Advertising

Looking at advertising

The following text is a guide to analysing television commercials and print advertisements.

Analysing television commercials

Why are television advertisements made?
Television commercial are created to persuade people to buy something (e.g. cars, food, clothes etc.) and/or to change the behaviour of the viewer. (e.g. choose a different product, stop smoking etc.)

Looking at the narrative structure or the story line of the commercial
What happens in the commercial?
How might the actions and events affect the way the viewers feel? or their actions? (what they do)
Who is the story trying to attract? young? old? males? females?

Looking at the dialogue and the language
What do the characters say to one another?
What are they saying to the viewer?
How does what they say grab our attention?
How does what they say try to persuade us?
What kind of language is used? Look for alliteration, metaphor and simile.
What mood is the language trying to create? Is it funny, scary, exaggerated?
Is one thing being compared to another?

Looking at the people ( the actors employed to perform the roles in a commercial) animals and animated characters in commercials
Have the actors, animals etc. been chosen to be attractive in some way to the viewer?
Who would be attracted to them?
How does the choice of actor and the way they appear, interest and grab the attention of the viewers? Look at the clothes they wear, the age of the actor, the setting in which the characters have been placed.
Is the viewer made to feel sympathy for and understand the characters actions?
How do the characters use their voices, facial expression, body language to carry a message to the viewer?

Looking at the use of lighting, color and music and sound effects
How does the lighting help set the scene? create a mood?
How is music used to grab attention? create a mood?
Is there a jingle used in the commercial?
How does the jingle link the product and the viewer? (e.g easy to remember the product name? simple tune that the viewer can remember when they see the product later)
Who is it trying to attract? young? old? males? females?
What affect does the colour used have on the viewers?
What sounds are used and how do they affect the viewer?

Analysing print advertisements

What product or service is being advertised?
Who might be interested in the product or service?
Who is it trying to attract? young? old? males? females?
Why is it good for the makers of the product or provider of the service if their advertisements make people buy it?

Looking for the mood of the advertisement.
What mood is created? What feelings might the viewer of the ad. have while looking and reading it?
What might the feelings lead people to do? e.g buy something?

Looking at the design
How are the parts (text, art work, photographs) of the ad arranged? e.g.
How are the pictures and printed words linked?
Is there lots of space in the ad?
Is it crowded?
How is color used?
Is the arrangement and appearance easy for the reader to follow?
If there is photograph in the advertisement, is it a close up or long shot? What is the lighting like and what affect does it create?

Looking at the people and animals used in advertisements
Have the actors and animals been chosen to be attractive in some way to the viewer?
Are celebrities and sport stars being used to attract and persuade the reader?
Who are they trying to attract?
How does the choice of actor and the way they appear, interest and grab the attention of the viewers? Look at the clothes they

wear, the age of the actor, the body shapes, the hairstyles and the way the people are relating to each other.
Is the viewer made to feel sympathy for and understand the characters actions?
How do the characters use their voices, facial expression, body language to carry a message to the viewer?

Looking at the setting of the ad. (the place and time)
What does it tell the reader about the characters? about the product?

Looking at the narrative or what is happening in the ad.
If the ad. is telling a story, what story is it telling?
What happened before the ad. took place?
What might happen next?
What message is the ad sending?

Looking at the language in the advertisement
How does the language used grab the reader's attention?
Is there repeated language? humour? Alliteration? metaphor? Are things being compared & contrasted with each other? a catchy phrase or slogan that is related to the product? (e.g 'Drink and drive, Bloody idiot!' and 'Oh! what a feeling'.)
Is there exaggeration (e.g bigger! better! the BEST!)
How is the typeface (print style) used to grab attention and send a message? (e.g bold, colourful, unusual font to create a mood)

The following site has a webquest lesson plan http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/brooklyn/advertising/

Go here for more links to lesson plans and ideas about advertising
http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/consumerism/lesson_3.html

Go here for online copies of print ads of today and of the past.
http://www.adflip.com/

Acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Thomas & Sydenham, Looking at advertising [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2007)

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