Coursework Task - Improved

Advertising and Marketing 

Cross-media Study

The two adverts I am comparing for this task are a broadcast advert and a print advert for ‘Coca-Cola.’

 

Media Forms

The first advert is a broadcast advert whereas the other is a print advert. The positive of using a broadcast advert is that it would reach a wide variety of people. This advert is shown throughout the evening when most age groups and social classes would be able to see it. The disadvantage of television advertising is that during the adverts break people often stop watching so the advert might not be seen by some viewers.

The other advert is a print advert which is similar and different to the television advert. The advert would appeal to a large group of people in a popular newspaper like The Sun or The Times as would reach a large audience like a TV advert. However there are a wide variety of newspapers and there are probably more people watching TV so less people would see the advert. The advantages of a print advert are that it could be targeted at a specific audience if the advert was placed in a magazine or newspaper that the target audience read and the advert could be seen outside of the home when people are thirsty. This makes it effective because you are more likely to go and buy a drink if you are outside of your house.

 

Target Audience

The target audience for this television advert is diverse. This is because many different groups of people can relate to having someone who stuck up for them when they were growing up. This could be a brother but it could also be a friend. This would make people buy the product as adults could associate it with their youth and children could associate it with their friends. Parents could also by this product if they want they want their children to be like the brothers at the end. This advert is on popular channels in the evening when many people watch television. This is so the advert can be viewed by many different age groups and social classes. The time when the advert is on also make people think that the brand is popular as only the more famous brands are on during prime time television.

 The print advert is targeted to the same audience but works in a different way. Where the TV advert tries to get you to remember the product, the print advert tries to work when you need the product. People often read newspaper on public transport or while waiting for something. Seeing the advert can make people feel thirsty when they are near shops or out of their house where it is easy to buy it.          

Media Institutions

In this advert the only institution shown is Coca-Cola because all the attention is on this brand. They haven’t used brand synergy in this advert as the Coca-Cola brand is already famous enough and it doesn’t need other brands to been remembered. The brand value shown in this advert is togetherness. This is shown when they all have Coca-Cola at the dinner table and they are sharing the big bottle. Also when the older brother gives the younger brother the bottle and they both smile.

During the advert the product is shown multiple times with the logo always facing towards the camera. This is to make you remember the product as people like to buy products they recognise. Also if the product is in multiple shots you think Coca-Cola is for all parts of your life and not just to have at dinner. The product is shown throughout the advert in its different forms (like Coca-Cola and Coke Zero) so they can show off their range of products. One of their logos before the end also shows this with the different coloured bottles.

 Lighting is used to make the product look good in this advert. This is done at the end when he is drinking the product and he is happy. The setting is very light and the sun is out which has the connotations of happiness. However, during the rest of the advert there isn’t much lighting. This makes us associate the product with good weather and fun times. The logo at the end of the advert uses the classic Coca-Cola font which shows us they care about the past but the simple red circle behind it shows us they are a modern brand as well.

The clothing in the advert also promotes the brand. During the advert the younger brother wears red clothes and red shoes. This is because people want his brother to be nice to him and feel sorry for him. Also at the end when his brother his finally nice to him he is wearing red. For the rest of the advert the older brother wears blue and silver as well as the bullies. This gives you the idea that red products are good and friendly whilst blue and silver products are bad. The colours blue and silver are representative of Coca-Cola’s main rivals Pepsi. This shows us the brand value of Coca-Cola is friendship and it tries to convince that Pepsi is a company that doesn’t care about people.

The Coca-Cola print advert is represented differently. The brand value shown here is that the product is refreshing. This is done by having the product with a few drops of water on it. This is effective because it looks like it has just come out of a fridge and people think of a refreshing drink as cold.

The product is also shown as being natural. This is done by placing the product in a natural environment with a ladybird. These natural things try to convince us that the product is not full of bad things as people associate nature with being pure. This could make people who previously thought the product is unnatural want to buy the product or convince them that it is not that bad.  

 

Representations

In this advert groups are represented using stereotypes. This is done so things are easily recognisable.  To start with the house they are in is a typical family house. This is done they look like a normal family that people can relate to. Also, the house is nice and clean but not overly expensive so this advert would appeal to different classes of people and not alienate any of their target audience. The main character is the younger brother and is represented as a typical young teenager. This is done as he shown walking in the rain, playing video games and going to the park, which are things people do as teenagers. This is effective as children can relate to the character and adults can remember being a child. Also the younger brother has buck teeth. This means people can relate to this child as many people have something they would like to change about themselves. In the advert there is also the stereotypical older brother. He is shown as being mean to his younger brother so you begin to expect that he will be mean. This is done in the advert in the last scene when the brother first appears and there is a low angle shot which makes you think he will do something mean again. However afterwards there is an eye level shot which makes him seem less threatening after he chases away the bullies. This is pathos advertising as it makes you feel happy that the older brother helped the younger brother and angry at the bullies. The bullies in the advert are represented as mean but cowardly. This is done by them picking on the younger brother but running away later. This is effective as cowardice is a negative attribute and it shows Coca-Cola’s opposition as being bad. 

In the print advert there is a ladybird. This is effective as they have the connotations of being helpful as they get rid of pests. Also they make people think of nature and the outdoors which is effective as people like to buy natural products. In the print advert there is also what looks like a young couple by the bottle. They are represented are a couple that go outdoors often as they have clothes that people would wear for this. This further reinforces the idea that the product is natural and couples could want to buy this product if they want to be happy like couple in the advert.

 

Conclusion

Overall, I think that the print advert is more effective than the broadcast advert. This is because I think that the print advert is better at making people want the buy the drink than the broadcast advert. The print advert does well because it makes you want the product as it looks refreshing and nice to drink whereas the broadcast advert makes you feel emotional. I think this makes the advert less effective because you take in more information about the story and you don’t necessarily remember the product that well. Another reason why the print advert is good is that it challenges people’s views of the product being unhealthy and unnatural as well as making the product look nice and refreshing.