Looking at more closely two of the advertisements in particular, it is evident that the graphology or presentation is completely different. Although both advertisements B and D have a layout consisting of a picture, a headline, writing describing the product, and then a logo complete with a slogan, the format of these contrast markedly. Advertisement B consists of a hand drawn picture of three healthy-looking children laughing, reading a book and, as the advertisement is clearly headed “An open letter to Mothers of fast-growing children” it is directed at mothers. The text then goes on to say how “healthy and normal development depends almost entirely on correct diet and proper nourishment” and “growing children need more nourishment than ordinary food supplies, which is why “Ovaltine” should be their daily beverage”. The advertisement is clearly suggesting to mothers that if their children were to drink Ovaltine every day, they would look as the three children do in the picture – happy, healthy and also somewhat intellectual. This type of strategy for advertising is still commonly used today, with the advertiser placing a picture of, for example, a thin, beautiful woman on a diet product, and hoping that their audience will believe that you may become that thin, beautiful woman if you were to use the particular product. The picture in advertisement D is a photograph, which gives the audience the impression that it is more realistic, more related to them.
The heading, text and logo of advertisement B is, in the yes of today’s reader, an old fashioned, handwriting style, where as advertisement D has a heading in bold block capitals, before going on to write about Ovaltine in the same bold, “straight to the point” font. There are also a larger number of words in advertisement B, which are set in a block of writing, where as advertisement D has thin strips of spaced out writing. Simply, advertisement B consists of more text, 261 words, than advertisement D which has 176 words. Advertisement B begins with concerns about children’s health, raising some doubts in a mother’s mind, and not until half way into the text is Ovaltine mentioned as if it is an answer to all these problems. Advertisement D mentions Ovaltine in its heading. The layout of this text suggests that nowadays we have a smaller concentration span and have become unused to listening or reading for a long time, where as in advertisement D people were expected to read through an almost essay-type extract. This is related to the fact that over time as technology has developed, the pace of people’s lives has become both busier and faster. So much so, that people have become used to everything being quick and ready and so are too impatient to wait for anything. As soon as people began to get used to seeing, instead of listening or reading, their attention spans rapidly decrease. Advertisers have learnt that for an advertisement to have effect, an impact must therefore be made quickly, which is a reason why the heading of advertisement D is a question, and already humour is being used. This is what makes the audience want to know more about the product, and therefore read on. However, this is opposed to advertisement B’s opening lines, a simple statement and invitation for consumers to read on. Finally, presentation wise, the logos and slogans of advertisement B are perplex and cluttered with detail, where has advertisement D has a simple, plain and neat logo. This again suggests that people in a more modern world have faster-moving minds and do not have the time or wish to take in complicated and almost unnecessary details.
Another obvious contrast is that of the language the two advertisements consist of. Advertisement D makes use of word play and has an undemanding vocabulary, where as advertisement B has complex sentence structures and sophisticated vocabulary, using words such as “capricious”. The average sentence length in text B is 13 words, where as text D has a shorter sentence of 10 words. Although this may not seem a great difference, look closely and it can be seen that text D has many more commas separating words. This further confirms the fact that people have decreased attention lengths now compared to the earlier days. The use of language insinuates a informal, chatty message, even using slang at times in advertisement D, where as in advertisement B, words such as “beverage” are used to describe Ovaltine, together with a numerous amount of polysyllabic words, such as “not every day words used in the 1990s. This creates a precise, “starched” atmosphere in the audience, even condescending them with an air of superiority. There is also a frequent use of adjectives such as “in a concentrated, correctly balanced and easily digested form”. This exhibits that the relationship between the advertisements and their audience has completely changed over time. In the 1980’s, people do not like being told what to do, and the response to authority is totally different than in the 1930’s. Now, advertisers realise that they need to relate to the consumer and form a “matey”, intimate relationship with them, gently recommending the product. In advertisement B, it almost commands the audience to go out and buy Ovaltine and telling mothers that their children need it. For example, it contains statements such as, “(children) become listless and disinclined for play” and “growing children need more nourishment than ordinary food supplies”. If an advertisement were to tell a mother how to look after their children now, people would take no notice, or even be offended. This measures how advertising has grown over generations, as ordering people to do something could only be done ironically now.
Both of these advertisements’ objectives are to persuade their audience to buy Ovaltine. Text D chooses to entertain the audience and make them smile, using light humour and wit, where as text E is set on impressing their readers into wanting to buy the product with its serious, solemn tone. In conclusion, in the more modern world, the media has to work harder in making an impression on their viewers and readers, as they are bombarded with advertisements constantly, everywhere, everyday. The way in which advertisers go about persuading their targeted audience has changed drastically due to changes in lifestyle, technology, and the knowledge that people have possessed over the decades.
