Lace Blackwood

The analysis of a variety of advertisements made for television

Adverts are used to call the attention of potential buyers to a certain

product. Advertisers exploit human weaknesses and fears such as

gluttony or our need for security, which then influence the audience to

want to obtain the products in order, to address the weaknesses within

themselves. Various other persuasive strategies are also exploited

within TV commercials, which vary in budgets and production values

and this helps to make them and their products effective and attractive

to the TV audience.

The Guinness ‘Evolution’ commercial is an interpretation of evolution

twisted in an entertaining way to make the commercial, and Guinness,

the product, more appealing to the audience. It also utilises the ‘power

of three’; using three actors, three pints of Guinness and three specific

time periods of the evolution; the 20th century, the ice age and the pre-

historic period. It is an example of a high budget, high production value

advertisement and appeals to the human weaknesses of gluttony and

conformity due to the fact that there are three men doing the same

thing as each other; drinking the pint of beer in a social environment

and gaining satisfaction and camaraderie from that experience. The

fact that the advert ends on the image of the Guinness, showing 3 pints

in various stages of settling, reminds the audience of what the purpose

of the advert is, but we also remember it due to the repetition. This

settling concept works with a modern audience more efficiently

because of the high definition and technology used, their outlook on

things and the adverts idea will appeal to the audience more due to the

concept being quite a modern perception. The majority of the advert is

quite dark, with the colour palette being full of neutral, earthly colours

such as browns and greens to reinforce the natural aspect of the de-

evolution within the commercial. Non-diegetic sound play a significant

part in this advert with the soundtrack ‘Rhythm of Life’ which was

parallel to the screen action and emphasises the actions which are

being displayed in the advert as the lyrics of the song somewhat

correspond with them with the simple fact that the song’s main

message is about ‘life’ and in the advert we see the evolution of ‘life’

and it somewhat emphasises just how much of a unique, magnificent

thing ‘life’ is. The diegetic sound is then used to add detail, to make the

advert believable; for example, the ‘crackling’ of the ice in the ice age,

or the ‘ahhh’ sound of relief from the men drinking the Guinness, which

adds to the effect, so the audience somewhat feel the emotions felt in

the advert. By targeting a male audience only, it also shows how

society has not significantly changed to the simple fact that women

would not be targeted to drink beer because it is not seen as ‘correct’;

ironically no women are shown in the commercial either, emphasising

just how much women were not thought about in the process of making

this advert. It has been kept strictly for a male, working/middle class

man I feel with a reasonable age bracket of around 27-36. I say this

because the men in the advert look to a similar age and the concept of

the advert has quite a ‘mature’ picture.

The ‘Dove Hair Campaign’ TV commercial, in contrast relates to

women more significantly, due to the fact that it is about your

appearance, which women are more susceptible to. It uses a white

background with minimalist setting, which emphasises the idea of purity

and natural beauty: Dove’s main focus. To contribute to this idea, the

actors don’t have any make-up on; however, if they had heavy makeup

on, there is a slight chance the audience would be distracted away

from the hair. The bright high key lighting helps to enhance all the

action in the advert which makes it more appealing to watch, making

the audience feel associated to it. Although Dove’s main purpose is to

make women feel good about themselves, ironically, the advert exploits

human weaknesses such as envy; the need to buy a product to feel

happy, or as beautiful as your fellow women. The only dialogue used is

by the non-diegetic voice over narration selling the product, which is

also a female voice. This is quite strategic as the gentle voice of the

woman will make the female audience members feel somewhat more

at ease and make the product seem more reliable and viable as they

will feel the narrator will be very aware of what information she is giving

out. There is also non-diegetic background music that is quite upbeat,

which seems parallel to the actions of those in the advert. The upper

body level is most important because the advert focuses on hair, so

ECU’s and CU’s are shots that are mostly used. The close up shots

allow the audience to see clear facial expressions and the hair. By

using the happiness and laughter of the actors involved as the only

diegetic sound, the potential buyer, [who could be seen from any age

from around 16-45+ as Dove have a broad audience] is influenced in to

thinking ‘Dove’ is a great product, that will make you feel and act

content. There is also a CU shot of the products, which is shown at the

end of the advert, so it’s the last thing the audience will have seen. This

is shown for quite a short duration, but by putting it at the close, the

concept and product is somewhat drilled into the audiences’ heads one

last time, hopefully having the impact of them thinking ‘I want to buy

this now’, and although targeting an audience of females aged around

16-45+, I feel Dove doesn’t have a specific class preference. For

instance when you look at ‘Guinness’ Beer, you can see it is very much

of a ‘Lad’ beverage; using ‘Lad’ as a synonym to describe the

‘stereotypical British male’ whereas Dove, because of it’s message,

femininity and purity, any female could feel they can somewhat relate

to the product. And this is shown in the advert because there are no

specific ‘models’ in the advert but there are ‘real’ women representing

the everyday person.

We can see that in the Guinness ‘Evolution’ Commercial, the high

budget allows the mise en scene to be somewhat more detailed; which

of course engages the audience with the advertisement and therefore

with the product. For instance, the setting is constantly changing via

CGI, from the commercial’s beginning to its end, and focuses on the

process of evolution. It uses reverse motion to tell the story going from

a modern 20th century period to a pre-historic period and ends with the

Mud kip sampling the muddy tidal water, providing the expression

‘eugh’. This advert has more of an overall concept: Evolution and the

notion of time. Where as in the low budget TV commercial for the ‘Dove

Hair Care Campaign’, there isn’t so much of a storyline, but the

audience can still understand what the advert is trying to sell; hair

products. There are no special effects used in this advert, which

contrasts with the ‘Evolution’ TV commercial. The ‘Evolution’ advert

uses a various range of techniques and special effects to make the

commercial more interesting, from sound to visual effects. The Dove

advert depicts that you don’t have to use CGI effects to grab the

attention of your target audience. The advert is still somewhat effective

in that because the set is so clear; there is more emphasis on the

product, allowing the target audience to give more attention towards it.

The simplicity of the advert suggests the simplicity and pureness of the

product itself, giving the target audience of young wholesome girls and

women a sense of feeling chaste and innocent.

 One other advertisement that I came across was the ‘Honda – Hate

Something, Change something’ ad. This is also an example of a high

concept, high budget, and high production value advertisement, but it is

an animation. It uses consumer concerns about noise and air pollution

and how the diesel engine contributes to those, to sell Honda’s new

diesel engine. Also, our concerns about the environment are focused

on to persuade us that Honda is able to take customer concerns into

consideration and create an engine that may decrease greenhouse

gas/pollution levels. It appeals to our need for security; for the everyday

man, or a typical family; for our future and our families’ futures, it

connects to our feelings of maternal and paternal love. The adults that

buy this car will be aware of trying to protect their children. It may also

draw on ones pride; stressing on the fact that this engine is superior to

prior diesel engines and is an exclusive item to have, so the consumer

may feel significant if they have one.

In contrast, the ‘Cresta’ advert uses a simpler, but clever way to

promote its product. It uses intertextuality where the bear's

characterisation was taken from the movie star Jack Nicholson. It

exploits the audiences’ weaknesses of gluttony and conformity

because we don’t actually need the fizzy drink, though we may want it

and it gives the idea of wanting to be as cool as the bear. It gives off

the illusion that ‘if you drink our drink, you will become as cool as the

bear’. The narrative comes from the polar bear, who eventually gets

affected by the frothiness of the Cresta drink. The simple line drawing

of the advert will appeal to a younger audience, but maybe also an

older audience who are in touch with their inner child, or relate to the

humour and Nicholsonesque bear character. At the end of the advert,

there is a CU of the drink and four other flavours, accompanied by a

non-diegetic narration, which explains the flavours and availability of

the drinks. His voice, which is RP, brings a sense of the intellectual and

sensible towards the advert, so is obviously targeting parents, the

potential purchasers of the product, after the bear character has his

amusing outcome from the drink to target the children. There is no

background picture, just the drinks to show the significance of them.

The closing shot of the drinks allows the audience to remember what is

it is they may potentially buy.

The Honda ‘Hate Something, Change Something’ and ‘Cresta Bear’

adverts both compare in that they are both 2D animations, however,

the Cresta ad is obviously from cell animation sketches whilst the

‘Honda’ commercial is computer generated. Again, the two adverts

have two different concepts which contrast dramatically, however both

adverts leave you thinking about them due to how effective they are.

For example, the ‘Honda’ advert has a catchy diegetic tune, sung by a

male narrator but responded to by the characters within the animation,

which the audience are encouraged to sing along to as we are given

the key ‘grrr’ and will be able to keep in the back of their minds or even

memorise. This is accompanied by bright ‘happy’ colours, which are

over saturated and would possibly act as a catalyst to making the

target audience feel contented. They also resembled the Disney

cartoons of our childhood, with singing and dancing animals and old

musical films such as ‘Snow White’ or ‘The Sound of Music’ with the

outdoor hills, showing the commercials exploitation of intertextuality to

relate to its audience and make them feel good via Nostalgia. The new

noise free Honda diesel engine replaces the old diesel engines of the

past at the start of the ad. The old perception of noisy diesel engines of

the past is shown in the mise en scene by the bunny rabbits wearing

earmuffs. The new engines are revealed with the rabbits then removing

their earmuffs, showing a period of ‘silence’ in the ad. The ‘Cresta’

advert doesn’t have a tune; only dialogue, however due to the advert

being so unique; it enables you to remember it. The Cresta advert

contrasts with the Honda ad due to the fact that apart from the drink

itself, is does not have any colour in the ad, making the mise en scene

minimalist. The only colour available is the purple of the ‘blackcurrant

juice bottle’, which emphasises the importance of the drink. This ‘pop’

of colour will target a young audience, as the cartoon may attract them

and the colour used emphasises the product.

The Iceland Christmas ad appeals to our avarice, and gluttony. Both of

these weaknesses grab the audience’s attention by attracting them

towards the food and by offering and advertising bargains, money

savings on their products being sold at Iceland, targeting more of the

mainstream, working class family; due to the less expensive products

and especially those with children, due to their slogan: ‘Mum Shops at

Iceland’, it instantly informs the audience of who Iceland feels should

be shopping at their stores. This is a somewhat significant technique

that companies use because they want to sell their products and by

appealing to peoples’ needs or wants, you make the most out of your

products. You think you’re hungry, when actually it’s the advert

attacking your senses, making you think you are. Kerry Katona, Jason

Donovan and Coleen Nolan sing their own rendition of the famous

Dean Martin Christmas song, ‘Baby its cold outside’, also appealing to

our sense of nostalgia as it instantly makes us think of Christmas and

family. To keep to the era the song was made, the advert has a

concept similar to an old-fashioned musical film set in this era. This

song is a well-known Christmas song, so when people watch the advert

they will instantly feel a somewhat ‘fuzzy’ feeling inside and the

excitement of Christmas spirits. The sound within the video is, in reality,

non-diegetic however the advert gives the illusion that the music is

inside the world of the advert, making it seem diegetic to the audience.

The cinematography varies a lot in the advert, to create the dynamism

of a Christmas party. It starts with a CU shot of the children playing

outside but then draws back into the party, which informs the audience

that the advert will be set in the house. Children are shown at the start,

and they normally bring a sense of innocence and fun towards

anything, this advert included and therefore target an audience of both

mothers and children; mothers because they will want their children to

be as happy as those in the advert, and children simply because they

will idolise the ones seen in the advert; also towards the product too,

emphasising the ‘family’ nature of the brand. The CU’s show each

facial expression with everyone smiling and happy which acts

somewhat as a catalyst to make the audience also feel happy. The

main shots used are CU, MCU, MS, MLS and LS; MS to show the body

language of each character as they move around the room, the camera

following them, showing their dancing or socialising; the LS’s show the

background of the party with the camera scanning around the room,

showing how a wonderful Christmas could be for the potential buyer of

the product; and ECU’s are used at various times in the advert to show

the different types of food in the party, and inform the audience on the

product name and price of the food via an on screen graphic. The

camera moves in a horizontal pan scanning all the food on the tables,

which makes it seem as if the viewer or potential buyer is at the party,

looking at all the food as they walk down along the table. Each shot of

the food is quite short in duration, which makes the advert seem short

and snappy and implies varied products and lots of them. The audience

feel that they are getting lots of information at one time about all these

amazing and cost efficient food products. The main props you see

throughout the ad are of course the different types of food. The colour

has been saturated and brightened enhancing all the rich colours;

especially of the tablecloth which is purple. This colour is the brightest,

but also the warmest and is symbolically the colour of wealth, so it

shows the ‘wealth’ of the ‘food’ and suggests opulence. The advert

however brings a sense of irony because the price of the food is so

low, but shows ‘wealth’ in the concept, in terms of that the food can be

purchased and the suggestion that the quality of it goes beyond its

price, further proving the target audience would be those of families,

who may be of a lower working class occupational background, but

have an understanding of family life, happiness and are ‘wealthy’ in that

respect.

The ‘Pure Clean’ Ariel TV commercial also targets families and the

family purchaser, traditionally the female of the household, so targets

mainstream females, however I would argue of a different social

occupational scale to that of the Iceland commercial. I feel it targets

more of the middle class family home, with the ‘housewife’. This is due

to women and their children being one of the main focuses in the

advert, with the ‘mother’ doing the housework such as washing the

clothes etc. It predominately focuses on things that are white; showing

the idea of purity and cleanliness, given it’s a washing powder. The

majority of the advert is set in open space, showing the clear blue sky,

green grass, natural wooden interiors which emphasises naturalness

and implies the naturalness and purity of the product. The TV

commercial starts, with an ELS of the hills, which over look the village.

The advert then crossfades into an MCU of a woman, looking up at the

'purity' of the sky. This connects with ‘Ariel’s’ idea of purity. Low-angle

shots of the clear sky are used with a 360-degree rotation giving a

somewhat relaxing feeling towards the commercial. The shots are

always shifting, showing different aspects of the same day and how

everyone’s life is different, but they are still in search for the same

thing; purity. There is a heavy use of the cross fade to give a slow,

smooth pace to the commercial, reinforcing the idea of purity and

tranquillity. The advert is also centred on the theme of the five senses;

Touch, Smell, Sound, Sight and Taste, and their use in the search for a

‘pure clean’. Significantly, towards the end of the advert a cross fade is

used to ‘white’, to emphasise the idea of cleanliness, but also in a way

gets the audience into a lull and all they remember is white and the

product, associating ‘whiteness’ with Ariel ‘Pure Clean’ washing

powder. The ad uses a non-diegetic voice over narration and it’s a soft

female voice to reinforce the targeting of the female householder, or

mother of the house. The non-diegetic music of the advert is like a harp

playing, or the plucking of a violin. The music is soft and calm reflecting

the narrator’s voice, so when people watch the advert they will also feel

calm. In other scenes, diegetic sounds have been used to reinforce the

idea of naturalness or purity and freshness, such as the ice being

broken, a little girl singing and the lime being squeezed. These little

details create an illusion for the audience that reinforces the adverts

attack on the five senses. The non-diegetic female voice over mentions

these senses and informs viewers that everything is 'Pure clean'

making the audience think that Ariel is the product to buy for a ‘pure’

clean laundry wash, making them believe it will make their clothes 'Ariel

pure clean'; when of course there is no such thing as a ‘pure clean’

anymore than there is any such thing as a ‘blue white’. The CU of the

product at the end of the advert enhances the significance of the

product in relation to this idea of a ‘pure clean’.

All of these adverts could appeal to a mainstream audience. The

various exploitations of human weakness allow the commercials to

affect the social group who are not used to change and do what they

feel comfortable with. The adverts are simply trying to tug at people’s

weaknesses but not to an extreme where the audience may feel

uncomfortable. The various effects and graphics allow the potential

buyers to experience the advert in an entertaining way. Each advert

finds a certain way to relate to their target audience so they either

remember the advert, or even get ‘enticed’ into buying the products,

such as the Ariel ad, where the audience is to believe there is such a

thing as a ‘pure clean’.