Lucozade Essay, Research Paper

Lucozade, first established in 1927 is now a highly successful soft drinks product. As times change so do people, so in order to keep a wide customer base Lucozade has been constantly changing its image and broadening its appeal to the public. To investigate how Lucozade has changed its image between 1960 and 2000 we have examined three television advertisements that Lucozade used to promote its product. The first one was shown in 1960, the second in 1980 and the third in 1999.

The narrative of the first advertisement is about a small boy who is recovering from being ill and he drinks the Lucozade with his mother. The director has chosen a typical 1960´s family so that people can relate to it. The mother is a stereotypical housewife, who has been chosen because the main target audience is housewives because it would have been the wife that did the shopping and she would be the one that would give the children the Lucozade. The girl looks angelic, like a perfect little girl, to give the impression that it will create a happy and loving family and it gives an image of family perfection. The boy is shown as energetic and active, even though he is supposed to be recovering from being ill because they did not want to associate negative impressions with the product. The boy is seen drinking the lucozade, which gives the impression that lucozade has helped him to recover and has given him energy and has made him active, as he is banging his drum and rolling around.

The advertisement is located in a normal young boy´s bedroom that looks as if it has been lived in, so as to not alienate the audience by making it seem too tidy. The director has chosen the bedroom because it is where individuals spend most of their time when they are ill.

The packaging is a large glass bottle, which can only be used in the home. The bottle is wrapped in orange cellophane to give it a medicinal look. This makes the packaging stand out.

The man delivering the voiceover sounds like he is about 40-50 years old, and his voice sounds authoritative, trustworthy and professional to help you believe what he is saying.

The slogan “Lucozade Aids Recovery” obviously suggests that it aids recovery. The written slogan reinforces what the narrator says. It is shown at the end and is a clear, snappy and memorable statement, which repeats the word “Aid” (“LucozADE AIDs Recovery”) to achieve this. This makes it sound like a fact.

The second advertisement was shown during 1980. It features Daley Thompson, the Olympic decathlon champion, who is shown growing tired during a training session. He drinks Lucozade, which refreshes him and gives him the energy to start running again. The celebrity, Daley Thompson is used to endorse Lucozade because he was very popular at the time, being The Olympic Decathlon champion, because he was associated with success. Lucozade has changed its image and expanded its target audience to the sporting youth market. This is evident in many places.

The music used is heavy metal style, which was popular with teenagers at the time. The bottle shape has changed also, although the old large bottle is still on sale. The new bottle is much smaller, making it portable. It has changed from being a medicinal type drink to a refreshing energy drink that people can carry around with them and buy in any shop. Daley Thompson shows how portable it is when he flicks the bottle in the air with one hand.

The traffic lights are used in an abstract way, which gives the advertisement a more modern approach. The fast editing style enhances the dynamism of the product, which gives the advertisement pace and makes it exciting and explosive to watch.

Advertisement number 3, made in 1999 centers around the computer game character Lara Croft. Lara is shown being chased by a pack of wolves in a typical Tomb Raider situation and runs out of ammunition for her handgun. She continues to run until she arrives at a ruined bridge. There is no way across, and the wolves are ready to pounce on her. Lara is trapped. The in-game inventory pops up, and Lara scrolls through various snack foods until she gets to Lucozade and drinks it. She skips all the other products as if she is disregarding them and the only thing that can save her is Lucozade. This creates the image that Lucozade will save you in times of crisis, will give you confidence and make you successful. The Lucozade seems to give her the mental and physical energy to save herself, for she now jumps off the bridge. The wolves pounce after her but also go off the bridge, plummeting to their death. However, Lara has caught hold of a small ledge under the bridge and just hauls herself back up again. She has outsmarted the wolves.

Lucozade has kept its male youth market by involving several features in this advertisement. Lara´s breasts and bottom have been accentuated to enhance the sex appeal of the advertisement. The computer graphics style would also be appealing to young computer game players, which has become a hugely popular leisure activity.

Lucozade has now expanded its appeal to women as well, by having a female heroine, who would feature as the female icon or role model. She also challenges the wolves, which are depicted as evil by their foaming mouths and red eyes, creating a good versus evil theme. Lara is depicted as independent and confident (when she blows the wolves a kiss before jumping off the bridge) and she does not need a man to save her which would appeal to women.

Throughout the advert, Lara´s energy bar is displayed at the top of the screen, just like in the game. When Lara drinks the Lucozade the energy bar moves from almost empty to full- which shows how energizing Lucozade really is.

When Lara runs out of ammunition for her gun there is a close up of her eyes as her pupils shrink, which shows her fear of the wolves.

When Lara slams the Lucozade in front of the camera she is saying that it is one of her most useful things in her Tomb Raiding adventures and she doesn´t know where she would be without it and is inviting you to try it too.