This document provides an overview of a case study assignment on representations and receptions in television advertising. It includes: 1) An introduction to the case study, which will focus on conventions of TV ads, language and messages, and how audiences interpret ads. 2) A section on common types of TV ad formats, including mini-dramas, spokesperson ads, pitch presentations, and voiceovers. 3) A discussion of how representations are constructed through signs and codes in media texts, and how these representations are interpreted based on a viewer's experiences and demographic factors.

1. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
AS MEDIA STUDIES
Morecambe Community High School
MS1: Media Representations and Responses
Case Study: TV Advertising
This case study is designed as part of series which will focus on a
range of different media forms. You will be expected to refer to
these case studies in the summer examination, so keep it safe.
Additional material for this unit can be found on the VLE as well as
the shared area on the network.
This case study will focus on the following:
• The conventions of TV advertising
• Language used and mode of address
• The construction of representations
• The messages underlying those representations
• How audiences are positioned to read the texts
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2. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
Conventions of the TV advertisement
Variations in format:
1. Mini-dramas: In TV, this kind of commercial is a full-range 30-60
second drama that presents characters, conflict, and resolution at
breakneck speed. When done for national agencies, these
commercials are at the very top of production lavishness and can be
incredibly expensive.
Examples:
2. Spokesperson Presentation: This
type of commercial often involves a
celebrity using his or her actual
identity, or it can be an implied identity,
using someone who is recognizable as
a character, but not necessarily
himself. The spokesperson needs to
have an authoritative presence, and
an honest, convincing delivery.
Examples:
3. Pitch Presentation: This type of commercial resembles the old days
of television when the "pitchman" would deliver a message about a
product. The difference between a pitchman and a spokesperson is
that the former is neither a celebrity or a known character. The product
is of prime importance and the pitchman simply supplies the
information.
Examples:
4. Voice-Over: Many commercials use a voice-over. The performer who
reads the copy is not seen in a voice-over commercial. Rather, the
performer's voice is heard as a major component of the sound track.
Examples:
Length
15 seconds to a minute is the norm but modern examples have included
longer running times which can be three or four minutes, some of which are
shown at the cinema. The production values for such texts are often very high
and seem more like short films that adverts. Very short ‘teaser’ adverts are
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3. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
also common, some lasting just a few seconds. These will often be part of a
larger campaign.
• Think of some memorable examples of both very long and very
short adverts. Why do you think the ads were so memorable?
What stands out in your mind?
Narrative:
Time will be compressed in a TV ad. The editing will be fast and any story or
plot woven in will have to be resolved within a minute! If an ad borrows form
film or TV genres (as they often do) then they will have to select the most
recognisable elements. A recent example was the Daz campaign which used
the soap opera as a genre to advertise its product. Each ad ended in a ‘cliff-
hanger’ which is typical of the genre.
Brand/Product Identification:
The brand/product must be visible in the
commercial. Generally speaking the
product is identified very early in the ad or
at the very end of the ad as a surprise
tactic.
Commercials as an Art Form:
So much creative process goes into the making, directing, and shooting of
commercials that many people consider commercials as an art form. Awards
have been given to commercials for the following categories:
• art • story • costumes • choreography
direction • set design • technical • special
• music • animation effects
• acting
• Analyse a TV advert and identify the conventions. Use the
categories listed above as sub-headings.
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4. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
The process of representation is characterised by using signs that we recall
mentally or phonetically to comprehend the world.
Two things are fundamental to the study of signs:
1. The signified: a mental concept, and
2. The signifier: the verbal manifestation, the sequence of letters or
sounds, the linguistic realisation.
What else affects our reading of media representations?
o Past experiences
o Demographic group of the ‘reader’ e.g. social class, age etc.
o Psychographic profile, e.g. aspirations
How do we translate this idea for the media?
The signifier becomes image and sound from the media. In the case of print
media it will take on the form of graphics, fonts, even words, headlines on
newspapers for example.
For this study we will consider TV advertising so we must consider the
following
o The image itself and what our attention is drawn to in the frame
o The editing of the sequence: what is the order of the sequence?
Does it offer a ‘story’? Does it offer a conclusion?
o The sounds: voice overs, language, emphasis
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5. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
Watch the two advertisements for Gillette razors. They both show contrasting
ideas about the role of men and women in society during the 1960’s and the
1990’s.
• In the first ad (1967) there is little in terms of performance. Instead we
are given a voice over which offers up ideas about the roles of men and
women. Briefly describe these roles.
• The second ad (1989) relies heavily on visual images and a fast editing
style. What do these images tell us about the modern man and his role
in society? What about women and their role?
• What conclusions can we make about gender representations over time?
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6. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
A Reminder about Representation
It is possible to see representation as divided into three levels.
• At the most general level we can talk about something called type.
We recognise a category of character in a story, such as shopkeeper
type. But for some reason this character does not emerge as a
stereotype. It may be that, that particular character lacks a clear set
of characteristics reinforced by years of repetition.
• A stereotype is a simplified representation of human appearance,
character and beliefs. A stereotype becomes established through
years or representation in the media. Countries and even whole
continents are often represented in the media in a stereotypical way.
Consider, for example, the most common media representations of
Africa, which is often presented through images of starvation and war.
• The most intense examples of types are also deeply embedded in our
culture. The term archetype is defined as an ‘original model’ or a
‘mental image inherited by all; a recurrent symbol or motif’. We can
take it to mean characters – heroes, heroines and villains – that stand
for the deepest beliefs, values and perhaps prejudices of a culture.
Essentially the discussion of representation enables the audience to ask
questions about how certain media texts present the world as we know it back
to us. Studying representation reminds us of how we are given
information and ideas about the world. It is a ‘political’ term that enables
us to study the ways in which certain ideas and values are either restricted or
opened up for wider interpretation.
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7. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
• Let’s look at an example. Choose an example of a social group
ou feel is well represented in advertising.
1. List as many types and variants within this social group
as you can as you can. Next to each, make a note of
some of their attributes. Consider appearance and
behaviour. What elements of that type help you identify
them?
2. Choose one group from your list that you think has been
stereotyped. Can you identify how repetition in the
media has reinforced this stereotype? Try to give some
examples of such stereotypes in the media outside of
advertising.
3. Is it possible to identify an archetype for any of the
groups in your list?
4. Identify some advertising campaigns that represent this
group. Perform a textual analysis on one of the adverts
using the following subheadings (you may need to do
this as homework)
i. Visual codes and technical codes
ii. Stereotypical representations
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8. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
Representation theory
Mediation
Every time we encounter a media text, we are not seeing reality, but
someone's version of it. This may seem like an obvious point, but it is
something that is easily forgotten when we get caught up in enjoying a text.
The media place us at one remove from reality: they take something that is
real, a person or an event and they change its form to produce whatever text
we end up with. This is called mediation.
If you ever go to see a comedy show recorded for the television, you will see
the process of mediation in action. What might end up as a half hour
broadcast, will be recorded over an entire evening - jokes that might seem
spontaneous when watched on the TV will have been endlessly repeated until
"just right". The studio audience will have been trained into laughing in exactly
the right way by warm up men and the text that finally reaches the public will
also be given context by use of soundtrack music and computer graphics. The
whole experience of hearing a few jokes will have been mediated.
Of course, most of us are aware of this- we know that what we are seeing in a
film or a soap opera isn't real- we just allow ourselves to forget for the time
that the programme is on that it is a fiction. At the same time we all have ideas
in our heads of some kinds of texts which might be somehow less mediated- it
is obvious that a fictional programme isn't real but when we encounter
something like the television news, we are more likely to believe in the
straightforward nature of the "truth" we are receiving.
Mediation- three things to look for:
1. Selection- Whatever ends up on the screen much more will have been
left out
2. Organisation- The various elements will be organised carefully in
ways that real life is not- in visual media this involves mise-en-scene
and the organisation of narrative, Any medium you can think of will
have an equivalent to these.
3. Focusing- mediation always ends up with us, the audience being
pushed towards concentrating on one aspect of the text and ignoring
others. If you are watching a film the camera will pan towards an
important character, in a tabloid the headlines will scream, for your
attention
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9. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
Application of theory: Mediation in TV ads
Name of product:
Brief description of ad/title:
Social group(s) being represented:
Profile of target demographic:
Psychographic profile:
o Selection: What elements of this social group have been selected? What
has been taken out? Try to link this to the audience profile
o Organisation: Is there an order to the events in the ad? Is there a
narrative? Consider how the ad starts and ends. Is this realistic? Why?
o Focusing: Is our attention drawn only to the product, or are we being
drawn towards other elements? What are they? Try to link these to the
audience profile.
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10. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
Stereotyping in the media
How can the media build a stereotype?
With any group of people, there will obviously be an enormous number of
things that can be used in a stereotype, but because stereotyping is a form of
simplification, normally the most obvious things are used. These are:
Appearance- this can include, physical appearance and clothing as well as
the sound of the voice. e.g. "all teachers wear dreadful old clothes" (which is
clearly untrue)
Behaviour - typical things that people in this group might do. "Grannies like to
knit"
(These first two features of media stereotypes are the same when we make
our own stereotypes. They simply involve us thinking of something that may
be true of some of the group in question and applying it to all)
The stereotype is constructed in ways that fit the particular medium:
This is more difficult to understand but it is crucial for you to look for it. If you
watch a film such as Silence of the Lambs and then look at the tabloid
coverage of Fred West, you are seeing the same stereotype (the typical Serial
Killer) being used, but there are obviously big differences which will depend
on the specifics of the media used. The film will use close ups of the killer's
leering face, soundtrack music and reaction shots of terrified victims to create
their version of the stereotype. The newspaper will use emotive headlines,
blurred pictures of victims and police mug-shots of the killer along with
shocking text and interviews with survivors. In each case the text will create a
stereotype which its audience will find familiar, but it will do it in very different
ways.
There will always be a comparison whether real or imaginary with "normal"
behaviour.
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11. AS Media Studies MS1 Representations and Receptions
Stereotyping in TV advertising
Name of product:
Brief description of ad/title:
Social group(s) being represented:
Profile of target demographic:
Psychographic profile:
o Stereotypical appearance and behaviour:
o Can you think of other examples which have reinforced this
stereotype? To ensure that it gets to the right audience, which
TV shows might this be shown during?
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