Part 1: Persuasive Media Design

Part 1: Persuasive Media Design. TOTAL = 45 MARKS

In the next week we will be looking at the ways the media can send us messages. We will be learning what makes a persuasive advertisement, methods of persuasion, and then eventually designing an advertisement to persuade its viewers. For Part I you are to Find five advertisements and critique them by answering the questions below: Keep in mind that an advertisement is NOT a logo: it is an image that is promoting either a specific product or a company. Meaning, your advertisement has to be selling something specific. If you are concerned that your advertisement may not be appropriate, please see me. As you can see in the examples below, the good advertisement is on the left. This is an advertisement because it is promoting a product and a company. It is trying to sell you the fat free Miracle Whip. The McDonalds logo on the right is not an ad. It is simply a logo, not using any ways to promote itself.

Good Advertisement Not an Advertisement

To find ads: Go to the Google image search. Search for specific advertisements, such as "McDonalds ads" or "Burger King ads", or any other brand names that you can think of. Click on the pictures you think may be advertisements: look at them and see if you can easily answer the questions below before you choose that ad: some ads are more difficult to analyze than others. Think of cigarette ads, alcohol ads, etc. You may only have ONE cigarette ad, and one alcohol ad for this assignment. The rest must be from other products. Ideas for advertisements:

 Nike  Reebok  McDonalds  KFC  Powerade  Gatorade  Redbull  Shampoo products  cigarette brands  alcohol brands  clothing When searching for advertisements, searching for the particular brand helps. The Questions: First, copy and paste the advertisement into a word document. Then below, answer the following questions for each advertisement 1. What product is being sold? (1 mark) 2. Who are they targeting and why? (what type of person is this ad directed towards? Who would find it most appealing?) ( 4 marks) 3. Are the people or images in the advertisement a true representation of reality and why/why not? In other words, are these the types of people that use this product? (see example below) (5 marks) 4. What else can you say about the advertisement and how it is trying to sell their product? Are they using any other methods in the advertisement other than the actual product itself to sell the product to you? What elements and principles of design are at play and how do these properties interact? ( 5 marks) Example:

Question 1: Softsoap Body Wash Question 2: This ad is directed towards women, mostly older women because this product is mostly used by women, and it is generally older women (not teenagers) that look for products that relax and calm Question 3: This is not a true representation of reality because the body wash does not make your shower fill with flowers. They also made the woman young and beautiful, which not all users of this body wash are. Question 4: They are using a youthful, young woman to sell their product, as well as a clean, bright bathroom. They use black and white for everything except the shower and the product, to make your eye look to the shower itself.