A comparison of two print based Advertisements

Companies advertise so they can attract more customers to buy their product. Companies can make themselves known to the public. It gives people the chance to compare prices and make them aware there is a choice and variety. You find adverts in most places on TV, radio, billboards, letters, internet, books, newspapers and magazines. Good points about advertising are it helps companies to sell products and help them to make profit, people also become well known through advertising. Bad points about advertising are that it may tempt people into debt. This is because some people will aim to have a type of image to look good, and spend too much. Parents are put under pressure by children to buy products they might not be able to afford. In this essay I will be looking at the adverts for two cars.

Peugeot 307

Image

The colour of the car is different to the balls that it is surrounded by and this makes the car stand out. The advertisers use silver because this is a precious metal. Silver is also expensive and market research shows that people like it. The connotation is precious or valuable, like the metal. The main image that you see is the car embedded in coloured balls. This image takes up most of the advert. The writing is next to the car because when you look at the car the writing also catches your eye. There is a picture of the product and this is important because it attracts people’s eyes and people can see instantly what they are going purchase. Primary colours are used because they are bright and make the car stand out. The photographic techniques used are that in contrast to the balls in the background, the image of the car has been taken at an angle, which makes the car appear to be large, instead of it being lost in the background. To improve the look of the car window wipers, seats and steering wheel have been removed. This gives the impression of a larger car.

Copy

This is a preview of the whole essay

Copy

There is a short sentence at the top of the advert and smaller copy at the bottom. The smallest writing on the advert is informative writing and the larger text is persuasive, the reason being that people will read the biggest writing first and the smallest last. The persuasive writing is telling you that the car is safe for kids and passengers. The informative writing tells you about the fuel economy figures and price. The persuasive writing states that there are “curtain airbags in the back to shield the kids”. This connects with the image of having the car embedded in balls that children play in. These balls are used to create a safe playing area. The sentences are short sharp and compact. A simile used is “their life is in your hands”, to make you think you should buy this car as it especially safe.

Graphics

There are four fonts in different sizes to attract people to read the smaller fonts after reading the larger fonts. White capital letters stand out on the background and this attracts the eye. The logo is blue and stands out on the white background. It is on the advert to inform and ensure the public knows the company. The company slogan is in capitals in order to sell the company.

Layout

The advert is designed so that you immediately see the car first. To sell the product the image and copy link together to appeal to parents with young children. The image and copy both lead to each other. So there are two things to focus on initially rather than one, to sell the product.

Renault Clio

Image

The whole advert consists of the car in the city. The writing is near to the car, so that your eyes focus immediately on the car and then the writing. There is an image of the product so that people can see exactly what is on offer. The car is silver and blends in with the blue and grey city in the background, giving the whole advert a shiny effect which appeals to the eye.

The photographic techniques give the impression of the car going at speed although it is only the background that appears blurred. This is a reversal of what would really happen, an optical illusion and is used to connote that the car is fast. There are no people in the image.

Copy text

The text is on the top right hand corner of the picture. This is the larger text which is persuasive so that it can be easily read and tempts people to buy. The smallest text is informative and is along the bottom of the advert, so that you may not be put off by any disadvantages such as high fuel consumption. The persuasive text tells you all the good points and the informative text tells you all the facts. The words “va va voom” next to the car, together with the blurred background gives an impression of a fast car. The phrase “run –of –the –mill” is used to tell you that this is no ordinary car. The sentences are long and give a lot of information.

Graphics

There are six fonts of different sizes to make you read the biggest first because they are to persuade and tempt the prospective buyer. “Clio” is written specially to look as if written by someone to whom the car actually belongs. The company slogan is written in French in the top left hand corner so it will be easily noticed and translates as creator of cars so it has the same persuasive effect as the image. Including the company slogan is also a linking feature for all their products and, because it is in them all. I reinforces the company’s name in buyers’ memories.

Layout

The advert is designed so you notice so you notice a fast car in a city. This helps to sell the product because the picture creates temptation, with a tempting phrase right next to the car. The image leads you to the copy and vice versa. This sells the product because the copy and the image enhance one another.

In conclusion both adverts use silver, because it is a precious metal. Both adverts have small informative text and both have larger persuasive text and both have similes in the text. The background colours in each advert is different. The Peugeot consists of many bright colours. The other background is made up of similar colours.

The Peugeot car gives the effect of safety whereas the other car gives the effects of speed.

Target audience

The Peugeot advert targets a male and female audience who have children. The working family man or woman will want a safe dependable car for the family. The Renault advert targets the young businessmen with a good income, because it is a smart fast car to travel round the city. Both are effectively designed to attract their target audience.

By Chris Wilkes