? Images in Advertising Understanding the image is key to understanding the message of the ad, which may work on many different levels. You must consider the following: Denotation • What is it of? How many images are there? Is there a main image plus a pack shot? It is a literal representation of the product or is it a metaphor? • How is the image positioned - ie what is the camera angle and where does this place the reader? Is it neutral (an eye level shot) or is the subject give authority over the audience through a low angle? • What kind of image is it - high quality, full colour, lovingly enhance image or fuzzy black and white shot? If a TVC, is it shot on tape or film? • Non-Verbal Communication - what is being said without words by the body language of the model? Once you have explored the basics you must consider the connotations.
• Content Signs - what information is imparted by the mise-en-scène? the costume and accessories of models? The setting? What do we infer from these signs? • Intertextuality - does this ad refer to any other media text? Is it a parody? Through the use of music or characters does it evoke eg) a major motion picture or a novel • Combinations of signs - what does the image, together with any music, or with the anchorage provided by the caption suggest, as opposed to the image just by itself? Stereotypes Ad campaigns often make use of stereotypes - as a shorthand way of communicating a set of meanings. Sometimes the stereotype is deliberately set up and then challenged, to comic effect. However, given that a considerable proportion of our self-identity comes from the images and messages in the advertising that surrounds us, stereotyping in advertising is seen as potentially harmful. Gender stereotypes are the most common. Men are shown as primarily functional, associated with heavy machinery, business decisions, wearing executive suits and watches, being taller than women etc etc. Women are decorative, associated with kitchen equipment and domestic financial decisions, often shown lying down on beds and floors. •
Female Stereotypes in Advertising
http://www.saintmarys.edu/%7Emedi0639/femalestereotypes.html •
Male Stereotypes in Advertising
http://www.saintmarys.edu/%7Emedi0639/malestereotypes.html Race is also the source of stereotyping in many ads. •
About Racial Stereotypes
•
Italian American Stereotypes in US Advertising
You must be ready to spot any sort of stereotyping in your analysis of an advert. Why was that stereotype used? Is it likely to cause offence? Does it distort the intended message of the ad? Further Reading
•
Making Sense of Ads - from History Matters. Detailed advice on deconstructing ads and considering their sociohistoric context.
•
Ad Dissection 101 - a whole range of activities
•
A TV Commercial Webquest - some useful strategies for analysing tvcs
•
Analysing Magazine Ads - step-by-step from The Media Room
Find Ads To Analyse You will find a good selection of the latest advertising on these sites
•
The Creative Lounge - from The Guardian. It's worth signing up for the Creative Club (it's free)
• Adforum - 100s of ads, but unfortunately you have to pay to see the bigger versions. Just get close to your screen.
