1) What audience gratifications / pleasures are offered by the John Lewis brand? Consider all three adverts from 2014-2016. How are they similar in the pleasures they offer? How are they different?
John Lewis adverts tend to use content and iconography that will appeal to a ''mainstream'' audience as they are more educated. They usually belong to the A B C1 bracket and tend to be the mainstreamers, explorers and succeeders ( from the Young and Rubicen Model ). The adverts from 2014-16 all include lines of appeal (Dyer ) that attract this particular audience e.g happy families, dreams and fantasy, and the natural world. They all revolve around emotive narratives that tend to make the audience think about the lives of different people during Christmas. Relating to the Blumler and Katz theory the advert uses diversion (escape from everyday problems) and personal relationship (emotional connection) to connect to the audience.
Criticism
2) What are the objections of some members of the audience? Do you agree or disagree with these viewpoints? Why?
The Guardian suggests that some members have said that the advert links to animal cruelty as there have been cases of pets being stuck in nets, which can kill or injure animals such as badgers, deers and owls. It also states that some of the animals e.g the hedgehog are ''not even British'' which could also affect animals due to the change in habitats. I partially agree with this particular viewpoint as it might encourage young viewers to play with their pets in ''extreme'' ways which may harm them.
The Manchester Evening News suggests that it ruins the idea of Santa bringing presents as it clearly shows the dad buying the trampoline fro his daughter. I disagree with this particular viewpoint as I believe that children will eventually know that Santa is not real. If they continue to believe it at a young age they are likely to become ''obsessed'' with the idea.
Christmas ads 2016
1) Which do you think is the most appealing and why? Try to use some of our audience theory in your answer.
I think the most appealing is the Heathrow Airport advert. Even though they used animation like the rest of the adverts, it would appeal to a much larger audience- from children to the elderly. The characters in the advert connote themes of family and happiness as the advert is intended to ''bring the family together for Christmas''. Therefore the advert uses personal relationships in order for the audience to develop affection for the characters on TV.
2) Are there any audience pleasures that two or more of the adverts have in common? Choose two examples to illustrate your point.
The ''sainsburys'' and ''very'' adverts both use diversion to appeal to their audience as they both use songs along with the narrative. They are both used as a source of entertainment rather than information (surveillance)
The ''aldi'' and the ''heathrow airport'' adverts are both used for surveillance as they provide information on the services they provide. The ''aldi'' advert showcases all the different food products they offer, while the ''heathrow airport'' advert goes through the standard ''airport procedures'' e.g going through customs or visiting the gift shop.
3) Choose a different advert and identify the target audience for the advert. Answer in terms of demography and psychography. What tells you this?
House of Fraser 2016
I think the target audience for this particular advert is 15-25 year olds as it uses a trendy soundtrack which would appeal to this demographic. The choreography in the advert is also associated with this particularly young demographic. The audience would fall into the A B C1 bracket which consists of people who are upper/middle class and are employed in areas such as education, healthcare and the creative industry. The quality and price of the products at ''House of Fraser'' seem to appeal to this particular demographic. In terms of psychographics, the audience would mostly consist of explorers, succeeders and aspirers as this advert connotes themes of freedom and expression which is usually associated with these psychographic groups.
4) Why do you think Christmas adverts, in particular, often use emotive language and narratives to appeal to a wide audience?
Christmas adverts revolve around emotive narratives as they usually connote themes of togetherness and celebration which appeals to audiences especially during the festive season. It shows audiences the importance of family and how the lives of people differ during the Christmas holidays. These ideas appeal to audiences and therefore make these adverts a source of entertainment as it shows them iconography such as ''happy families'' and ''dreams and fantasy'' (Dyer's lines of appeal). Also these ideas are relevant to a large demographic as they can appeal to children as well as adults. For example, emotive narratives are also used with animation to make the advert endearing.
Dogs Trust 2016
Todorov's theory of equilibrium is used in this advert to create an emotive narrative. The existing equilibrium is the dog playing with the doll. The iconography of the ''special'' doll suggests that the dog is lonely and is trying to find that ''special someone'' to be his owner- as stated by the adverts name. The disequilibrium is then the owner showing up and adopting the dog. Therefore the new equilibrium is the man and the dog being together. The advert uses one example to show the audience that there are thousands of dogs that need a new home. Towards the end, another dog is seen with another doll which persuades the audience to consider adopting one. The narrative uses an emotional soundtrack and narrative to make the audience sympathize with the dogs that are homeless.
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