Structure:
Linear
Animation
Stand
alone
Style:
Humour
Techniques:
Overt
Messages
Hidden
messages
Describe and explain the structures of the advert:
This
advert is for the electronic cigarette company brand called E-Lites. The advert
is 31 seconds long. I chose this advert as it was one of the first smoking
adverts that doesn’t directly advertise a way to quitting smoking, but rather
an alternative, healthier way of smoking. The advert features a linear
structure, it begins with a family watching and playing with a baby, the father
goes outside to smoke (this is indicated by him tapping a packet in his pocket,
however the cigarettes aren’t actually shown) after realising nothing
interesting is happening. As soon as the father walks out of the house, the
baby begins to walk and dances the Gangnam Style routine. As soon as the father
walks back into the room the baby stops. The baby is clearly too young to be
doing a dance routine therefore I checked the animation box, with closer observation
you can see that the baby’s body is computer generated. As of yet there is not
sequel to the advert therefore it is a standalone advert. The style of the
advert is clearly humorous which is the reason it has become popular, the
advert will be remembered for being part of the huge trend and song, Gangnam
Style.
The
camera shots consist of medium long shots to show the family playing with the
baby, medium close ups to show the fathers reaction while getting up to go
outside to smoke and there is an over the shoulder shot when the baby begins to
walk towards a family member. There is also a close up of the mother when she
sees her baby walking without support. Medium close ups are used to show the
family members reactions after seeing the baby perform the Gangnam Style dance
routine for the first time.
The
lighting for the advert is high key, this shows that it would be during the day
as it would make sense that the family is all sitting together playing with the
baby during the daytime. It also adds to the fact that something is more likely
to happen during the day as opposed to at night. It seems the advert has gone
into a different direction as opposed to the anti-smoking advertising campaigns
which are usually have a dark and gritty look to them. This advert has a clean,
crisp look to it.
There
isn’t any music in this advert, even during the baby’s dance routine. The only
sounds are the family members playing with the baby, the father tapping his
pocket (implying he’s going outside to smoke), and the door closing behind him.
The most notable part in terms of sound is when the father walks back into the
house and says “so, what have I missed?” as he is unaware of the event that has
occurred.
The
advert is edited to show a clean look, giving enough time for the viewer to see
what is happening in a shot before moving onto another shot. The shots are all
straight cuts.
There
is a clear use of special effects in this advert as the baby isn’t capable of
performing the dance routine as shown in the advert. It looks like it is done
through the use of computer generated imagery (CGI) in which the baby’s head is
placed onto an animated baby’s body performing the dance routine.
Describe and explain the techniques of the advert:
The whole advert is an overt message;
the message is that smoking wastes time. This gives the impression that the
father should quit smoking all together and it remains that way until the logo
of the brand of electronic cigarettes appears at the end of the advert.
I feel there is a hidden message in
this advert which revolves around the fact that if the father smoked an
electronic cigarette instead of a normal cigarette, he wouldn’t have missed the
baby dancing. He would have been able to smoke it indoors as it is considered a
healthier alternative to smoking normal cigarettes. This advert shows one
scenario when being allowed to smoke indoors would be useful, there would be
plenty of other scenarios when someone could smoke indoors and not miss an
event.
I also think there is another darker
hidden message in the advert. The advert could be considered as a warning, the
father missed a few seconds due to smoking. Smoking lowers the users lifespan,
doing so would mean the smoker would miss more than a few seconds if they keep
smoking. The message is a lot darker however I feel it fits in, by smoking the
smoker is shortening their life, which means they will miss their child’s
future achievements.
Who is the target market? How are they targeted by the advert?
The
advert is clearly targeted at adults, more specifically family men, who smoke.
It’s aimed at adults as they are more likely to be smoking and it would be
unethical to show a child or someone who may be considered underage smoking. I
feel that it is also aimed at adults as they are more likely to want to quit or
cut down or smoking, this is because as people age, they become more concerned
with their health therefore they will look for a healthier alternative or a way
to quit all together. I feel the age range for the target market for this
advertisement would be from around 30 up to around 50 years of age. The
electronic cigarettes are more expensive at first however in the long run they
work out cheaper than buying normal cigarettes therefore adults are more likely
to have the funds to purchase the electronic cigarettes in the first place.
I
feel the standard occupational class for this advert would be from the lower
middle class (C1) to the upper middle class (A). This is because they are more
likely to be sitting at home with their child and family, the advert clearly
shows that the family is earning enough to have a nice large living room. I
also feel that anyone lower than the skilled working class (C2) would be too
busy working to be able to have time to relax. The fact that the family are in
such a large, well-furnished living room gives the impression the family are
comfortable whereas I feel that the skilled working class (C2) and any class
under that would more likely be in a smaller house.
Identify and explain the characteristics of the product or service:
The E-Lite cigarettes are an
alternative to smoking normal cigarettes; they can be smoked indoors and are
less harmful than normal cigarettes. The E-Lite cigarettes would be cheaper in
the long run as opposed to normal cigarettes as after a while the only think
the user would have to purchase would be the refills which would last weeks.
Another advantage over similar products is that the refill cartridges are more
common as it is a national brand, where as some electronic cigarettes may only
have selected stores in which refills are sold. The electronic cigarettes
appeal to those who want to continue smoking but would rather smoke something
less harmful. The advertiser has stated that the goal of the product isn’t to
stop the user from smoking completely; it’s just an alternative smoking method.
The brand isn’t easily distinguished from other electronic cigarettes brands
however this is the first electronic cigarette brand that has advertised on
T.V.
Due to the fact that the advert was
still promoting smoking of some sort, even if it was through an electronic
cigarette, the ASA may have been confused. The advert acts as a healthier
alternative to smoking which could be considered as an aid to quitting smoking.
This allowed the advert to still be aired without being taken off the air by
the ASA. However the ASA has stated that the advert is still advertising
smoking, just in another form. Therefore the advertisers of alternative smoking
methods have to take into account that the claims and images they portray are
extremely limited.
