2. Target audiences
Demographics
Demographics are used to determine a target audience based on their gender, race, age, income, education, etc. For example, If you
were to use demographics to determine a target audience for an expensive car advertisement you would target it towards people with
a high income and an age of 30 and older. This is because people aged 30 and older are most likely to have a high income, who are
most likely to buy expensive cars.
Psychographics
Psychographics are slightly similar to demographics, but rather than it being about things like race and gender, it’s about who the
audience is as a person. This includes lifestyles, interests, attitudes, etc. For example, if you were to use psychographics to determine a
target audience for a Lego advertisement, you would target it towards people who are interested in Lego or people who are interested
in other kid-type toys. Or if the advert is on a specific Lego set, such as Batman for example, you could target it to people who are
interested in Batman.
Social grades
Social grades are used to show employment status and class. They can
be used to direct advertisements towards more professional people or
less professional. The higher social grade usually means higher income,
more mature and more professional people.
3. Codes and conventions for print advertisements
- Print adverts should have one striking dominant image which catches the audience’s attention and
intrigues them.
- The size of the advert usually follows an A4 format.
- The slogan should be interesting enough to attract the audience and intrigue them, similar to the
dominant image.
- There should be a simple colour scheme, avoiding the advert from looking cluttered or messy.
- A lot of print adverts use only a limited number of words.
- There may be a recognisable/likeable/relatable person or being in the advert, depending on what the
advert is promoting.
4. Calvin Klein Print Advert
This advert uses Justin Bieber who is known globally and therefore has a good chance of catching the
eye of people as he is the first thing you notice on the ad, covering the entire length of the picture
from top to bottom. This follows typical codes and conventions of print adverts because it uses a
recognisable person worldwide which catches the attention of people. The benefits of Calvin Klein
using Justin Bieber on their advert is that no matter how little of an attention span the viewer has,
this will catch their attention, even if they don’t like Justin Bieber! Another reason for Calvin Klein
choosing Justin Bieber to be the model on the front of the ad is because of his muscular body which
is what a lot of men want and is considered the ‘ideal body’ for men which persuades them to wear
Calvin Klein in order to begin looking like this. This follows typical codes and conventions for male
clothing adverts and is known as associated user imagery which is Gunn’s 10th type of advertising
where adverts use characters that are best associated with their product.
Calvin Klein is attempting to associate themselves with these types of bodies and the people who put
the dedication in to achieve them which you can tell by the fact that Justin Bieber’s body is the main
focus of the advertisement rather than the actual underwear. The image is in black and white to
show and exaggerate his muscles as well as the fact that the underwear are also in black and white
therefore making it match. As well as this the simple grey gradient going from light to dark in the
background fits nicely with the image. The simple colour scheme is another convention of print
adverts which Calvin Klein follows. A simple colour scheme stops the advert from looking messy and
cluttered to the audience, it’s a good first impression and it’s easy on the eyes.
The underwear stands out from the model because it’s a lot brighter therefore being the second
thing people will notice after Justin Bieber when looking at the advert.
This advert is aimed at males that have a well-built body or WANT a well-built body of young adult
age from 18-25 and social grades between E and C1 due to the fact that they used a pop celebrity as
their model, although it would be suitable for ANY social grade due to the main focus of the advert
being the muscular build of his body.
5. Codes and conventions for TV advertisements
- TV adverts will use camera angles and shots strategically to shift the audience’s focus from one thing to
another.
- They will use fast-paced cuts in editing, possibly cut to the beat if there’s music playing in the advert. This
gives the advert energy and may give a good impression on the audience.
- Catchy music, upbeat, energetic, sets a positive mood for the advert.
- Special effects to make the advert unique and look professional in a funny or cool way, depending on how
they’re used.
- Lighting is used in TV adverts to determine a setting for the film, like if the lighting is dark you can assume
it’s gonna be a dark advert, set at night, etc. whereas if it’s light you can assume it’s a positive advert set
in the day.
- A lot of TV adverts will compare their product to other competitors to show benefits of choosing them.
6. EE TV Advert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_DayuUSykc
The advert starts with Kevin Bacon walking out of what looks like a garden facing towards a gardener. Both actors are
smiling/laughing implying they had been talking which makes Kevin Bacon look like a respectable local member of
society. The fact that they introduced Kevin Bacon instantly and reappears in other EE adverts is a good example of how
EE uses Gunn’s 8th type of advertising where the advertiser uses a celebrity to associate with their product.
After this, he then faces towards the camera and introduces himself, mentioning a few mainstream shows and films
that he has starred in which will make a lot of viewers recognise him. However this only lasts around 5 seconds before
he changes the subject from himself to EE. He refers to himself as the ‘centre of the universe’ which has multiple
connotations of how he is connected to everyone as well as showing his global status. continues to talk about how he is
connected to everyone in the world which links back to him talking to and laughing with a gardener, someone who
wouldn’t usually be seen talking to a global celebrity like Kevin Bacon. The way EE portrayed Kevin Bacon is good
because it shows him as a big celebrity who has done so many things like films and TV shows as well as having worked
with actors like Tom Hanks while also showing him as an equal which can be seen by the regular people walking in the
background and saying he is even connected to a dog, which he proves by linking a film he did to the dog’s name. This is
effective for an advertisement because it makes the audience believe anyone can be like him.
After he has given examples of how he is connected to everyone, he asks the viewers if they want to be connected to
him and asks “you want a slice of Kevin Bacon?” which is effective because it plays on his name adding comedy to the
ad which could make the audience think EE are more friendly/casual rather than super serious like other companies
making them more likely to choose EE.
7. EE TV Advert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_DayuUSykc
He then walks into a bar where he is greeted by the bartender which implies they are friends which links back to the
gardener and how Kevin is friends with people of low social grades who usually wouldn’t be seen with big celebrities
like him, showing him as an equal which will give the viewers more respect for him and, since he is the face of EE, give
more respect for the company. He gives more examples of why EE is the superior choice using the people in the bar
such as gaming live with people on the other side of the world as well as paying for drinks with a phone which is typical
for a mobile network advert as it provides examples of why their network is better than others in everyday situations.
After explaining why EE is superior to other mobile networks, he says “This, Britain, is how Bacon rolls.” The informal
speech as well as referring to the audience as ‘Britain’ shows that he is talking directly to the person watching as if it’s
one friend to another which suggests that he knows what the audience wants and that is why they should choose EE. As
well as this, he is saying that this is what he uses and since earlier in the advert he associated himself with normal
people of lower social grades it will make the audience believe that this is what they want. Throughout the ad, it used
very persuasive techniques by using Kevin Bacon’s familiar comedy to entertain the audience and keep them interested
which is likely to result in the audience thinking positively of EE making them more likely to buy the product.
This advert is mainly aimed at all genders aged 18 and over because they are the people who are going to be paying for a mobile contract, and
lower social grades (E-C1) who are in need of a fast, reliable mobile network. In the ad, Kevin Bacon associates himself with a lot of lower social
graded characters such as gardeners and bartenders who typically wouldn’t be members of a high social grade. Even though EE is suitable for
all social grades, targeting these specific social grades covers the majority of the UK.
The editing isn’t very fast paced or “energetic” in this advert which defies typical codes and conventions for TV adverts. Instead, it actually
barely cuts at all as the focus is on Kevin Bacon talking about himself and EE for nearly the entire advert.
8. Codes and conventions for radio advertisements
- Range from 15 to 60 seconds, average 30 seconds.
- Tell you the qualities of the product.
- Often contains a music bed or jingle to make the advert memorable with a voice over.
- Gender of person talking in voice over would usually correlate to who the product is targeted at.
- Language will be tailored to demographic.
- Background music is rarely copyrighted.
- Mode of address is directly to the audience.
- Upbeat and lively voice over to create a positive mood and attract attention.
- Heavy persuasive language.
9. Pizza Hut Radio Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hByG29fne0
The voice-over in this ad is made to sound like a commentator of an intense football match. This ad was made during the world cup which shows
that Pizza Hut want to associate themselves with football as much as possible so when people go to watch the world cup live they may go to
nearby Pizza Hut’s to eat because they associate it with football, therefore making it feel more suitable to eat there after a football match. The
voiceover is very energetic and upbeat which follows the typical codes and conventions of radio adverts, as well as it being very persuasive by
repeating “a real soccer ball and four cans of pepsi for free,” exaggerating the value of these items. After it is repeated, there is a football-like
chant as if it was from the audience of a football match chanting “four cans of pepsi and a soccer ball” to even further exaggerate its value. The
voiceover ends saying “don’t resist and call 19000 now.” This is the only indication to show that the ad is actually a Pizza Hut ad which shows
how mainstream Pizza Hut is assuming that the audience will recognise it’s Pizza Hut just based off of the phone number. This defies typical
codes and conventions of radio ads because usually mainstream brands like this would use a slogan or jingle to put a name to the ad.
The ad begins with a parody of a news show which sets a somewhat calm atmosphere which is then disturbed by the main ad with the energetic
voiceover mentioned above. This is effective because it catches the audience off guard which gives more chance of them paying attention to
what the ad is saying. This could be an example of Gunn’s 12th type of advertising which uses parodies of other shows/films/adverts to create a
sense of familiarity. This could also be applied to the main voice over part of the ad as it uses a chant in the background similar to a football
match which creates a sense of familiarity to the audience. This uses persuasive techniques by bringing out memories from the audience of when
they have been at a football game with friends or family and had a good time. This will make them want to associate Pizza Hut with football and
be inclined to buy Pizza Hut next time they go to a football game.
This ad is mainly aimed at adult male football fans aged around 15-25 (young adults and teenagers), usually in social grades D-C1.
