What is advertising?
What is each advert trying to sell, and in what time period?
What are the obvious similarities between the two adverts?
Who are the target audience for each advert? What is the type of people each advert is trying to reach? What techniques are used to achieve this?
Social image
What images are portrayed through the characters of the adverts?
What does each character represent? How do you know this?
From where have these stereotypes come?
What images are created from the background? How does this affect the audience?
Where is each advert located – what is the purpose of the use of this setting?
Try and think about the social context of both adverts.
(1950s after the war, liberation of women, people relaxing and being able to worry about self image, evolution of woman’s place in society)
What effects do the visual images have?
What visual images are there to help you identify the age of the advert?
What is the main focal point of the advert? How does the advertiser draw the readers’ attention to this?
What are the ideas that come from the comic strip, and the use of Charles Atlas?
What is the purpose of a selection of images in the 1990s advert (Elvis – represents a carefree revolution where sex and enjoyment began to become less taboo; the apparent sexual dominance of the woman with her aphrodisiac cookbook and sultry look on her face as she appears in control of her own life and is dominant in a relationship. Her sitting position which juxtaposes the idea of perfect housewife in the kitchen and the modern woman apparently unconcerned about the state of the cooking or kitchen and expecting to be called away soon, (mobile phone, ‘going out’ clothes on)
What colours are used and what is the purpose for this? (Black and white = monochromatic/ monochrome)
How are certain ideas highlighted in text or use of image? Look specifically at the different types of font used in the Candies advert (what famous ‘C’ is theirs similar to – what is the effect of this?)
What is the use of positive and negative language within the ‘Insult’ text; what is the effect of this on the reader- what is the advertiser trying to do by using this type of language.
What is the purpose of the advert?
Look at lifestyle and stereotypes. How do these adverts adhere to or go against stereotypes?
What is the overall message laying behind the advert; what do the advertisers want the audience to believe to encourage them to buy the product – how is this done?
To whom would the advert appeal?
Age, sex, financial status or type of job, academic status, what desires or concerns may the target audience has about themselves or their lives?
Remember you are looking at adverts from different periods of time – don’t judge the 1950s advert by modern standards. Comment on the relevance of the setting – a Californian beach, muscle men, and the fashion of comic strips at the time, Charles Atlas as the perfect man.
This advert would not translate well into modern society, but it does use many of the strategies that are still used today – what are they?
Why would the Candies advert appeal to a certain modern audience?
Final Thoughts
What are the overall similarities between the adverts?
(Use of stereotype – either through parody or seriously, setting/ theme, attacking the readers’ insecurities or using their aspirations against them to make them buy the product
Which advert you like best and why?
Which advert you believe, in its time would be most effective?