Print Advertising - Unseen Analysis

For the purpose of the mock exam you will be given an unseen piece of print advertising. The question will ask you to apply the concept of representation to the advert and to analyse how this functions in relationship to the purpose of the advert.

As with all essays you should be asking yourself:

1 - Have I answered the question?
2 - Does this read like the work of a Media Studies student (Terminology)?
3 - Have I used a good range examples to support my analysis?
4 - Is what I have written easy to follow?

 

Paragraph 1/Introduction

• Establish the class/age/gender/ethnicity of the social groups people being represented
• Suggest the c.a.g.e. of the target audience.
• Establish whether the representation is hegemonic or pluralistic.
• Give a brief summary of the message of the advert - If possible, use AIDA
• Draw connections to one or more of the adverts we have studied

The Nivea for men advertisement features a hegemonic representation of two young adult white males, in the center of the image. This probably reflects the demographic of the target audience, though it is unlikely that the use of white models is intended to be exclusionary. There  an assumption of a heteronormative audience and representation as their is a suggested relationship between the two attractive young men and the similarly attractive girls to their right in the advert. We can easily apply the AIDA model to the advert. It grabs the attention of the target audience by use of the facial expressions of the four models, and by suggesting a diegesis of a rock concert (an aspirational location for many young men). It further holds the interest of the audience by presenting connotations of brotherly male bonding and sexual attractiveness to women. This engenders the desire to have both those types of relationships, which in turns is intended to lead to the audience taking the action of buying the product, which is clearly pictured in the bottom right of the image. Of the adverts I have studied, this most closely resembles the Gareth Bale Lucozade advert, because it is also focused on a young adult male target audience. However, the aspirational aspects of the advert are based around sporting prowess ad so it is intended to engender the audience's desire for respect and achievement rather than sexual attractiveness.

NB: LESS THAN A THIRD OF WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN IS ABOUT THE LUCOZADE AD


Paragraph 2/3

Go on to continue your analysis referring directly to aspects of:

• Layout and Design (Consider rule of thirds)
• Image (Inc. Mise en Scene, Shot Type, Camera Angle, Framing, Proxemics, Lighting)

• Typography (Fonts, Text Size, Colours)
• Language (Specific Word Choice - Anchoring)

• Colour Palette