Media analysis: Advertising

Unit Outline Over the next three weeks, we will be exploring the following: What is advertising? Differentiating between print, online and television ads Identifying purpose and audience How do ads target their audience? Advertising strategies Product placement Subliminal ads The future of advertising Analysis of ads

Assessment The formal assessment for this unit will be your written analysis of an advertisement You will have the opportunity to workshop this in class in the last week of term You will produce a draft for critique and feedback before completing your final copy of the assessment in the first week of next term

“Advertising is salesmanship in print” So, what is advertising? “Advertising is salesmanship in print” – John E. Kennedy 1905

Meaning what, exactly? What Kennedy meant was that advertising is the transformation of a personalised selling message into a mainstream one. Advertising attempts to do what salesmanship does, but to do it through a mass medium like a newspaper or magazine. In 1905, newspapers, magazines, and billboards were the primary ways advertising messages were communicated. Advertising was created so companies could reach a broad audience with different needs and likes, and therefore could not be tailored to individuals on a face-to-face basis. Essentially, the message of the ad had to work for a mass audience.

How do ads reach their ‘mass audience’ today? Spend 5 minutes discussing with the people around you as many mediums you can think of that advertisers use today to get their message to a mainstream audience, (e.g. TV). Are some more effective than others?

With that in mind, advertising might be better defined as… Salesmanship through a mass medium (as opposed to the ‘print’ medium exclusively)

Activity In groups of 2 or 3, grab a magazine advertisement and answer the following questions: Explain the advertisement. What is being depicted? (In the ad on the right for example it’s a young man in a suit brushing his teeth). What is the product the advertisement is aiming to sell? Is it clear? Who do you think the ‘target audience’ might be? How does the ad persuade people to buy the product? Provide an evaluation of the ad. Is it effective?

The Pitch You have been hired by Globe to sell their new line of skate wear. Decide on your target audience and how you might go about advertising the brand. What medium would you use to advertise? You will have one minute to convince your client, Globe, that your marketing campaign is the best. Winner gets candy.