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Background Information
Marketing:
An advertiser identifies their target audience through studies
of demographic groups identifiable by age, gender, location,
or personal interests. Targeting a specific group of people
makes money spent on advertising more effective. For example,
ads for skateboards would not be well placed in a magazine
for senior citizens.
Advertisers aim to make a strong impression quickly, so creators
of ads focus on simple, easy to understand images and slogans
to reach their audience. Effective ads repeat slogans to make
the ad more memorable, since a consumer who remembers the
slogan will be more likely to purchase the product. The ultimate
marketing purpose in advertisement is usually to sell a product,
or service. The marketing purpose of an ad campaign might
be to familiarize an audience with the company. As any parent
can attest, children can recognize the “Golden Arches”
from miles away. The marketing purpose might also be to promote
a specific product: following the McDonald’s example,
a particular prize included in a children’s meal. Once
advertisers identify the purpose, they develop a marketing
strategy to reach that goal. A marketing strategy involves
a campaign, or series of ads that run over a period of time
or in a variety of media. The following segment from the ACCP
reveals the marketing purpose and strategy of the Virginia
Slims ad campaign.
The prevalence of smoking among women lagged behind that
of men for 25 years. As a result, disease incidence in women
also lagged behind that in men until recently. Lung cancer
became the leading cancer killer of women in 1987 and has
remained so since. In the 60s, as women once again embarked
on a quest for equality, tobacco companies began incorporating
positive images of this struggle for equality in their advertising.
“You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby” became
one of the most well-known catch phrases of its day. It
was introduced by Virginia Slims in the mid-1960s and was
the foundation for their advertising for many years. Virginia
Slims ads targeted to white American women capitalized on
the feminist movement and how far women had come, and often
included an inset of where women were 100 years ago.
American College of Chest Physicians (2004).
Brief History of Tobacco Advertising to Women,
Slide 7.
Visual Elements:
The color scheme, text style, and layout of the ad are important
considerations in analysis. Subtle differences in color scheme,
or lettering style, can affect the way a target audience will
perceive the ad. All of the details in the composition of
the ad: shapes, color, line, texture and text must work together
to achieve a specific goal. For example, color can be used
to add interest, or to emphasize certain areas of the ad.
Lines add movement and direction to print ads. Textures and
shapes help the audience to figure out what objects are made
of, as well as add interest and emotion. |
Language and Content:
Text provides information about the product, the company and
product name, and often a slogan. In an advertisement, there
is a fine line between information about a product and persuasion,
since most advertisements combine information with persuasive
elements. One way to distinguish between information and persuasion
is to look for persuasive techniques. For example, an ad that
uses a famous basketball player to promote the qualities of
an athletic shoe is no longer focused only on qualities inherent
in the shoe. The ad uses the persuasive technique of the testimonial
and relies on the successful image of the professional athlete
to make the shoe appealing to the target audience, rather
than quality or performance of the shoe itself. Refer to the
chart “Persuasive Techniques” at the end of this
unit for more examples.
Introduction
Display the purposes of WWII posters from the previous lesson.
Review how the Office of War used images to achieve goals
like drawing women into the workforce, or encouraging people
to buy war bonds. Display an example of modern advertising,
such as a clip of a television commercial, or a transparency
of a magazine ad. Ask students to consider the purpose of
this image, and how it is similar and/or different from the
WWII posters. How are they alike or different in their use
of persuasive elements?
Activity
Use a reproduction of the image “You’ve
Come a Long Way Baby” to work through the deconstruction
of a sample advertisement. Have students examine the ad and
to write down their first overall impression as to what message
the advertisers had in mind.
Marketing:
Discuss market strategy, target audience, and market purpose.
Examine the ad to determine the target audience and marketing
strategy.
Who needs or uses this product?
Does the headline or slogan identify an audience?
What type of person or people does the ad portray?
Where was the ad featured?
Visual Elements:
Examine the color scheme of the ad, the use of white space,
and the overall impression of the visual layout.
How is color used in the design? Is there a dominant color
in the design?
Do you notice use of line, texture, or white space in the
design? What effect do these elements lend to the composition?
What overall impression do the visual elements create?
What type of impression do the font and logos create?
Language and Content:
Analyze the information about the product. Watch for use of
persuasive language and techniques.
What feeling the product name or slogan communicate?
What needs does it appeal to?
What persuasive techniques does the ad employ?
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