Commercial Analysis Assignment Overview: 98.1% of American households have a television, while 99% of people in America can read (2). This means that being able to read barely beats out having a television in your home. Most of us were taught to read when we were very young, but did we ever learn how to watch television? We watch our television shows, and many of us get annoyed when a commercial interrupts our program. But what if we stopped to consider for a moment, that we have it all wrong; maybe the television show is an interruption to the commercial? This occurs because the main way for a television station to make money is to sell commercial time. This is why analyzing television commercials is so important. Below are some concepts to consider that will help you to understand the messages in television commercials better. We are exposed to these commercial every day, but we rarely realize their true impact on us. They can influence us to buy products and services that we do not need, to vote a way we might not normally vote, and to desire a lifestyle that we wouldn't necessarily agree with. TV Commercial You Are to Analyze:  “Apple, ‘Share Your Gifts’ Commercial – Writing Assignment Commercial” Length: In standard written English, write at least a three (3) page essay using MLA conventions for formatting, that is, Times New Roman font, size 12 type, double spacing, a header, and a heading , Your essay should be an analytical essay that explains the overall message and/or effectiveness of a visual piece. You must provide an explicit thesis –located in your introduction- that will provide a focus for your paper. Method to Submit: Turnitin Since commercials are more complex than many other types of media, there are more things to consider:    What is the product or service being sold? Can you easily figure out what the product is?    What is the general mood or feeling of the commercial? Since we know the product or service being sold, what methods are the advertisers using to make us interested? How do they portray the product or service in a positive light?    How does the soundtrack play a role in your interpretation of the commercial? What is the voice trying to tell us? Does the person speaking coincide with the overall mood of the commercial? Would our perception of the voice change if the voice was of a different gender or race? For this assignment, you will explore the various tactics used to make a TV commercial effective, Visual Communication but to do this, you must understand how the various elements function to influence a targeted audience; your analysis must move beyond the obvious, which is to sell their products. 1    How do the characters affect your interpretation of the commercial? Would your interpretation change if the characters were of a different race or gender? What if the characters dressed differently or spoke differently? How would that change your attitude of the charac.

1. Commercial Analysis Assignment
Overview:
98.1% of American households have a television, while 99% of
people in America can read (2). This means that being able to
read barely beats out having a television in your home. Most of
us were taught to read when we were very young, but did we
ever learn how to watch television?
We watch our television shows, and many of us get annoyed
when a commercial interrupts our program. But what if we
stopped to consider for a moment, that we have it all wrong;
maybe the television show is an interruption to the commercial?
This occurs because the main way for a television station to
make money is to sell commercial time.
This is why analyzing television commercials is so important.
Below are some concepts to consider that will help you to
understand the messages in television commercials better. We
are exposed to these commercial every day, but we rarely
realize their true impact on us. They can influence us to buy
products and services that we do not need, to vote a way we
might not normally vote, and to desire a lifestyle that we
wouldn't necessarily agree with.
TV Commercial You Are to Analyze:
“Apple,
‘Share Your Gifts’
Commercial
–

2. Writing Assignment Commercial”
Length:
In standard written English, write at least a three (3) page
essay using MLA conventions for formatting, that is,
Times New Roman font, size 12 type, double spacing, a header,
and a heading
,
Your essay should be an analytical essay that explains the
overall message and/or effectiveness of a visual piece. You
must provide an explicit thesis –located in your introduction-
that will provide a focus for your paper.
Method to Submit: Turnitin
Since commercials are more complex than many other types of
media, there are more things to consider:
What is the product or service being sold?
Can you easily figure out what the product is?
What is the general mood or feeling of the commercial?
Since we know the product or service being sold, what methods
are the advertisers using to make us interested? How do they
portray the product or service in a positive light?
How does the soundtrack play a role in your interpretation of
the commercial?
What is the voice trying to tell us? Does the person speaking
coincide with the overall mood of the commercial? Would our
perception of the voice change if the voice was of a different

3. gender or race?
For this assignment, you will explore the various tactics used to
make a TV commercial effective,
Visual Communication
but to do this, you must understand how the various elements
function to influence a targeted
audience; your analysis must move beyond the obvious, which
is to sell their products.
1
How do the characters affect your interpretation of the
commercial?
Would your interpretation change if the characters were of a
different race or gender? What if the characters dressed
differently or spoke differently? How would that change your
attitude of the characters?
How does the commercial try to get your attention?
Does it alter the way we see the world through the story line?
Who is this commercial aimed towards?
Is it you or someone like you? How do you know? Why do you
think the advertiser created this commercial the way they did?
Would it have been as effective if it was just black and white

4. text on the screen? Why or why not?
Genre:
This is a formal analysis paper;
you may not use first or second person
(example: avoid “I think,” “I believe,” “I discovered,” “you can
see,” “you should understand,” etc.) Also, follow MLA
formatting. Write your analysis in essay form, with a header and
a heading and typed and double-spaced.
Audience:
For this essay, you will be writing to academic professionals.
You are to dissect the commercial, analyze it, and synthesize it,
critically. Keep in mind, you are not arguing the issue, but how
effective the creator presents its message.
Visual Analysis Steps
Study the assigned commercial by watching it several times,
focusing on answering the questions on the basic approach to
analysis of the whole video.
After watching the video, choose four or five elements that
contribute significantly to the commercial’s overall effect, and
analyze, in some detail, the contributions of each. Use technical
terms and concepts discussed in the text and instructional
videos when they are pertinent to your analysis.
Use your analyses of the individual elements as the body of
your paper; then add an introductory paragraph (providing
context, a brief summary, and your claim), transitions, and a
conclusion (evaluating the significance of the film) to shape the
paper into a complete essay.

5. Visual Analysis Basic Essay Structure
I. Introduction (Two Paragraphs)
Introductory Paragraph One
Introduce creator and image (relevant background information)
Contextual information and that includes the rhetorical situation
Introductory Paragraph Two
Brief and objective description of the commercial (5-7
sentences)
Explicit Thesis
Visual Communication
To support your answer, reflect on the various visual and
cinematic elements and persuasive
appeals. Remember, the creator uses these elements to help
guide readers to his or her

6. message. Your analysis will explain how these elements
influence the audience and solidify the
creator’s message.
2
Visual Technique One (if applicable, consider the proper
persuasive appeals)
Controlling idea that explains the functionality (how) of the
visual element to
create meaning.
Support details with specifics that justifies your reasoning. Do
not guess or make
assumptions; make inferences.
Visual Technique Two (if applicable, consider the proper
persuasive appeals)
Controlling idea that explains the functionality (how) of the
visual element to create meaning.
Support details with specifics that justifies your reasoning. Do
not guess or make assumptions; make inferences.

7. Visual Technique Three (if applicable, consider the proper
persuasive appeals)
Controlling idea that explains the functionality (how) of the
visual element to
create meaning.
Support details with specifics that justifies your reasoning. Do
not guess or make
assumptions; make inferences.
Conclusion
Emphasizes the success of the creator’s message as it pertains
to the visual analysis you have analyzed.
Does not agree or disagree with the message or provide new
information that was not explained in the body paragraphs
Editing Checklist
present tense

8. cal questions