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Examining Ads & Reviewing Appeals

English I PreAPSpringBoard 1.17

Pre-Discussion

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Think of your favorite advertisement. It could be a TV commercial, film trailer, print ad, or billboard. What is it about the ad that appeals to you? Is it

funny? Touching? Do you like the music or jingle? What is being advertised? Is it a product that you use?

Watch this Commercial!

Advertising Techniques Pg. 71

Bandwagon Advertisers make it seem as if everyone is buying this product, so you better buy it too: “The best car of the year is here…All your friends and neighbors are driving one…” This technique makes you feel left out if you are not buying the product.

Avant-garde This technique is almost the reverse of bandwagon: It makes the product seem so new and so cool that you will be the first on the block to have it. Only super-cool people like you will even know about this product.

Highlight the important parts of the definitions & make note of an ad you know of that uses the technique:

EXAMPLES

BANDWAGON AVANT-GARDE

Advertising Techniques Pg. 71

Testimonials Advertisers use celebrities or just regular people to endorse the product. Pay close attention; sometimes the celebrity doesn’t even actually say that he or she uses the product.

Facts and Figures Statistics, percentages, and numbers are used to convince you that this product is better or more effective than another product. Be aware of what the numbers are actually saying. What does “30 percent more effective than the leading brand” really mean?

EXAMPLES

TESTIMONIALS FACTS & FIGURES

Advertising Techniques Pg. 71

Transfer This is a rather complicated technique for persuasion. To recognize it, you really need to pay attention to the background of the ad or to the story of the commercial. This technique gets you to associate good feelings shown in the ad with the product itself. The the good feelings transfer to you when you buy the product. A commercial that shows a group of people having a lot of fun while drinking a certain brand of soft drink wants you to believe that you will be a part of fun groups if you buy the brand of soft drink too.

EXAMPLE

TRANSFER