IMAGE ANALYSIS PAPER
LENGTH: 4-5 PAGES
THE ASSIGNMENT:
For this assignment, you need to analyze and evaluate a magazine or on-line advertisement. The idea of this assignment is to break down and analyze the elements of the ad, the ad’s audience, how the ad reaches its specific audience, and the cultural issues in the ad.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
1. Use an attention-grabbing introduction that introduces the topic and provides a clear thesis (what ad you are analyzing).
2. Before analyzing the ad, thoroughly describe the elements of the ad.
• This will be the evidence you use to support your audience analysis later in the paper, so do a solid job in this section
3. Explain who the target audience is for the ad and give reasons for your conclusion. Be specific when describing the target audience–advertisers are. Include both demographics and VALS.
4. Explain how the ad appeals to its targeted audience. Be sure to give specific, elaborated examples.
5. Discuss what values you think the ad is trying to appeal to and how the ad does/does not accomplish this. Does the ad persuade the audience to adopt new values or does it cater to existing ones? Are these good values?
6. Discuss what cultural issues exist in this ad. What does this ad say about our culture? Does the ad objectify women? Men? Use sex to sell the product? Is the ad politically correct?
7. Provide a conclusion that 1). Summarizes your main ideas 2). Ends on a strong note by giving the reader something to think about.
*Include a copy/link of the ad with your paper*
Image Analysis Lecture Notes
I. Power of Advertising
A. New Consumer Staples
-Ultra-Convenience, Formula, Anti-Depressants, Bottled H2O
B. Image of Beauty
-Rogaine/Just for Men
-From Greeks to Marilyn Monroe to Supermodels
-Barbie and Bratz
-Weight loss industry
II. Long-Term Advertising goals
A. Persuade you to buy the product
B. Persuade you to value what you don’t need
*Confuse needs vs wants
-SUV’s, designer clothes, convenience products, RTO
C. Embrace new values/long for new experience
-BMW, Volvo, MasterCard
D. Create Brand Loyalty
-Budweiser, Campbell’s, McDonald’s
III. How do Advertisers achieve their goals?
A. Manipulation of evidence
B. Manipulation of elements
C. Billions invested in audience research
D. Mix of deception/trickery/whistles & bells
E. Audience, Audience, Audience
IV. Ad Elements (What collective parts make an advertisement?)
• There are no accidents in advertising – vast amounts of money, time and energy are put into manipulating the elements of an ad.
• Basic Elements: spokesperson, product placement, positioning of spokesperson (position, clothes, hair, facial exp, body lang), background, color, lighting, copy (font size and style, amount of copy, complexity of copy), multiple images, etc
V. Values (What matters most to people?)
*Advertisers gear ads to people who already possess specific values and they create ads intended to persuade the audience to adopt new values.
• The values people hold are endless, but here are some examples: love, romance, sex, money, status, power, environment, family, trift, economy, safety, security, etc
• Most ads will appeal to a handful of values in order to relate the product to those specific values
VI. Audience = Demographics and VALS
A. Demographics
• Demographics are essentially the superficial things that make each of us similar or different. Hobbies and lifestyle issues fall under the VALS index.
• Demographic examples: Race, education level, marital status, family background, age, politics, religion, economic status, social status, health status, region (north, south, etc), urban/rural, children, sexual activity, pets/no pets, birth order, physical build, weight, blue/white/pink collar, sexual pref, etc
B. VALS (the advertising bible)
• Values and Lifestyle Survey (VALS) is a system used by advertisers to break consumers down about why they buy what they buy. Understanding the motivation behind the purchase makes it easier to target specific insecurities and preferences the audience may have. Most ads are geared toward one or two of the following:
1. Needs Driven Consumers: Poor, with very little disposable income. Generally only spend money on very basic needs.
• Survivors: Live on fixed incomes and have no real spending power. Generally ignored by advertisers.
• Sustainers: Have very little disposable income, but often spend what they do have impulsively and unwisely on cheap, mass market items.
2. Outer Directed Consumers: These consumers want to identify with certain in-groups, keep up with their peers. Make decisions based on how they’ll be seen by others.
• Belongers: Believe in traditional family values and are conforming, nostalgic, non-experimental, and sentimental. They are typically blue-collar or lower-middle class. They buy products associated with Mom, apple pie, USA.
• Emulators: Are ambitious and status conscience. They have tremendous desire to associate with what is popular. Typically young, middle to upper-middle class, and urban yuppies. Buy items that are considered “in,” often from popular spokespeople.
• Achievers: Have reached the top of society economically and socially. Buy to show off status and wealth and to reward themselves. Have high incomes and buy luxury items that reek of success.
3. Inner-Directed Consumers: Marching to their own drummers, these consumers are individualistic and buy items to suit their own tastes, needs, wants. Could care less what others think.
• I-am-me types: Young, independent, and often come from affluent backgrounds. They typically buy expensive items associated with their individual interests. Spend very little money on items outside of their specific interests.
• Experiential types: Reject the values of corporate America in favor of alternative lifestyles/options. The “anti-belonger.” Will not buy main stream products or buy from established companies.
• Socially Conscious types: Believe in simple, green living and are concerned about the environment and their fellow man. Emphasize social responsibility and are drawn to socially responsible products/companies. Typically have high incomes and are well educated.
VII. Cultural issues in ads
a. political correctness
b. exploitation of women
1. sex objects
2. supermom myth
3. traditional stereotypes
c. exploitation of men
1. tall, dark, handsome
2.household idiots
3.traditional stereotypes
d. exploitation of children
1. sexual positions/objects
2. ads aimed at kids
e. use of stereotypes
f. use of sex/sexual images
