2. Irn Bru Christmas jumper 2015 advert
This advert takes place in a living room on Christmas morning with a family opening their presents from each other. Which is stereotypically a
nice moment for families. However, the advert starts by a grandson opening a present from his grandma and when he reveals what it is to the
room it turns out to be an inappropriate jumper. Therefore making an awkward situation in the room as the family reacts in an awkward and
shocked manner. Then immediately after he opens the jumper he takes a sip of Irn Bru âfollowing the usual Irn Bru advert storyline- and then
he embraces the jumper and thanks his grandma.
The video is put together using a string of different
emotions through the main character, he always
changes his mood multiple times through the video
because he takes a sip of Irn Bru and is given a burst of
energy putting him in a good mood. The setting used
is a warm color with a lazy Saturday morning style, making the atmosphere of the advert calm.
It starts with a long shot to establish the scene so that the viewer can immediately see that itâs
Christmas morning. Then it moves into a medium shot to show who the main character is in the
advert, a medium shot is used and not a close up shot so you can see him opening the present,
which is obviously what the storyline of the advert is centered around. When the camera has
moved from the grandson to the grandma, we then move into a close up of the grandson face
to show the look of embarrassment in his face. Through the video it stays at a medium/close up
shot to make sure the jumper is still in scene and also keep a close up for face expressions.
Every time he takes a sip of his Irn Bru the camera zooms into his face. An editing technique
used in the advert is that when he drinks his Irn Bru the background gets blurry keeping the
emphasis on him and the Irn Bru.
The producers have gone through the humour line of appeal to approach the audience through itâs comedy because Barr company knows
that a wide range of Irn Bruâs popularity is to do with the following of itâs stereotypically funny and inappropriate adverts. Throughout the
advert there are no other compelling aspects that would grab the viewers attention, the Christmas theme could introduce a sense of
belonging but I think that would be far fetched. Irn Bru tries to sell itâs product by portraying through the advert that when someone has a
sip of Irn Bru itâs almost like having a shot of energy which will influence customers to have a can of Irn Bru for energy, this could be
interpreted as reward power because through drinking Irn Bru you get a reward of energy.
The narrative of the advert is linear as the
storyline is in chronological order without
jumping forward or back in time. Because it
is happening in present time we experience
the characters reactions at the same time
as our own. So we relate with the people in
the advert when they are shocked at the
gift, we are also shocked. It follows a realist
narrative because it is a simple morning
without any animation or anything magical
that couldn't happen in real life. It could be
interpreted as anti-realist because there are
features that wouldn't usually happen in
real life, like realistically a sip of Irn Bru
wouldn't actually make you accepting of an
uncomfortable situation.
Irn Bru Advert
3. My video is set in the college as it was the only place that we could film, our group decided to use hallways and out of the way places instead
of classrooms. Although we were only filming in the college we still had a wide range of places we could film, for example we could of filmed
in the gym, outside or the cooking rooms for a different setting. It was put together using loads of different scenes that we shot, then the
scenes that fit best were carefully edited together to make them look most affective. While in editing I applied different effects to give the
video different atmosphere throughout. So it started with a warm color and then subtly changed throughout the video changed to a colder
color.
The advert started by opening with an establishing shot of the atrium, then moved onto a medium shot of the actors from waist above so
that you can see the enough of the background and the actor, then moves to a close up shot so that the viewers can see what heâs doing.
After this we move to an extreme close up, concentrating on the Irn Bru can. Then thorough the rest of the video a range of shots are used,
as a group we made sure we included loads of different shots as it shows a range of our knowledge at how to use different shots for different
scenes where itâs appropriate. We used multiple long shots and then included other close up and medium shots as well. In my video I tried to
make the change over of scenes as smooth as possible. For example when the scene changed I would have the first scene ending with Oscar
walked past the camera and then the next scene would also be Oscar walking past the camera but in a different setting.
In my video the story line indicates that if you choose not to have an Irn Bru can then a Irn Bru
can will supposedly haunt you, therefore the factor of persuasion may be that if you donât have
it then itâs the wrong choice. The only line of appeal that was used was the element of fantasy
in my advert. My video follows a linear, anti-realist narrative, this means that the time is set in
chronological order. My video is anti-realist because it contains fantasy features, the idea of a
can chasing someone, and also the size of the can increasing would obviously not be able to
happen in real life, therefore making it anti-realist.
In my advert the storyline followed a massive can that was brought to life when the
character didnât pick it up. Bringing life to a animal or thing is called anthropomorphism, it
is where you give human features to inanimate objects, for example having the ability to
run down the corridor. it works well in advertising because it will make the audience pay
more attention because of the anti-realism and due to the unexpected element of it.
My Irn Bru advert
4. Irn Bruâs advergames are called âBRUland gamesâ the name obviously inspired from the name of
the drink. The Irn Bru advergame opens with a menu page which has two different options to play
one of two games or you can go right and the page gives you other options. The home page is set
out professionally and the color scheme is centered around the two colours always used in
packaging and advertising. These two colors are continuously used because viewers will now link
the colours with the brand. The background of the home page is a tartan pattern which is a strong reference to Scotland. The character in
the game is a clear stereotypical Scottish man, with a kilt.
The aims of the two games are strength based, with âPumping Irnâ and âTossing the Girderâ. It doesn't use proper English it uses Scottish
terms, just to emphasize the Scottish background associated with Irn Bru.
In the first game, âPumping Irnâ includes a character pumping iron and the aim is to get his arms up as many times as possible. The player
has to click down on the two arrows on your keyboard as many times as you can within the time given. This game is simple and addictive
as you can always do better. The second game is Toss The Girder, which in my opinion is more addictive because thereâs no time limit and
in this game you donât have to fight against a clock. Itâs also just a simple game where you can control how far to throw the girder, then
pick up cans on the way which gives you more lives throughout the game. The background on this game has mountain which is because
Scotland is famous for itâs mountains, for example, Ben Nevis and Ben Macdui.
Toss the girder is a good idea for a game as it wont of been to hard to
create the animations for as it includes the same background
throughout the game. The background is simple, with block primary
colors, which is very fitting with the Irn Bru brand being standard, what
you see is what you get. The sky isnât overly detailed and the aim of the
game isnât over complicated. This means that players wonât get
frustrated that they donât understand and they wonât move on. Itâs also
appropriate for all ages which opens the audience to everyone who has
access to a computer or phone, which now is most people. Also the
instructions on the games are basic and this means that players wonât
get bored and move on.
Irn Bru Advergame
5. These advergames have persuaded viewers to buy Irn Bru because when
the viewer plays the game it will subconsciously remind them of the brand
and drink and then make them want the drink. The producers have made
the game in attempt to remind viewers of the brand used it as a type of
advertising to gain a wider audience. An advergame is a type of advertising
that would attract a younger audience as theyâre on their phone or
computer more. This could mean that Irn Bru are trying to widen their
target audience and approach a different age range to increase sales. As
well as this, by creating a game that customers can play it creates a positive
association with the brand and will therefore increase brand loyalty. Irn Bru
has included the stereotypical Scottish man and included Scottish wording
because they know it makes the audience laugh as it how they arenât taking
themselves seriously, which is the whole premises of the brand. By linking
comedy and good thoughts with the brand through a funny advert, or
advergame it makes the audience ,more likely to pick an Irn Bru in a shop.
The styles of advertising used is through the concept that the game makes
the viewer competitive and encourages the player to keep playing the game
until theyâve got a high score. For example, at the end of each game next to
your score there is a witty catch phrase, for example âUh itâs the taking part
that countsâ which encourages you to try again and get a better score.
The game includes a menu slide where you can visit other
pages on the site easily. It doesnât just give you a link to
the games it gives you links to the drink and advertising to
give you the opportunity to find out more about Irn Bru.
Irn Bru uses a informal language, for example âStuffâ this
will make Irn Bru customers feel more comfortable with
the brand as it is uses slang and more relatable.
In both advergames they feature the Irn Bru cans, in a subtle
way which make them subconsciously sink into the players
minds. In âToss the girderâ the collectables are little Irn Bru
light cans, to carry on playing the game you have to collect
as many Irn Bruâs as possible. Throughout the game there
are parts of the background that sponsor Irn Bru, for
example you fly past an Irn Bru factory and other special
features like that.
Then in the âPumping Irnâ game on either side
of the bench press is the two Irn Bru cans.
Irn Bru Advergame
6. My Irn Bru Advergame
My advergame is straightforward and follows simple rules that are easy for all ages to
understand. Itâs put together using different slides, a menu slide is the opening slide and
controls where you go then it opens into the game and and My game starts with a menu
slide giving the player options to, play now, adjust the sound or play levels. I used a birds
eye view for the game because the aim of the game is to get through the maze and if I
were to do the view from behind or in front of the character you wouldnât be able to see
the possible ways the character could turn. Then at the end of each level it returns to the
menu page to give the player options so they can choose what to do next. In my
advergame the background is a forest because I wanted to use an open space that it
would be more interesting and I also thought with a forest I could make it look effective
without having to include to much detail. I decided to use Irn Bru cans as my characters,
this is because the game has to relate to Irn Bru to keep the players subconsciously
associating the game with the brand. It also made sense to have the Irn Bru cans as the
characters because it follows the advert I made, with an Irn Bru can following the
character. The obstacles to avoid in the game are Irn Bru cans, as the game revolves
around Irn Bru. There wouldn't of been any other obstacle that I think would be more
appropriate then Irn Bru cans due to the link to the advert and I donât want to involve
another brand like coke to be the obstacle because that may make the player want a coke
instead. There arenât any collectables during the game but I think usually if you include
something that the character needs to collect to improve their score it will make the
player more determined to keep playing.
The Characters
The first character is the obstacle, it
follows the Irn Bru can color scheme
with the bold orange and blue.
Although it isnât detailed the players
can still tell that it is an Irn Bru can
due to the colours and to the shape
on the can, also the can contains
shading making it look more
effective.
The gold Irn Bru is the main
character, the color gold is usually
associated with good, so to
differentiate the âgoodâ Irn Bru can
with the âbadâ Irn Bru cans I made
the can gold.
Obstacles were included in the game because it
makes the game harder to win which will
therefore make the players want to succeed
more. Also, with more obstacles it improves the
quality of the animations and the game, with a
better quality game more people are likely to try
it.
7. In advergames and advertisements there are different factors of persuasion that can
be used to approach the audience, in my game the factor of persuasion used is
reward power. Reward power means that the product promises a positive benefit.
This can be related to my game because if you win then you get the feeling of
accomplishment but if you loose then the player will feel defeated. Therefore
making the player want to play again until they can get the feeling of being
successful and completing the levels. By introducing different obstacles and levels it
makes the player feel like if they were to quit now they wouldâve wasted the time
that they had spent, so they carry on.
When the obstacle goes into a
dead end it will explode. I think
bringing a fire element into the
game makes it more interesting
for the player.
If you complete the level you get taken to this page with a âYOU
WINâ title. This page is used as a way to access the next level, or
it can take you back to the âextraâ slide, which is the beginning
slide with the sound options etc. Around the menu option there
are animations that change color to highlight that is where to
click next.
The player gets taken to this page if they fail the level, here
they still get the chance to play the next level or they can go
back to the extra menu where they can choose to re play this
level. The âYOU LOSEâ title is in a strong red color which
indicates, danger and bad, usually used for âyou loseâ titles.
The game has special features like the timer, which
will go down second by second to add tension to the
game, and make the player feel more pressure. It
also has a menu option so if they player needs to
pause the game or wants to start over, or wants to
change the level then they can using this button.
My Irn Bru Advergame
8. Video Comparison
In the Irn Bru advert and in my advert, there are similarities and differences. One similarity is that in both adverts the actors are
acting like they donât know they're being filmed. They are acting like it is real life and as the moment happens they donât know
whatâs going to happen next. This means that the viewers canât anticipate whatâs going to happen, introducing an element of
surprise, this could make an audience more likely to pay attention. With both storylines you are intrigued to see how it ends.
With the Irn Bru advert you want to know how the family reacts, why the grandma thought this was an appropriate gift, How
the boys going to react to it. If you donât watch the advert then it leaves unanswered questions. This the be applied to my
advert as well, because if you donâtâ watch the advert until the end then you donâtâ know what the noises are following him,
you donât know what heâs running away from, you wonât understand the relevance in the character ignoring the Irn Bru can in
the shop at the beginning.
Another difference between the videos is that in the Irn Bru adverts we see the characters reactions to the jumper with a close
up of their faces but with my advert the only time we see how the character feels is at the end where he looks shocked by the
can. I think the video would of been easy to follow if I had included extra scenes where we saw the characters face, to see who
scared and confused he was. I think although I didnât include close ups of his ace his run did portray how scared he was.
I think another difference between the adverts was the location. In my advert the location is constantly changing and this
doesn't create a very relaxed atmosphere, itâs meant to keep the viewers interested. However, in the Irn Bru advert the
location throughout the whole advert stays in the living room. This fit for the Irn Br u advert as it is the family opening
Christmas presents, so if it were to change it wouldn't make any sense.
I donât think my advert and the Irn Bru advert share many
similarities but I think some key differences involved are the
difference in shots. The type of shot used is similar as
medium shots and close up shots are featured in both
adverts but in my advert due to the change of setting in
each scene I had to include a lot of different shots. Also, the
execution of our shots are different, because of the way the
scenes change, in the Irn Bru advert the scene changes
abruptly but in my advert although it is still moves quite
abruptly I think the scenes move more swiftly. This is
because Iâm trying to create the illusion that he has no idea
heâs being filmed so the camera is usually over the shoulder
or in the side of the room but in the Irn Bru advert the
camera is sat in front of the characters.
9. Video Comparison
In my advert I think the idea of the storyline was good but I think the execution of
the idea couldâve been handled better. I think if my group had spent more time on
planning and thinking through how we could of successfully made the can look like
it was following Oscar. I think the biggest weakness of my video was the moving of
the can. Because it isnât clear throughout the video that a can of Irn Bru is what the
character was running from. Although it does build up tension not knowing what it
is it wouldâve made more sense if we could see the can through the corridors. With
the Irn Bru advert it is very clear and easy for the audience to follow, which is what
mine should have been like. I also think if we had spent more time on the planning
and thought through where exactly to film before filming it then we wouldâve
known where had good lightening and more turning corners to add tension.
Because throughout my video the exposure changes making it look less
professional.
I think a strength of my advert is that throughout the filming Oscar never looks at
the camera. This is good as it makes the video look more efficient, if he looked into
the camera then the viewers would immediately not take the advert as seriously.
If I could change something in my video I would re-film some of the shots, this is
because I am not happy with the outcome of my shots , due to my filming some of
the scenes were out of focus on not filmed completely straight. I shouldâve focused
on the camera and made sure that the tripod was correctly set up and I should
double check that the camera is in focus or film even more shots of the same
scene just incase one of the shots were unable to use.
I imagine the Irn Bru advert was created using a lot more intricate design software and therefore had a head start on producing, but for my
advert we used premiere software and using this we could edit the shots we had filmed, we could change the length, the sound and we
could edit the video to change color and more. The main task in producing the video was the sounds. Because although it was difficult to
choose which shots to use, and how to edit them so that they all fit together the sound was hard to in corporate at the right time. In my
advert the sound effects were hard to include because I didnât have a background noise that carried on throughout the video because I
filmed it in a different setting for nearly every scene. So the diegetic noise though the video changed a lot. But I wanted to keep the same
background noise through the video so that the video flowed together instead of the sounds abruptly changing each scene. So I decided to
take the sound out of all the shots and put new noises in. This was hard as I had to make sure they were at the right time and to make sure it
fit in. Then through the video I swapped the key background sound so it started with the quiet sound of the college with people walking
around and then tried to subtly change it to the sound of the can.
10. Advergame Comparison
My Irn Bru advergame has a lot of different features from Irn Bruâs advergame but it also had a lot of similar qualities. Iâm going to
compare my advergame to Irn Bruâs Pumping Irn game because I think these two games are more similar and therefore I would have
more to write about. A quality that mine and Irn Bruâs advergame share is that the controls are simple. In both games you just have to
use the same two keys, the left and right arrow on the keyboard. This means that the player can play the game without really having to
think because it isnât complicated. This makes the game fun for all audiences to play. As well as this, both games are timed and easy to
understand.
Both games have a simplistic color scheme and donât include much detail on the animations or background. The colours used are
primary, block colors, this gives the games a laid-back, more casual feeling. Both the backgrounds on the game are still pictures are do
not move. Although the Irn Bru game does feature animations in the background the setting does not move.
Both games feature the Irn Bru can in their game, obviously to advertise the brand. IN the advergame advertising the brand it is
important for the game to feature Irn Bru as much as possible, to remind the audience of whoâs game theyâre playing.
A difference between the two games is that the Irn Bru game doesn't include levels. So after you play the game so many times it will
become repetitive but if you include different levels with the game getting harder each time it will hook the player and make them want
to improve their score and complete harder levels. A difference of the games is the movement of the character, my character moves
quite abruptly from pixel to pixel, it doesn't resemble walking or running very much. The Pumping Irn game has the persons arms moving
up and down. The editing is good as the arms move in a realist, human way.
I think a strength of my advergame is how all the characters move
together, the avatars all move at the same time and by a few pixels
each time. To do this I had to include a lot of of slides in the
production process and this made it harder to produce because it
made it more complicated and confusing but made the game as a
whole better in the end. I think a weakness of my game is that it isnât
very advanced, I could add more detail to the game or more levels to
the game.
