AdverstingCh8PrintAnalyze

8/2/2019 AdverstingCh8PrintAnalyze

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Chapter 8


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Key Points:

Everything in a text such as a commercial is important The more you know, the more you can see in a text

This because texts store a tremendous amount of informationin themselves and are a great deal more complicated than wemight imagine

The idea is also that print ads and TV spots can be seen as

popular or commercial art The notion is that, like other art such as paintings, music,

sculptures, and poems, you can see, notice, even appreciate,new things in more complex commercials and ads

Such ads are often rich in symbolism and interesting materialfor those who have the keys- that is, the theories andconceptual framework- to unlock their meaning

Ads and cxs are richer in meaning than we might think And it takes a good deal of work to understand how they

communicate ideas and meaning and, to the extent that theyare successful, shape our behavior


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Advertisements are created to persuade people

to buy something (e.g. cars, food, clothes etc.)

and/or to change their behaviour (e.g. choose a

different product, stop smoking etc.)

Analysing television commercialsLooking at the narrative structure or the storyline of the commercialWhat happens in the story of the commercial?

How might the actions and events affect the waythe viewers feel or their actions?

Who is the story trying to attract - young? old?

males? females? (this is called a target audience)


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Looking at the dialogue and the languageWhat 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?


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Looking at the people (the actors employed toperform the roles in a commercial) animalsand animated characters in commercialsHave 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 ageof the actor, the setting in which the characters

have been placed.


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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 carrya message to the viewer?


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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.gbuy something?


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Looking at the designHow 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 or 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 ita close up or long shot? What is the lighting like

and what affect does it create?


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Looking at the people and animals used inadvertisementsHave the actors and animals been chosen to be

attractive in some way to the viewer?

Are celebrities and sport stars being used toattract 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 theviewers? Look at the clothes, actors' ages, their

body shapes, hairstyles and the way the

characters relate to each other.


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Is the viewer made to feel sympathy for and

understand the characters? How? Why?

How do the characters use their voices, facial

expression, body language to carry a message to

the viewer?


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Looking at the setting of the ad. (the place andtime)What does it tell the reader about the characters

and about the product?

Looking at the narrative or what is happeningin 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?


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Looking at the language in the advertisementHow does the language used grab the reader's

attention?

Is there repeated language? humour? alliteration?

metaphor? Are things being compared &

contrasted with each other? Is there a catchy

phrase or slogan for 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)


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The more critics know, the more they can

find in commercials or any kind of artistic orliterary text

Books author uses a six different theories to

analyze this Fidji Woman with the Snake

perfume ad


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Detailed Analysis of this ad: Pages 141-150

Semiotic Analysis- Whatsigns, symbols, and codes arefound in the text?

Psychoanalytic Theory-

How does the text make use ofthe basic elements of the

human psyche to sell goods and

services? Id, ego, superego?

Sociological Analysis-What does the text contain

that is relevant to suchmatters as socioeconomic

class, gender, race, status, and

role?

Historical Analysis-If thead or cx is part of a campaign,what is the campaign like?Where and how does this textfit into campaign?

Political Analysis-Whatrole does the ad or cx have inthe political process? Whattechniques used, what appealsare made?

Myth/Ritual Analysis-

What mythical or ritualisticaspects of the texts are ofinterest? How does it relate toancient myths?


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