Target length: a blog post of about 500 words or so, though longer is acceptable
For this assignment you will analyze a commercial or public service advertisement that is connected to your theme by examining its rhetorical strategies: how does the ad deliver its message to the target audience? In doing so, you will be not only thinking about some of the rhetorical terms we have discussed but also, perhaps more importantly, practicing crucial skills of the writer as you work back and forth between the specific details you observe and the general effects the ad creates.
Your first task is to find an advertisement. You may want to use google images to find something online, or you may scan a print ad into your computer. (We’ll talk more about this in class.) Start by inserting this image into the body of a blog post.
Then take some time to look carefully at the ad, and consider the rhetorical choices made by the ad’s designer. Here’s the procedure I suggest:
Make a heaping pile of observations. Get out a sheet of paper or open a file on your electronic device of choice. (I suggest actually writing things down; this will keep a record of what you observe and the physical act of writing will help to prime your writing-muscle-pump and get your subconscious to work organizing and even, perhaps, constructing sentences in your mind.) Does the ad break into sections? Look at how these larger sections are arranged, and look within each section to identify and describe the images shown. Note scale, placement, framing, lighting, focus, predominant colors. Describe any people involved (age, gender, appearance, clothing, body position, expression?) and the relationships shown between people. What objects seem important? Describe the setting (location or studio).
Now look at any words in the ad. What factual information is conveyed? Are testimonials from experts or users of the product given? What’s the tone used? Look at elements of graphic design: font style, color, placement, size. What stands out? How do words and pictures function together?
Think about the ad.
- What seems to be the message? (for a commercial advertisement, this is typically something like “You should buy product X because <fill in the reasons>; a public service advertisement will normally have a message that encourages a particular action or attitude).
- Who seems to be the target audience? Why? (You may use info about where the ad appeared, if you know that, or suggest magazines where the ad would be appropriate.
- How does the ad appeal to the logical mind and the emotions and values of that target audience? What elements specifically create those appeals?
- How does the design of the ad emphasize the message, or part of the message? Does the design use contrast or balance to suggest how the viewer should understand the image or images?
- Do you think the ad is effective for its target audience? Why or why not? If you were in charge of the ad campaign, are there any changes you would suggest that would make the ad more effective?
Consider “chunking” possibilities. Look over your lists of details to think about how you might be able to group them together. A standard way to organize a rhetorical analysis might consider how the ad uses logos, ethos, and pathos (how it uses facts and logic; how it establishes credibility; how it appeals to the emotions and values of its audience). You might want to divide the ad into section, looking at each one individually and then looking at how the parts connect. You might look at people, places, things, and words used in the ad. You need some way to organize and control these details by grouping similar details together (like organizing a grocery list by departments).
Think about how you might start and end the essay. You may want to start with some general point about who buys this type of product and how it’s normally marketed, or something that you might know about how people make decisions to buy this product. You might even make a more general point about how advertising works or doesn’t work, in your view (so that your analysis will then serve as an example). Or you could even do a bit of research to find out sales figures or usage figures for the product or for similar products. (In an essay this short, you will want to keep the introduction brief!)
The most natural conclusion, I think, for this assignment would be a brief evaluation of how effective you believe the ad to be and why. (You may include revisions you’ve thought of that would make the ad even more effective.)
Draft. This is the part where you tie yourself to a chair and write! You may compose right in the blog window, or use a word processor and copy-and-paste into the blog when you are done. (In either case, be sure to save your work as you go along.)