Compare and contrast the persuasive
Compare and contrast the persuasive qualities of two televised advertisements Television is a very popular form of media and entertainment. It is widely available and most homes have at least one television set. Promoting products and services through the TV is a very effective way of advertising, as a television can provide detailed video shots as well as sound. However, TV advertising is very expensive, especially during the peak hours of television viewing, when popular program are on, so advertisers need to think about how to fit informative and persuasive points into the precious seconds of a short advert.
There have been many different methods used by advertisers to make an advert persuasive. Frequently, an advert might have a simple storyline, presenting a problem. The problem would be then solved by the product or service advertised. Other adverts would focus on one appeal, whether it’s humour, suspense, adventure, mystery, or sheer “coolness”, though this may not seem appealing to some people. Most of the adverts we see on television have a connotation with something that we are familiar with.
For example, adverts for shops and stores often advertise low prices, or a car insurance advert might have a scene which we would instantly recognise as a car accident. Connotations are widely used in advertising because they are instantly recognisable by the general public; therefore it would be easy to understand and would appeal to a wide target audience. Many people look up to celebrities as idols, and want to be like them, or as close as possible. Using celebrities to advertise a product may be expensive, but it is very effective to the fans of that celebrity.
On the other hand, some people might not like the celebrity, and the advertising campaign could backfire as some people might be deterred by the celebrity used. Presentation of the advert is also very important when considering persuasiveness. The values of the advert should be considered for its appeal to the advert’s target audience, and this should relate to the way the advert is presented. All the visual appearances and the music of the advert should suit the general theme of the advert and appeal to a wide range of target audience.
For example, if the advert is for sports trainers, the music in the background could be generally upbeat, but not specifically grunge or any other genres of music, as it would deter people who do not appreciate that type of music from buying the trainers. To ensure a large target audience, viewers are sometimes encouraged to buy the product even when it is not designed for them. For example, adverts might claim that a product is a great gift for Christmas, so women might buy men’s clothing just as a present.
I am going to use the points above to analyse my two chosen adverts, which are for Natwest bank and Nikefootball. com. Connotations with banks are poor financial situations, loans and debts. In the Natwest advert, the advertisers use these connotations to establish the common problems with banks and then provide Natwest’s solutions to these problems. The advert starts with an establishing shot of a very busy capital-London, with a simple jazz melody in the background. The main character of the advert is a cab driver.
He is a very “average” kind of person: dressed casually, goes to his regular cafi?? , and speaks “normally”, i. e. not posh and without a heavy accent, giving a very friendly, casual and trustworthy impression. The advert is based around the cab driver’s bank problems. We see a low angle shot of him on a very busy street, giving the audience a feeling of being contained in the dreaded traffic congestions of central London-a feeling familiar to many drivers in London, similar to a tricky financial situation.
The cabbie speaks directly to the camera, which makes the audience pay more attention and establishes a direct relationship of trust between him and the audience. All of the above descriptions form a very stereotypical image of a Londoner, promoting values of honesty, loyalty and the importance of every individual “regular Joe”. The advert then focuses on individual banking problems which Natwest solves for its customers. One is the frequent change of bank managers, with the cabbie meeting three different bank managers in succession, and conversing with three different bank phone operators, last of which is in Bombay.
These examples give a humorous representation of common banking problems, emphasising each problem by giving three examples of each problem is also very effective. There are also several puns in the advert. For example, when the cabbie receives a letter from his old bank stating that he would be “re-routed through a dedicated advice centre”, the camera focuses on the “diversion” road sign, linking the two problems. Also, when he is receiving a tip from his passenger, he says, “Want my tip? Try another bank. “
