For this essay, you will conduct an interpretation of a print ad (NOT television
commercial) found in a magazine, newspaper or on the web. Your purpose is to
convince the audience (our class) that your interpretation is valid. Your goal:
Make us understand how the ad works in a meaningful way. Your essay should
be in MLA or APA format and be 2-3 pages in length. Approx 1000 words.
Details, details:
Include a print out of the ad or a photocopy of it with your essay. If you wish you
can insert it on the first page of your paper, embed it in the text of the essay, or
place it as an appendix at the end of the essay (see MLA or APA rules for how to
create appendices at owl.purdue).
You will need to include a thesis that suggests your interpretation of that
advertisement. You should devote the body of your essay to defending and
developing that thesis. Your essay should be in MLA or APA format and be 2-3
pages in length. Approx 1000 words.
Your analysis will prompt your readers to critically engage with your particular
ad and also with the larger culture around them. Furthermore, your interpretation
might serve the additional purpose of entertaining your readers and yourself. In
drafting and revising your essay, you will want to consider what language, tone,
details, and explanations will best sell your ideas to your readers.
Write your analysis in the form of an essay, in a clear and interesting way. There
is no one correct way of explaining the systems of meaning-making in the ad;
writing a good analysis involves some imagination as well as accuracy. It will be
easy to fill up a page or two with random comments about the ad. Start with that.
But then revise in order to create a final product that is illuminating, precise, and
thorough—and thesis driven.
Drafting and Revising:
You’ll want to give yourself enough time to check your organization in order to
make sure that each paragraph is focused around one main idea with supporting
examples and illustrations. You’ll want to consider placing beside each other
paragraphs that explore like ideas and to provide transitions from paragraph to
paragraph to help lead your readers through your essay. Be sure to revise and
polish your introduction to make a strong and engaging first impression and to
revise your conclusion to leave your readers with a final impression about your
topic.
What you will do in your paper and questions to consider:
1. Describe the ad (what you see, what is said, how it is organized and so on) and
the ad’s
overall effect or tone. Is the ad old-fashioned, somber, disturbing, serene,
purposely
confusing, busy, funny, sarcastic, ironic, understated, sad, sexy, vague and so on?
Does it
sentimentalize, glorify, What grabs your attention? How do your eyes move
across the page?
Are the objects interacting in some way- implied or obvious? Is there implied
movement?
Foreshadowing? What is excluded? Be detailed.
2. Find the argument. What is the argument? What kind of lifestyle do you think
your advertising tries to promote? What kind of values? What are the implied
values? What about cultural codes?– You can often identify cultural codes in the
ad by using substitution: What would happen if the ad used a model that was the
opposite sex? A different race or age? What if the background were different?
Answering questions like these helps you think about why certain models or
details in the ad were chosen rather than others. What are the explicit messages?
What is the context? Discuss how the audience and the ad’s message are linked.
What kinds of knowledge or experience does the ad assume its audience
possesses? What associations might the audience make with the images in your
ad? How and why are these associations important? How do they connect with the
product? How might these associations motivate viewers to purchase the product?
Who do you think is the target audience and how do you know?
3. Prove the argument. Identify Rhetorical Strategies. What appeals are being
used tosupport the argument? (see the Three Appeals of Argument pdf)
Ethos? Credibility by name or brand or endorsement
Pathos? Emotions
Logos? Logic
Consider diction if there’s text! Consider context.
4. What can you deduce about American culture in general by looking at this ad?
How should
the target audience or public react to this ad?
Organization:
Sample Outline
1. Introduction: What is the ad for? General summary of the context of ad, name
the company or product, and your thesis—what is the ad doing or saying and who
is the audience.
Thesis example for the Crest ad in the Advertising Powerpoint: “By making the
red toothbrush the larger of the ‘family’ toothbrushes, I argue that Crest is subtly
targeting the mothers–the presumed consumers of the product–by suggesting
their importance both in the family and in the protection of their family’s dental
health.”
2. Body Paragraphs:
(Use evidence from the ad to prove your thesis)
A. Describe the ad. (1.)
B. Explain the Context & Target Audience. Where was the ad published? Who is
the audience? Show the reader how the components of the ad are designed to
target the audience. What are the values of the audience? (2)
C. Describe the visual strategies the ad uses to target the audience. (This is where
you discuss ethos or pathos or logos.) (3)
D. Describe the textual strategies. Diction, tone, etc. and how this targets your
audience/the values etc. (3)
3. Conclusion: Recap and discuss cultural implications or ideas (4.)
The post For this essay, you will conduct an interpretation of a print ad (NOT television appeared first on Skilled Papers.
