Chapter 8

Key Points:

Everything in a text such as a commercial is important The more you know, the more you can see in a text This because texts store a tremendous amount of information in themselves and are a great deal more complicated than we might imagine The idea is also that print ads and TV spots can be seen as popular or commercial art The notion is that, like other art such as paintings, music, sculptures, and poems, you can see, notice, even appreciate, new things in more complex commercials and ads Such ads are often rich in symbolism and interesting material for those who have the keys- that is, the theories and conceptual framework- to unlock their meaning Ads and cxs are richer in meaning than we might think And it takes a good deal of work to understand how they communicate ideas and meaning and, to the extent that they are successful, shape our behavior

Advertisements are created to persuade people to buy something (e.g. cars, food, clothes etc.) and/or to change their behaviour (e.g. choose a different product, stop smoking etc.) Analysing television commercials Looking at the narrative structure or the story line of the commercial What happens in the story of the commercial? How might the actions and events affect the way the viewers feel or their actions? Who is the story trying to attract - young? old? males? females? (this is called a target audience)

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at the dialogue and the language What do the characters say to one another? What are they saying to the viewer? How does what they say grab our attention? How does what they say try to persuade us? What kind of language is used? Look for alliteration, metaphor and simile. What mood is the language trying to create? Is it funny, scary, exaggerated? Is one thing being compared to another?

Looking at the people ( the actors employed to perform the roles in a commercial) animals and animated characters in commercials Have the actors, animals etc. been chosen to be attractive in some way to the viewer? Who would be attracted to them? How does the choice of actor and the way they appear, interest and grab the attention of the viewers? Look at the clothes they wear, the age of the actor, the setting in which the characters have been placed.

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the viewer made to feel sympathy for and understand the characters actions? How do the characters use their voices, facial expression, body language to carry a message to the viewer?

What product or service is being advertised? Who might be interested in the product or service? Who is it trying to attract? young? old? males? females? Why is it good for the makers of the product or provider of the service if their advertisements make people buy it? Looking for the mood of the advertisement. What mood is created? What feelings might the viewer of the ad. have while looking and reading it? What might the feelings lead people to do? e.g buy something?

Looking at the design How are the parts (text, art work, photographs) of the ad arranged? e.g. how are the pictures and printed words linked? Is there lots of space in the ad or is it crowded? How is color used? Is the arrangement and appearance easy for the reader to follow? If there is photograph in the advertisement, is it a close up or long shot? What is the lighting like and what affect does it create?

Looking at the people and animals used in advertisements Have the actors and animals been chosen to be attractive in some way to the viewer? Are celebrities and sport stars being used to attract and persuade the reader? Who are they trying to attract? How does the choice of actor and the way they appear, interest and grab the attention of the viewers? Look at the clothes, actors' ages, their body shapes, hairstyles and the way the characters relate to each other.

Is the viewer made to feel sympathy for and understand the characters? How? Why? How do the characters use their voices, facial expression, body language to carry a message to the viewer?

Looking at the setting of the ad. (the place and time) What does it tell the reader about the characters and about the product?
Looking at the narrative or what is happening in the ad. If the ad. is telling a story, what story is it telling? What happened before the ad. took place? What might happen next? What message is the ad sending?

Looking at the language in the advertisement How does the language used grab the reader's attention? Is there repeated language? humour? alliteration? metaphor? Are things being compared & contrasted with each other? Is there a catchy phrase or slogan for the product? (e.g 'Drink and drive, Bloody idiot!' and 'Oh! what a feeling'.) Is there exaggeration (e.g bigger! better! the BEST!) How is the typeface (print style) used to grab attention and send a message? (e.g bold, colourful, unusual font to create a mood)

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more critics know, the more they can find in commercials or any kind of artistic or literary text Books author uses a six different theories to analyze this Fidji Woman with the Snake perfume ad

Semiotic Analysis- What

signs, symbols, and codes are found in the text?

Historical Analysis-If the

Psychoanalytic TheoryHow does the text make use of the basic elements of the human psyche to sell goods and services? Id, ego, superego?

ad or cx is part of a campaign, what is the campaign like? Where and how does this text fit into campaign?

Political Analysis-What

Sociological AnalysisWhat does the text contain that is relevant to such matters as socioeconomic class, gender, race, status, and role?

role does the ad or cx have in the political process? What techniques used, what appeals are made?

Myth/Ritual Analysis-

What mythical or ritualistic aspects of the texts are of interest? How does it relate to ancient myths?

Detailed Analysis of this ad:

Pages 141-150