ASSIGNMENT A : Advert analysis

ASSIGNMENT A :  Television Advert analysis


Analyse and compare three television advertisements in detail in a written report which you should publish on your blog.

Your work will need to analyse the adverts using the  following headings and explaining as many of these terms as possible to gain a good grade;

• Form realist/anti-realist, animation, talking heads, series, documentary
• Style humorous, surreal, dramatic, parodic,nostalgic 
• Technical methods : Mise-en-scene, iconography,use of camera( movement  ,shots and angles,  editing( cuts and fades, pace) , sound and  music), graphics , special effects
• Selling Techniques : celebrity endorsement, lifestyle appeal, creating and emotional response or association (fear, compassion, social position), creating a memory of the product ,
• Characteristics of the product : benefits offered, advantages over similar products, USP (unique selling point), brand identity.

Try to find contrasting advertisements to allow you to show your knowledge of as many of the categories listed above as possible.

You can use previous work and examples as the basis for this assignment. 


DEADLINE : THURSDAY 13 October 2016

ANALYSING ADVERTS : KEY TERMS

Here are the key terms you will need to analyse your adverts in homework tasks, presentations and your first assignment . Other blog posts have a range of examples to help you understand them further.


FORM

Realist/antirealist
Animation
Talking Heads
Series
Documentary

STYLE

Humorous
Surreal
Dramatic
Parodic
Nostalgic


TECHNICAL METHODS

Use of Camera  

shot types :  closeup, long shot etc.
angles :  high angle/low angle etc.
movement : pan , tilt, zoom etc.

Editing ( cuts/fades , pace and rhythm )

Lighting and colour  ( warm/cold, light/dark etc.)

Sound ( use of music/ sound effects/dialogue)

Mis-en-scene ( everything in the scene : props,costume, objects etc.)

Iconography ( the hidden  meanings and connotations  behind the props, costumes, objects , lighting, colour, sound etc.)


SELLING TECHNIQUES

Lifestyle appeal

Celebrity Endorsement

Creating a memory in the target audience ( can be through humour, repetition, slogans etc.)

Creating an emotional reaction in the target audience


CHARACTERISTICS OF PRODUCT

Advantages over other similar products

USP ( unique selling point )

Creating a strong brand identity ( using images , logo, colour, music, messages, slogans and taglines etc.)

 

ADVERTISING EXAMPLES : car adverts

CAR ADVERTS

Target audience  : more likely to be older men

For example , here is  Matthew McConnaughy in an advert for the new Lincoln car.

STYLE :  Dramatic , with elements of humour.

TECHNICAL CODES :   

Use of camera :  e.g closeups on the main character's  face , panning shot showing the brand logo of the car.

Lighting : e.g warm, brown sunlight.

Sound :  e.g blues music symbolising the American location.

Mise-en-scene and  iconography :   e.g The wedding ring  the shirt and tie symbolising his married status and career success.  The bull, symbolising masculinity, power and speed. The open road ahead, symbolising freedom , the future and independence.

SELLING TECHNIQUES :   Celebrity endorsement , lifestyle appeal, humour.

PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS :   None explicitly stated in advert




Not the differences ( and some similarities)  in mis-en-scene and iconography in this advert.

Volkswagen Tiguan advert  LINK

And here's a list of cliches in car adverts and more examples     LINK

ANALYSING ADVERTS : Technical codes and selling techniques

TECHNICAL  CODES

You will need to analyse the technical methods and filmmaking techniques used in the adverts you are studying and how they are used to sell the product to the audience. 
These are as follows :

Use of camera ( angles, shot types, movement )

Editing ( use and pace of of cuts/fades etc.)

Lighting ( light/dark , warm/cold)

Sound ( use of music, dialogue and sound effects , sting)

Mis-en-scene and iconography  Everything in the scene, especially use of costume, props and setting.  See this post for further explanation




SELLING TECHNIQUES



Lifestyle appeal      Many adverts will use lifestyle appeal . The main characters in adverts will often be people the target audience wants to become ( wealthy, successful, attractive,thin , happy etc. )  and will therefore link the product to this.

The other ways lifestyle appeal is used in adverts is to create characters that are the same as the target audience...fairly average in appearance/status etc. That way the target audience may feel the product in the advert is for them.

Adverts may also use minor characters who are of lower status or are shown as poor, unattractive, stupid etc.  to show the target audience what happens when you don't buy the product, and to contrast effectively with the main character.


Celebrity endorsement  This connects with lifestyle appeal as the chosen  celebrity should be someone the target audience looks up to , and is usually successful, rich and/or attractive. They should also possess some of the same qualities as the product or link to the product in some way.

Creating memory of brand /product in audience  ( using repetition, images, slogan , humour , memorable sting , logo etc.)

Creating emotional response in audience (  guilt, desire, fear, pity, jealousy etc.)

Most adverts will try to provoke an emotional response in their target audience that connects with them personally. Sometimes the advert is explicit and obviously trying to provoke strong emotions, and other times it is more subtle.

Creating  overt/hidden messages      

An overt message is a clear and explicit  message....the story of the advert and the basic content of the advert.

A hidden message is an underlying secret  message which the advertisers may not want to state explicitly ( for legal or ethical reasons) but which the audience may pick up  e.g  If I buy this product I will feel attractive, if I don't buy this product I will look older etc.

ANALYSING ADVERTS : Forms and styles of advert

There are roughly 6 different forms  of television advertisement.
These are:

1. Realist Narrative,
2. Anti-realist narrative,
3. Animation,
4. Documentary,
5. Talking Heads,
6. Stand Alone/Series

An example of a realist narrative:
This would count as a realist narrative, because it appears to be set in real-life.  The product suggests that this is a normal day-to-day occurence in the Redknapp household. A realist narrative advert is an advert with a story, appearing to be both believable and realistic.

An example of an anti-realist narrative:
This advert counts as an anti-realist advert – because although there is a story behind the advert, it is obviously fictional. Unlike the realist narrative, this is not day-to-day behaviour. You do not see a community of people known as ‘the Smarties’ dressed in morph-suits that live in a tube in real life.

An example of an animation:
An animation is simply what it says on the tin. It is an animated production. This means that although there are voiceovers, and maybe CGI, there are no actual actors running around. animation is used for different reasons where live action is inappropriate for the message, style and content of the advert.

An example of documentary:

A documentary advertisement uses a  lot of factual information and relies mainly on informing the audience rather than just entertaining.

An example of talking heads:
'Talking heads' is where the people in the advert talk directly to the camera.Direct human contact, facial expressions , eye contact and the human voice are used to sell the product ,often by emotional appeals to the audience. It is often used in charity adverts, where people who have benefited from the charity speak to the viewer, often thanking them for their efforts. This one, for California Tourism is showing famous actors and personalities trying to convince you, the viewer, to come to California.

An example of a series advert
A series advert is simply an advert that continues in a series. They often tell a continuing story that evolves throughout the series, attempting to keep the audience interested in and familiar with  the characters, the plot and hopefully the product.

STYLES OF TV ADVERT

You need to discuss how your chosen advert fits into the following categories :

1 Humorous  ( lighthearted and funny in tone)

2 Surreal  ( strange or unrealistic  elements )

        3 Dramatic ( realistic, serious and emotional in tone )

                           4 Parodic ( copying or referring to other media products like films or other adverts )