Category: 11 MED 1

The main things that need to be improved are:

• Make the product clear

Too often you described the code, gave excellent explanations of how it works and linked it to the message without mentioning the product. It all comes back down to the product. Make sure you explain how you think by selling their message the advertisers think it will sell the product.

• Mention the company name more often

In the practise piece we just did, the company name was Inghams; however, this wasn’t mentioned by many of you. By mentioning the company name you show and understanding of the difference between the company that is paying for the ad, the company that produced the ad and the product that is being sold.

• Avoid simplistic reasoning

Remember, when it comes to advertising it is more about getting the target audience to by an idea than convincing them that if they buy the product they will be thinner, lighter or more beautiful. Even with beauty products it is more about getting the audience to believe in the superioty of a product because it is ‘scientifically proven’ to do something. For example, saying that young girls will get their mums to buy Ingham’s chicken becuase they think it will make them look like the girl in the ad it too simplistic. How does the representation of this sexy young girl help sell the idea and how does the idea help sell the product.

• Focus on the idea being sold and how this helps to sell the product

Today we are going to return to the Representation PowerPoint and look at the following:

1. Read and make notes Stereotype slides 31 and 32
2. Watch video on slide 32
3. Read and make notes on Social Values Slides 33 and 34

Today we are going to review what we have learned about the process of analysising a print ad. There are a number of distinct steps that we need to go through as part of this process:

1. Reading
2. Annotating
3. Analysing
4. Writing

There are three task that we are going to do today. I will split the class into three and rotate the task that you do every 10 mins.

Task One

Read someone else’s analysis and answer the following question:

What is missing from their analysis and how does this limited your understanding of what they are trying to say?

Think about:

1. How well they have interpreted the message of the ad?
2. Have they identified the most obvious codes?
3. Is the description of the representation accurate and concise?
4. How well have they articulated the message of the ad?

Task Two

List the a step by step process completing the analysis of a print ad

Task Three

Create a list of unknowns. What do you not quite understand about this process of print ad analysis?

 

Today were are going to look at a sample of the kind of analysis you will be expected to do in Year 11. This sample was written by a teacher; therefore, it is quite sophisticated. Please don’t be phased by this, the most important thing is that you understand the way it is structured.

A summary list of things that you will need to write about in your analysis is below:

1. Representations contained in the ad
2. Composition
3. Body Image/Language
4. Props
5. Omission
6. Text
7. Target Audience
8. Stereotypes

 

Looking at the above ad for a lottery ticket, carry out a close analysis of the codes it contains. Follow the process we have done in class where you look at the ad, highlight codes and note the conntations they carry.

This is a simple ad; don’t over think what you see. The main things to focus on are: the type of house; the body language of the man; what is in his pocket and the text. How do these codes work together to communicate a very specific message to the consumer?

This is the last time you will be expected to write only a paragraph, so have a go at writing a long paragraph this time, from now on you will be writing extended responses.

 

Today we are going to do the following:

1. Peer review your homework
2. Annotate the ad on Slide 15 of the PowerPoint
3. Copy the example I have provide, along with explanation not

Before we move into looking at the more detailed process of ad analysis that will be expected of you in Yr 11, let’s have a looked at the simplified Yr 10 process one more time.

1. What is being depicted in the advertisement?  Describe ad
2. Make notes on two or three code communicates
3. Explain who you think the target audience is and why
4. Note any stereotypes that are present
5. Write a paragraph explaining what you have found, making sure you link it to the message of the ad/brand

In this ad we see a man in a suit with a cigarette in his mouth; he is standing in front of what appears to be a beach house looking at someone just outside the right of the frame. One noticeable thing about this ad is the body language of the man, which is highly suggestive of the James Bond character 007. He is holding a lighter but doing so with both hands held in exactly the same position they would be if he was holding a gun. This, along with his confident gaze, suggests this man has the same strength and self assurance as the 007 character, positioning the product as one that embues the same qualities on individuals that smoke it. The inclusion of an attractive female hand holding a champagne glass, along with the omission of any other part of this women’s body, again reinforces this play on the James Bond motif, where the woman is often presented as an object of desire without any broader representation of her personality or intellect. The glass of champagne, along with the beach house and the man’s tailored suit, is suggestive of wealth and affluence; this positions the brand as  one of quality and a sign of good taste. This attempt to associate the brand with prestige and exclusivity is reinforced by the colour palette of the ad: the golden hue of the lights in the window, the gold of the gentleman’s pocket square and the gold of the champagne all carry connotations of wealth. The black of the shadows and the mans suit also carry the connotation of glamour and exclusivity, which reinforces the overall branding of the product as being upmarket. The tag line ‘The pleasure is back” is a clever play on words suggests that without Barclay the ‘pleasure’ is gone.

These are the things that you need to address in a written analysis:

1. Representations contained in the advert
2. Composition
3. Body Image/Language
4. Props
5. Omissions
6. Text
7. Specific Target Audience for Ad
8. Explanation of Stereotypes Contained in the Ad

This process of analysing and ad is introduced at Yr 10 in much simpler form. Let’s take a look at this as a way of easing in to this concept of analysis the connotation contained within print advertising. Click here to view how print analysis is taught in Yr 10.

Homework:

Find a print ad and write a single paragraph analysis following the steps in the simplified Yr 10 example. High achievers will print out the attached document below and try and include some of the vocabulary outlined in it.

Print Analysis Help sheet

Today we are going to:

1. Discuss the hmk work question: Does TV lead developments in society or does society lead developments in TV
2. Read and discuss slide 11 & 12 of PowerPoint
3. Answer question 2 on pg 22
4. Read pg 17 and copy notes on slide 13 of PowerPoint
5. Answer question 2 pg 19

Today we are going to look at some of the connotations associated with colour in western culture and view a DVD that explores changes in how women have been represented to the last 50 years.

1. Feedback hmm, which was to read Symbolic Codes on pg 8 of Media book and answer question 1
2. View PowerPoint slides 9 & 10
3. View section two of American in Primetime (Independent Woman)

 

Today we are going to continue with the Representation PowerPoint that we begun last class. We are going to:

1. Discuss the images that you brought in;
2. Copy down slide 6;
3. Read pg 6 of Media book;
4. Read and copy content on slide 6 &7;
5. Answer questions 3 & 5 on pg 7;
6. Hmk – question 6 pg 7 + Read SYMBOLIC AND CULTURAL CODES (answer question 1).