ADVERTISING TECNIQUES

In order to become media literate, we need to be able to identify the

techniques used by the advertisers in their efforts to persuade.
1. Problem and benefit
Many brands try to sell an image, brand or feeling. For example many
car commercials show people looking ‘tough’, sophisticated’ or ‘in
control’ behind the wheel of a particular car.
Some ads, however, actually try to sell you something you need, such as
the one shown above. This ad presents the Tata Nano as a fuel-efficient car,
arguably something that appeals to one’s pocket-book and needs. The
target audience, people of India who are in the market for buying new car,
may not have even considered fuel-efficiency in their decision process.
This ad may convince them of a need they were not yet aware of. Good
advertising knows how to blur the line between needs and wants.
2. Bandwagon effect
Look at the advertisement below. Can you see how this McDonald’s add is
selling social progress? Whether you hate it or love it, McDonald’s has
revolutionised the way people eat by bringing the assembly line into
restaurants. The advertisement is best understood in the context of the
1950s, when families with young children were not usually welcome at
restaurants. The ad shows families enjoying eating out and seems to be
saying, ‘other families are eating out; you can too!’ this technique is
known as bandwagon effect, referring to something that becomes popular
quickly as people follow the example set by others.
3. Testimonials
Testimonials are statements from ordinary people, recommending a certain
product.
4. Celebrities
The ad below uses a slightly different technique to sell a product. Because
David Beckham ‘endorses’ Motorola phones, people may be more likely to
buy one. The premise for understanding endorsement is that people want
to identify with the individuals they see in the ads. If David Beckham uses
this phone, and you want to be like David Beckham, then you had better
buy this phone. This is the line of logic inherent in ads that involve
celebrities.

Association
Association is the technique of linking products closely with certain
values. It can be assumed that people value the way phones feels in their
hands from the ad above. What’s more, people value the attribute of
snakeskin, as it is often associated with both expensive products, such as
chic clothing and handbags, and the dangers of the wild. In order to
achieve association in an ad, the placement of a product is very important.
Notice that close proximity of the snake’s head to the actual phone. The
positioning of the image in the ad is not accidental or arbitrary. Instead the
ad is carefully constructed to appeal to the emotions of the audience. In the
same way that pathos is important in rhetoric, an appeal to the emotions is
an important part of the persuasive language of many ads.
A deconstructed ad
- Image

Advertisers rely heavily on the saying An image is worth a thousand

words. The placement of an image in relation to the text is crucial as
readers normally scan and digest an ad within a matter of seconds.
- Slogan

As an image is all-important in ads, the text is usually kept to a minimum

and, as with a headline, the most prominent text is the slogan. The slogan,
or tagline, should be short, catchy and poignant, because the audience’s
attention span is usually brief and fleeting.
- Copy

Ads sometimes offer a small story. Volkswagen, for example, is famous for
its large, simple images of Volkswagen cars with a lot of small-print copy,
or text, below. One of the most famous Volkswagen ads, ‘lemon’,
describes the rigorous safety controls through which the cars must pass
before they are sold. The trend has been for increasingly smaller amounts
of copy in ads but it still depends on the products: some products require
more information to be given than others.
- Signature

Traditionally, ads show a product and the company name, though this is
not always the case. These days internet addresses are used more and more
as the signatures for an ad.
The ‘Big Five’ Of Analysis
The ‘Big Five’ presents five lenses through which you can look at texts.
Since not all texts are the same in nature, you will find some lenses more
useful than others when analysing different texts. Since analyzing texts is a
skill, the more you practice, the better you will become and the more you
will see!
The Big 5
There are several questions that you can ask of any text. Here are five
major questions that apply to almost all types of texts:
1. Audience / purpose - Who does the text target? What does the author
wish to achieve through the text?
2. Content / theme - What is literally ‘happening’ in the text? What is it
about? What are the main ideas of the text?
3. Tone / mood - How does the text make you and/or the target audience
feel? Describe the atmosphere of the text.
4. Stylistic devices - How does the author use language to convey a
sentiment or message? What kinds of linguistic tools does he/she employ?
5. Structure - How is the text organized, literally (i.e. layout/formatting)?
What kinds of structural elements of a particular text type do you see?
 This text targets Malaysian families who do not
Audience / purpose have a lot of money. The purpose of this ad is to
sell cheap, small cars to those who, until now,
- Who does the text could only afford motorcycles. The writer uses a
target? What does the non-standardized form of English, which is
author wish to achieve most likely understood by Malaysians and
through the text? contains influences from the Malaysian
language.
Content-wise, the ad depicts an unsafe situation
Content / theme – What with 5 people on one motorcycle. It shows the
is literally ‘happening’ in safe alternative mode of transportation, a Tata
the text? What is it Nano, along with some persuasive text.
about? What are the Thematically speaking, one could say that the
main ideas of the text? ad is about the importance and affordability of
safe transportation.

How At first the tone of the text is quite

ominous, does the text make you reminding the
Tone / mood -and/or the reader of Malaysian traffic laws and the dangers
target audience feel? of the road. This could put the reader in a wary
Describe the atmosphere mood. However, later the reader comes away
of the text. with a sense of empowerment, as he/she is
reminded of how affordable the solution to this
problem is.
The text is very direct, as it refers to 'you'. Lines
Stylistic devices - How
like "You can afford it" activate the reader. It
does the author use
makes use of the problem / benefit device often
language to convey a
found in ads. Although the image makes use of
sentiment or message?
bright, uplifting colours, the expression on the
What kinds of linguistic
woman's face is rather disconcerting. This
tools does he/she
juxtaposition might capture the audience's
employ?
attention.
Structure - How is the The text has all of the common structural
text organized, literally devices of an ad. It has a heading ('Change the
(i.e. layout/formatting)? burden'), a copy (the main text), a prominent
What kinds of structural image (the 5 people on a motorcycle), and a
elements of a particular signature (the Tata Nano in the lower right hand
text type do you see? corner).