Analysing Adverts - On your own

Here is an example of an A* analysis of an advert.

Analysing Adverts




Today you are going to do your own analysis of an advert of your choice from the selection below. Right click on the picture you like and copy it. Then open a word document and paste the picture into the middle of the page. Add text boxes around it and write your analysis of each element in the boxes around the ads. (Just like my example above - except using a different advert obviously!)

You should aim to discuss as many of the following points as possible (depending on what is relevant to the ad you choose)

• Choice of People – Have they chosen a celebrity or model to endorse their product? Why? What effect will this have on the audience?




• Facial Expressions – If there are people / animals / characters in the ad, what do their facial expressions suggest about the product? Do they tell you how you would feel if you bought the product?




• Body Language – What does their body language tell you about how you would feel if you bought the product? Are they close together, far apart? Do they look energetic or relaxed etc?




• Colour –What colours have been used in the advert and what do they suggest about the product / brand? Are the colours associated with any particular emotions or feeling




• Lighting – Where is the light and shadow in the picture? What effect does this have on the audience? Does it draw your eye to any particular points? What effect does it have on the look of the product? Is it subtle or dramatic?




• Slogans / Wording – Is it catchy? Is there alliteration? What words have they used and why? What do the words tell you about the product? Are they using puns, plays on words, metaphors and similes? Why? Do the words suggest something about the product? Have they used scientific words or statistics to make the product seem professional and effective. Have they included a quote or a review from someone and if so who from? How would this effect the audience?




• Font – Why have they used a certain font? What does it tell you about the product / bran / target audience? Is it big and bold, or small and delicate? Is anything in a different font and why? What about the size of the letters?




• Props / costumes – what do the props and costumes in the ad tell you? Do they suggest something about the person who uses the product? Do they tell you something about the way the product will make you feel if you use it




• Image Size – Have they used close ups, wide shots, medium shots? Why? Do they want you to see detail? Or do they want to show you the whole picture?




• Image Angle – Have they used an eye level shot? A low angle shot (looking up at something) or a high angle shot (looking down at something)? What effect does this have?




• Product – How and why have they shown the product and its packaging? What does the bottle / packaging / appearance of the product suggest about it?




• Other images – what do any of the other images suggest to the audience? Eg background images etc..




• Product Name / Company Name – what do they suggest to the audience about the product or the institution? Eg The brand name “L’Oreal Paris” suggests the product was made or associated with a capital city famous for fashion. This signifies to the audience that the product is fashionable and chic.