Advertising

Four Ps

• Product - The media product itself that needs to be sold to audiences
• Placement - When in the year a medua product is released e.g. family films during holiday periods
• Promotion - The way in which media texts and products ar marketed e.g. trailers, posters and interviews
• Price - The amount that people are willing to pay for the product

 

Advertisers use a tried and tested method:

 

They create an alluring and attractive fictional world, and then invite the audience to identify with or imagine themselves within this fictional world and hint that lives will be better if you buy or use the product

 

Advertising is designed to suggest that a product will supply something that the audience wants or needs. Some needs that advertisers play on include:

• To be superior to others or being part of a superior group
• Being up to date and being a trendsetter
• Being a member of a happy family or social group
• To be attractive to look at
• To be popular
• To be wealthy

The advertisements that work in terms of creating interest and desire tend to sell us a lifestyle we desire or represent beliefs and values that we hold to be true. This is achieved through the careful selction of signifiers from the broad range of available semantic choices


Unique Selling Point (UPS): A unique selling proposition (USP, also seen as unique selling point) is a factor that differentiates a product from its competitors, such as the lowest cost, the highest quality or the first-ever product of its kind. A USP could be thought of as “what you have that competitors don't.” E.G. Lush Sprays - the USP is the packaging, making it look like a garden spray. This appeals to the audience as it stands out from other sprays, and they also have unique scents such as 'rose jam' and 'dirty'. They are also animal friendly and handmade


Advertising Techniques


Colours - power of colours
Direct Gaze - Person in the advert is looking straight at the audience
Composition - How it is placed - whats in the foreground/background
Shock Tactics - something that shocks you into doing something
Repetition - Repeated images, sounds and phrases etc.

Association/Synergy - Are they linked to other brands/celebrities/one or two companies working together to create consistent ideas across a field

Body Lnaguage - Body language of people in adverts

Slogan - Sums up brand

Intertextuality - Links to other ads, celebrities, films, TV

Rule of thirds - The rule of thirds is applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section. Using the rule of thirds draws the viewer's eye into the composition, instead of just glancing at the center

Appealing to the head/practicalities - Financial offers to grab attention
Focal Point - draws in your attention
Celebrity endorsement - Celebrities to endorse company
Symbolism - Using symbols to stand for something
Appealing to emotions - Charities do it - engage emotions
Testionials - Showing loyalty to a company