Sample answer for the 2002 'awkward' question
Write an analysis of the advertisement
(Start big – describe the ad as a
whole)
This is a colourful ad, designed for a
magazine page. It is advertising the sweets, Quality Street. The image is
composed of a man and woman sitting on opposite sides of a couch, with a coffee
table in front of them. On the table is a half-eaten box of Quality Street. Only
purple sweets remain. Each person has a selection of empty wrappers near them.
At the bottom of the ad is a banner on which the copy is printed. From the copy,
we can surmise that the couple are on a first date that has not gone well. All
they have in common is an “unusual dislike of the purple” sweets. The copy
concludes with the product’s tagline,“Quality Moments with Quality Street.” (Use
as much technical language as you can!)
The ad is playing with the idea that most
people like the purple Quality Street a lot. The purple sweet is the hazelnut in
caramel, and it is generally more popular than, for example, the coffee crème or
the strawberry flavoured sweets. Abigail and Carl, however, have avoided the
purple sweets, and chosen any other flavour ahead of them. The joke is based on
the fact that this appears to be the only thing they have in common. In every
other respect, they are total opposites, suggesting that their date has been a
complete failure. (Explain the‘concept’ / joke / premise – what is the
advertiser doing that they think is
clever)
The premise is conveyed quite cleverly. The
couple are arranged on the couch in such a way as to highlight the differences
between them. The man is slouched and wearing shapeless, casual clothes. The
woman is sitting very primly and wearing tidy, somewhat old-fashioned clothes.
Her skirt sits below her knees and her hands are clasped in a tense manner.
Neither one appears to be enjoying themselves. They are looking away from each
other, towards the edge of the shot. How they have dealt with their sweet
wrappers further emphasises these differences. Carl’s wrappers are scattered
carelessly on the floor beside him, despite the nearby bin. Abigail’s wrappers
are neatly, almost obsessively, flattened and arranged in a straight line on the
coffee table. (begin a close
analysis of the composition of the
image)
The audience’s attention is focused on the
product being sold in quite clever ways. The box of chocolates – the product –
is centred in the image. There is almost nothing around it to distract us. The
couple are positioned to either side of the box. Above the box there is almost
nothing at all – the blank wall and a pale coloured cushion. The box of
chocolates commands our attention. The only object near it is a heart-shaped
candle holder. This is supposed to be part of the romantic date, but in fact
makes us associate the Quality Street with positive, loving feelings. The banner
at the bottom of the ad, where the copy is located, is a very specific shade of
purple. It is the same colour as the Quality Street label, and again, focuses
our attention on the sweets.
Overall, I think the ad is fairly clever.
It brings the specific sweet flavours in the Quality Street selection to our
attention. There is an amusing joke in the ad, and the use of colour is well
thought out. However, I couldn’t claim that the ad would make me rush out and
buy myself a box of Quality Street. I might remember them more clearly when
buying a gift for a teacher or family member. This is most likely what the
advertisers were hoping to achieve.
Write an analysis of the advertisement
(Start big – describe the ad as a
whole)
This is a colourful ad, designed for a
magazine page. It is advertising the sweets, Quality Street. The image is
composed of a man and woman sitting on opposite sides of a couch, with a coffee
table in front of them. On the table is a half-eaten box of Quality Street. Only
purple sweets remain. Each person has a selection of empty wrappers near them.
At the bottom of the ad is a banner on which the copy is printed. From the copy,
we can surmise that the couple are on a first date that has not gone well. All
they have in common is an “unusual dislike of the purple” sweets. The copy
concludes with the product’s tagline,“Quality Moments with Quality Street.” (Use
as much technical language as you can!)
The ad is playing with the idea that most
people like the purple Quality Street a lot. The purple sweet is the hazelnut in
caramel, and it is generally more popular than, for example, the coffee crème or
the strawberry flavoured sweets. Abigail and Carl, however, have avoided the
purple sweets, and chosen any other flavour ahead of them. The joke is based on
the fact that this appears to be the only thing they have in common. In every
other respect, they are total opposites, suggesting that their date has been a
complete failure. (Explain the‘concept’ / joke / premise – what is the
advertiser doing that they think is
clever)
The premise is conveyed quite cleverly. The
couple are arranged on the couch in such a way as to highlight the differences
between them. The man is slouched and wearing shapeless, casual clothes. The
woman is sitting very primly and wearing tidy, somewhat old-fashioned clothes.
Her skirt sits below her knees and her hands are clasped in a tense manner.
Neither one appears to be enjoying themselves. They are looking away from each
other, towards the edge of the shot. How they have dealt with their sweet
wrappers further emphasises these differences. Carl’s wrappers are scattered
carelessly on the floor beside him, despite the nearby bin. Abigail’s wrappers
are neatly, almost obsessively, flattened and arranged in a straight line on the
coffee table. (begin a close
analysis of the composition of the
image)
The audience’s attention is focused on the
product being sold in quite clever ways. The box of chocolates – the product –
is centred in the image. There is almost nothing around it to distract us. The
couple are positioned to either side of the box. Above the box there is almost
nothing at all – the blank wall and a pale coloured cushion. The box of
chocolates commands our attention. The only object near it is a heart-shaped
candle holder. This is supposed to be part of the romantic date, but in fact
makes us associate the Quality Street with positive, loving feelings. The banner
at the bottom of the ad, where the copy is located, is a very specific shade of
purple. It is the same colour as the Quality Street label, and again, focuses
our attention on the sweets.
Overall, I think the ad is fairly clever.
It brings the specific sweet flavours in the Quality Street selection to our
attention. There is an amusing joke in the ad, and the use of colour is well
thought out. However, I couldn’t claim that the ad would make me rush out and
buy myself a box of Quality Street. I might remember them more clearly when
buying a gift for a teacher or family member. This is most likely what the
advertisers were hoping to achieve.