Advertisement Analysis Essay

Advice and Reminders

Needs a subject and a Point of View◦ Subject = your specific advertiser and the

advertisements you chose

◦ POV = two conclusions based on your analysis of details 1) A conclusion regarding the ad’s persuasive

tactics/strategies 2) An interpretation of the cultural significance of

that changing strategy

Thesis Statement

◦ The thesis statement is not a personal reflection on how the ads personally affected/impacted you, how you experienced them, came upon them, etc.

◦ The thesis statement could include an evaluative claim (i.e., I like it, it was good/bad/whatever), but that should not be the central point of the thesis

Thesis (cont.)

Analyze the text by itself, the image by itself, and how the text and image function together.

Be inclusive (attention to detail) Base your conclusion on what is present—

not on what is absent Be wary of generalizations (and

assumptions about culture that are hasty generalization and/or can’t be supported)

Analysis and InterpretationSome things to think about during the brainstorming stage

Rhetorical triangle Compositional features Audience analysis Logical fallacies

Other things you can include in your analysis

Include an analysis of compositional features

Discuss what the ad implies

Discuss the ad’s intended strategy

Include details of the ad as evidence for your analytic claims

Just describe what it looks like

Assume that all readers will react the way you do

Assume it works or is successful (or not)

Bring up ad’s detail without discussing it’s significance(rhetorically or culturally)

Do . . . Don’t . . .