Task: Select Two Advertisements From Magazines And Write A Comparative Analysis Of Them. Essay, Research Paper

Media Coursework Task: Select two advertisements from magazines and write a comparative analysis of them. Adverts: Vauxhall Vectra

Goodyear tyres The Vauxhall vectra advert shows a man, a dog and the car that is being advertised. There is a statement at the top of the advert, in quotation marks, supposedly spoken by the man, setting the tone of the advert. The Goodyear advert shows a series of pictures with text between them giving ’some advice for the road’. Both adverts aim to sell a product. I think that the Goodyear advert is set out the way it is, with the white behind the text contrasting with the other colours in the advert, so that it is more eye-catching to the reader. The Vauxhall advert does not need to be as eye-catching because the target audience of people that would be looking at this advert is much more specific. Where the Goodyear advert will be aimed at anyone with a car, the Vauxhall advert will be specifically aimed at people who are looking to buy a new car. This means that the picture of the car alone is likely to attract the attention of anyone looking for a new car, and plenty of space is left for text about the car in question. With the Goodyear advert, there are lots of pictures and contrasting colours so that the advert appeals to anyone flicking through the magazine. This approach by Goodyear means that there is not a lot of information about the actual product but the name is likely to stay in people’s minds because of the appeal of the advert, this is good because if someone who has seen the advert then goes to buy tyres, they are likely to remember Goodyear above other competitors. The Vauxhall advert however concentrates more on getting information about the product across, because when someone is going out to spend thousands of pounds on a car, they are not likely to be swayed by an advert just because it is aesthetically pleasing. The Vauxhall advert uses a clever, but humorous looking man in their advert firstly to try and make the reader believe that the scientific talk in the text is true but secondly, and more importantly to bring humour into the advert. Vauxhall have employed a famous comedian to play the part of this man and this makes sure that it is not taken too seriously by anyone reading the advert.

The text in the Vauxhall advert describes the amazing new feature on their new range of estates that they are hoping will sell the cars for them. The fact that there is now more space in the boot. They do this in a subtle way though, instead of saying how much space there is in the boot, they say how little space there is in the bonnet because of their ‘rather clever computer’ that ‘takes useless space under the bonnet, and puts it where it’s most useful, in the boot.’ It then goes on to say how clever this is considering all the ‘gadgets and safety features’ included, another possible selling point. Then Vauxhall tell the reader that their range of estates is currently the most popular in Britain, just to make sure they are persuaded. The Goodyear advert uses pictures of different things, to appeal to different kinds of people. A lizard for any die-hard fans of nature, a picture of their tyres to show what the advert is actually about, and a picture of a young, good looking couple to bring in some sex appeal. This also makes sure that the advert appeals to both sexes, as does the Vauxhall advert, as both men and women could relate to both adverts. The text in the Goodyear advert makes you think about the advert before you understand it so that people will spend more time looking at it. The second picture is of a road sign saying ‘Guatemala 650 miles’. Then there is a picture of a lizard and the caption ‘Broaden your horizons Explore new places Go where the road takes you’ The point that all these things put together is trying to make is that the tyres being advertised will save you fuel so even in undeveloped places, you can still explore and not be worried about getting stranded. The phrase that Goodyear use at the end of the advert emphasises this point saying ‘Goodyear – We discover. You explore.’ Meaning that they will discover new technology whilst the driver can broaden their horizons and explore. Overall I think that both adverts fulfil their purpose effectively and are aimed well at their respective target audiences.

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