This assignment required me to read Melissa Rubin's article "Advertisements R Us" and then give a reading response. This article gave me insight of an to analysis an ad from just what was shown in a poster ad.
Melissa Rubin’s article “Advertisement R Us” illustrates an ad that was created in 1950 from a Coca-Cola Bottler magazine. Rubin briefly begins her article by discussing how advertisements persuade us to buy things or try different foods. She also explains how advertisements cater to certain groups and how they attract those certain crowds to get people interested in their advertisements.
Rubin then begins to analyze this ad and gives such detail in which you feel like you are there in the presence of the ad yourself. She describes the “Larger than life vending machine” and the Sprite boy holding an old school coke bottle. Rubin describes the hand gesture of the Sprite boy and even gave such detail as the slogan on the vending machine. From the noticeable male crowd gathering at the bottom of the ad near an industrial area.
Rubin then shifts gears and begins to give the history of Coca-Cola and how they became the company they are today. She explains that the ad appears to recognize patriotism due to all the servicemen in the advertisement and during that time all men were made to sign up. Another factor that Rubin mentions is how in that timeframe racial prejudice was a huge issue. Rubin ends her article by stating how the ad shape’s American identity and how all of Coca-Colas ads are happy and carefree.