Media Studies – Study Of 4 Advertisements For Cars, And Their Similarities And Differences Essay, Research Paper
??????????????? I will begin by identifying and
describing the signifiers, and then I will say what they signify, and lastly,
say why this advert works, who it is aimed at and identify the techniques
behind this advert. ??????????????? There are several main
signifiers in this advert.? The most
obvious one is the car.? It is a sleek
car, and it is red.? The next large signifier
is the blurred background, i.e. the sky, trees and the road.? After that, there is the man in the
car.? He is not very young, early 50s
maybe, but he looks happy.? The last
signifier is the writing beneath the picture, or the anchor: ALFA SPIDER. EVER HAD A RECURRING DREAM? YOU WILL. ??????????????? The small writing below the
anchor is not important, as it only gives details about the car and where it
can be obtained. ??????????????? These signifiers have meanings,
or the signified.? Firstly, the
car.? Red gives the impression of a
sports car, which is signified further because the car is sleek and looks like
a sport car.? For most people, this
gives a meaning that it is a good, stylish car, that will impress, and
everybody will want one.? The advertisers
further draw on this in the anchor where it assures that everyone will dream of
getting one of these cars.? The blurred
background is also important, because it serves to give an impression of speed,
another feature of most sports cars, and so the signified is speed, which will
help to sell the car because most people enjoy fast cars.? The man in the car is not very young for a
reason.? This advert is designed,
obviously, to target people who can afford these cars, and so the image of a
middle-aged man, who maybe has enough money to buy one of these cars, is
important.? Also, the small smile on his
face signifies that he is happy driving the car.? The last signifier, the anchor, is the most important one,
because without it, the picture could have an open meaning.? It assures people that they will want one of
the cars, by saying that if you don?t always dream about something, then, now
that you have seen this, then you will.?
It encourages people to buy the car, because it is ?your dream car?. ??????????????? This advert works because it has
a very definite meaning, mentioned above, and so there can be no confusion over
the assurance that it is a dream car.?
The advertisers are obviously aiming this car at men more than women,
and affluent men at that, because, as mentioned before, the price range would suit
the driver?s age.? The reason it is aimed
at men is not only because there is a man driving the car, but also because
there is a gender representation that says that women prefer more practical
cars than men and are not so obsessed with speed and looks.? This is of course largely untrue; nevertheless
it will sell better to men.? The
photography of the car is responsible for making the advert work as well.? Although the blurred background is most
likely computer generated, the car is a photograph.? The camera never lies, but here it has been chosen to capture the
image when the wheel hubs are blurred with speed and there is light glinting
off the bonnet and headlights.? This is
all true to life, but the moment that it was taken changes the meaning of the
picture totally.? It now says speed and beauty,
whereas before it could have been stationary with the sun not out.? I will discuss this advert in comparison
with the others at the end of this essay.Advert
No. 2 – Vauxhall Astra ??????????????? I will talk about this advert in
the same way as the previous one, comparing it at the end with the other three
adverts. ??????????????? There are six main signifiers on
this advert.? They are: firstly, the
car, which is a green colour and is shown to be a practical family car.? Next, the road is slightly blurred as in the
last advert, although here the surrounding landscape is sharp.? There are two more signifiers that the road
has got.? They are the fact that it is
very long, and also that it is winding and not straight.? Another is the writing on the actual
picture: ARE WE THERE YET DAD? ??????????????? This is reproduced many
times.? The last signifier is the anchor
on the bottom of the picture.? It says: THE GOOD NEWS: THE ASTRA
1.7 TD CAN GO OVER 700 MILES ON A SINGLE TANK. THE BAD NEWS: THE ASTRA 1.7
TD CAN GO OVER 700 MILES ON A SINGLE TANK. ??????????????? Now I will explain what the
signifiers mean.? The car is a family
one for a reason, which is obvious, it is ideal for a family, especially with
children, when you read the words.?
Green is seen to be a colour associated with the countryside and so if
the car is green, it means that people will see it as a good car to go to the
countryside in.? As mentioned before,
the blurred road shows a sense of speed, reassuring people that although it is
a family car, it can still go quite fast.?
The fact that the road is long is anchored by the words at the bottom,
signifying to people that the Astra can go a long way without refuelling at
all.? The road is also very hilly in
places, which signifies that the car is capable of handling hills very well
too.? The words on the actual picture
signify that because it can go 700 miles on one tank of petrol, then journeys
are unbroken, and will therefore take a short amount of time.? The anchor beneath the image signifies that
the Astra goes 700 miles on one tank of petrol which is good for cost and bad
for kids. ??????????????? This advert works because of two
things: Firstly, we are used to the saying ?the good news and the bad news
….?; Secondly it is a familiar family scenario that is portrayed.? The advert is obviously aimed more at men,
the main money earners, because the children say ?dad?.? This is because Vauxhall believe that men
are more interested in buying cars than women.?
The techniques used in this advert are firstly a photo which is taken at
a moment where the car looks at its best secondly, as mentioned previously,
this background is used because it gives a sense of distance.Advert
No. 3 – Toyota Corolla ??????????????? The main signifiers in this
advert are the car, the headlamps of the other car, and the word anchoring: NEW FROM TOYOTA. THE MOST
DESIRABLE COROLLA EVER. ??????????????? The car is dark blue which
blends in with the car-park backdrop.?
The headlights are round like eyes and are on springs as though they are
goggling.? The anchor says that the Corolla
is the most desirable ever. ??????????????? The signified meaning of the
goggling headlamps is that the other car is amazed at the good looks of the
Corolla, and it suggests that it is not usually like that.? The car-park is dark because it signifies a
smoothness and air of mystery, further implying to the customer that it is
desirable.? This is the same with the
car, as it is a dark colour too. ??????????????? This advert is simpler than the
other three because there are not as many signifiers.? However, its simplicity makes it very effective as the customer
only has to focus on the headlamps and the anchor.? The advert, unlike the other three is aimed at both sexes because
there is no person in or near the car.?
However, the representation of colour for males is dark, and for
females, light.? This means that the
advert is again aimed more at males, who tend to be the main money-earners and
more interested in cars.? The techniques
used in this advert are simple.? The
Corolla contrasts with the other car, so they immediately stand out from each
other and also the are not as dull as the background.? Although the photos of the cars are real, there was probably
computer editing to put the headlamps like that on it.Advert
No. 4 – Volkswagen Passat ??????????????? This is a more complicated
advert than the other three because there are more signifiers.? They are, the outline of the car, which is
simple with not much detail, the Volkswagen sign on the right, which is
prominent and stands out from everything else.?
Also, there is the anchor: I TOLD MY HUSBAND HE HAD A SCREW LOOSE. HE?S GONE BACK TO CHECK. The
writing down the side, although not the most important writing , is still part
of the advert, and I will discuss its significance later on.? Finally, there are two pictures, one of the
wife at home in bed reading, and one of the husband in a dressing gown, holding
a clipboard and checking the car all over. ??????????????? The outline of the car is
against a dark background, so that it stands out and the customer can see its
elegant curves.? It is deliberately not
over-confusing.? The Volkswagen sign is
in a bright blue, and so it is the most prominent thing in the advert.? The customer?s eyes are drawn straight to
it, so that they know immediately that they are thinking of buying a car with a
reliable badge on the front.? The anchor
is very necessary, because? otherwise
the adverts signifiers would not go together to form a code and make any sense
at all.? It explains why the husband and
wife are separated and why the husband is studying the car.? It is supposed to reassure customers that
the Passat is ?born out of obsession? and that they will be happy with the
meticulous attention to detail.? The
husband and wife are explained by the anchor, otherwise they are not a lot of
use to the advert.? The writing down the
side of the car is important because it explains further the first statement
and tells customers the things that they will want to know about reliability. ??????????????? This advert is very clever, and
the techniques used are quite different to others.? The size of the signifiers and the colour that they are is important,
because it puts a them into an imaginary order, which one should be looked at
first, second etc.? The simplicity of
the car is, as mentioned before, key to the advert working.? The anchor on this advert is more important
than on the other three, as without it the advert would certainly be open.? It is aimed more at men than women, because
the advert implies that the man had gone round checking it making sure that it
is as good as it can be.? Females do not
tend to be known for this meticulousness. ?It is therefore again an advert for men, the money-earners , to
buy a car.? This advert works because of
one thing: the anchor.? Without this, it
doesn?t make sense at all, but with it, it is a very clever advert indeed.Comparison
of the 4 Cars??????????????? The easiest comparison to make
is that all four adverts are aimed more at men.? This has been explained, but here, it shows a clear gender
representation: men are more interested in cars and they will be the ones
deciding which one to buy with the money that they earn. ??????????????? Another one is that way that the
cars are portrayed.? All the photos show
off each part of the car that is a particular feature to this vehicle, i.e. the
Alfa?s speed, the Passat?s smooth shape.?
This will encourage people to look at the advert and maybe choose that
car over another. ??????????????? ?The anchors of the adverts all have something in common.? Without them on the advert, its meaning
would be open, and it could be interpreted in different ways to the intended one.? However, the anchors make the adverts
closed, and so they only have one, the intended meaning. ??????????????? Another comparison is to do with
the car signs or symbols.? With the
Passat and the Alfa Romeo, it is easy to see which make of car is being
advertised because the symbol is showing.?
However, in the other two, the symbol is small, and it takes some time
to realise which car is being advertised.?
This can be good or bad.? People
will see the symbol first if it is prominent, but this may stop them seeing the
rest of the advert, whereas with the other two, people will either get bored
looking for it, or it will make them look at the advert for longer, which is
good. ??????????????? With all the adverts, the
background is very important.? It either
tells us something, e.g. the Astra, which represents a long distance, or
compliments the car, e.g. the Passat, where it is silhouetted and shows off the
car?s outline. ??????????????? The last comparison is that in
all of them the signs are of varying importance.? Large ones are placed at the front and they can be seen and
interpreted first, whereas smaller ones at the back may require several look as
at the advert to understand what they signify.