Media Studies
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Number 008
Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising Hello and OK are friendly names, informal and chatty like a friend. Heat has exciting connotations. More suggests the contents and the audience are larger than life. The image on the front cover will clearly represent what that audience is interested in.
The aims of this Factsheet are to introduce and define the way magazines and advertising use media language to persuade audiences and to promote lifestyles and ideas.
Magazines Magazines have a close relationship to advertising as both media forms attempt to sell something to their target audience. This may appear more obvious in advertising but consider the following magazine genres. •
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Looking at magazine articles is similar to analysing the newspaper. You need to look at both the image and the text and look at the purpose, language style, mode of address and layout in just the same way.
Lifestyle Magazines promise to fulfil many needs. They give us advice about food, sex and relationships and they attempt to make us feel as if we belong in a group (the group that reads the magazine). They promote articles geared to getting us ‘that promotion’ or the ‘right man’ (in the case of those targeted towards women) or they give us advice about changes that could be made to improve the readers’ lives. They show the reader which choices to make and which products to buy to help them feel accepted. Specialist Magazines are for enthusiasts of a particular topic often based on hobbies or careers: for example motoring, nature, photography, film, music etc. These magazines provide specialist information for people with specific interests and offer advice on how to ensure the audience can effectively take their place in an elite group. Often this includes advice on the right products to buy to help you take part in your chosen hobby or area of interest. Celebrity magazines are for a largely female mass audience. They show us details of celebrity lives. They are voyeuristic and allow us to feel a part of a social network that is not our own. We are apparently allowed to get close to the celebrities so that they appear to be on a similar level of intimacy as a friend. This can act as an addition to the reader’s social sphere and it allows the masses to escape into the success/failure of other people’s lives. These magazines are often used as springboards to help the celebrity’s career. Often celebrity magazines include fashion and beauty tips to enable the reader’s to buy products which help them emulate their favourite magazines.
Model Analysis The magazine is using the colloquial language of the tabloid which presents a friendly, open chatty mode of address to the audience. The main focus is on the romance of Pete and Nikki from Big Brother. The ideology being communicated here is that other people’s opinions don’t matter when you’re in love: ‘People tell me it won’t work. I just think ‘Oh shut up”. The magazine is appealing to our need to be voyeurs as we are being offered the opportunity to find out information about the Big Brother romance, see Posh drunk and look through Chantelle and Preston’s wedding presents. This allows the readers to feel part of a social network that is not their own. The readers also feel less envious of the glamorous lifestyles as they are given access to celebrities not looking their best, in this case Victoria Beckham. Topical soft news values are shown in the references to Big Brother and Chantelle and Preston’s wedding. The words ‘World Exclusive’ for the main article makes it seem unique and implies the story cannot be accessed anywhere else on the magazine market. This is an incentive to buy the magazine and is targeting Big Brother fans. ‘Their only joint interview’ has the same effect. The image of Nikki kissing Pete is chosen for its emotive appeal. She looks emotionally attracted to him and he looks strong and defiant.
It may come as no surprise, therefore, that magazines have developed from product catalogues which had a clear purpose to persuade the audience to purchase goods. Contemporary magazines sell in a different way, but they are very closely related to advertising.
The stories are personalised. The readers are on nickname terms with these celebrities. This is again fulfilling a social need to have access to this celebrity group. Readers are encouraged to relate to them as if they were friends because of the informal way the magazine is addressing the reader.
Analysing a Magazine The front cover is an important part of the magazine as it initially attracts the reader and is a taster of what can be seen within the contents of the magazine. It is its own ‘shop window’. By looking at the front cover of a magazine a potential reader will be able to determine how far it will fulfil their needs. Firstly, the titles anchor the texts to the genre of the magazine.
The fonts have been chosen for their exciting colours and large font size. Different font types delineate the different stories and a pink background is used for the wedding feature which connotes love and romance.
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Media Studies
008 - Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Advertising
2. Awareness Raising Advertising
Advertising is necessary to promote a product and to persuade people to buy it. Advertising comes in many forms and uses many devices to grab the attention. Magazines are an essential vehicle for advertisers, between 30% and 50% of a magazine’s income comes from advertising.
This is mass media advertising but it is bought by the government and other organisations to inform the public about health and welfare issues: e.g. smoking, emergency services, eating habits, sexually transmitted diseases and drink driving. These adverts are attempting to inform their readers or change their attitude to a specific issue. They may target particular groups and attempt to persuade them to change their habits (the male smoker is targeted below) or they may try to stop someone from behaving in a specific way by providing off-putting information. Often these adverts use fear or insecurity to shock the readers into feeling a specific way about an issue. The anti-smoking advert is raising awareness between the link between smoking and impotence. Something that is certain to tap into the fears and insecurities of many men and this may be effective in persuading some to attempt to give up smoking.
Forms of Advertising Three of the main types of advertising are: 1. Consumer Product Advertising 2. Awareness Raising Advertising 3. Charity Advertising
1. Consumer Product Advertising This is mass media advertising bought by a manufacturer to raise awareness of a product and to persuade consumers to buy it.
In consumer advertising, there is usually an image of the product in the advert. Often advertisers focus more on an aspirational image rather than the product itself in order to sell a lifestyle or a dream to the consumer. The idea is that the positive imagery will be associated with the product creating an idea that the product will bring you the ideal promoted.
3. Charity Advertising This is also mass media advertising but there is no actual product. Charities rely on donations from the public to help fund their work. Their adverts are designed to persuade readers to give money or support charitable activities in some way. Charities are known for using shock tactics to spur the audience into action and often play on guilt in order to try to convince people to donate to support their work.
On an advert of a health food there is often an aspirational image of a beautiful body.
This is an anti-fur advert from PETA. The image is shocking and upsetting and has been chosen to raise awareness in the reality behind using fur to make clothing.
On a car advert there may be an aspirational image of a landscape connoting freedom and providing an escape from life’s stresses.
The Barnado’s advert shows children with the heads of elderly people. Their point was that abuse causes children to grow old too fast. The shock tactic intends to make viewers of the advert feel guilty if they don’t support the work of the charity. The Barnado’s campaigns are always highly successful due to the emotive and often shocking quality of their campaigns.
Consider why the specific images used in adverts have been chosen. What is the image trying to suggest about the product?
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Media Studies
008 - Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Sex: This is one of the most basic human needs and one of the most effective persuasive tools. Many adverts claim that consumers will become more attractive to the opposite sex if they buy their product. The Lynx campaign adds humour to this technique and is highly successful.
The Language of Advertising There are a number of ways language can be used to help persuade the target audience to buy the product. • Technical Language: Technical language is often used to show important aspects of a product e.g. Lexus RX400h ‘The world’s first high performance hybrid SUV’. The use of technical language suggests the value of a product and it suggests the product is advanced and offers the most up to date technology. •
Emotive Language: Language that encourages an emotional response. Advertisers use language that will create a positive emotional response to the product. Look for words like ‘sublime’, ‘perfect’, ‘best ever’, ‘superior,’ etc.
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Slogans: A phrase connected to the product that sums up the product’s appeal. ‘Have a break, have a KitKat’ suggests the product will allow the purchaser to relax and take time for themselves. As the slogan is often repeated it is remembered and the association between the idea (relaxation) and the product (KitKat) is reinforced.
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Puns: A play on words - often on the different meanings of the same word. e.g. The BP advertising slogan is ‘To power our cities of the future we’re turning to bright sparks’. ‘Bright spark’ could refer to the light or the intelligent people working for BP.
Aspirational People: Famous people are used to endorse products and if the audience admire that person or aspire to be like them they will be more likely to buy the product.
Exam Hint : You will need to know how an advert is constructed for all the exam boards, whether it is for analysis in exam or in your own production. Students often forget to analyse the text in an advert, so to gain marks analyse the effect of the text as well as the image.
Celebrity endorsement implies tat the product is part of the lifestyle we associate with the celebrity and we may buy Police Sunglasses to try to buy a small part of the Beckham’s glamorous life. Other examples of this are Gary Lineker and Walkers crisps and Madonna and Steven Spielburg in the GAP adverts.
Persuasive Devices Different adverts use different techniques to try to persuade people to buy their product. Below are some of the most common. Humour: Whether it’s basic slapstick or subtle ambiguity and punning, humour adds layers of meaning to a text and will make it more satisfying to decode and consequently more memorable and entertaining. Stella Artois adverts are famous for the humour in the stress the characters are under as they see their beer go astray.
Reward and Punishment: Advertisers often use the idea that their product will reward us where others would punish us in some way. Physical rewards are offered e.g. the face cream that will keep you ‘young looking’. Other techniques include, buy one get one free, the possibility of collecting coupons to get a free products or merchandise (e.g. Felix cat food has a whole range of merchandise you can buy or collect coupons to get). The recent ‘Persil penguin’ proved to be a very popular reward that was tied in to a TV advertising campaign. More frequently psychological rewards are offered. Whiskers cat food has added vitamins so the implication is that the consumer will be a good cat owner if they choose this cat food allowing them to feel good about themselves. By implication the opposite also applies (the punishment) - if you don’t use Whiskers you will be a bad cat owner.
Shock Tactics: Shock tactics grab not only the attention of the audience but also that of the media itself and in doing so can increase the effectiveness of the campaign. Pot Noodle’s “Slag of all snacks” was banned but still proved very successful with the consumer.
What is clear from all of these persuasive devices is that we respond to adverts which promise to meet our needs.
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Media Studies
008 - Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Maslow constructed the following diagram to identify human needs.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Need
Motivation to satisfy need
need for self actualistion
Challenging Projects. Opportunities for Innovation and Creativity. Learning at a High Level
need for self esteem
Important Projects. Recognition of Strength-Intelligence. Prestige and Status
social needs -belonging
Acceptance. Group Membership. Association with Successful team. Love and Affection
need for safety and security
Physical Safety, Economic Security, Freedom from Threats, Comfort, Peace Water, Food, Sleep, Warmth, Health, Excercise, Sex.
physical survival needs
The needs are arranged in the triangle to identify that our most basic survival needs come first. We must feel content that these basic physical needs are met before we consider meeting the needs above it. Advertisers use these ideas to tap into our needs and then offer products which will fulfil them. • Heat magazine offers to meet our social needs by providing a sense of belonging • Beauty and grooming products offer to meet our self esteem needs by providing a way to look good and feel confident • Anti-drinking campaigns play on our safety needs by identifying dangers we could face • Charity advertising often plays on our self actualisation needs by showing us how we can help other or make a difference to the problems that have been identified
Ferrero Rocher chocolate adverts suggest a glamorous and luxurious lifestyle. The adverts use images of luxury that have an aspirational quality and so we will feel special by eating the chocolate.
Brand Names and Brand Identity One of the main things to identify when analysing an advert is the brand and the way that branding works. A brand is described as ‘product plus personality’. This is an important idea for advertisers as this means that they can sell the personality to the consumer rather than the product itself. A brand will mean more than just the product it produces – it will represent a lifestyle and a set of ideas and values.
Exam Hint : When analysing advertising or magazines, it is worth considering how they identify the psychological needs of their target audience. An understanding of this will allow you to evaluate the other media language choices as adverts will try to show how the product can meet the identified need.
What ideas, values and lifestyles do Coca Cola, Nike and Versace represent? What other brands can you identify that have very specific meanings that goes beyond the products they manufacture?
How to Analyse Adverts Decipher the needs being sold to us through advertising. Look at the underpinning ideology within adverts and check to see if it is trying to sell us a lifestyle as well as a product. Very often the advertising industry tries to sell us a variety of needs quite subtly.
Brands also exist when a name is used to market a range of different but related products. Kitkat is a good example as the name is used to sell Kitkat original, chunky, temptations, dark chocolate, white chocolate and lemon flavour. Nestle makes Kitkat and is also a brand name. It makes many products such as coffee, breakfast cereals and chocolate but the brand name is the important thing. If people see Nestle on a product they may buy it simply because Nestle has a reputation for quality products.
In adverts for food and drink, the physiological need of hunger or thirst is not the main need identified – we live in a culture where hunger is not an issue for the majority. Most advertising will suggest the food product can fulfil other, less basic needs.
Hoover proved how influential branding was when it became so popular that the brand name is now used as product name. Most people talk about ‘hoovering’ rather than vacuuming showing how the brand has become associated with one of the products it sells. Hoover make other domestic appliances but these are not as closely linked to the brand. Hoover make washing machines too but ‘hoovering’ is not the same as washing.
The Special K adverts suggest the product will make us thinner and therefore sexier – fulfilling social and esteem needs.
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Media Studies
008 - Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
The brand is developed by a marketing team who decide what associations the brand will have (e.g. Coca Cola is well known for valuing the family and it has a wholesome image). These lifestyle associations are sold to the consumer through the slogan, images with connotations of wholesomeness, repeated family situations shown through advertising and repeated showing of coca cola bringing the family together or somehow solving problems or making people happier. The Christmas campaigns tend to focus on this side of the brand image whereas at other times of the year the brand focuses on its more youthful, fun values and the advertising reflects this. The logo is present in all the advertising and so the logo also becomes associated with the brand image.
Model Analysis • • •
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Advantages to creating and marketing a brand 1. Brands provide consistency. Burger Kings taste the same where ever you buy them. This provides reassurance for the consumer 2. Consumers expect the same quality between products connected to the same brand name. If people like Kellogg’s breakfast cereal they are more likely to try Kellogg’s cereal bars 3. Consumers are more willing to try a new product if it’s got a brand name they know and trust 4. Brand name products have a ‘snob’ appeal. It is often seen as more socially acceptable to buy branded products rather than a cheaper alternative and this encourages sales
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The manufacturer’s logo is gold so has connotations of wealth and meets the aspirational needs of the consumer The product is clearly shown so the reader knows what is being sold This is a night time scene. The couple in the car are looking out on a secluded panorama. The couple are cheek to cheek looking at the stars. These media language choices hold connotations of love and romance. However, the advertisers have linked the stars to the car with its five star security rating which is humorous in its use of a romantic setting being used to talk about the car. The car is linked to ideas about an ‘ideal boyfriend’ as the language uses expressions associated with romance but the ‘speaker’ is the car manufacturer The advert contains technical language: ‘ABS with EBD and Brake Assist’ and ‘Program deformation zones.’ This is not explained but it sounds impressive and is informing the reader about the safety aspects of the car with irony as it is included within the framework of the romantic situation The target audience are likely to be female as the advert speaks to women directly and the conventions of romances are associated with a female audience
The needs being met are: • Safety (the safety features of the car are mentioned) • Social (the car may assist with impressing the opposite sex) • Self Esteem (the car may help the buyer feel good about themselves as the car is presented as ‘sexy’)
This may explain why Pepsi and Coca-Cola dominate the cola market.
Analysing the logo of branded products The logo and choice of name is important in reaching the consumer. On the Coca Cola logo, the use of the very familiar red colour connotes passion and it is exciting and vital. The white could connote purity and cleanliness which is essential to a food company. The font is informal and like handwriting. It is like calligraphy and so suggests a history or a heritage to the company promoting the idea of a trustworthy quality product. The water droplets have connotations of refreshment.
Persuasive techniques being used are: • Humour – specifically irony • Reliability and trust • Sex • Reward Analysing adverts and magazines will begin with a close analysis of the media language used to construct the texts but in both formats, a deeper analysis will be achieved if you consider the way the texts appeal to the audience’s needs and how they offer to meet them.
Activity: Analysing an Advert Look at the following advert and consider: 1. Who do you think the target audience is? Why? 2. What ideology underpins the text? 3. What is the main persuasive device being used?
Advertising uses specific persuasive devices to attempt to encourage the audience to purchase the product or idea being sold. Always evaluate the way that adverts attempt to persuade the target audience to act. You will need to consider what they need the audience to do and then how they try to achieve this aim.
Images Heat magazine: http://www.specialistmags.co.uk/coverimages/1165.jpg Hello: www.images.amazon.com Megane advert is from Sunday Times supplement All other images found at http://www.advertisingarchives.co.uk
Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched and written by Karen Fallows Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. Media Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136
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