advert essay
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essayTRANSCRIPT
Lace Blackwood
The analysis of a variety of advertisements made for television
Adverts are used to call the attention of potential buyers to a certain
product. Advertisers exploit human weaknesses and fears such as
gluttony or our need for security, which then influence the audience to
want to obtain the products in order, to address the weaknesses within
themselves. Various other persuasive strategies are also exploited
within TV commercials, which vary in budgets and production values
and this helps to make them and their products effective and attractive
to the TV audience.
The Guinness ‘Evolution’ commercial is an interpretation of evolution
twisted in an entertaining way to make the commercial, and Guinness,
the product, more appealing to the audience. It also utilises the ‘power
of three’; using three actors, three pints of Guinness and three specific
time periods of the evolution; the 20th century, the ice age and the pre-
historic period. It is an example of a high budget, high production value
advertisement and appeals to the human weaknesses of gluttony and
conformity due to the fact that there are three men doing the same
thing as each other; drinking the pint of beer in a social environment
and gaining satisfaction and camaraderie from that experience. The
fact that the advert ends on the image of the Guinness, showing 3 pints
in various stages of settling, reminds the audience of what the purpose
of the advert is, but we also remember it due to the repetition. This
settling concept works with a modern audience more efficiently
because of the high definition and technology used, their outlook on
things and the adverts idea will appeal to the audience more due to the
concept being quite a modern perception. The majority of the advert is
quite dark, with the colour palette being full of neutral, earthly colours
such as browns and greens to reinforce the natural aspect of the de-
evolution within the commercial. Non-diegetic sound play a significant
part in this advert with the soundtrack ‘Rhythm of Life’ which was
parallel to the screen action and emphasises the actions which are
being displayed in the advert as the lyrics of the song somewhat
correspond with them with the simple fact that the song’s main
message is about ‘life’ and in the advert we see the evolution of ‘life’
and it somewhat emphasises just how much of a unique, magnificent
thing ‘life’ is. The diegetic sound is then used to add detail, to make the
advert believable; for example, the ‘crackling’ of the ice in the ice age,
or the ‘ahhh’ sound of relief from the men drinking the Guinness, which
adds to the effect, so the audience somewhat feel the emotions felt in
the advert. By targeting a male audience only, it also shows how
society has not significantly changed to the simple fact that women
would not be targeted to drink beer because it is not seen as ‘correct’;
ironically no women are shown in the commercial either, emphasising
just how much women were not thought about in the process of making
this advert. It has been kept strictly for a male, working/middle class
man I feel with a reasonable age bracket of around 27-36. I say this
because the men in the advert look to a similar age and the concept of
the advert has quite a ‘mature’ picture.
The ‘Dove Hair Campaign’ TV commercial, in contrast relates to
women more significantly, due to the fact that it is about your
appearance, which women are more susceptible to. It uses a white
background with minimalist setting, which emphasises the idea of purity
and natural beauty: Dove’s main focus. To contribute to this idea, the
actors don’t have any make-up on; however, if they had heavy makeup
on, there is a slight chance the audience would be distracted away
from the hair. The bright high key lighting helps to enhance all the
action in the advert which makes it more appealing to watch, making
the audience feel associated to it. Although Dove’s main purpose is to
make women feel good about themselves, ironically, the advert exploits
human weaknesses such as envy; the need to buy a product to feel
happy, or as beautiful as your fellow women. The only dialogue used is
by the non-diegetic voice over narration selling the product, which is
also a female voice. This is quite strategic as the gentle voice of the
woman will make the female audience members feel somewhat more
at ease and make the product seem more reliable and viable as they
will feel the narrator will be very aware of what information she is giving
out. There is also non-diegetic background music that is quite upbeat,
which seems parallel to the actions of those in the advert. The upper
body level is most important because the advert focuses on hair, so
ECU’s and CU’s are shots that are mostly used. The close up shots
allow the audience to see clear facial expressions and the hair. By
using the happiness and laughter of the actors involved as the only
diegetic sound, the potential buyer, [who could be seen from any age
from around 16-45+ as Dove have a broad audience] is influenced in to
thinking ‘Dove’ is a great product, that will make you feel and act
content. There is also a CU shot of the products, which is shown at the
end of the advert, so it’s the last thing the audience will have seen. This
is shown for quite a short duration, but by putting it at the close, the
concept and product is somewhat drilled into the audiences’ heads one
last time, hopefully having the impact of them thinking ‘I want to buy
this now’, and although targeting an audience of females aged around
16-45+, I feel Dove doesn’t have a specific class preference. For
instance when you look at ‘Guinness’ Beer, you can see it is very much
of a ‘Lad’ beverage; using ‘Lad’ as a synonym to describe the
‘stereotypical British male’ whereas Dove, because of it’s message,
femininity and purity, any female could feel they can somewhat relate
to the product. And this is shown in the advert because there are no
specific ‘models’ in the advert but there are ‘real’ women representing
the everyday person.
We can see that in the Guinness ‘Evolution’ Commercial, the high
budget allows the mise en scene to be somewhat more detailed; which
of course engages the audience with the advertisement and therefore
with the product. For instance, the setting is constantly changing via
CGI, from the commercial’s beginning to its end, and focuses on the
process of evolution. It uses reverse motion to tell the story going from
a modern 20th century period to a pre-historic period and ends with the
Mud kip sampling the muddy tidal water, providing the expression
‘eugh’. This advert has more of an overall concept: Evolution and the
notion of time. Where as in the low budget TV commercial for the ‘Dove
Hair Care Campaign’, there isn’t so much of a storyline, but the
audience can still understand what the advert is trying to sell; hair
products. There are no special effects used in this advert, which
contrasts with the ‘Evolution’ TV commercial. The ‘Evolution’ advert
uses a various range of techniques and special effects to make the
commercial more interesting, from sound to visual effects. The Dove
advert depicts that you don’t have to use CGI effects to grab the
attention of your target audience. The advert is still somewhat effective
in that because the set is so clear; there is more emphasis on the
product, allowing the target audience to give more attention towards it.
The simplicity of the advert suggests the simplicity and pureness of the
product itself, giving the target audience of young wholesome girls and
women a sense of feeling chaste and innocent.
One other advertisement that I came across was the ‘Honda – Hate
Something, Change something’ ad. This is also an example of a high
concept, high budget, and high production value advertisement, but it is
an animation. It uses consumer concerns about noise and air pollution
and how the diesel engine contributes to those, to sell Honda’s new
diesel engine. Also, our concerns about the environment are focused
on to persuade us that Honda is able to take customer concerns into
consideration and create an engine that may decrease greenhouse
gas/pollution levels. It appeals to our need for security; for the everyday
man, or a typical family; for our future and our families’ futures, it
connects to our feelings of maternal and paternal love. The adults that
buy this car will be aware of trying to protect their children. It may also
draw on ones pride; stressing on the fact that this engine is superior to
prior diesel engines and is an exclusive item to have, so the consumer
may feel significant if they have one.
In contrast, the ‘Cresta’ advert uses a simpler, but clever way to
promote its product. It uses intertextuality where the bear's
characterisation was taken from the movie star Jack Nicholson. It
exploits the audiences’ weaknesses of gluttony and conformity
because we don’t actually need the fizzy drink, though we may want it
and it gives the idea of wanting to be as cool as the bear. It gives off
the illusion that ‘if you drink our drink, you will become as cool as the
bear’. The narrative comes from the polar bear, who eventually gets
affected by the frothiness of the Cresta drink. The simple line drawing
of the advert will appeal to a younger audience, but maybe also an
older audience who are in touch with their inner child, or relate to the
humour and Nicholsonesque bear character. At the end of the advert,
there is a CU of the drink and four other flavours, accompanied by a
non-diegetic narration, which explains the flavours and availability of
the drinks. His voice, which is RP, brings a sense of the intellectual and
sensible towards the advert, so is obviously targeting parents, the
potential purchasers of the product, after the bear character has his
amusing outcome from the drink to target the children. There is no
background picture, just the drinks to show the significance of them.
The closing shot of the drinks allows the audience to remember what is
it is they may potentially buy.
The Honda ‘Hate Something, Change Something’ and ‘Cresta Bear’
adverts both compare in that they are both 2D animations, however,
the Cresta ad is obviously from cell animation sketches whilst the
‘Honda’ commercial is computer generated. Again, the two adverts
have two different concepts which contrast dramatically, however both
adverts leave you thinking about them due to how effective they are.
For example, the ‘Honda’ advert has a catchy diegetic tune, sung by a
male narrator but responded to by the characters within the animation,
which the audience are encouraged to sing along to as we are given
the key ‘grrr’ and will be able to keep in the back of their minds or even
memorise. This is accompanied by bright ‘happy’ colours, which are
over saturated and would possibly act as a catalyst to making the
target audience feel contented. They also resembled the Disney
cartoons of our childhood, with singing and dancing animals and old
musical films such as ‘Snow White’ or ‘The Sound of Music’ with the
outdoor hills, showing the commercials exploitation of intertextuality to
relate to its audience and make them feel good via Nostalgia. The new
noise free Honda diesel engine replaces the old diesel engines of the
past at the start of the ad. The old perception of noisy diesel engines of
the past is shown in the mise en scene by the bunny rabbits wearing
earmuffs. The new engines are revealed with the rabbits then removing
their earmuffs, showing a period of ‘silence’ in the ad. The ‘Cresta’
advert doesn’t have a tune; only dialogue, however due to the advert
being so unique; it enables you to remember it. The Cresta advert
contrasts with the Honda ad due to the fact that apart from the drink
itself, is does not have any colour in the ad, making the mise en scene
minimalist. The only colour available is the purple of the ‘blackcurrant
juice bottle’, which emphasises the importance of the drink. This ‘pop’
of colour will target a young audience, as the cartoon may attract them
and the colour used emphasises the product.
The Iceland Christmas ad appeals to our avarice, and gluttony. Both of
these weaknesses grab the audience’s attention by attracting them
towards the food and by offering and advertising bargains, money
savings on their products being sold at Iceland, targeting more of the
mainstream, working class family; due to the less expensive products
and especially those with children, due to their slogan: ‘Mum Shops at
Iceland’, it instantly informs the audience of who Iceland feels should
be shopping at their stores. This is a somewhat significant technique
that companies use because they want to sell their products and by
appealing to peoples’ needs or wants, you make the most out of your
products. You think you’re hungry, when actually it’s the advert
attacking your senses, making you think you are. Kerry Katona, Jason
Donovan and Coleen Nolan sing their own rendition of the famous
Dean Martin Christmas song, ‘Baby its cold outside’, also appealing to
our sense of nostalgia as it instantly makes us think of Christmas and
family. To keep to the era the song was made, the advert has a
concept similar to an old-fashioned musical film set in this era. This
song is a well-known Christmas song, so when people watch the advert
they will instantly feel a somewhat ‘fuzzy’ feeling inside and the
excitement of Christmas spirits. The sound within the video is, in reality,
non-diegetic however the advert gives the illusion that the music is
inside the world of the advert, making it seem diegetic to the audience.
The cinematography varies a lot in the advert, to create the dynamism
of a Christmas party. It starts with a CU shot of the children playing
outside but then draws back into the party, which informs the audience
that the advert will be set in the house. Children are shown at the start,
and they normally bring a sense of innocence and fun towards
anything, this advert included and therefore target an audience of both
mothers and children; mothers because they will want their children to
be as happy as those in the advert, and children simply because they
will idolise the ones seen in the advert; also towards the product too,
emphasising the ‘family’ nature of the brand. The CU’s show each
facial expression with everyone smiling and happy which acts
somewhat as a catalyst to make the audience also feel happy. The
main shots used are CU, MCU, MS, MLS and LS; MS to show the body
language of each character as they move around the room, the camera
following them, showing their dancing or socialising; the LS’s show the
background of the party with the camera scanning around the room,
showing how a wonderful Christmas could be for the potential buyer of
the product; and ECU’s are used at various times in the advert to show
the different types of food in the party, and inform the audience on the
product name and price of the food via an on screen graphic. The
camera moves in a horizontal pan scanning all the food on the tables,
which makes it seem as if the viewer or potential buyer is at the party,
looking at all the food as they walk down along the table. Each shot of
the food is quite short in duration, which makes the advert seem short
and snappy and implies varied products and lots of them. The audience
feel that they are getting lots of information at one time about all these
amazing and cost efficient food products. The main props you see
throughout the ad are of course the different types of food. The colour
has been saturated and brightened enhancing all the rich colours;
especially of the tablecloth which is purple. This colour is the brightest,
but also the warmest and is symbolically the colour of wealth, so it
shows the ‘wealth’ of the ‘food’ and suggests opulence. The advert
however brings a sense of irony because the price of the food is so
low, but shows ‘wealth’ in the concept, in terms of that the food can be
purchased and the suggestion that the quality of it goes beyond its
price, further proving the target audience would be those of families,
who may be of a lower working class occupational background, but
have an understanding of family life, happiness and are ‘wealthy’ in that
respect.
The ‘Pure Clean’ Ariel TV commercial also targets families and the
family purchaser, traditionally the female of the household, so targets
mainstream females, however I would argue of a different social
occupational scale to that of the Iceland commercial. I feel it targets
more of the middle class family home, with the ‘housewife’. This is due
to women and their children being one of the main focuses in the
advert, with the ‘mother’ doing the housework such as washing the
clothes etc. It predominately focuses on things that are white; showing
the idea of purity and cleanliness, given it’s a washing powder. The
majority of the advert is set in open space, showing the clear blue sky,
green grass, natural wooden interiors which emphasises naturalness
and implies the naturalness and purity of the product. The TV
commercial starts, with an ELS of the hills, which over look the village.
The advert then crossfades into an MCU of a woman, looking up at the
'purity' of the sky. This connects with ‘Ariel’s’ idea of purity. Low-angle
shots of the clear sky are used with a 360-degree rotation giving a
somewhat relaxing feeling towards the commercial. The shots are
always shifting, showing different aspects of the same day and how
everyone’s life is different, but they are still in search for the same
thing; purity. There is a heavy use of the cross fade to give a slow,
smooth pace to the commercial, reinforcing the idea of purity and
tranquillity. The advert is also centred on the theme of the five senses;
Touch, Smell, Sound, Sight and Taste, and their use in the search for a
‘pure clean’. Significantly, towards the end of the advert a cross fade is
used to ‘white’, to emphasise the idea of cleanliness, but also in a way
gets the audience into a lull and all they remember is white and the
product, associating ‘whiteness’ with Ariel ‘Pure Clean’ washing
powder. The ad uses a non-diegetic voice over narration and it’s a soft
female voice to reinforce the targeting of the female householder, or
mother of the house. The non-diegetic music of the advert is like a harp
playing, or the plucking of a violin. The music is soft and calm reflecting
the narrator’s voice, so when people watch the advert they will also feel
calm. In other scenes, diegetic sounds have been used to reinforce the
idea of naturalness or purity and freshness, such as the ice being
broken, a little girl singing and the lime being squeezed. These little
details create an illusion for the audience that reinforces the adverts
attack on the five senses. The non-diegetic female voice over mentions
these senses and informs viewers that everything is 'Pure clean'
making the audience think that Ariel is the product to buy for a ‘pure’
clean laundry wash, making them believe it will make their clothes 'Ariel
pure clean'; when of course there is no such thing as a ‘pure clean’
anymore than there is any such thing as a ‘blue white’. The CU of the
product at the end of the advert enhances the significance of the
product in relation to this idea of a ‘pure clean’.
All of these adverts could appeal to a mainstream audience. The
various exploitations of human weakness allow the commercials to
affect the social group who are not used to change and do what they
feel comfortable with. The adverts are simply trying to tug at people’s
weaknesses but not to an extreme where the audience may feel
uncomfortable. The various effects and graphics allow the potential
buyers to experience the advert in an entertaining way. Each advert
finds a certain way to relate to their target audience so they either
remember the advert, or even get ‘enticed’ into buying the products,
such as the Ariel ad, where the audience is to believe there is such a
thing as a ‘pure clean’.