Analyse a typical commercial break on evening TV - What techniques are used to sell goods and services?

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Analyse a typical commercial break on evening TV. What techniques are used to sell goods and services?

This is an analysis of the following television adverts, which were shown on 22nd November 2001, in breaks during ‘Peak Practice’. This is a drama about a doctor’s surgery and it is filmed in the Peak District. It begins at 9.00pm and is therefore regarded as adult and teenage viewing. Because it is shown in the evenings, you would expect men, women and teenagers to watch this programme and also the adverts shown. Some of the adverts are on at this specific time, in between Peak Practise to sell their goods or services to the kind of people watching this programme, who are teenagers and adults.

The adverts were shown in the following order:

  1. Toshiba television sold by Currys
  2. ITV Digital
  3. BT Cell net
  4. 2oth Century Fox Dr Dolittle
  5. Intercitrus
  6. Toshiba
  7. Weetabix

  1. Toshiba television sold by Currys.

The screen shows a picture of a girl wearing a bright eye-catching orange top. This is because the viewers would notice her, then listen to more of what she says. She is in a room, inside a house. She has her arms out- stretched and is saying to her Dad ‘ It was this big!’ The next scene shows a picture of the wide screen television that she is referring to, with the ‘Grinch’ film on its screen. Writing appears on the screen, showing the price is only £1991.00’ in black. The print is noticeable. The Currys logo is also shown and the phrases ‘Currys No Worries’. Then the voiceover says ‘Larger than life’

This advert reflects the fact that, daughters can persuade their Dads to buy them things and the image of the girl and her father in a house makes people feel that this could be themselves in a natural situation. She refers to the television as big, which would strike a chord with her Dad because men tend to like big technical things. Not always men but in this context. The showing of the Grinch, which is a Christmas film this year, persuades children that they need this large television now, if they want see the film at` Christmas.

The high price is played down by referring to the TV being ‘only’ so that people will feel, it is cheap. Currys ends the advert by suggesting, with its catchphrase which is ‘currys no worries’that it would be safe to buy from them, giving the overall impression that this television is desirable, well priced, and necessary to have.

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The company is aiming this advert at people, who would like to think of themselves as having a wide screen television but they cannot really afford it. The advert is really persuading people to buy it by saying things like it is ‘only £1991.00’ which is a lot of money, but the way they say it, you just really want the television so you do not notice the price. This advert is a good and it could be very successful.

2 ITV Digital

There have been a series of these ITVdigital adverts, with the same ...

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