Unit 29: Advertising Production For Television

Ethan McLaughlin

Conor Glynn

Introduction

We are surrounded by advertising, advertising is one of the largest parts of the media industry. Advertising can be found in all types of media, like television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, films and the internet. Out of these television is the biggest, they have the highest budgets and most air time, some ads even become so memorable that they become culturally significant. These advertisements showcase a wide array of products, from relatively mundane things like washing up liquid and clothes to high end products like cars and expensive TVs. In the following essay I will discuss the techniques, structures, codes and conventions used in television advertising, I will also talk about other things that are very important to advertising, such as regulation by organizations like Ofcom and the ASA as well as audience information.

Structure

The structure of an advertisement is how it is made or put together, one of the most important things that help structure an advert is its form. The form of an advert is how it looks or appears, there are several different forms, one of them is a realist narrative. This is when an ad attempts to present the viewer with something that could be real life, its meant to be believable and realistic. An example of a real ad would be Nikes “Take it to the next level” where we see the progression of a footballer in first person perspective, we see his journey from playing amateur football, to being signed by a big club, getting fitter and more skilled to eventually seeing him play for his country. These events are portrayed realistically and the first-person perspective help with the realism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVkCfIffBMo

Of course, the opposite of a realist narrative would be an anti-realistic narrative, which is when the ad portrays events or concepts that are made up or unrealistic. An example of this would be the Snickers ads that feature Mr T, where we see unrealistic situations, like a tank crashing into a football match when someone pretends to be hurt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NySN_plfiNI

Animation is another form often used in ads, these are usually bright and colourful, and are mostly aimed at children however this isn’t always the case. An example of an animated ad is Milky Ways “Red Car, Blue Car”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8LARnyyJKI

Another advertisement form is documentary, these ads simply show reality without any alteration, these are often used for charity’s and causes and are very straight and direct to the viewer, examples included Pilion trusts “We Know You Care” and “One Child”. The latter shows the harsh lives those children have to shock the viewer and make them want to help anyway they can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99pQ0KJfdoE

Talking heads is another form, and it’s when a spokesperson for a company or product talks directly to the viewer about a product or service, usually these are the relatively mundane products like toothpaste or make up, an example being Sensodyne’s “Why has my sensitive come back” which feature a dentist talking about a specific brand of tooth paste and its benefits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys8-yScMXvQ

The final two forms I will discuss are stand alone and series, these are related however they are complete opposites, a stand-alone ad is one that has no connection to any pervious or future ads, the Hovis 100 year ad is a good example of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYlGMYJ5UeA

A series is when ads are connected to other ads, these typically differ in content but they all end up promoting the same thing, Daz’s “Cleaner Close” series is a great example, they are meant to be presented like a soap opera, and all take place in the same area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WypZXDtAgGk&index=1&list=PLF678D04102BDC156

Style

The style of an advertisement is how it is done or made, there are many different styles and they all convey different feelings and some styles are associated with specific types of products. An ad that has a humorous style is that had comedic/ funny tones, the ad could have some sort of a punchline, because of the comedic value, ads of this style are remembered more. An example of a comedic ad would be Carls Jr’s Milkshake ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq25qD44hC0

Having an ad be surreal is another style, it also helps and ad be memorable. Surrealism refers to something that is bizarre and irrational, something that’s very fantastical and feels like a dream, ads use surrealism in an attempt to make it memorable. The Cadbury’s “Gorilla” ad is an example of using surrealism, it has a gorilla playing the drum fill in the song “In the Air Tonight”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnzFRV1LwIo

Parody is also used often in advertisements; parody is when someone else’s work is referenced or made fun of, I think advertisers use parody because people are familiar with the original work and this once again makes the ad memorable, Irn-Bru’s “Walking Through the Air” which parodies the film “The Snowman” it parodies the art style, the overall story and the films song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yZOab5gl-4

Drama is also used as a style in advertisements, these are usually the same types of ads as the documentary form that I talk about earlier, ads for charities and causes likes Concern Worldwide’s “Cure Starvation” these ads try to make the viewer feel empathy for whatever is happening and make them want to donate or help in any way they can:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB8g6QmHj1U

Codes and Conventions

While things like style and structure are very important to creating an ad, filmmaking codes and conventions are used during an advertisements production. Filmmaking codes are a system of signs which create some sort of meaning, broken into technical codes and symbolic codes. Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something I am going to discuss how different conventions are used an advertising and the effect they can have and I am going to use this 30 second ad spot for the film “True Grit” to illustrate several of my points- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oZ5Jqfme-o

I will discuss the following things:

camera angle shot iconography editing lighting sound music computer graphics special effects

A camera angle is the location where the camera is placed to take a shot, different angles can give the audience different feelings or emotions, for example a low camera angle can give of the effect that some is powerful or in control because the angle makes them look bigger, and a high angle gives the opposite effect, making someone look weaker because they are smaller. This is used in the TV spot for the main character in several moments, sometimes to make him look smaller and other times to make him look bigger. A camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot or frame, these are very important to show different aspects of an ads production, shots basically make up the ad and they can help create emotion. Iconography is the descriptions or signs that are associated with a genre, the audience will automatically make the link between settings, images or symbols and a genre. As soon as the spot starts the audience can immediately tell what genre it is, the clothing, the revolvers, the horses and the cowboy hats tell the viewers that this film is a part of the western genre. Editing is the post production process of an advertisement, it’s when all the shots take have been taken must be arranged to tell a narrative, lots of advertisements have fast paced editing, this is because the advertisers want to get as much information in the approximately 30 second time lots that these ads have. The spot for “True Grit” does this very well because in the just 32 seconds the audience knows that the basic plot of the film is, it also uses a lot of quick cuts in-between action segments to get the viewer interested. Lighting is very important for ant production, the lighting can greatly affect the mood, look and feel of an advert, the lighting in the “True Grit” spot looks very natural, it shows of the landscapes and locations of the old west very well. The naturally lighting can also give off a more realistic and gritty feel. While the visuals of an ad are very important, the sound and music is also key in help getting the point of the ad across, in the TV spot there isn’t much music to be heard, most of the audio comes from things like dialogue, gun shots and reloads for example when the names of the actors show up they are accompanied by the sound of a revolver shooting. The dialogue is important as I mentioned before for giving a basic summary of the films plot, there is also a short voice over in the final seconds of the ad tells the audience the release date of the film and its MPAA rating. Special effects are also used a lot in advertising, it’s when things like CGI (computer generated images) or animation are used, animation is used a lot in ads that are target at children because they are usually bright and colourful and will draw their attention.

While the spot for “True Grit” doesn’t use much special effects (that I can see) they are used in a lot of other films spots and trailers for things like explosions and car crashes, this is usually done to grab the audience’s attention.

Techniques

Advertisers often use techniques that will make people more interested in the or want to buy the product. Hidden messages are often used in advertising, these are also knowns as subliminal messages and it is when an advertisement sends some sort of message to the viewer without them being aware of it, this can be done in several ways, for example an image or a word flashes on screen for a millisecond, images or text may be hidden in the ad or audio is played in the background. Subliminal messaging is very common anymore as they are banned in a lot of countries The opposite of a subliminal message would be overt messaging. These messages would be openly displayed and easy to see, they are usual to help sell the product, for example having an ad for whitening toothpaste will imply the message that having white teeth is a good thing. Advertisers are very aware that emotion plays a big part in the products that people want to buy, this is known as an emotional response or emotional association. The most common of these would be a solution to a problem, meaning that the ad will show a product that will solve a problem the viewer has. The company Dyson makes use of this technique, in the ad for the Dyson V6 Vacuum, where it brings up the point that most vacuums have weak suction, causing them not to clean as well as they should, the ad then solves this problem by telling the viewer about the Dyson V6 and its powerful motor. Advertisers also use emotions like fear, compassion and concern to sell their product or get their point across. The DOE road safety ads use fear to stop people driving drunk or speeding, these ads are very direct about the consequences of peoples actions. The ad “Classroom” would play on the fears of parents as it shows a class full of children dying in a car accident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpjL8bGC1ks

Compassion and concern are also used in advertising, these emotions would be used in ads for things like charities and awareness campaigns. The ad I mentioned before “Classroom” would also use peoples compassion, they would be thinking about the families of the children killed and how they would fell If this happened to them or someone they know in real life. This domestic violence PSA is another example of using compassion and concern as viewers will empathize and worry about someone who is in that type of situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTJT3fVv1vU

Some ads also make the viewer think about their social position, how they see themselves and how they could improve their lives. This ad from Teach First shows the difference in man’s life before he was a teacher and during his time teacher, it shows how much better his life is and how much happier he is a result.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRArPoGUN-c

Another technique used by advertisers is the celebrity endorsement, this means that a famous celebrity is paid to feature in an ad. This is done because a lot of people will want to use the same products or services that celebrities use, the “I want to be like them” factor, people want to wear the same clothes or use the same perfume that their favorite celebrity’s. An example of celebrity endorsement would be for Hugo Boss where they use actor Ryan Reynolds in their ads, this will make fans of his interested in the aftershave, which will increase sales.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I0oDJ6GreQ

Another thing that is very important to advertising is telling the audience the characteristics of the product, they have to show what the product offers, for example this ad for the Iphone five shows the “do not disturb” feature and the benefits it can bring:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWsbRkXzshc

It’s also important from advertisers to tell the audience why their product is better to other ones on the market, this ad from Tesco tells the viewer that their prices are cheaper than other supermarkets:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ7wPTsXGfg

Something else that would interest a potential customer would be a products unique selling proposition (USP) this is something that differentiates a product from its competitors, it shows the audience that the product has something that other products don’t and is worth buying because of it, an example of a USP would be Microsoft Kinect, where people were able to play games with their entire body instead of just using a controller, using the slogan “You are the controller”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS6b6JWS_0k

life style appeal is when advertisers attempt to appeal to a customer by making them believe that the product or service will make them have a better lifestyle, the example I’m going to use is the “Granpa” ad from Coca-Cola. The ad shows how life was different back in the time of our grandparents, it also shows the similarities. The ad ends with a message saying “live like grandpa did: move more, eat well, take it easy and don’t forget to enjoy life” this ad implies that drinking coca cola can result in a happier lifestyle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvsTjZko2gw

Another thing that is very important to advertisers is brand identity, which is when the same logos, colour schemes, tag lines so that the viewer can recognize the product. An example of a company that has a strong brand identity is Cadbury’s, because of this they can make ads that don’t really have anything to do with the product, until it is shown at the end. I mentioned this ad before but the “Gorilla” ad is a great example of this, as soon as the ad starts the audience recognizes the purple and white colour scheme and immediately think of Cadburys, then the gorilla plays the drums and a Cadburys chocolate bar is shown in the last few seconds, with the tag line “a glass and a half full of joy”. In Cadbury’s case having strong brand identity allows them to create unique, funny and interesting ads that will stay in people’s minds for years to come.

Regulation

All advertisements must be regulated, they must follow the advertising codes, the organization that enforces these codes is called the ASA. The Advertising Standards Authority is an independent, self-regulating organization whose job is to regulate the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in the UK. This organization does not receive funding from the government, it gets its money from a tax on the advertising industry. Because the ASA is a non-statutory organization it cannot enforce legislation/ laws, however it is there codes of advertising which is used in most legislation. Another company that regulates advertisements is The Office of Communications, more commonly referred to as Ofcom. They are a governmental authority for broadcasting and telecommunications in the UK, Ofcom sets and enforce rules and regulations within various sectors such as television and radio, they allow the public to put in complaints about any adverts that they find offensive or are doing something wrong, Ofcom then investigates these complaints and can ban ads that they find harmful, offensive or are breaking and advertising codes. The ASA and Ofcom have banned lots of adverts throughout the years, for example, in 2015 an ad for “the worlds slimmest phone” featured a woman ironing a shirt that had the slim phone in its front pocket, after the ad was released several complaints came into the ASA from people feeling that the ad objectified women and the ads content had little to do with the phone, the ASA banned the ad releasing a statement saying “We considered that the overall style of the ad served to objectify women. We therefore concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious offence to some viewers on the basis that it objectified women.”

Audience information

Audience information is very important for advertising and as well as television in general, it is key for companies to know what their audience’s demographic and their psychograph among other things, using this information the advertisers can then create an ad in a specific way that will appeal to most, if not all the viewers. There are lots of ways that companies can get information about their audience. Audience measurement panels are the number of people who are in an audience in relation to the television viewership, this info helps advertisers understand who is watching instead of how many are watching. Ratings are also useful information, the ratings of a show are determined by the number of houses that have tuned in to a television programme and/or how long they watched it, ratings are important to advertisers because, with the help of that information, they can decided on what channels have priority for their ads, they will put their ads on the channels that have the biggest ratings and/or the longest audience retention, this will assure their ads reach as many viewers as possible. Face-to-face interviews are also used in audience research. These interviews can be conducted in several places, for someone’s home, where they work, at an event or even on the street, the interviewer will ask questions about what someone likes or what they dislike, they may also show them things, like an advertisement or a range of products and get their opinions on them. Even though face to face interviews can be time consuming, with each interview being several minutes long, it is the best and most reliable way to get information from the audience. Focus groups are like face to face interviews however there is one key difference, it’s a group of people. Focus groups usually consist of five to ten people, the group needs to be small enough to allow everyone to share their opinions and large enough to get group interaction and be diverse. In focus groups people discuss their opinions on things, what they would change and what they would like more of. Focus groups are important because they give the advertisers a sense of what most people would like, they can therefore make changes to an ad for a wider audience to like it. Companies can also gain information about their audience from questionnaires, these will consist of several questions that the viewer will answer, these are usually multiple choice, for example a question would have answers like very often, often, sometimes, rarely and never and the person would mark the answer that most applies to them. Programme profiles break down the number of people who watch a specific programme, it will also get their age and their gender, advertisers will then use this information to more effectively place their ads, for example, the advertisers will know that a shows viewers are mostly males ages 20-35, they can then plan their ads accordingly, having ads that will appeal more to people of that age and gender.

All this audience information would be compiled by the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board also known as BARB. BARB is a television research agency that was created in 1981 and is owned by several companies including the BBC, ITV and Sky among others. BARB collects its information by a having a box in participating viewer’s homes that tracks information. They currently have approximately five thousand homes participating which equates to around twelve thousand people. BARB is vital to advertising agencies, using the data they receive from BARB

they can better understand their audience. All the benefits that advertisers get from audience information would not happen without a company like BARB.

Sources of Information

Rates cards are documents that show how it will cost to have an advertisement slot. They will show the cost by region as well as the total of every region combined. Rates cards are usually the maximum that a company must pay, they can receive discounts due to things like the amount of space they want or the company’s ability to bargain, a desire to sell unused space is also a factor in the cost. Advertisers will use rates cards to see how much will it will cost to have their ad shown to potential customers. For example, here is a rates card for a 30 second slot on the BBC World News channel:

Advertiser information packs are packs that include various things such as rates cards and release and insertion dates. This information gives Advertisers what they need in order to plan their advertising campaign in regards to the length of the ad, what day/ days to show the ad, what time of day to show it and show it will cost etc. These packs are very important to advertisers because they will know what is available to suit their needs.

Research agency websites are owned by companies that gather and analyze information about consumers, they then offer this information to other companies such as advertisers. These companies are very useful for advertisers because using the information provided by research agency websites they can improve their advertising campaign because they will know more about their audience. This will draw in more viewers and potential customers. www.greenbook.org is a research agency website

Audience Classification

There are many ways to classify the audience one of them is the SOC, the Standard occupational classification is a government system that categorizes the social/ economic classes of people depending on their type of job. The SOC is used by advertisers to define the target audience, the will allow them to advertises specific type or class of person. Take this for example:

If they were advertising more expensive products, say for example a car, they would put their advertisements during BBC question time as people who are upper middle class would be their target audience. Audiences can also be classified using psychographics and geo demographics. Psychographics is a personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyle of an audience member, whereas demographics show who the audience is, psychographics are useful to advertisers because they can understand their audience more. Geo demographics is the study of the population and its characteristics and is segmented by geographical location. There is also two more ways of classifying an audience, one

of these in gender, this is very simple because the audience is split in two groups, male and female. It’s important to classify gender because so the advertisers know what products to show during what programmes for example, a show like “Eastenders” has a majority female audience, therefore the advertisers would place ads that appeal or are targeted more at women, such as make up and skin care products. This same rule applies to another classification, age. This is when the audience is split into different age groups. Then shows that are watched by a specific age range have ads that related or a more focus on that age range. For example, if you have a programme that’s majority audience is children under the age of 10, most if not all the ads would be things like toys and games, you wouldn’t see any ads for more adult things like home insurance or buying property. This information would be gotten from questionnaires done by companies like BARB

Conclusion

It is clear that many different techniques and styles are used when it comes to creating an advertisement and these will affect what type of ad it will be and what products are being shown. It is also clear how much preparation and research goes into creating and placing on ad, from gathering information on the audience, to being able to classify them. This information allows advertisers to more effectively place an ad and the products will be more successful as a result of this prep, because be people who would be interested in the product would see it. The techniques I have learned about during this essay will help me greatly in my future career or if I am creating any more advertisements, because I know what these techniques are and how to use them.