UNIT #2 ESSAYADVERTISEMENT ANALYSIS

English 111

Instructor: Andrea Anderson

Advertisements are EVERYWHERE…Magazines and Newspapers

Advertisements are EVERYWHERE…Television and Internet

Start thinking about ADVERTISING

ADVERTISING is a form of communication between the advertiser and an audience (a viewer, listener, or reader)

ADVERTISING is used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to a product, an idea, a cause, or a service.

Why look at advertising???

In 2010, a LOT of money was spent on advertising. Approximately $300 BILLION in

the United States Approximately $500 BILLION

Worldwide We would not spend this if it wasn’t effective!

Start thinking about ADVERTISING

Ads for a CAUSE Ads for a PRODUCT

Start thinking about ADVERTISING

Ads for a CAUSE Ads for a PRODUCT

Start thinking about ADVERTISING

Ads for a CAUSE Ads for a PRODUCT

Start thinking about ADVERTISING

Ads for a CAUSE Ads for a PRODUCT

Advertisement Analysis: PreparationLook at the Assignment Sheet in the Unit #2 Folder in Blackboard.

According to The Norton Field Guide to Writing, an analysis paper is a genre of writing that examines a text both for what it says and how it does so in order to demonstrate both how, and how well, the text achieves it effects.

Get Started: Read Chapter 8 –

Analyzing a Text Read Chapter 32 –

Analyzing Causes and Effects

Advertisement Analysis: PreparationLook at the Assignment Sheet in the Essay #2 Folder on Blackboard.

Understanding the Assignment

All academic essays MUST have:

• Introduction Paragraph with a Thesis Statement

• Body Paragraphs

• Conclusion Paragraph

Per the assignment sheet, your essay MUST contain the following features in the body paragraphs: Company Background Information Advertisement Placement and

Placement Analysis Analysis of the various components of

the ad and what effects the components achieve.

What are possible components: Pictures, Text, Layout, Coloring,

themes, etc.

Introduction Paragraph

In your introduction paragraph, you should: #1 - Use a HOOK sentence to capture the

reader’s attention #2 – Introduce your reader to your topic #3 - State your thesis

Company Background Information

Body Paragraph #1 – Be sure to include: What product the company produces or

what idea the company/organization is promoting

A brief company history Any important company accolades

Advertisement Placement and Placement Analysis

Body Paragraph #2 – Be sure to include: Where the ad was found:

Magazine or newspaper What type of magazine or newspaper is it? Who does the magazine or newspaper appeal to?

Cover, centerfold, etc. Ad size (small or large)

Why is the ad placement significant???

Analysis Paragraphs

Body Paragraph #3 Choose ONE aspect of the ad to

analyze For example: pictures, text, layout,

themes, messages, OR color scheme Body Paragraph #4

Choose another aspect of the ad to analyze

Body Paragraph #5 Choose a third aspect of the ad to

analyze

Analysis Paragraphs

An analysis is NOT a description DESCRIPTION – statement of fact

When you describe, you paint a picture in words of what is going on in the ad. Example – The ad says, “You wouldn’t wear your dog…”

ANALYSIS – interpretation of fact When you analyze the ad, you examine it closely to identify

causes, key factors, and possible results Example – This ad causes people to consider giving up wearing

fur by appealing to the audience’s emotions. The ad does this by making the connection between beloved furry pets and other animals used for fur clothing. A person who loves his pet would be horrified at the thought of skinning it so that he could have a fur coat. Perhaps the next time he went shopping for a fur coat, the feel of the furry coat would remind him of his own pet and he would decide against purchasing the coat.

Did you:▫ Read the Unit #2 Assignment Sheet▫ Read Chapters 8 and 32 in The Norton Field Guide to Writing

Writing Process Step #1 Pre-Writing

Choose an Advertisement

Brainstorm/Analyze Write Thesis

Statement Research Outline

Write Revise Edit Publish

Now it is time to GET STARTED WITH THE WRITING PROCESS

Later Writing Process Steps to Consider

Choose an Advertisement

Set yourself up for success:

Find an advertisement that captivates your attention or creates a lasting impression!

You are looking for a PRINT advertisement. Look in:

Magazines Newspapers

You must know its original placement. Otherwise you won’t be able to effectively write body paragraph #2.

Just a Reminder…

DUE: Saturday, October 26, 11:59 pm

ASSIGNMENT: Submit Your Topic

You need to create a post in Unit #2 Topic Discussion that tells me and your classmates what advertisement you have chosen, why you chose it, and what you will analyze in your writing.

This is ESSENTIAL in getting started on a good note. I will provide you with prompt feedback regarding your topics.

Brainstorm and Analyze

Ask yourself these questions.

Thoroughly answer each question to gain a further understanding of your advertisement.

What is the item being advertised and what role does it play in American culture and society?

What is the general ambience of the advertisement? What mood does it create? How does it do this?

What is the design of the advertisement? How are the basic components or elements arranged?

What is the relationship between pictorial elements and written material and what does this tell us?

What is the use of space in the advertisement? Is there a lot of 'white space" or is it full of graphic and written elements?

What signs and symbols do we find? What role do they play in the ad's impact?

If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? What can be said about their facial expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, hair color, ethnicity, education, occupation, relationships?

What does the background tell us? Where is the advertisement taking place and what significance does this background have?

What action is taking place in the advertisement and what significance does it have? (This might be described as the ad's "plot.")

What theme or themes do we find in the advertisement? What is it about? (The plot of an advertisement may involve a man and a woman drinking but the theme might be jealousy, ambition, passion, etc.)

What about the language used? Does it essentially provide information or does it try to generate some kind of emotional response? Or both? What techniques are used by the copywriter: humor, alliteration, definitions" of life, comparisons, sexual innuendo, and so on?

What typefaces are used and what impressions do they convey?

What about aesthetic decisions? If the advertisement is a photograph, what kind of a shot is it? What significance do long shots, medium shots, close-up shots have? What about the lighting, color, angle?

What sociological, political, economic or cultural attitudes are indirectly reflected in the advertisement? An advertisement may be about a pair of blue jeans but it might, indirectly, reflect such matters as sexism, alienation, stereotyped thinking, conformism, generational conflict, loneliness, elitism, and so on.

Write your Thesis Statement

THESIS STATEMENT:

Identifies the topic of your essay and the claim you are making.

Tells the reader what the essay is going to be about.

Determine the purpose of the ad Example #1 - To induce the viewer to purchase a product Example #2 - To induce the viewer to adopt an idea about an issue Example #3 - To induce the viewer to change a behavior

Determine how the ad achieves its purpose Does it appeal to the viewer’s emotions? Does it appeal to the viewer’s values? Does it appeal to the viewer’s sense of humor?

What components of the ad help it to achieve its purpose? Text Pictures Layout/Design Themes

EXAMPLE: This ad aims to prevent methamphetamine use by appealing to the viewer’s emotions through disturbing images and blunt text about the realities of meth addiction.

Another Thesis Statement Example

Another advertisement

What message does the ad convey? What components of the ad

contribute to this message? Text Pictures Layout/Design Themes

EXAMPLE: The text and imagery of the Jose Cuervo advertisement projects the skewed message that dreams are made possible through drinking alcohol.

Outline – See sample outline in Unit #2 Folder

Why outline?

Get organized BEFORE you start writing!

An outline is your blueprint for your essay.

Writing

Now it’s time to sit down and write. Be SURE you have:

Received feedback from the instructor on your advertisement and thesis statement

Done your research Brainstormed and/or outlined your paper Reviewed the Unit #2 Assignment Sheet and

Timeline Asked for clarification on any questions

Peer Review

The Peer Review will begin Sunday, November 3, and end on Saturday, November 9.

I will assign you peer review partners and will create a peer review group space on Blackboard for you and your partners. Your group space allows you to share files back and forth.

TIMELINE: Sunday, November 3: Submit your finished draft to your group Monday, November 4: I will assign you peer review partners November 4 – 9: Read your partner’s paper, complete the peer review

questionnaire, and offer advice for improvement. Saturday, November 9: Return the completed peer review questionnaires to

your partners (and me)!More specific directions for this assignment are available on Blackboard!

Revising and Editing

Revise Look at the advise that your classmates gave you during the

peer review. Make the changes that you feel will improve your paper.

Two pieces of ADVICE: #1: Give yourself plenty of time to revise. If you can, get

away from your writing for a little while. When you return refreshed, you will be more likely to catch errors and digressions.

#2: Remember to make sure that this is a reader-centered paper not a writer-centered paper. In other words, detach yourself from your paper and revise it to assure that everything is clear and belongs on the page. Just because you spent time writing it, doesn’t mean it belongs in your final draft. If it doesn’t, erase it.

Edit Check your paper for proper grammar, punctuation, and usage.

Use your Resources…OWL @ KPC

OWL is the online writing lab at KPC. You can submit your paper to the OWL and get feedback from KPC faculty. You let them know specifically what you would like help with! http://owl.kpc.alaska.edu

Publishing For the purposes of this class, publishing

means turning the final draft of your paper in for grading!

FINAL DRAFT DUE: by Saturday, November 16 @ 11:59 p.m. Be sure to turn it in on time, otherwise it will be

considered LATE. Late papers are penalized by deducting 20% of the possible points before grading.

YOU WILL SUBMIT YOUR FINAL DRAFT IN BLACKBOARD. There will be a place for you to upload your papers in the Essay #2 Folder.

The final draft is worth 125 points!

Revising Your Graded Paper for an Improved GradeA note about revision…you are allowed to revise the first three papers if you are interested in improving your grade. In addition to making significant changes to improve the paper, you are also responsible for writing an in-depth explanation of the changes you made, why you made them, and how the changes improve your paper.

This is a time consuming process. In other words, it is often easier and more time efficient to turn in your best possible work the first time.

LECTURE: THE END

Unit #2 Essay:

Advertisement Analysis

If you have any questions regarding this assignment, please don’t hesitate to email me. Be sure that you detail exactly what it is that you don’t understand or would like help with.

If necessary, we can set up an Elive! Session to discuss your questions.

amanderson10@kpc.alaska.edu