Advertising (May 31)

Advertising is all around us - in TV commercials, internet ads, in magazine and newspaper ads - there is even advertising on the floor of train stations, on the ticket entrances, and flyers in our newspapers and in our mailboxes. Clearly, it is difficult to go through the day without being exposed to some form of advertising.

While we might not pay much attention to ads, they are very creative and persuasive forms of communication and companies pay a lot of money to make them and to distribute them. Therefore it is worth paying closer attention to them.  First of all, the appearance of the product name and the company name are important, and some ads display them more clearly than others. This, and whether the website appears or not, are worth paying attention to.

What other things can we consider about ads? Here are some basic elements of ads that you should pay attention to:

1. the name of the product and the company that makes it and the type of advertisement, where you saw it, and when
2. the target audience of the ad
3. the layout of the ad
3. the colours used
4. the people that appear
5. the words and sentences that are used
6. the slogan (catch copy in Japanese)
7. the message of the ad
8. the effectiveness of the ad

As an example, look at the following:

Today we looked at a magazine advertisement for Kellogg's All bran cereal. The ad I showed you was from the May 17, 2013 issue of Orange Page magazine, a magazine that targets young women and housewives who are interested in cooking. It is a full-page colour ad, as shown below:

The target of the ad is also young women, as we can see a young woman in the ad who appears to be interested in dieting and her health. This young woman is 釈由美子. She is an actress and a talent (in Japanese). Therefore, the ad makes use of a famous person and this might appeal to viewers. Since she is shown eating the cereal, and dressed in a sports top that shows her thin waist in a pose that emphasizes her waist, the image gives the message to consumers that if they eat All Bran, then they can look like her too.
The slogan of the ad, 「だから私は、ブランフレーク。]  "So, that is why I eat All Bran." emphasizes her endorsement (support) of the product. The colours used are fresh and bright. The colour of the cabbage and the orange highlight colours are the main colours used, making the ad positive and bright looking - fresh and clean, healthy and natural (see the tree branches in the top left corner?). Furthermore, the text is talking about the connection between the cabbage and the cereal - can you understand it? If you can, then you know the main message. Are there any other messages in the text or the images? Try to analyze the ad further. Then, make your conclusion - is the ad effective or not? Why or why not?

The above is the basic outline of an advertisement analysis. Can you find anything else interesting in the ad?

Homework for June 7 class:

Bring a one-page colour advertisement from a magazine. The magazine must be new - within the last 2-3 months is best. Analyse the ad according to the above 8 criteria and write your answer in a paragraph and bring it together with the ad. In the class, you will present your ad and your analysis to your blog group. Make sure to do this and do a very good job! After your presentation, you will hand in your ad and analysis.

All Bran ad - background information

It is always worth checking the product's HP when you are researching and analyzing an ad. I found some information about the current advertising campaign for All Bran on the website written on the ad:
www.allbran.jp/:

This picture is the same as the one in the ad. And the use of the expression [だから私は、ブランフレーク。] shows that this is the slogan for the product. On the same webpage, there is a report by this woman:

I suppose she is saying how wonderful this cereal is and how she has become healthier and more beautiful as a result of eating it. Is that true? The print is too hard to see on the above photo, so why not check the webpage written above?

Make up classes on July 16 (Tuesday)

We will have make up classes on July 16 during 2nd and 3rd periods in place of the missed class on May 10 and the one I will miss on September 13. Please put this date in your appointment book and prioritize your schedule so you can attend.

Greek yogurt (model for Blog #1)

Recently, I have been eating Greek yogurt. It is produced by Morinaga and is available at supermarkets and some convenience stores around Tokyo. A single  80g serving costs 168 yen. The yogurt is plain and unsweetened, but it comes with a package of raspberry syrup or honey. I prefer the raspberry syrup. This yogurt is very rich, thick, and creamy and it tastes different from the Morinaga ビヒダス yogurt I usually buy, so I enjoy it once in a while for a treat. If you like yogurt, I suggest you try it! You can learn about Greek yogurt here.

This is a model for your first blog - introduce a new product or something you have been doing lately. Check your typing and spelling and introduce something interesting to your group members.
Deadline: Thursday May 30 at 17:00.
At the top of your blog post, make sure to write your name.
The Post subject should be like this -
Blog #1: xxxxxx (your name)
Have fun!

Send me your email address (in class May 24)

Send me a short note, using the model below, in which you tell me your email address. Once I get everyone's address, I will make a class mailing list. Thanks.
My email address is: laura.macgregor@gakushuin.ac.jp

MODEL:

Subject: (Your name) Friday 1 email address

Dear Ms. MacGregor,

Hello, this is (your name). I am sending you my email address. It is:

Sincerely,

(your name)

---------------------------------------