2015.7.21.

AdAnalysis

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InformationLiteracy

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AdAnalysis

AdAnalysis

WhatareNewLiteracies?
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CriticalReadingPractices
RhetoricalAnalysis

"AdAnalysis"waswrittenbyJosephM.Moxley

VisualLiteracy

Advertisementscomprisethirtypercentofthematerialairedontelevision,andmanyofuswillviewmorethantwomillion

commercialsinourlifetimes.TheA.C.NielsonCompanyreportsthat,bytheageofsixtyfive,theaverageU.S.citizenwillha
BreakingDownanImage
AnnotatingtheMargins

spentnineyearsofhisorherlifewatchingtelevisiontwentyeighthoursaweek,twomonthsayear.Andinoneyear,theave

youthwillspendnearlytwiceasmanyhoursinfrontofthetube(fifteenhundredhours)asheorshespendsatschool(ninehu

hours).[1]Wemayturntheboxoffeventually,buttheadvertisementsremain.Wearesurroundedbythem:theycoverbillboar
AdAnalysis
LibraryandInternetResearch
ResearchMethods&Methodologies

cerealboxes,foodwrappers,bathroomstalls,teeshirts,andtennisshoes.Theyseepintoourmusic,ournewscasts,andour

conversations.Werecognizecorporatelogosandhumjingles("BaDaBaBaBa").Inshort,advertisementsinformeveryaspe

ourlives.Yetweoftengivethemverylittlethought.Wemaymakeaestheticjudgmentsaboutthem(e.g.,"Thatcommercialwa

funny"or"Thatcommercialwasstupid")orviewthemasinnocentmeanstopurchasingends,butwerarelyacknowledgethem
messagesthatrequirecriticalattention.

WritingProcesses
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Advertisements,however,domorethanentertainandsellmorethanjustproducts.
Theysuggeststandardsofnormalcy,ofcoolness,ofsexiness,ofhappiness,and
soonstandardsthatshapethewaythatweviewandinterprettheworld.They

NewMedia
Style

alsoservetheprofitdriveninterestsofthecorporationsthatcreatethem.As
culturalcriticNaomiKleinexplains,"Quitesimply,everycompanywithapowerful
brandisattemptingtodeveloparelationshipwithconsumersthatresonatesso
completelywiththeirsenseofselfthattheywillaspire,oratleastconsent,tobe
serfsunderthesefeudalbrandlords"(149).[2]Inotherwords,advertisementsare
hardlyinnocentmeanstopurchasingendsand,moreoftenthannot,hardlytrue
reflectionsofoursensesofself.Instead,theyareapowerfulforceincreatingour
sensesofself.Therefore,advertisementsdorequireacriticaleye.

Wheneveryouanalyzeanad,itmaybeusefultoaskyourselfsomequestions:

Whoappearsinthead?Acelebrityorsomeonewellknown?Anunfamiliarfigure?Whataretheexpressionsofthepeoplefeat
inthead?
Whatisthesettingofthead,andwhatdoesitsuggestaboutthemessage?
Whoistheaudienceforthead,andhowdoyouknow?

Howarelanguageandconversationusedinthead?What,ifanything,dothepeoplefeaturedintheadsay?Inprintadvertisem
arethereconversationbubbles?Forcommercials,consideranyconversationsthatmighttakeplace.

Inwhatwaysdoestheadattempttomanipulatetheconsumerintobuyingtheparticularproductitsells?Onwhatemotionsand
desiresdoestheadplay?Inotherwords,howispathosused?

Considerissuessuchasrace,ethnicity,gender,class,andsexuality.Inwhatways,ifany,aretheypresentinthead?Whatdo
theirpresenceinorabsencefromtheadsuggestaboutthemessage?
[1]"Television&Health."TheSourcebookforTeachingScience.N.p.,2007.Web.2February2012.See
http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health
[2]Klein,Naomi.NoLogo:NoSpace,NoChoice,NoJobs.NewYork:Picador,2009.Print.

LanguageforAnalyzingAds
6.5K

"LanguageforAnalyzingAds"waswrittenby"Memos"waswrittenbyJenniferYirinec

Advertisingexecutivesandmarketingexpertsmorethanlikelyhopethatweremainoblivioustotheunderlyingmessagesthat

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2015.7.21.

AdAnalysis

containandthatweperceivetheirworkpurelyfromentertainmentandconsumeristperspectivesratherthanforthepurposeo
criticalassessment.
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AnalyzingAds:Gender
6.5K

"AnalyzingAds:Gender"waswrittenbyAngelaEwardMangione,EmmaBrown,andSusanGailTaylor.

Weneedtobeawareofhowadvertisersappealtous,andweshouldthinkcriticallyaboutthepersuasivemessagesweencou

toensurewearesavvy,notpassive,consumers.Becauseconsumerspurchaseproductswithwhichtheyidentify,itisimporta
examinethesubtextsofadvertisementsaswellastherolethosesubtextsplayindeterminingwhatproductsmenandwomen
choosetoassociatewiththeirpersonalidentities.
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AnalyzingAds:Race
6.5K

"AnalyzingAds:Race"waswrittenbyJessicaMasariEberhard,SamCorbett,andSusanGailTaylor.
Typically,thefirstthingwelookforinaphotographisourselves.Advertisersrecognizethisfactanduseittotheiradvantage.

Becauseofthis,wecanlearnalotaboutacompanystargetcustomerbasebyobservingthepeoplefeaturedinitsadvertisem
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AnalyzingAds:SocioeconomicStatus
6.5K

"AnalyzingAds:SocioeconomicStatus"waswrittenbySusanTaylorandMaryKayMadden.

Towhatsocialclassdoyoubelong?Howdoyouknow?Canotherstellbyhowyoutalk,dress,andact?Byhowmuchmoney
have?Byyourlevelofeducation?Byyouroccupation?DespitethepresumedculturalidealofsocialequalityinAmerica,key
markerssuchasincomeandeducationareoftenusedforsocialclassification.
Readmore...

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