3. The Codes and Conventions of Print Adverts

What I have learnt about the codes and conventions of television, radio or print adverts

I looked at different deodorant adverts made for print and compared advertisements made for the female audience to others made for the male audience. I tried to looked at a variety of the most popular brands. For each company I have used an example for each brands's print adverts to analyse. For each advert I looked for the list of the following categories:
-Is there a male or female model
-Whether the model is a known face
-If the main photo is centralised
-Whether the slogan is featured
-If the ad gives a fact/statistic
-If there are bright colours/a colour scheme
-If the product is show in a bottom corner or not
-Background
-Lighting
-Is there context given on product

For the female audience:

Lynx 

(Example)

-Male and female model in the centre both showing side profiles, they are not known faces

-Slogan is present in ad: 'unleash the chaos'

-Background features a city's skyline

-There is no context and no fact/statistic

-Colour scheme is red and blue

-The lighting is bright

-The product has been unconventionally placed in the top right corner, could be to reflect their slogan (unleash the chaos)
-Ad projects instant love with both genders present in advert facing one another
-Use of attraction conveys desire connoting the deodorant creates this encouraging its target audience to buy into the products

Dove

(Example)

-Dominant picture of female models

-Main photo lies in centre

-The picture of the product lies in a bottom corner (bottom right)

-There has been no use of celebrities

-Includes fact: 'sleeveless-ready in just 7 days'

-Plain white background

-Colour scheme is white

-No slogan attached

-Bright lighting
-Extra information is at bottom of page
-Feel good has been presented with the bond of women reflecting female empowerment, signifies a closer relationship/friendship of women together all glowing with confidence

Sure

(Example)

-Unknown female model slightly off-centre

-Slightly blurred background of a studio

-Greyscale colour scheme

-Slogan has not been inserted

-2x protection (48 hour), fact provided

-Dull lighting with lots of shadows produced

-Product is placed in the conventional right hand corner

-Information on product is written in a small font on the left hand side

-This ad conveys sweat as something strong women do and they should not feel ashamed for that
-The deodorant gives the consumer (a female) the power to feel  comfortable and do what they need to do

Nivea

(Example)

-Features both a male and female model

-Models shown are unknown

-The focus of the picture is in the middle

-Displays a fact: 'no more deodorant stains'

-Includes slogan: 'feel closer'

-Lighting is bright with some shadows cast

-Products are presented in the bottom 
 right hand corner

-Backgrounds features a crowd behind the models
-More information on product given below main focus
-Deodorant promotes no visibility of stains as a result of a combination of sweat and deodorant boosting the wearer's confidence completely
                                                                                        

For the male audience:

Lynx 

(Example)

-Female model has been used as the main focus, in the centre

-Model is not known

-Background shows a window and chest of drawers (home-like environment)

-Lighting is not very bright, path of light can be see coming from top left hand corner and light is emitted from halo

-No context or fact/statistic given on product

-Colour scheme is a combination of purple and cream to beige, the colours are not bright

-Slogan is included in ad: 'even angels will fall'

-Product is shown in the right hand corner

-There has been a use of sex appeal in the advertising for men's deodorant using a female model, the model's facing expression is sultry generating the idea of fun activities

Dove 

(Example)

-Male model present, attention lies on him as he in the centre

-The model is not someone in the public eye

-Slogan is written in the bottom in the right hand corner: 'tough on sweat, not on skin'

-No context is given on product, neither is there a fact nor statistic

-Greyscale colour scheme has been employed

-Deodorant is featured in the traditional position

-Set in a home environment

-Simple lighting has been utilised
-The ad has been both stereotypical and unconventional towards men's behaviours, it can be insinuated that real men are able to mend and work machinery, but the ad also includes the male model wearing an apron indicating real mean can also cook

Sure

(Example)

-Features three known male footballers: Eden Hazard, Ross Barkley and Fraser Forster respectively left to right

-The main photo is centralised

-Slogan is displayed across the advert: 'Sure won't let you down'
-There is no fact or statistic within a context

-The product is in the bottom right hand corner of the ad

-The background shows a football pitch with a stadium/arena, it is not in focus

-Colour scheme consists of hues of blue and grey

-The lighting is bright but soft
-The brand has used the fact many men enjoy the sport of football (the typical man's sport in the UK) either watching, playing or both, coaxing fans of the sport and men alike to buy into the brand

Nivea

(Example)

-Advert include a male and female model, they are unknown and in the centre, arms raised
-The slogan: 'it starts with you' is positioned in the left top corner of the ad
-There is context, stating the product delivers 'triple protection against sweat, bacteria and body odour', this can also be considered a fact
-Colour scheme is dominated by shades of blue with smaller amounts of white
-In the background there is a crowd and flags hang above the models's heads
-The foreground is brightly lit but there is dull lighting in the background
-The deodorant is visible in the right hand corner
-The ad displays the deodorant as a product that allows the consumer to feel free when wearing it, it allows them to be themselves, providing them the confidence it gives

                                                                         
Print adverts that are targeted at women, usually feature female models who are unknown by the public eye, this works the same for adverts targeted at men although the models used can be of both genders. Generally the product being advertised is located in the right hand corner at the bottom but this does not always have to be the case. Sometimes the advert includes context but normally the ad mentions what  the product does giving a fact or some sort.

How I intend to demonstrate this knowledge and understanding in my production in order to communicate successfully with the target audience.

As a result of learning the codes and conventions of print adverts, I will now display some of the conventions in my own print advertisement. I will conventionally position my product in the right hand corner and include a fact about my product. Since the product is being advertised for both men and women, I will use at least one model of each gender. I will not use a celebrity because adverts for deodorants do not use known faces.