Advertising Techniques

Codes & Conventions of the Advert / Corporate Video

Purpose to SELL! = MONEY£££
Also, to inform, to persuade, to promote....
Short media products, 30 seconds to 1 minute in length
Easy to watch, and ideally share on social media, leads to viral marketing
Often uses advertising techniques, such as "emotional transfer" narratives such as the John Lewis advert
To "show off" the features of the product, in as much detail as possible
To "compare" the product with the competition
To generate the impressions of a lifestyle
To infer how the product will improve the customer's life
To communicate the companies brand values

Gunn's 12 Types of Advertising

Click here to read explanations of each type.

Emotional Transfer

Creating a set of emotions that the advertiser is trying to map onto their product or service. The process of generating emotions in order to transfer them to a product. For example, a Coke ad shows happy, beautiful people but tells us nothing about the product. The point is to make you feel good and to transfer that feeling to the brand or product.

This is the number one and most important process of media manipulation.

often controversial
exploits emotions
manipulates emotions
maps these emotions onto their products
family values
friendship
opportunities for personal identity
leads to oppositional readings

Exclusive Appeal

Self-image enhancement, ego identification, 'belongingness' and social meaningfulness, effective fulfilment.

The suggestion that the use of the product makes the customer part of an elite group with a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle. A coffee manufacturer shows people dressed in formal gowns and tuxedos drinking their brand at an art gallery.

Often takes advantage of Richard Dyer's "star power" or "star theory" by including celebrity endorsements. These celebrities will be A LIST and have similar brand values as the product or brand.

Star Power (recap)

Dyer defines one of the key factors in stardom as being ‘charisma’, a quality which marks stars as being ‘special’ and therefore differentiates them from ordinary members of the audience.

Dyer adopts a system by which film stars can be assigned to a particular star archetypes: ‘The Good Joe’, ‘The Tough Guy’, ‘The Pin-up’, ‘The Rebel’ and ‘The independent Women’.

Experiential Positioning

Experiential positioning is an attempt to allow the audience to imagine what it would feel like to experience the product. Usually exaggerated, sometimes even hypothetical or metaphorical.

TNT's brand values are probably...

dramatic / hectic
fast paced - push the button - symbolic of the TV remote. Immediate. Jump cuts and cutting to soundtrack.
action packed / lots going on / high octane
unexpected / chaotic / suspenseful / exciting / never a dull moment
variety - wide range of different genres shown in trailer (action, romance, crime) (costume)
comedic / humorous. Slapstick OTT body language.

An example of experiential positioning might be the TNT advert.

For example the use of mise-en-scene, in particular the props / costume…

There are connotations of…

Why is this advert for Muller (also staring Nicole Scherzinger) worthy of note, considering the above?

Functional Positioning (aka ‘the demo’)

testimonials
break the 4th wall
create comparisons
pathetic fallacy (the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things)
before and afters
second person narration
realistic and relatable mise-en-scene
presenter authority
usually male middle aged
repeated slogans
simplified, scientific demos
terminology or 'jargon'

Single Camera Techniques used in the Google Home advert

Techniques used: Use of ECU = see more detail/functionality
zoom (into an ECU) to "reveal" and "tease" the product
pan/tilt = see more angles/adds variation
camera angle variation/movement = more engaging, keeps focus and attention of audience
lighting = high key lighting, and use of white space, draws attention to product and details
match cut used to show the product in various locations, shows versatility and suggests the audience (aspirers) need to buy more than one
Equipment used: The use of a tripod & slider for smooth, sophisticated, elegant movement, that looks professional (no wobble/shake) which increases the production values. External lighting kit. Bigger camera lenses.
Risk: The "demo" advert formula is very repetitive, many tech products use it, audiences could become fatigued

Fear Messages (aka ‘shock tactics’)

Shock tactics deliberately attempt to startle or offend audiences by subverting or violating social norms or expectations. Graphic imagery and blunt slogans are used to capture attention and create buzz, and to attract an audience to a certain brand or bring awareness to a certain health issue, or cause. It is often controversial or disturbing.

An example of fear messages, or ‘shock tactics’ might be the Binge Boy and Binge Girl adverts...