Lines of Appeal

1. Find an advertising campaign that uses humour as its main persuasive device. Analyse the humour use and discuss who the target audience are using the audience classification methods we have studied.

This advert for Cadbury's chocolate uses humour as its main persuasive device. The notion of using children, who are performing a very rare trick will be seen as humourous by the audience as the complexity of the task and the children used juxtapose each other. This task creates an exaggeration of talent which is difficult for the audience to recreate, but will provide entertainment through attempts to recreate it.  

The target audience for this advertisement, from Young & Rubicam's 4C's model, would be the mainstreamers. The ideologies that are encoded in this advert are that children are able to complete extraordinary tasks. Furthermore, as this advert included children, it is relatable for many families and they will be able to entertain themselves by attempting to complete the tasks themselves.

2. Write down a slogan for a product recently advertised. Analyse the language devices used to say why it is an effective and memorable slogan - how does it speak to an audience?

        A slogan that is used in advertising often, is Mc Donald's slogan 'I'm Lovin' It '. Due to its sheer popularity and exaggerated use in television and billboard advertising, it is already a persuasive and note-worthy slogan. However, if we break it down, I believe that the use of three words is effective as it is short and memorable. Many memorable slogans consist of only three words, for example, 'Just Do It' for the sports company Nike and 'Every Little Helps' for supermarket giant Tesco.  

There are many persuasive techniques used within this slogan. For example, the message of the slogan is to tell the reader that other people are enjoying Mc Donald's products. This makes the reader believe that to have a common ground with others around them and that by eating at Mc Donald's, it provides a form of social acceptance. Therefore, it may play on many peoples insecurities of social acceptance in order to have them conform to the popular fast food chain. Furthermore, as the slogan is written in first-hand narrative, it provides a personal opinion of the food, therefore creates a personal link between the brand and the reader. Furthermore, the informality used in the abbreviation 'lovin' provides a sense of relatability as it has used a casual way of communication to allow their consumers to relate to the company.   

This advertisement offers the negative ideology that you should enjoy or 'love' fast food. This is a negative notion as it is common knowledge that fast food in any quantities is bad for your health therefore Mc Donald's should not be encouraging the consumption of their food as it puts their consumers health at risk. 

3. Find an advertising campaign that uses shock tactics - analyse why an audience would find it so shocking?

   This advertisement for animal rights company PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) causes controversy and shock tactics to create an effective advert. Firstly, the advert shows a world known cartoon animal stripped of its fur and skin resulting in its death. This may be shocking to the audience for many reasons. Firstly, the use of Winnie the Pooh as the victim of poaching. This is effective as it uses the audience nostalgia of their childhood against them as placing that character as the victim of animal abuse; therefore may influence them to do what the advert wants in order to prevent this. Furthermore, by using the text 'fur has no happy endings' plays on the stereotypical 'fairytale happy ending' that is seen in Winnie the Pooh. This brings a harsh sense of reality to the audience of the real cruelty that goes on in the fur trade.  

This advert challenges the hypodermic syringe model as it suggests, that the purchase of fur will directly cause you to kill an animal as an effect.  

  

4. Find an advert which stereotypes a group of people, what stereotypes are there in the advert?

  This advert automatically plays on the outdated ideology that it is the job of a woman to clean, cook and fill the stereotypical role of a house wife. This would automatically create an oppositional reading from all female consumers as the adverts suggests that this company believes that every woman should fit this ideology. Furthermore, as the advertisement uses this ideology, it may be offensive to many men who may take the role or share the duties as they will feel emasculated. 

Also, as the advert is promoting the product as a present for Mothers Day, it suggests that even on a day that is meant to celebrate all that mothers do for their children, they should be spending the day in the kitchen cleaning. 

5. Find an example of intertextuality used in an advert, how is it used - who will recognise the reference?

  This advertisement for well know mobile network company Vodafone uses intertextual references as a persuasive technique. Firstly, appearing on the advert is well known Star Wars character Yoda. This is effective, as even people who are not fans of the Star Wars franchise are still able to recognise the character and therefore find a relatability with the advert. Furthermore the text used in this advert is in the style that's suited to the character of Yoda and his voice. This creates a personal link between the reader and the company as it provides a mutual interest between the two. Furthermore, the use of a familiar character creates a sense of nostalgia for many viewers, especially those who were young or born in  the 70s/80s as this is when Star Wars first became popular so will remind many people of their childhoods. Even if you weren't born in these decades, the franchise is still extremely popular and is posing to be timeless therefore everyone will be able to enjoy the advert.

6. Find an example of elite persons being used in advertising. What do they represent to the audience, why have they been used?

   This advertisement for Chanel No.5 perfume uses Brad Pitt to appeal to a larger audience. This advertisement is effective as people of all genders and ages are able to relate to Brad Pitt whether it be for his acting, modelling or personal life. He is notoriously famous for his marriage to actress Angelina Jolie, therefore this advertisement will appeal to her fans also. As this is a moderately expensive product, with an A-list celebrity endorsement, I believe that this displays a luxury lifestyle which will appeal to the succeeder as they believe that they deserve luxury in exchange for their work.  

Furthermore, due to the photographic composition of the advert, the reader is able to focus on the product in the foreground and the celebrity endorsement in the background therefore they are able to establish their own connection between the two.

7. Find an example of 'reward & punishment' persuasion in current campaigns. What ideologies are being rewarded and which punished?

   This advertisement for men's Gillette razors uses reward and punishment as a persuasive technique. The advertisement plays on peoples insecurities by implying that superficial looks are important and can be achieved by the use of their product. This uses the ideology that looks are important and represents this through the text which says 'the best a man can get'. This suggests that, by using their product they will be able to improve their looks and look better than they ever have. Furthermore, the use of the word 'new!', it implies that this is the best razor to buy as it is the latest one to be released, therefore is rewarding the viewer. However it also uses punishment, as by not using this razor, it suggests that they are not using 'the best a man can get' therefore cannot look their best. Because of this, I believe that this advertisement appeals to the aspirer as they are very superficially oriented and are very conscious of image, therefore they would be 'easier' to persuade into purchasing the product.