The advertisers are quite successful in manipulating the target audience since many techniques such as repetition of the ASDA Fresh logo and words which imprint a long lasting effect on the reader. Advertisers have aimed their products at addressees who would be interested in buying the goods such as - women in their mid-30s - by adding in phrases which require prior knowledge like the famous song ‘Easy like Sunday’ by The Commodores.
The tone of the article is informal at times colloquial and accessible; it influences the thoughts of the audience by speaking to them in a convincing way, by using positive adjectives like “fantastic, doddle, easy, effortless, favourite, fresh and tasty”. “There are no joints to prepare, no vegetables to peel…” etc, which stress that it is a no-fuss ‘delicious’ food concept to persuade the reader to buy ASDA fresh products.
The article is aimed at women, who are usually the homemakers and it is therefore gender specific. The readers are believed to be well educated, modern, diet conscious and busy who want to spend quality time with their dear ones on holidays, without compromising on their health.
The feelings of audiences are manipulated by repetition of ‘ASDA Fresh’ logo throughout the article which would make the audience remember it.
Indirect narrative is being used to maximise the number of readers to whom the article is appealing. There are 4 images in the article. The first is an exemplar of the product which is being advertised. The second is of a little girl happily eating her scrumptious “ASDA Fresh” meal; this projects the product as something even children love to eat. One of the images shows the mother pouring gravy into a bowl to heat. The final image shows a whole family, contently sitting down and having its meal; to give an impression of an “ideal” family that is happy all the time and have no problems; this will convince the audience that if the food is healthy, tasty, and doesn’t result in messy cooking, it is possible for a family to sit together to enjoy it in peace.
This is a “set up” image; we know this because there are many errors such as there are no dirty utensils in the sink, the toddler has been provided with a large plate of food which is impossible for him to eat. The image takes up a large part of the article so that the first thing the reader sees is a “happy family portrait”. The text surrounds the big picture in the centre which is divided into columns to make it easier to depict or scan the recipes of goods provided by ASDA Fresh.
The article is very Anglo-centric, the idea of typical a Sunday roast represented in the picture is very British-based and some people may not like the thought of an “ideal” family as they may be single parent. Many ideas and values are also being “sold” to the reader as desirable, which are; an ‘ideal’ family, ready-prepared food, health in a ‘package’, hassle-free preparations and a lovely Sunday roast, all through ASDA.
The advert shows a joyful and comfortable family who seem to have good manners and values that are being shared by sitting together across the table. Mis en scene: The father is smiling and talking to the daughter while the mother is smilingly pouring gravy in the plate of the toddler. Everyone seems to be very unperturbed. They are all elegantly dressed indicating that they are well-off in life. The father is shown as the head of the family because he is sitting in the middle and the mother is active since she prepared the food and is also shown as serving it to everyone. A modular kitchen in a modern home is represented in the main image. It is a stereotype image of a traditional family where the mother is the homemaker, the father is the head of the family, and the children are happy-go-lucky. They seem to be aspirers whose lifestyle is of a high standard and they are socialites who need stress-free, ready-prepared food so they can relax on a holiday.
Overall, it is a very nice setting and it shows that the family has imbibed modern values and is enlightened about the various ways of relaxing in the modern day life and is also aware of the various was how it can make its life easy and enjoyable in this hectic world. It also shows how the family is valuing every moment it spends together by being happy and relaxed. This image is trying to make the reader identify with real-life situations.
