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Analysing Adverts


Did you think of all of these?

Introduction

on television in magazineson public transporton the radio in newspaperson billboards

Where do we find advertisements? Write some ideas on the TV

screen.


Advertisements can serve a variety of different purposes.

To inform us about a specific issue

To persuade us to buy a

specific product

To increase our ‘brand awareness’

Can you think of any others?

To persuade us to use a

particular service

Purpose

Think of three adverts you have seen or heard recently and decide what their purposes are.


Advertisers must persuade us to buy their idea, whether it is a product, service, brand, or issue.

They make it sound as exciting and interesting as possible.

Persuasion

How exactly do they achieve this?

Here are some ideas:

They try to make us believe that everyone else has or wants this product.

They try to make us believe that it will enhance our lives.

They make it sound like the best possible example of its kind that we can buy.


Before they create an advertisement, the advertisers must think about the audience that their advertisement is aimed at. This is important because:

They need to match the content of the

advert to its intended audience using

suitable language.

Target audience

They need to create an

advertisement that will attract the audience, using images that the target audience will

find appealing.

They need to place the advert in a

suitable media to reach its intended target audience.

List ten different potential target audiences.


Here is a sample advert and some possible target audiences that it might be aimed at:

school age children?

Is the advert aimed at ….

wealthy holiday makers?budget tourists?keen gardeners?

Answer: wealthy holiday makers

Target audience


When you are analysing an advertisement, there are various aspects that you will need to consider:

Analysing an advertisement

The images that have been chosen and what aspects of the product they serve to emphasize.

The appearance and content of the text, including any linguistic techniques that have been used.

The message that the advert is giving about the product.

The target audience that the advert is aimed at.

The overall ‘look’ of the advert.


Beautiful, descriptive language makes the product sound wonderful.

Advertisers use linguistic techniques to convince us to buy their products:

Use of language

Alliteration makes the advert more ‘catchy’ and memorable. The use of repeated consonant sounds creates a rhythm within the text that helps emphasize certain words.

Repetition strengthens an image in our minds. By repeating certain words, aspects of the product are emphasized and the idea is made more memorable. Repeating a phrase three times reinforces the idea.

Juicy, tender, succulent chicken coated in a smooth blend of honey and mustard sauce…

Cutting costs on crazy creations!

Whitening toothpaste for whiter teeth: make your bright smile whiter!


Can you think of any other features typical of holiday advertisements?

Travel/holiday advertisements

Which features are typical of travel or holiday adverts?

We will now go on to look at holiday adverts for specific destinations.

They emphasize positive aspects of the destination, e.g. sun, sports, history.

They appeal to a specific audience, e.g. lovers of culture, honeymooners.

They stress points about the place that make it unique or unusual.

They use an idealized image of the destination to appeal to tourists.


Imagine you are designing an advertisement for Cyprus:

Which images of Cyprus could you use?Which persuasive techniques might you include in the advertisement?Which aspects of Cyprus might you choose to emphasize?What does Cyprus mean as a holiday destination to you?

Advertising Cyprus


Advertising Cyprus


Look at the images below, taken from the advertisement for Cyprus. Why do you think these particular images were chosen? What do they emphasize about Cyprus as a holiday destination?

The three images show the contrasting aspects of Cyprus that appeal to more than one target group.

Picture of ‘ancient architecture’

Deep blue sky – not a cloud in sight!

Snowy mountain top with image of someone having fun

Beautiful sunset

Analysing the image


Now look at the headline text below. What do you notice about the text, both in terms of its appearance and its content?

The name of the destination is in the largest text, making it stand out.

The word ‘island’ is repeated three times, emphasizing the location and using the technique of ‘listing in threes’.

The word ‘culture’ will appeal to tourists keen on history.

The word ‘pleasure’ will tempt people who want to have fun and party.

The word ‘contrasts’ makes it clear that there is something for

everyone in Cyprus.

Analysing the headline text


Visitors can sample culture, take part in sports, and be romantic

The consumer is asked to use his/ her imagination

The word ‘island’ is repeated to emphasize the location

Alliteration gives emphasis and rhythm to the text

The use of questions addresses the reader directly

The final sentence again stresses that Cyprus offers a variety of holidays for tourists

Look at the body of the text. How do the advertisers use language to persuade you to come to Cyprus? Do they use any linguistic techniques in the text?

Analysing the body of the text


Cyprus is…

An island where tourists can experience several different ‘holidays’

A place that offers culture, sports and romance, all on the one island

An island that could be enjoyed by a couple or a group

Somewhere that tourists will really enjoy themselves

What sort of messages about Cyprus are the advertisers trying to send to people reading their advertisement?

The message


Target audience


On the next slide you will find a travel advertisement promoting Germany as a place to go on holiday.

Before you look at it, discuss what you might expect to find in it. Use the following discussion points to guide you:

What images of Germany could be used?What words do you expect to find in the advert?What aspects of Germany might the advertiser emphasize?What does Germany mean as a holiday destination to you?

Advertising Germany


Analysing an advertisement


Soft, blue sky fading into darker blue, showing the contrast between Germany’s good weather and its Gothic castles.

Beautiful yet mysterious mountain and forest setting.

Analysing the image

Fairytale castle that looks creepy and mysterious.


The word ‘Cinderella’ evokes children’s fairy stories, taking the reader back in time.

A play on the word ‘princes’, again evoking fairytales, and also suggesting good value.

The word ‘castles’, used frequently in this advert, suggests a fairytale/ historic land and also links to the main image.


The reader instantly feels ‘welcomed’ to this place.


The holiday maker learns that Germany’s castles are the best in the world.

The typical opening for a fairy story.

Tourists will be pleasantly surprised by this place.

A typical fairy tale line. A king suggests wealth and historical interest.

Suggests that visitors will also be happy here.

The low cost is stressed.


A phrase typical of fairy tales. It is suggested that tourists will also be happy here.


In addition to the techniques already found, the advert also uses REPETITION, which adds emphasis to the words. It also echoes the idea of a children’s fairy story, in which simple words are often repeated.

Use of language – repetition

castleslandhappy/happilybeautiful

Count how many times these words are used:


Germany is...

A land of childhood dreams and fairytales

A place full of historic interest, e.g. castles, kings

A beautiful country where the tourist will find happiness

A reasonably priced destination

The message

What sort of messages about Germany are the advertisers trying to send to people reading their advertisement? Write your ideas on the brainstorm below.


Exploring connotations


Let’s look at a travel advertisement promoting India as a place to go on holiday.

Before you look at the advert, discuss what you might expect to find in it. Use the questions below to guide you.

Which images of India could be used?Which words do you expect to find in the advertisement?Which aspects of India might the advertiser emphasize?What does India mean as a holiday destination to you?How do your expectations of an advertisement for India

differ from one for Germany or Cyprus?

Advertising India


Advertisement for India


Look at the images below, taken from the advertisement for India. Why do you think these particular images were chosen? What do they emphasize about India as a holiday destination?

A temple – a symbol of India’s ancient culture and Hindu religion

Skyscrapers to show the

fact that India is a modern country too

The two images show the old and new aspects of India (as referred to in the main body of text – where ‘Old meets New’).

Analysing the image


Now look at the headline text below. What do you notice about the text, both in terms of its appearance and its content? What about the colours that are used?

The font is modern, to tie in with the idea in the text about the modern side of India

The text challenges the consumer to ‘surprise’ themselves, suggesting that their preconceptions about a holiday in India might be wrong

The blue background is gentle on the eye and makes the words in white stand out clearly


It is also in capital letters, for emphasis


Look at the body of the text. How do the advertisers use language to persuade you to come to India? Do they use any linguistic techniques in the text?The word ‘India’ is repeated to emphasize the location

The ancient and modern sides of India are described

The advertisers use the technique of ‘listing in threes’, and then play on that to make the final sentence more emphatic.

Again, the reader is challenged to make up his/her own mind, rather than believing stereotypes



Very different to the stereotyped place that we might believe it to be

A place where you can get away from it all in the mountains, but still keep in touch with home using the Internet

What sort of messages about India are the advertisers trying to send to people reading their advertisement? Write your ideas on the brainstorm below.

A place where old and new mix easily and freely, and the tourists can have all the comforts of home

A place where two cultures meet

The message

India is…


Summary and essay task

You should now be familiar with the following terms:

AlliterationRepetitionEmotiveSloganRhetoricPersuasionTarget audienceDescriptionMetaphorSimile

Now plan and write an essay which reviews, compares and analyses two adverts that you have seen on television or heard on the radio. Remember to use as many literary terms as you can!

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