Advertising Analysis Essay:
You are to write a three to four page paper analyzing a specific print advertisement.
Paragraph 1: Introduction: Present the ad and the product. Refer to the ad by using or creating a title, presented in quotations. Write in broad terms about the ad’s meaning, namely the values/beliefs it reflects and espouses.
Paragraph 2: Discuss the audience for whom the ad has been created. Is it speaking to the affluent or the poor? Young or old? Male or female? Educated or uneducated? Straight or gay? Liberal or conservative? Does it appeal to a specific ethnicity? Is it inclusive or is its discourse one of exclusivity?
Paragraph 3: Explain on a literal level what the ad shows, what you see. Discuss compositional elements.
Paragraph 4: Make inferences regarding the ad’s unstated beliefs. What does the ad imply, suggest? Does the ad contain cultural and cross-cultural symbols? Are there significant motifs?
Paragraph 5: Analyze the written text of the ad, the copy, if there is one. Does it contain logical fallacies?
Paragraph 6: Analyze the feelings the ad evokes or intends to create: joy, fear, anger, belonging, security, comfort, pride, vanity, affection, sexual arousal, etc. Explain why these feelings are at play.
Paragraph 7: Conclude by discussing the overall effect of the ad. Is it effective? Is it persuasive? Is it well designed? Does the ad rely on responsible or irresponsible methods of selling its product?
