Textual Analysis
Ashton Kutcher Nikon TV Commercial
Celebrity endorsement
Close up of product, within 4 seconds
Although shown as a man’s camera, the chosen colour is more suitable to girls
The narrative is the biggest key to the target audience, which primarily women. The advert is set in a shopping centre, the girls steal the celebrity’s camera and take pictures of themselves, then put the camera back without him knowing.
The advert is using the celebrity to make the audience think if it’s good enough for them then it is for us as well. But the celebrity is also used as he is a sex icon. Its making women primarily interested because Ashton is good looking.
Its secondary audience is men; although they probably don’t know it, when a man sees this advert he will be thinking ‘he’s a sex icon and he uses that camera, maybe i should’ so even if he doesn’t think it straight away, when going to buy a camera it will be stuck in the back of his mind.
This is a successful technique which can be described as passive viewing. The audience aren’t fully focused on the advert, but when they go to buy a camera, for example, the brand or advert will be there for them to access. This is often only directed at the secondary audience.
This advert includes sexual references, and humour. Both of these are successful ways to keep the audience interested, and refer back to the advert at another time.
The sound used is fun and upbeat, it’s not a song that is famous but just used as a background. There is also laughing which is put into the background, supposed to be from a character in the advert, although we can’t see them laughing. This use of laughter in the advert to make it appealing; ‘these people are having fun with the camera, so will anyone that buys it.’
The spoken language is a woman’s voice, American, 30’s. All she narrates is first of all, what the camera is (brand, new model etc). Then it tells you the pro’s of this product (smallest camera ever, blink detection etc).
The logo appears at the end, to create familiarity with the audience, so they will recognise the logo in future.
iPod Classic Commercial
Sound- The soundtrack for this is a popular, old song. Even though this song is old it is familiar to all ages, and if not to a younger generation (14 years and below) it is unlikely that they will be buying an iPod anyway, as everyone knows ‘apple’ products are typically expensive.
The song is used to get people’s attention. Even if you are unfamiliar with the song it makes you at least tap your foot with the beat. It has been chosen to make the audience look up and watch the advert.
There is no other sound but the back song, but there is the use of text, promoting ‘Touch’ and then ‘apple iPod classics, think different’ which isn’t a slogan, or typical saying.
The advert is set on a white background, and the only thing we see is the iPod (being played with) and a hand. They use the same colour iPod (silver).
The hand goes through some of the uses of the iPod, which coincides to the beat of the song.
This advert is simple, but effective. The iPod adverts are usually the most interesting out of all ‘apple’ products, but when put next to another advert which is promoting a music device, looks very plain.
The reason for this is that the ‘apple’ brand are so popular already, people will want the product, just because it is ‘apple’. For this reason the adverts can take risks.
The target audience is primarily all adults, secondary young adults and teenagers. The reason for this is because it is kept classic, no one speaking, no colours, apart from neutral, and when photos are displayed on the screen of the iPod; both men and women were represented equally. I think the secondary audience is teenagers, just because I wouldn’t think of them first. There are so many different ‘apple’ iPod adverts, that I think this one is designed to suit adults as there is no use of colour, and the older song choice.
Happy Inside - IKEA cats advert
This will primarily attract people who like cats, or have cats. The reason this audience is so broad is because people who have cats, have their own homes. And people who have their own homes want furniture.
This advert changes the audience to an active viewer, even if you have seen this advert before; there is so much detail, that every time you watch it you notice something different.
It targets people with cats as it is obviously using and showing cats in the advert, but it uses so many different types, colours and ages, which are unfamiliar. When an advert has cat in it to promote a product it is usually a very cute kitten. The reason this advert uses a different range of cats is so people watching can choose their favourite, or identify one with their own cat, or their friends. This is to help the audience keep interested.
The music used is soft, slow, and an unpopular song. It uses a piano which sounds dramatic at times, but also soft. There is also a voice singing; a woman, who features at the last few seconds of the advert, which shows the music, is irrelevant. Used for background effect rather than a viewing point.
The advert is set in an IKEA store, although this isn’t instantly obvious. Only right at the end of the advert text appears saying ‘It’s how it makes you feel’ then the IKEA logo.
