1. Ashley Martin
Spot Cream television advert analysis
Pro-Activ There are three features of this advert. The adverts main selling
point is that the singer Katy Perry is talking about her dislike of spots and
acne and how this product removes them within two weeks. As well as her
talking there is background music. We also see demonstrative action by
means of Katy using the product and the spot removal process is edited down
so we see how it works. This advert is mainly a way of promoting and selling
the product because as well as Katy Perry, there is a voice over man talking
about a discounted price on the product and some edited images showing the
price and product. The target audience for any spot product including Pro-
Activ is anybody with spots, usually people under age 40 both male and
female. The image for the advert is one that says that if you use this product
then it makes you more attractive, this is done through the use of close up
camera shots of Katy’s face during the spot removal process.
Freederm Elements of the advert include lots of people talking about the
product. Cross cutting is used so the camera goes from one person to
another. There is a soundtrack used which does become slightly repetitive.
This advert comes under the testimonial genre because one person initially
talks about this spot cream then we see lots of other people who follow suit.
Spots are common amongst teenagers, people of this age group are used in
this advert and they are the main target audience as well as the target
consumer group with no gender preference. The image portrayed by this
product is that if you use this product you won’t have any spots and this will
make you more attractive. Long shots of the characters are used continuously
along with close ups of their faces. The social groups represented are male
and female teenagers and young adults. The advert pays no attention to
social class, ethnicity or physical ability/disability. The adverts mode of
address is formal and light hearted because the people in the advert are
shown as happy individuals who share their own opinions about the product
which are all positive.
Clinique Features of the advert include repetition, speech, music and
symbolism. It is shown time and time again so it gets you to buy the product.
There is a voice over woman describing what the product is and what it does;
the dialogue matches what we can see visibly. Symbolism is used through the
use of what look like eggs with dots on them theoretically to represent the
spots. The advert type is sales pitch. It trys to say that you should buy this
product, it will clean up your spots and make you more attractive. The mode
of address is quite formal, it is portrayed in a serious manner, it just gives the
facts and shows what the product does. The social groups represented in the
advert are more middle people, the character shown in the advert is mixed
race, but that doesn’t change anything, there are no young people
represented or anybody with a specific sexual orientation or physical ability or
religion.. The advert consists of a lot of editing such as layering where we see
the same persons face placed on top of another image of that persons face.
2. Ashley Martin
OXY Clean This a product no longer produced. The advert is from 1991 so I
thought it would be relevant. The advert consists of two moms having a
conversation whilst watching their sons play football. So the elements of the
advert are speech, sound and repetition. The one mom shows the other the
product and says what it does. This makes the advert an average consumer
testimonial. The image constructed for the product is the same as spot
creams of today; they get rid of spots and improve your appearance. Younger
children are used in this advert so you couldn’t really say it makes them more
attractive. The target audience for the advert remains the same, anybody
between their teens and thirties with spots. The social groups represented in
the advert are working class. The moms being stereotypical parents because
they do things with their children and gossip to other moms. Because the
product was made in the United Kingdom and the advertisement is old, all the
people shown are white. Today this could be seen as racist however back
then it wasn’t.
Clearasil This advert is dramatisational because it is a short simple story
shows an attractive young man in an ice cream shop. People treat him
differently just because he has a spot on his face and the lady behind the
counter won’t give him many sprinkles. He leaves with his ice cream. At home
he looks in the mirror and then he goes back to the same shop for another ice
cream but this time without a spot, the lady behind the counter gives him the
ice cream but wants sprinkles so he undoes the buttons in his shirt to get
them, showing that using the product makes you more attractive. The biggest
problem is that we don’t see him use the product. Elements of this advert are
speech with the voice over man saying “Clearasil may cause confidence”, a
faint backing track and repetition. If the advert is repeated people are more
likely to see it, look at the product and possibly buy it.
