Advertising Analysis
Considering
Grant-Davie's constituents of rhetoric and examine a piece of
advertising accessible through YouTube. You might address the following
questions as a starting point, but your analysis should not be written
as a list of numbered sentences:
Exigence:
1. How does the company sell the perceived need for the product?
2. What underlying values underpin the need for this product?
3. What problem is being resolved by this product?
Rhetor:
1. Who is selling the product? (There may be multiple rhetors involved. The company might hire an advertising firm who hires a spokesperson).
2. What contributes to the ethos of the company selling the product/service?
3. What role does the rhetor portray or what personae does the company present in trying to sell the product?
Audience:
1. Who is the primary target audience for the product and how do you know?
2. What identities do the creators of the advertisement call the target audience embody as viewers of this advert?
3. Explore some differing roles the audience might embody in reading the advert in different ways.
Constraints:
1. What outside forces (positive or negative constraints) might enable or hinder the argument presented by the advert?
2. Are there any outside factors that might lead the audience to be more or less sympathetic to the message of the advert?
In order to address this prompt, you should read the Grant-Davie reading (101-119). Be sure to write your posting in paragraph form rather than as a list. We will be using your analyses for an in-class activity later in the term.
NOTE: this analysis piece should not be seen as a place to prove you understand the terminology Grant-Davie used; your task is to deliver a sophisticated and well thought through analysis of an advertisement. In other words, you are making some kind of unified and well developed argument about an advertisement of your choosing.
Exigence:
1. How does the company sell the perceived need for the product?
2. What underlying values underpin the need for this product?
3. What problem is being resolved by this product?
Rhetor:
1. Who is selling the product? (There may be multiple rhetors involved. The company might hire an advertising firm who hires a spokesperson).
2. What contributes to the ethos of the company selling the product/service?
3. What role does the rhetor portray or what personae does the company present in trying to sell the product?
Audience:
1. Who is the primary target audience for the product and how do you know?
2. What identities do the creators of the advertisement call the target audience embody as viewers of this advert?
3. Explore some differing roles the audience might embody in reading the advert in different ways.
Constraints:
1. What outside forces (positive or negative constraints) might enable or hinder the argument presented by the advert?
2. Are there any outside factors that might lead the audience to be more or less sympathetic to the message of the advert?
In order to address this prompt, you should read the Grant-Davie reading (101-119). Be sure to write your posting in paragraph form rather than as a list. We will be using your analyses for an in-class activity later in the term.
NOTE: this analysis piece should not be seen as a place to prove you understand the terminology Grant-Davie used; your task is to deliver a sophisticated and well thought through analysis of an advertisement. In other words, you are making some kind of unified and well developed argument about an advertisement of your choosing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEbpbNTkIdk
ReplyDeleteOld spice uses the advertisement to make it seem like the younger generation of men need to smell better and therefore will be treated more like a man. Then it is insinuated that they will get girls, along with the opportunity to engage in certain activities that go along with being with girls. They show this by having many couples doing romantic and at sometimes intimate things such as kissing and holding hands. The underlying values addressed in this commercial include sex appeal. Anyone who uses this product will smell better and therefore entice attractive women (who will be all over you, and engage in intimate activities, if you use this product). It also plays on independence. This is a value that women tend to find attractive. Cutting the apron strings with the mothers indicates a sexy independence for the men in this ad.
A problem being resolved by this product is that men’s fragrance collections don’t fully accomplish their purpose. I.e, They make men smell good. The underlying problem was that young men usually don’t elicit intimate thoughts by women. Old spice resolves this problem by making those young men smell nice and therefore attractive. This commercial actually creates a problem for comedic purposes. The mothers are upset because their little boys are smelling like men, and women are treating them like men too.
From an audience’s view point, the people selling old spice in this ad are the young males being treated like men. The narrators(rhetoric) are the many upset mothers who indirectly encourage the actions of independence and sex appeal. The mothers help to sell the product by narrating the actions and influencing the audience’s opinion on manhood and independence shown here in the advertisement. Although the ethos is not truly facts. The closest thing we have is the visual examples of young men on dates. There is a close-up of a women’s hand touching a man’s, couples holding hands, and kissing. These couples all look happy and close. This further encourages the idea that those who wear this product get girls. The company is targeting the younger generation of men. They set their sights on mostly those just starting off in the dating/ relationship game. Males who seek independence and a closer relationship with the opposite sex are addressed. We know this through the use of parents. Older men usually do not live with their parents, nor do they have the fact of independence in question. The mother’s displeasure in the relationships shows that this is a new subject in their lives by hinting at it being new for the mothers and sons. The viewers are told to embody independent men. These men are suave and easy with the women. These men get results because they use Old Spice products.
Outside forces that encourage the advertisement include the fact that men who smell good typically do get women. This is mostly because they smell good, which is enticing. Also, outside forces can create a non sympathetic view of the ad due to the fact that men who wear these products may not treat the girls the same way embodied in the commercials or be of a different age. Mothers can relate because it is an actual thing that happens for them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bls1KKDwmo
ReplyDeleteIn the recently released Jaguar commercial, there are three big British Celebrities portrayed as villains (Sir Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong). They are portrayed as villains to create a sense of unity between the actors, in the sense that they have a certain style. This style is explained to be having an eye for detail, being precise and having an obsession for power. These three traits are written into their dialogue as a way of subliminally hinting at the way Jaguar manufactured cars also have these traits. While there is no problem, promoting the need for a Jaguar, the commercial is instead hinting that anyone who purchases a Jaguar will gain these somewhat vain, yet surprising universal traits.
Based on the latter part of the commercial (seeing as how Mark Strong outright says "And we all drive Jaguars"), it can be ascertained that the company trying to sell this product is ... you guessed it, Jaguar. They do so with the heavy use of celebrity influence with Hollywood actors, who pretty much even say that their Hollywood actors in the commercial. While this isn't an uncommon form of appeals to an audience, it works surprising well in this case. The fact that they address being British actors who drive Jaguars makes it plain to see the desired goal of the advertiser. That if you drive a Jaguar you are like a British Actor playing a villain.
On a whole this ad is not specifically focused on one group of people (which is strange for a car advertisement). Instead they don't say outright that someone needs their product (Jaguar manufactured cars), but choose to tap into the hidden desires to be like the actors in the commercial. Sharp, Witty, Charismatic and downright fancy are only some of those traits the actors show in the commercial. I would say that the audience is widely universal for this reason. As stated before there is no one personae that the advertisement embodies, it's instead a collage of "evil/bad" ideals that are actually just traits everyone wishes to have. Who doesn't want to drive a fancy car, have a wealth of power and be mischievously smart? This advertisement is basically telling people to aspire to be a British movie villain or "bad" guy and buy a Jaguar to reap the benefits.
Unfortunately for this add there are those who don't want to be seen in the negative light of being "British bad guys". They may see the add as propaganda to having misplaced ideals and drive a Jaguar for the wrong reasons. Something to also take into account is the fact that most Jaguar owners are predominantly wealthy individuals. This may cause viewers to be less likely to go out and spend money on a car being as how most people are not over wealthy and able to afford such a vehicle. However, this advertisement is still overly successful in driving home the idea that Jaguars are flashy vehicles, with precision, power and "with a certain style an eye for detail."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RurllVeO8g
ReplyDeleteIn this advertisement, PlayStation is using the underlying value of that nostalgia feeling you get when reliving in past memories and good times you had when playing on their past consoles. The problem being resolved by purchasing this product is like an addition to those good times you had with the past consoles. The company presents itself as a group of friends enjoying themselves playing past consoles, enjoying themselves and having an overall good time. By doing this, PlayStation is trying to sell its product by connecting to its primary target audience, gamers. I know that this is the target audience because they even address it at the end of the commercial, “This is for the Players”. You can see it works by checking the comments of the video that many people had great times and memories when playing the classics, like the PS1 and 2. And those who discontinued playing PlayStation are now considering in purchasing a PS4 to hopefully add more of those memories that PlayStation is promising them. An outside force that enables the argument of being a console just for games is the Xbox One trying to be more like an entertainment system than a console for pure gaming. The PS4 is selling itself to be the top tier in console gaming, and has not advertised on anything else other than that, gaming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJDni6Bopzo
ReplyDeleteThis Geico ad is one of the many great examples on the consituents of rhetoric by Grant-Davie. They first start the video by asking somewhat rhetorical question, ironically. The company tries to sell the perceived need for thiss product by showing the human emotion happiness incorporated in a mascot, or character, which is the pig. The underlying values can be considering to change your insurance because it is basically a necessity for the majority of peple, and can always be cheaper which everyone would enjoy. The problem resolved is the insurance rates being high compared to geico.
The ethos is contributed by the presentation at the beginning, with a man dressed professionally trying to explain how geico is the cheapest. The personae is more of an easygoing, happy and lovable character along with a professional look in the first half. The primary audience is all drivers, as everyone needs insurance. However, it would be more appealing to younger audiences with a lovable character. They call you out as “would YOU like to ssave $15 or more on car insurance?” The audience can embody differet roles as a driver needing insurance or as someone who wants to cut back on expenses.
Some outside forces such as other advertisemtns seen before can add to the likeability of the company. This can make them more sympathetic or more willing to switch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHgeZlHmE-g
ReplyDeleteNatural Light has recently started to come out with some pretty funny beer commercials. I found out about these ads when a few of my friends were part of a research study for Natty Light to see what commercials they liked the best. And so they all told me about this commercial.
This commercial tries to get you to be yourself and just "act natural". The commercial shows a very boring man who is obviously trying too hard to look like he knows what he is talking about when it comes to fine wines. A Natty Light in the cooler next to him starts ringing. He pops the top and a man named Brother Natural begins giving him a life lesson on how to be himself and act natural. How he is not a wine guy no one likes hime as a wine guy. But everyone liked him as a beer guy, so he says stop being a wine guy and just act natural and be a beer guy again. Brother Natural saves this man from not being himself by giving him a Natty Light and just telling him to be himself or "act natural". All his problems of being a boring looser are suddenly solved by just acting natural and drinking a Natty Light.
There are three things selling this beer. Of course Anheuser Busch Brewing Company is selling their own beer, Brother Natural is selling this beer, and I believe the audience is selling themselves the beer. Because they see that Brother Natural is not just some commercial host shoving a product in my face, he comes across as a true friend because he tell this guy to just be himself because everyone liked him when he was a Natty Light drinker. I believe the audience for this ad is obvious, its men. Two men are the main characters in the commercial, and Brother Natural says to act natural and be a beer guy. He doesn't say be a beer girl. I also believe though that pretty much only being geared towards men could definitely be a constraint put on this. Another constraint I feel is that a lot of people already see Natty Light as just a cheap college beer and I don't think anything could change their minds. Because honestly everyone knows that is what Natty Light is, a cheap college beer. However an outside force that I feel leads the audience to feel more sympathetic for this whole commercial is that the main guy just looks sad and looks like a complete looser. I wouldn't want to be him or even be around him while he is trying to sound so smart talking about wine all fancy.
Overall I like this commercial a lot. I feel it is very funny and it hits my demographic of a cheap college student very well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtP-S9OS0o0
ReplyDeleteIn this Allstate Mayhem commercial, a man is impersonating a teenage girl driver complaining about her 'BFF' just kissed Johnny, who of which she liked herself. Their main focus is to portray humor, relatable experiences to teenagers (and their parents) for car insurance all while attempting to sell their product. It has the perspective that teenagers aren't the best drivers, and that people need to get insurance to protect them from reckless teenage drivers. Now while there isn't an insurance that just protects you about teenage drivers, Allstate is trying to solve the problem that if you buy our insurance this is one thing less you have to worry about(i.e. teenage girls).
Humor is a common way commercials there days try to sell their product. From my own experience commercials in the last decade have changed their point of view from serious and persuasive argument to realizing that if a person can remember their commercial and it is relatable that there is a higher chance they will use their product. The Allstate Mayhem commercials are one of the most notable commercials out there for the past couple years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNdapXryZ98
ReplyDeleteThese Ameriquest Mortgage commercials I stumbled upon because of their use of humor. Contrary to belief these commercials weren’t made for just our sole amusement. They grab the audience’s attention with the humor and the advertisement associates the humor with the company Ameriquest Mortgage. However, the company’s message isn’t always told explicitly. Ameriquest Mortgage uses the slogan “don’t judge too quickly, we won’t” to uphold a sense of understanding, opportunity, and freedom. These are democratic ideals supported by the company. Ameriquest attempts to solve the problem of lack of money, by offering loans. Within these loans Ameriquest tries to sell freedom to do as they wish with these loans.
DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc. is the advertising company that produced this ad for Ameriquest Mortgage. Which is located in Los Angeles which gives it background. Shown in its more liberal content. Ameriquest presents itself as a comforting entity reassuring the audiences of its open mind and doing this by labeling themselves as Opportunity lenders.
The primary target audience would be homeowners as it is essential to own a home to have the ability to take out a mortgage. The creators of the advertisement gave the audience the identity as the common man in a situation that might not be easily understood. Hence Dad giving her daughter money to buy gum unlike the perception of the police officers who see this as potential prostitution. Although, the audience might take on the role as an observer as that is where the humor originates. Realizing the perception of Dad and comparing it to the perception of the police officers.
Outside forces that could complicate the ad is that during the time these ads were shown was between 2005 and 2007. In this given time the economy wasn’t doing so well and that mortgage practices from companies are partially to blame for the country’s economic status. As money is a powerful motivator this can easily deter the audience away from Mortgage Companies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_eXdpr8zKQ
ReplyDeleteIn this particular advertisement they use a cheetah which is running after its prey but then out of nowhere a man comes and tackles the cheetah to save the prey. Everyone knows that cheetahs are the fastest animals on land and yet to have a man catch up to it and shows that shoes can make a difference. So in other words shoes can grant you the ability to run faster than you can imagine, and you’ll never have to worry about be slow anymore. By having a man run and stop the predator from getting the innocent animal it shows only the kind and caring side or in other words uses the audiences’ emotions. This ad was showed during the Super Bowl which is also famous for having the best commercials but other than that I think everyone knows how incredible that a man can catch up to the fastest animal on land and tie it up to prevent it from attacking the prey, and have it wink back at the man. It just makes no sense The primary target should be athletes or people that enjoy running in general since the advertisement is about running fast with Sketchers GOrun2. Just by having it advertise as running shoes that can enhance your speed would get attention from many people. In my opinion it could also be interpreted as a responsibility by doing good deeds and helping others from harm. Although the advertisement itself is interesting and it was on the Super Bowl it has no realistic credibility that actually in real life how much it can enhance a human’s body. To get the audience’s attention to this specific shoe, the story, and emotion of the audience, was more important than the shoe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuBP11pT91I
ReplyDeleteAxe in its new series Lynx Rise, makes the appeal to men that we are not as mentally sharp as we could be. We tend to misinterpret people and overlook certain obvious aspects. However, with there new product we can become mentally acute and pickup on different meanings.The main target audience is young adult men. Axe wants to make men think that by using this you will be less likely to make mistakes. The ads are very sexual and humorous, the initail grabber is the girl (Jessica Jane) then the guy makes the mistake and Lynx Rise is presented as the item that could have prevented this issue.
The commercials gets the audience hooked with the girls then proceeds with a situation where the man makes a misconception. Then shows their product and says "stay alert with new Axe Rise." All guys have made mistakes, some more then others. So some may be convinced that the way to avoid such impositions would be to use their product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2-UuIEOcss
ReplyDeleteThis is the famous Apple Switch advertisement about Macs. In this advertisement, Apple is trying to convince computer users to switch from PC to Macs. The advertisement shows a woman talking about her “experience” while writing a school paper on a PC in which her computer glitches and causes most of the paper to be deleted. She then goes on to explain how her deadline was coming up and since she was forced to rewrite the paper, it subsequently was not her best work and the results were therefore diminished. The advertisement insinuates that worthy papers, whether for work or school, cannot be written on a PC and therefore must be written on a Mac to be sufficient. This is not specifically stated but the end of the advertisement shows the Apple advertisement website which is apple.com/switch which states that this girl is switching over to Macs because PCs are not “sufficient” for her needs.
The advertisement is focused on students mainly but it can be attributed to any person who owns or uses computers. The advertisement does well to relate to students because the speaker in the video is clearly a student and even states that she is a student. There a plenty of naïve students that would see this advertisement and instantly think that his or her PC is insufficient and should be instantly replaced by an Apple Mac.
I think that the fact that the speaker is a student and she explains how one of her school papers suffered due to a PC, that would make viewers (who are students, or have been students) sympathize towards Apple’s message because they can relate to the issues that speaker has recently encountered. Relation to an audience is probably the easiest way to gain sympathy from viewers. If a person can see themselves as someone else or be able to put themselves into a person’s shoes, then he or she is more likely to sympathize and therefore inclined to believe whatever Apple is saying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSzmjskZ4Y
ReplyDeleteThe commercial that I picked was the Dannon Greek Oikos with John Stamos. This company has many variations of these commercials, but the one I chose is titled, “perfect world.” This commercial insinuates that if you eat this specific brand of yogurt, the whole male population will turn into John Stamos and all will be perfect [for the ladies]. This product obviously has a target audience of women who desire a light, non-fat snack and are hoping that the sex appeal John Stamos delivers will have a positive effect on their sales. The problem being resolved in this commercial with this product is a woman’s desire for a snack that they cannot feel guilty about eating. Dannon sells this product with the face and voice of john Stamos, and it seems to be working. If the target audience read this instead of seeing a commercial, they would probably say that a non-fat yogurt is nearly impossible and that it will not taste as good as it looks. They would perhaps view the hook line as a lie in order for them to buy the product. In all of the commercials, not just the specific one I chose, it is always sunny out with a clear sky, and a big smile on the woman’s face who is taking a small bite of the yogurt. As for sympathy, there are not any indicators of any sort of sympathy because the whole commercial is smiley and happy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGM1fXtmEwc
ReplyDeleteIn this advertisement, the advertisers present a need to strive to become better than you already are. That need is magnified by the perceived fear of being beaten or even embarrassed. The company showed that this can be achieved through dedication, hard work, and training. They strongly imply that their product (Gatorade) will assist in getting them to the level that they need to be at. So what they’re selling is the idea that Gatorade will help you achieve the goal of being better than the competition and become great. The underlying values identified in this advertisement is the drive to improve and achieve greatness. This would appeal to athletic or very active individuals and one can imply that they are indeed the target audience. Another value is the need to be like a pop culture icon. The audience gets the notion that this is the right way to do it since they are doing it that way. This interpretation appeals to a much broader audience especially sports fans. Furthermore, the “Win from within” caption at the end of the commercial suggests that to achieve, one must dig deep and find the path to one’s goal from the inside. This idea appeals to an even broader audience because that theme can apply to everyday life i.e. school or work. The general public can be viewed as an additional audience to the target audience of athletes.
The rhetors in this commercial are Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade; two very popular players in the NBA and in pop culture. This was a very logical choice considering their target audience. A very effective way to market something that relates to athletics is to have a top athlete endorse it. Because they are looked upon as having achieved greatness in their sport than they are viewed as standards by the audience. The audience then wants to reach that standard therefore they mimic observed habits. When it shown that one of the habits of the standard is using the product that is being advertised, then the audience is more likely to buy the product since they see it as a way of getting closer to that standard.
Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade are viewed as hard working and tireless in working on their craft. When they endorse a product, that product and the company marketing that product are viewed as promoters of those character traits and ideals and therefore attract people that seek those same traits. During the commercial, Kevin Durant is seen taking several Gatorade products during his workout regimen. By doing this, it shows that he recommends or even necessitates Gatorade when he is working out. Through setting this example, the audience concludes that one must train hard and also use Gatorade product to achieve the same level that Kevin Durant is on.
One of the possible constraints could be the idea that some of the audience may not like Kevin Durant or Dwayne Wade because of their loyalty to another team. Their different view of the rhetors may hinder the chances of them purchasing the product because they see the spokesmen in a negative light. Another possible constraint could be the player’s statistics for the season. If one of them or both of them aren't having that great of a season or are repeatedly failing in clinch moments of a game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxmkiy9txBE
ReplyDeleteThe ad I chose today is my favorite commercial of all time. Its funny and witty, while the product is still heavily demonstrated. The producers of this Orbitz commercial sells their product by demonstrating how not having a clean mouth effects us. The underlying values that pinpoint the need for this gum is the bad language used by the angry characters. They're getting across the message that without a clean mouth, your behavior and how you talk to people will change. Orbitz wants you to resolve your issue of having a foul mouth.
The spokesperson for Orbitz is tall, slim blonde model-like woman that has a sparkling smile. Her british accent also captures the attention of the audience. The commercial relates to audience by showing a scenario where an angry women confronts her cheating spouse and his mistress. Many people have been either a victim or the cause of adultery which makes this commercial so appealing. After the confrontation, in comes the life-saver, hero of the day, the Orbitz spokeswoman. She steps in, hands everyone a piece of gum and they all suddenly transform moods. For a second at least. I believe the target audience can range from young children to the oldest of men and women. Its a funny for all ages and uses clever puns for each foul word. This commercial pulls the audience in to make them feel like they too can be a hero of the day.
Some may argue that this commercial influences children to use their substituted words as foul language. This could cause the parents to be hesitant about letting their children watch the commercial or even buy the gum. Overall I believe this commercial is a great way to gain memory in every audience member's minds. Personally when I'm shopping for gum, I judge each product based off the commercials I've seen featuring them. Orbitz reminds me how fun and clean my mouth will feel after using it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHLnC7dZoVY
ReplyDeleteI choose a commercial from San Miguel Beer; this is a unique and catchy masterpiece with the appearance of Jet Li and Manny Pacquiao. In this commercial, the company hired a movie star and a boxer who are both known as strong and masculine in the public eyes, the use of public icons bring a good impression of viewers towards the product and get people to buy it. At the beginning, 3 good-looking women walked in and ordered the beers but the bartender ran out, then Jet li who portrays as cool, confident and supernatural human-being started showing great martial art moves across the bar and took the beers from the plate of other servers and handed them to the chicks, whom were so impressed by his confidence and gentleness. The problem being resolved by this product is the beer acts a boost of confidence for men with low self-esteem. The primary target audience for this product is young men who like to go out to party for the sake of socializing and meeting hot chicks. The commercial creates a discourse that tells young men if they drink San Miguel beer they will become manlier and more confident; and if this commercial isn't manly enough to get the target audience to buy it then I don't know what will.
In this advertisement, the audience might embody different roles depending on their opinion, some will be impressed with the cool, catchy commercial and try it but some will be unfazed and treat it with less respect. The identity of the actors in the commercial basically tells the target audience to present themselves to others in that kind of way when they drink the beer, and the beer acts as a discourse, it motivates the audience to behave and think to match with their peers; depending on the environment, the viewers can be positively or negatively affected by this ad. In the end, even though this is one of the coolest beer commercial out there, the major constraint that might hinder the message of the advert is the question “Will anyone actually buy into this?” the main problem of this type of ad is it is too fictional and too cool to be true in reality. The commercial's intent is on my opinion simply for the prospective buyer to remember the brand name of this product and therefore spread the popularity of it among friends and people to generate more interests in the business sense. External factors of this ad is whether the audience would buy into the message that San Miguel is trying to sell is considerable. First we know that beer consumers pick their beers more about the tastes and flavors than from watching the commercial, so the quality of the beer is more important than the ad itself because if it doesn’t match with the awesomeness of the commercial then the company is selling a false message. Therefore, external factors like the quality of the product can determine whether the audience can be more or less sympathetic to the message of the advert.
In the end it is all about the quality of the product, however, this is a very successful advertisement and it did a good job in catching the audience’s attention. I would say the company did an excellent job in creating the first impression.