Structure of Advertisements

Today we talked about the general aspects of ads; ads in newspapers vs ads in magazines. Namely, the text and picture part. Alongside, I have added more to the presentation today in regards to formal description. Take notice again to the 3 levels of meaning.

Picture and Text
Three different forms of text-picture-relations

1. equal relation between text and picture
a) Text-centred ads
• Text is in the foreground because of its information content
• Picture is the redundant element and visualise or concretise the content of the text
b) Picture-centred ads
• Picture is in the foreground
• Text is the redundant element, that specify and illustrate the picture

c) Text and picture-centred ads
• Text and picture depend on each other

2. Text-dominated ads
• Text is in the foreground
• Picture is not directly an explanation or illustration of the text

3. Picture-dominated ads
• Picture tells us the massage of the ad
• Language is used for slogan or brand’s name

Here is the following text to the non-verbal means:
Form and Content of Pictures
1) Visual perception
- people explore, select and organise objects in the visual field
- different cultures different interpretations
- understanding of a picture consists of previous knowledge

2) Non verbal means

Appearance
a) Age
b) Gender
c) National and racial
d) Hair
e) Body
f) Size
g) Looks

Manner
a) Expression
b) Eye contact
c) Pose
d) Clothes

Activity
a) Touch
b) Body movement
c) Positional Communication

three levels of meaning in an image
a) primary or natural subject matter
b) secondary or conventional subject matter
c) intrinsic meaning or content

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3) Formal description of pictures
a) Is a picture dynamic or static?
b) Is a picture coloured or black-white?
• different meanings of colours
• e.g. red → energy, power, passion; white → light, innocence, purity, cleanliness
c) Is a picture real or abstract?
d) Are the contents of pictures real or fictional?
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Question to discuss,
Did you ever think that there is so much (theory) that is put into creating an advertisements? Do you utilize these real/ideal, given/new concepts when you see an ad?

What is the purpose behind using only text-centered ads; picture-centred ads; text and picture-centered ads; text-dominated ads, and picture-dominated ads?
What are the differences between such ads? Take a look at these ads.
Again go back to Lea and Christin's points in analysing a photograph:
Focus and depth of vision, Close-ups, Lighting and colour, Cropping, and Camera angle.
How do these ads add up?

Reader Manipulation

In today's class we discussed about reader manipulation in the press with the main focus on the 8 points in regards to journalist's attitudes to advertising:

1. advertising’s economic importance
2. advertisers’ pressure for favorable coverage
3. advertising’s effect on newspaper operation
4. journalists’ complaints of corruption
5. journalists’ own misdeeds
6. journalists’ attempts to preserve independence
7. the integrity of Pulitzer versus Hearst
8. journalists’ disillusionment

Remember the quote from Pullitzer himself:
"If a newspaper is to be of real service to the public, it must have a big circulation, first because its news and its comments must reach the largest possible number of people, second, because circulation means advertising, and advertising means money, and money means independence."

Do you agree with Pulitzer? Why or why not?
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Task number 2 is to send me various ads you find interesting to analyze. Next class we will start on advertising and this will be the more exciting part of the seminar! Here are already some of the samples some students have sent me!

Keep on sending them!!

Take into consideration how the structure of each advertisement is. Do they also possess the same structure like those of newspaper frontpages?

Cheers

Special Sections

Sorry for the late post...I just got back from Paris and did not have time to put up a post before I left. As for the task, please read over the handout about the benefit concert from 1863 vs. 2005. Here are the questions for discussion.

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Which selection principles appear in both articles?


Are there any differences in the two articles? What are they?
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Since, we had the discussion about women in sports and the representation, what do the rest think? Do you think that there is a difference if the commentator is female or male? Do you think that the "general" sports language is written for men only?


Cheers