Advertising: assessment

We have now come to the end of the Advertising and Marketing unit.

Normally, we would be doing an assessment in class in exam conditions but clearly these are not normal times! Instead, we are going to set you an online assessment that you can do on your blogs. This means you have access to ALL the information you need for the assessment so hopefully everyone will do extremely well.

Advertising assessment: tasks

Revision

We know that some of these Advertising CSPs will come up in your Paper 1 exam next year. Therefore, it's vital we have good quality revision material to return to over the next 15 months at various end of year exams and PPEs.

Look over your blogs and create revision cards or knowledge organisers for each of the Advertising and Marketing CSPs:

• OMO
• NHS Represent
• Galaxy TV advert with Audrey Hepburn

Here's an example template you can use for a Knowledge Organiser for this topic. You'll need to log in to your school Google account to view it.

Assessment

Create a new blogpost called 'Advertising and marketing assessment' and answer the following questions:

1) What does intertextuality refer to in Media Studies? [2 marks]

2) Explain how the OMO advertisement reflects the social and historical context of its time. [6 marks]

3) How do advertisements reinforce and challenge stereotypes in the media?

Answer with reference to the NHS Blood and Transplant online advertising campaign Represent. [12 marks]

Due: Monday 20 April

Advertising case study 3: Audrey Hepburn Galaxy advert

Our final close-study product for Advertising and Marketing is the 2016 Galaxy chocolate advert 'Chauffeur' featuring dead film star Audrey Hepburn.

This product provides an excellent opportunity to explore a range of different representations: celebrity, place (Italy), gender and more. 

Sample questions for Advertising and Marketing

In your Media exams, you are likely to get questions similar to these:

- Why do advertisers use stereotypes? [6 marks]

- Explain how advertisements reflect the historical context in which they were created. [12 marks]

Galaxy advert: background information


This is the advert CSP:

You can read more about the incredible CGI technology that went into creating the advert here. There is also a Guardian feature from the production company behind the advert explaining the technical process. 

GLOW words to use for this CSP

• Intertextuality: When one media text refers to or suggests another media text
• Semiotic codes: The media language choices (‘signs’) that create connotations for the audience.

Historical context of confectionary advertising

Nostalgia, or a "yearning for yesterday," is a frequently used advertising tool.  It is particularly common in the chocolate industry.

This classic Flake advert from the 1980s creates a nostalgic atmosphere of a more innocent time: 

Galaxy brand identity

The Galaxy brand identity has focused on luxury and indulgence for over 25 years. This 1995 advert is a good example of the Galaxy brand and also features a nostalgic soundtrack:





Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a huge Hollywood star in the 1950s and 1960s. She was associated with Hollywood glamour and style and was also a fashion icon and model. She died in 1993 at the age of 63.

For the Galaxy advert, the advertising agency used a CGI-version of Hepburn from 1953, the year of her hit film Roman Holiday. The advert is set on the luxurious Italian Riviera which creates intertextuality and nostalgia – two key audience pleasures.


Intertextuality in Media Products

Intertextuality is where one media product (e.g. Galaxy) makes reference to other media products (e.g. Audrey Hepburn movies such as 1953 film Roman Holiday) to interest and engage the audience.

Narrative theory

Propp’s  Character theory

Vladimir Propp stated that there were seven basic character functions when he analysed 100 fairy tales and that these were present in most narratives. Media products still use these recognisable character types today:

Hero, Villain, Heroine/Princess, Father, Donor, Helper/Sidekick, False Hero

Todorov: equilibrium

Tzvetan Todorov suggested that all narratives follow a three part structure.

They begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when a new equilibrium is restored.

Equilibrium > Disequilibrium > New equilibrium

This can be applied to most media narratives.

Galaxy advert: Representations

The TV advertisement for Galaxy uses a range of stereotypes. Stereotypes are used so that semiotic codes can be quickly communicated to the target audience. What stereotypes are used in this advert and why? Are they reinforced or subverted?

Place: Italy

Celebrity: Audrey Hepburn

Product: Galaxy chocolate

Time: 1950s

Gender: Men & Women, gender roles

Galaxy 'Chauffeur' advert: blog tasks

Work through the tasks in this blogpost to make sure you're an expert on this CSP.

Re-watch the Galaxy advert then answer the questions below:



1) Who is Audrey Hepburn?

2) Why did Galaxy select Audrey Hepburn for this advert? 

3) What are the connotations of Audrey Hepburn and celebrity in this advert? 

4) Why is the advert set in the 1950s? What audience pleasure does this provide?

5) What is intertextuality?

6) What Audrey Hepburn film is suggested in this advert and how is this effect created (e.g. mise-en-scene - CLAMPS: costume, lighting, actors, make-up, props, setting)?

7) Which of Propp's character types are represented in the advert? (Note: you will not find them all). 

8) How does the advert's narrative (story) follow Todorov's theory of equilibrium?

9) What representations of gender can you find in this advert?

10) Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted in the Galaxy advert? Give examples.


Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Read the Framestore case study and the Guardian feature again. How did they recreate an Audrey Hepburn film using location, casting and CGI?

Now read this Vintage Everyday feature behind the scenes of the Galaxy advert. What other background information do you learn here regarding the construction of the advert?

Women in the 1950s are represented very differently in two of our advertising CSPs: OMO and Galaxy. What similarities and differences can you find by analysing the two products?

Complete this work by next Monday.

School closed: what now?

With school now closed for the majority of students, we are going to have to make our GCSE Media lessons entirely blog-based for the next few weeks.

This won’t be too different to how we work normally – we’re lucky to have our blog system already set up and ready to go. The immediate priority is finishing our current unit, Advertising and Marketing, and getting through to Easter.

The first thing you need to do is check all the recent work is posted on your blog and complete. This means:

• Introduction to advertising: conventions
• Magazines assessment - learner response
• Gender in advertising tasks
• OMO CSP case study
• NHS Represent CSP case study

Most of you will have these done already but it’s worth checking first.

In terms of new Media work, from now on the week’s work will be emailed to you and put on the GCSE Media Year 1 blog. You can then work on that during the week – aim to have it posted on your blog by the following Monday. We’ll also email you the new work on Monday too.

Remember, if you need more work to do then I strongly recommend taking on the Grade 8/9 extension tasks for each exam CSP as these will really give you a deeper understanding of both the text and the wider media debates. You should also go back to previous CSPs and complete the extension work for those - it will make a huge difference.

We are living in very strange times but if we can keep on top of our work things will settle down eventually and we can look forward to some fantastic GCSEs next year.

Advertising case study 2: Represent NHS Blood campaign

Our second close-study product for Advertising and Marketing is the 2016 NHS Blood and Transplant online campaign video 'Represent' featuring Lady Leshurr.

This product provides an excellent opportunity to explore a range of different representations: ethnicity, masculinity, femininity, class, age, disability and ability and place. 

Sample questions for Advertising and Marketing

In your Media exams, you are likely to get questions similar to these:

1) Why do advertisers use stereotypes? [6 marks]

2) Explain how advertisements reflect the historical context in which they were created. [12 marks]


TV adverts: key conventions

As with any media text, the starting point is to focus on the key conventions. How do you know when you are watching an advert on TV or YouTube? What are the conventions that appear in the majority of moving image adverts?

Key conventions of moving image advertisements

• Narrative (storyline)
• Mise-en-Scene (CLAMPS)
• Editing (fast-paced, slow-paced, juxtaposition)
• Camera shots (& their effect)
• Sound (music, dialogue/voiceover, sound effects)
• Logo & slogan
• ‘Call to action’ – how audience can buy/support/take part

Broadcast advertising - notes

The internet may grab all the attention these days, but television advertising is still a significant media platform for advertisers to reach their target audiences.

Broadcast advertising is a powerful and persuasive tool for reaching consumers. It allows producers to target specific individuals or groups who are likely to be watching certain channels at certain times (e.g families tend to watch ITV and other mainstream channels at 7pm on Saturdays). Television adverts also reach a wide audience. 

To create an effective television advert, you must have a good script or concept and a strong offer or message. 

Advertising campaigns

Some adverts are produced in a series as a campaign. An advertising campaign is a series of advertisements that share a singular theme, message or idea. These are used to raise awareness of an issue or of the brand itself. The best campaigns have an emotional impact on audiences.

An advertising campaign will usually appear across multiple media platforms - print, broadcast and online.

Represent: background information


Lady Leshurr is an English rapper, singer and producer. She is famous for her freestyling rap style and has her own clothing line. 

This is the advert CSP:

The two articles we read in the lesson provide details on the campaign and how it was developed. This also gives information on why blood from people with a BAME background is so vital. 

GLOW words to use in connection to this campaign

• Literal – the actual, obvious meaning 
• Semiotics - the message behind what you see (hidden messages)
• Reinforce stereotype – when a representation is what we expect
• Challenge/subvert stereotype - When a representation goes against what we normally see in the media
• Mass - A mass audience is made up of a large group of people (men, women, children, elderly)
• Niche - A niche audience is a small subset with very unique interests or characteristics 

Codes and conventions of rap music videos

• There are many low-angled, close up shots in hip hop videos, to imply the artists’ power over their audience. The low angle gives them the power, because they look down on the audience and the close up gives status because it implies they’re important enough to have a frame to themselves.
• Sections of direct contact with the camera (the artist usually spends a lot of time looking straight into the camera as if to talk or have a conversation with the audience and relate to them)
• Props regarding costume tend to be used, for e.g. gold jewellery (male rap artists are commonly known to wear heavy chains or prominent rings)
• Show a clear display of emotions – if the tone of the song is angry, the artist is likely to present this through their gestures and facial expressions.
• Strong editing cuts between concept / performance and narrative.

Represent NHS Blood & Transplant campaign: blog tasks

Work through the tasks in this blogpost to make sure you're an expert on this CSP.

Re-watch the Represent video and then watch the 'making of' video:




1) What does BAME stand for?

2) Why is there a need for blood in the BAME community? 

3) What does this advert want people to do once they've seen it (the 'call to action')?

4) Why is the advert called 'Represent'?

5) Why have the producers chosen famous BAME celebrities to feature in the advert? Give an example of three well-known people who appear in the advert and why they are famous.

6) Why is there a slow-paced long shot of empty chairs at the end of the advert?

7) How does the advert match the key conventions of a typical urban music video?

8) How does the advert subvert stereotypes? Give three examples (e.g. ethnicity, masculinity, femininity, age, class, disability/ability etc.) 


9) How does the advert reinforce certain stereotypes of the BAME community? Could there be an oppositional reading where some audiences would find this advert offensive or reinforcing negative stereotypes?

10) Choose one key scene from the advert and write an analysis of the connotations of camera shots and mise-en-scene (CLAMPS).



Grade 8/9 extension tasks

1) How does the advert use genre and intertextuality to appeal to the target audience?

2) How is celebrity endorsement or star power used to make the campaign stand out?

3) Research the following stars in more detail: Lady Leshurr, Ade Adepitan, Kanya King. Why are they famous? How do they help the campaign reach different segments of the niche BAME audience?

4) Read this MOBO press release about the "B Positive" campaign - the follow-up to the Represent advert. How does it aim to build on the success of the Represent campaign?


You will have lesson time to answer these questions but will need to complete for homework - due on Thursday 26 March. 

Advertising case study 1: OMO print advert

The first close-study product for Advertising and Marketing is the 1955 advert for OMO washing powder that appeared in Woman's Own magazine.

This product provides an excellent opportunity to analyse the changing representation of women in advertising over the last 60 years.

Sample questions for Advertising and Marketing

In your Media exams, you are likely to get questions similar to these:

- Why do advertisers use stereotypes? [6 marks]

- Explain how advertisements reflect the historical context in which they were created. [12 marks]

OMO advert: blog tasks

Work through the tasks in this blogpost to make sure you're an expert on this CSP.

1) What year was the advert produced?

2) How were women represented in most adverts in the 1950s?

3) How does the heading  message ('OMO makes whites bright') and typography promote the product?

4) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the advert (CLAMPS): how is costume, make-up and placement of the model used to suggest women's role in society?

5) Why is a picture of the product added to the bottom right of the advert?

6) What are the connotations of the chosen colours in this advert?

7) How does the anchorage text use persuasive language to encourage the audience to buy the product? Give examples.

8) What representation of women can be found in this OMO advert? Make specific reference to the advert and discuss stereotypes.

9) What is the preferred reading for this advert - what did the producers of the advert want the audience to think in 1955?

10) What is the oppositional reading for this advert - how might a modern audience respond to this text and the representation of women here?

Grade 8/9 extension questions

1) How much do you think things have changed over the last 60 years with regards to representations of women in advertising? Give examples from a variety of adverts

2) Read this Guardian feature on possible law changes with regards to gender representations in advertising. Do you agree with this approach?

3) Now read this Guardian feature entitled 'Mad Men and invisible women'. Why does it suggest the advertising industry has 'failed to move on'? Do you agree? Read some of the comments below the article to get a range of differing views on this topic.

You will have lesson time to answer these questions but will need to complete for homework - due on Thursday 19 March.

Gender stereotypes in advertising

There is a long history of adverts featuring a sexist or negative representation of women.

We need to learn how adverts represent different people and groups and also how these representations have changed over time. Today, the focus is on the representation of women and the gender stereotypes that appear in many adverts. This builds on our work on social and cultural contexts - the way the media influences people, society and British culture.

Key words

Representation: the way a group or individual is portrayed in the media.

Normalised: when something becomes considered ‘normal’ or ‘usual’

Stereotype: viewing a group or individual in a fixed, over-simplified way.

Conventions: typical features of a media product. 

Reinforce a stereotype: the representation supports our usual expectations.

Subvert a stereotype: the representation goes against our usual expectations.

How are women represented in advertising?

The stereotype of women in advertising is often negative. Representations through the history of advertising have suggested that women are inferior to men, bad drivers, powerless, sexualised or focused on domestic work (e.g. cleaning). This potentially influences media audiences and the views in wider society.

 

 















Oxo TV adverts

Explore how the representations of women have changed through these two adverts for Oxo. Are they really as different as they first appear?

1980s Oxo advert




2017 Oxo advert





Gender representation in advertising: blog task

Create a new blogpost called 'Gender representation in advertising'.

1) Find three adverts featuring women that are from the 1950s or 1960s. Save the images to your Media folder as jpegs and then import them into your blog post. Hint: You may wish to look at car, perfume or cleaning products but can use any product you wish.

2) Find three adverts featuring women that are from post-2000. Save the images to your Media folder as jpegs and then import them into your blog post.

3) What stereotypes of women can you find in the 1950s and 1960s adverts? Give specific examples. 

4) What stereotypes of women can you find in the post-2000s adverts? Give specific examples.

5) How do your findings suggest representations of gender have changed over the last 50 years? 


Extension: Find three adverts that subvert gender stereotypes and write a paragraph about how they do this.

You will be given some lesson time to do this but will need to finish for homework - due Thursday 12 March.