6. What I have learnt about the industry in relation to television advertising and how I intend to use this knowledge and understanding to ensure my production is appropriate to the media industry context of the set brief I have chosen

The ASA

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all published media and advertising platforms. They apply the Advertising Codes, which are written by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP).

The ASA Broadcast code has over 30 points, examples include:

Advertisements should not:
- Mislead viewers with false information
- Cause serious or widespread offence or harm
- Use loudness of ads, shock tactics and flashing lights, which may trigger photosensitive epilepsy, to promote their product
- Promote lotteries, gambling, betting, alcohol or smoking – disclaimers must be included in adult advertisements, for example “Please drink responsibly” at the end of alcohol adverts
- Be seen to favour particular political issues or parties

Advertisements should:
- Be appropriate for all ages before the UK's 9pm watershed
- Have clear and reliable evidence for claims made
- Show acceptance of diversity and promote equality
- Promote safety in all vehicle adverts eg. not using vocabulary such as 'fast' on a car advert and encourage the use of safety equipment on motorbikes
- Use royalty free or original music


Example of an inappropriate advert

In response to several complaints, this advert for Marc Jacobs perfume Oh Lola featuring actress Dakota Fanning was banned by the ASA in 2011.  They maintained the ad appeared to ‘sexualise a child’, directly opposing the regulations of the ASA. Although Dakota Fanning was 17 at the time, the ASA deemed she looked under 16 in this particular photograph. That, in combination with her short dress and the sexually-suggestive positioning of the perfume bottle, resulted in the ASA ruling that it was 'irresponsible' and 'likely to cause serious offence'.

Example of an appropriate advert

This advert was released as part of the Dove 'Men+Care' campaign in 2015. This adheres to ASA regulations as well as promoting a positive message for men and challenging the stereotype of men having to be strong and not show emotion. It also features a range of races, personalities and ages to show equality and promote diversity.

E4 Audience

Popular show New Girl on E4 features characters from their target audience of 16-34 year olds

E4 broadcasts good quality drama, comedy and reality shows, appealing to educated 16-34 year olds. Their most popular shows are The Big Bang Theory and New Girl, both of which are American Sitcoms. This demographic is mindful, niche, sociable and heavily uses the internet. There is a slight majority of 59% female viewers.  In order to successfully engage my target audience I will need to apply conventions which typically appeal to this demographic, such as elements of comedy. As my brief specifies I am targeting an active community, I should also use intertextual references to sport. In order to appeal to the youth demographic, I must use music which is popular among 16-24 year olds. According to Billboard magazine, the most popular genres among young adults are Pop, EDM and House. I would also like to incorporate a song which is instantly recognisable, uplifting and delivers a positive message. For this reason I would like to use 'Sing, Sing, Sing' by Louis Prima and Benny Goodman, and 'Think' by Aretha Franklin.

Copyright

In order to conform to the regulations of TV advertising, I must ensure that the music I use is copyright free. In the UK, all music automatically becomes copyright free after 100 years, however if the piece is over 75 years and the artist is dead, the piece also becomes copyright free. Artists can also post their music without binding copyright laws which are free to use under the discretion of the artist. Archive.org post copyright free resources which can be accessed and used freely by the public. This is where I sourced the song 'Sing, Sing, Sing', which was recorded in 1937, and both Louis Prima and Benny Goodman are dead, making the song copyright free. 

How I will apply this research to my productions

In order for my adverts to be successful they must adhere to the regulations defined by the ASA, as well as ensuring my productions are appropriate to to the media industry context I have been provided with (Prime-time E4, weekdays between 7-9pm). For this:

1) I must make sure to not include sexual or offensive content. For this I will avoid mature themes and language, bias viewpoints, or any sexual content. 

2) I must not use copyright music.
3) I must use my advert to educate viewers in equality and diversity. For this I will use a range of actors of different ethnicites, genders and personalities which will be expressed in each advert.

4) I must make my advert attractive to E4's demographic of youths. For this I will use young actors and intertextual references relevant to young, active people

5) I will not feature or promote use of drugs, alcohol or smoking

6) I will not feature or promote gambling, betting or lotteries

5. What I have learnt about the representation of events, issues, individuals and social groups in television adverts and how I intend to demonstrate this knowledge and understanding in my production in order to communicate meaning succesfully

Dove: 'My Beauty, My Say' campaign

This advert shows a wide range of women from different ethnic backgrounds, ages, body shapes and languages, all being strong and empowered; this represents all women as equal and beautiful in their own unique way. It tackles issues surrounding racism, sexism and stereotypes; It shows that though we are all individuals, we are all equal as well, creating a very positive and empowering representation.

Pepsi Max advert

This advert clearly locates London by featuring red buses and London accents. Due to the advanced technology used, this positively represents London as a place of technological innovation, somewhere creative and interactive. The advert also presents a range of social groups and ethnicities in the same situations at the bus stop, giving equal screen-time to different people, representing diversity and equality. It is very relatable to viewers who live in London due to the familiar location.

Macmillan Cancer Support

This advert carries a strong message as well as representing the issue of cancer in a positive and optimistic light. It depicts the experience of cancer as a challenging time, but shows the importance of friendship and hope. It also shows diversity and equality through the different ethnicities featured.


From this research I can conclude that adverts are most successful when they incorporate positive and recognisable representations of a wide range of people, events and issues. I can feature this in my own advert by featuring a wide range of actors from different social groups and backgrounds, and presenting universally recognisable events, such as sport.

4. What I have learnt about the content and appeal of television adverts and how I intend to demonstrate this knowledge and understanding in my production in order to communicate successfully with the target audience

One of the ways of understanding the appeal of advertising is through the 'Audience Uses and Gratifications Theory' model conceived by Katz and Blumler. This concept suggests that the audience plays an active role in choosing and using the media; they seek out media which best fulfils their needs. This is based on five different aspects:

Social Interaction - The audience desires the ability to communicate their opinions and for the media form to inspire conversation. Reality TV enhances this experience through voting and phone-ins, and some media form use hashtags on Twitter or Facebook to link viewers

Escapism - The audience can imagine themselves in the situation created by the media. An example of this is first person perspective role-playing games such as Skyrim. Other examples include media set in fantasy, action based or sci-fi settings, allowing the audience to escape from the real world.

Entertainment - The audience desires to feel emotion from their media such as joy, sadness, anticipation or profound thinking.

Information and Education - The audience desires to learn from the media; they are most often informed through news programs or documentaries, however any media source can provide educational or informative elements.

Personal Identity - The audience are able to recognise a particular situation or person which reflects similar values to themselves. They may be able to identify with role models (eg. celebrities) or identify with certain characters, inspiring them to develop their personal identity. The audience may mimic attitudes or opinions they have seen on the media. This raises several concerns that more impressionable people may learn unsuitable behaviours from media, such as violence or unrealistic expectations/assumptions.

Conventional E4 Adverts

E4 broadcasts good quality drama, comedy and reality shows, appealing to educated 16-34 year olds. This demographic is mindful, niche, sociable and heavily uses the internet. There is a majority of 59% of females as viewers. Their most popular shows are The Big Bang Theory and New Girl. In order to successfully engage my target audience I will need to apply conventions which typically appeal to a youthful demographic, such as using popular/recognisable music. I will also need to incorporate elements of comedy and intertextual references which relate to this demographic.

This advert for 'comparethemarket.com' was featured on E4. It satisfies four of the Audience Gratification theory criteria; escapism, entertainment, personal identity and information. The advert provides escapism through the fast-paced action and music, engaging the audience and allowing them to be immersed in the advert. It provides entertainment through comedy and intense action. It provides personal identity through the intertextual references to the Kingsman film, easily recognised by the younger generation who are the target market of both the film and E4. The audience also recognise the meerkat characters from previous adverts of the company which create a brand identity. Finally, the advert informs the audience by providing information about their services as well as the date of release for the Kingsman film. Due to the action-based nature of the ad, it would generally appeal to more men, which goes against E4's target market. This could be an attempt to try and balance out the viewer statistics.

This advert for 'Cathedral City Mature Cheddar' was featured on E4. It satisfies three of the Audience Gratification criteria; entertainment, escapism and personal identity. The advert provides entertainment through music and the humorous story-line of children running home because they want to eat the product. Comedy is crucial to the demographic E4 are entertaining, and so this advert is very conventional for the channel. Escapism can be felt by the audience due to the serene and beautiful country scenery, particularly by those who live in cities. There is personal identity through the recognisable English landscape as well as the tagline 'The Nation's Favourite', which unites England and provides the audience with a sense of belonging. The advert strongly appeals to women due to the themes of family. It also features a mother-figure several times throughout which women can relate to. This caters for the large female-viewer percentage of E4.

Conventional Deodorant Advert

This advert is for Sure's counterpart Rexona. It expresses conventional qualities of a personal hygiene advert such as featuring the use of the product, comparison with another product and featuring a packshot at the end. This advert is oriented towards women, but also features a man and could be seen as attractive to men by showing a sexy woman, and would therefore be ideal for E4, as it appeals to their demographic. The advert style is high glamour, but features elements of romance and humour to entertain

3. What I have learnt about the codes and conventions of television adverts and how I intend to demonstrate this knowledge and understanding in my production in order to communicate successfully with the target audience

Adverts I have looked at:

To begin my research I watched a range of adverts which were selling a product and identified which category they belonged in.  I created a table to show this, then chose one ad from each category to analyse in detail. I also looked at an advert which had been featured on E4 as this is relevant to my media industry context.

Conventional Men's Advert

Jimmy Choo Fragrance for Men:

Features (Media Language):

• A sexy woman wearing revealing clothes
• Sultry nature
• Upbeat, Pop soundtrack
• 'Tall, Dark Handsome' stereotype
• Subtle use product
• Kit Harrington (well-known celebrity) is focus
• Focuses on man, only woman's body shown
• Dark lighting
• Range of shots, mostly at mid and wide angles
• Slow movement
• Shows product throughout advert
• Voice over at end
• Finishes with product close-up and brand

Connotations:

• Sex appeal ('sex sells' stereotype)
• If men wear this they will be attractive to women
• If men wear this they will be popular and conform to attractive stereotype
• Focus on man identifies product clearly as a male product (targets the male market)

Conventional Women's advert

Sure: Women are Strong:

Features (Media Language):

• Only women featured
• Product clearly shown
• Unique features of product explained clearly and in detail
• Range of races and ages
• Mostly composed of mid-shots
• Close-up shots of product
• Serious tone and atmosphere
• Upbeat, intense music
• Whistle sound effect
• Voice over
• One set/location
• Ends with pack-shot, brand and slogan

Connotations:

• Promotes positive and empowering message about women being 'strong'
• Serious tone implies important message
• Suggests wearing product will make audience 'strong'/benefit audience
• Clearly identifies target market as women
• Promotes equality
• Sound effect of whistle connotes sport and endurance

Conventional Youth Advert

Converse: Forever Chuck. For Every You:

Features (Media Language):

• Bright and colourful lighting, costume, background
• Young people only
• Cole Sprouse featured (recognisable and popular actor/model)
• Both genders featured equally
• Typical youth trends such as taking selfies
• Close-ups of product and people throughout
• Voice overs throughout
• Casual and fun tone and style
• Range of ethnicities
• Ends with close-up on product and brand and slogan

Connotations:

• Connotes freedom and self-expression
• Promotes diversity
• Voice overs connect with audience as well as promoting positive messages about being true to yourself, a common insecurity amongst youths in modern society
• Youth market clearly identified
• Casual and fun style engages and uplifts the audience
• Bright lighting and colour scheme connotes different personalities and interests which are brought together by the product

 Conventional Unisex/Youth Advert

CK2 Fragrance:

Features (Media Language):

• Range of shots from different angles
• Slow pace
• Range of events
• Shots featuring men and women
• Focus on couples, romance and sex appeal
• Pop music
• Typical depictions of attractive models/actors
• Only shows young people
• Multiple locations and situations
• Ends with a pack-shot of product and voice over from both genders

Connotations:

• Shows rebellious and daring situations; connotes freedom and being young and wild
• 'Sex sells' stereotype
• Youth market clearly identified
• Unisex market clearly identified through equal representation of both genders

Conventional Advert Featured on E4

Crunchy Nut Cereal:

Features (Media Language):

• Humour
• Farcical situation
• Play on words 'Ludicrously tasty' in a 'ludicrous' situation
• Features young and old actors
• Doesn't feature a soundtrack
• Uses diegetic sound effects
• Natural lighting
• Ends with pack-shot and voice over
• Range of shots; close-up, wide and mid shots

Connotations:

• Appeals to younger generation due to comical style, which relates to E4's target market
• Immerses audience due to diegetic sounds, keeping them engaged
• E4 entertains their audience during advert break through comedy, enabling them to captivate and encourage viewers to keep watching

What I have learnt from my research:

From my research I have concluded the following:

1) In men's adverts, advertisers try to encourage men to buy their product by suggesting it will make them attractive to women, confident and sexy. They often feature women in revealing outfits, focusing on sex appeal, or attractive, successful men using the product, to inspire the audience.

2) In women's adverts, advertisers heavily feature themes of empowerment as well as natural beauty, confidence and happiness. They sometimes will also feature romance and relationships.Will generally only feature women, but sometimes feature men in relation to love and romance.

3) Unisex adverts generally focus on appealing to couples, using sex appeal as a selling device as well as promoting romance and suggesting their products provide convenience. They always feature both male and female actors.

4) Youth adverts most often promote freedom and self-expression. Romance and sex appeal are commonly featured as well. They will normally use pop music and young, attractive models.  

5) Adverts featured on E4 are often comical and appeal to the youth demographic. They can also have an artistic, gritty and unique style which particularly appeals to youths in London.

6) In general adverts use voice overs, upbeat music and bright or atmospheric lighting. All adverts I looked at featured a clear brand and slogan, and ended with a pack shot or close up of the product. Cosmetic/personal hygiene adverts are mainly composed of beauty-shots, with a clear focus on the product and its properties as well as how it makes the consumer feel. Youth adverts commonly show adrenaline-inducing situations. All adverts feature actors of the same age group they are intending to appeal to.

In the production of my advertisements, I will incorporate the collective conventions I have identified in all of the adverts I researched. I will particularly focus on the conventions of youth and unisex advert as this is the specification defined in my brief.

2. Existing adverts/campaigns I have researched and how these have influenced my ideas

For my first advert:

1. 'This Girl Can' campaign by Sport England

This advert has influenced me due to its strong, empowering message for women. I would like to convey a similar message regarding equality and diversity in my own advert. It also promotes being active and being yourself which relates to my Big Idea for my adverts. I also like the use of match on action, upbeat music and cutting to music which I will incorporate into my adverts.

2. 'Apple Watch Series 2 Go Time' advert by Apple

From this advert I was inspired by the use of matching on action as well the montage effect and editing to music. I think this made the advert snappy and memorable as well as entertaining for the audience. The colour grading and scheme also contributed to the overall appeal which is an element I will utilise.
I feel this particular advert appeals strongly to a variety of people, especially those who are active, which is a key element I would like to focus on within my first advert. I would like to create a similar montage style in my own advert, matching on action and cutting to a fast-paced soundtrack. This advert also appeals to both men and women from a variety of backgrounds and race, which is key to my Big Idea.

For my second advert:

1. 'Like a Girl' campaign by Always

From this video I took inspiration from the blank background (which is also the colour of the brand logo) with a combination of different shot angles featuring someone wearing contrasting clothes which reflect their personality. I also liked how this campaign challenged the stereotype of girls being weak, sending a very positive and inspiring message for young women and girls, targeting the youth market. It also included a young man and boy, addressing the male viewers as well in order to promote equality, and show how this stereotype is everywhere. I would like to make my advert more upbeat and less serious than this advert, however I would like to incorporate the powerful message it portrays.

2. 'Dry Spray Antiperspirant' advert by Dove America

From this advert I took inspiration from the blank background and straight-on shot style with sole focus on the product and people, using an informal style which engages and uplifts the audience. I also like how this advert shows diversity, both through race and personality which relates to my Big Idea.
This is a typical and popular deodorant advert which I have taken inspiration from to develop my USP and understanding of how to engage my audience as well as successfully advertise/promote my product.

1. How I intend to fulfil the requirements of the brief I have chosen

I will explicitly follow the demands of the brief in order to successfully create my two distinct TV adverts which portray one brand identity; I will create two television adverts for the 'Wave' brand of unisex deodorants, lasting exactly 30 seconds each. To ensure that I advertise the deodorant as unisex, I will show both females and males, who will be youthful, allowing me to target the 16-25 year old male and female demographic. I hope to make my characters seem both aspirational and relatable to this target audience. To ensure that the adverts are suitable for prime-time E4, weekdays 7-9pm (pre-watershed), I will adhere to the ASA rules and regulations.

The brief also outlines Wave's active, youthful and unisex brand identity, which I will portray through the narrative of my characters' sporting activities and personalities to keep a strong and consistent brand identity, I will use the same written text on screen for both my adverts, featuring the product name and slogan. To keep my young adult audience entertained and engaged and make the adverts memorable, I will use techniques such as intertextuality, generic hybridity, humour and/or emotional appeal. These could be portrayed through my use of a range of camera shots, editing of footage and sound and soundtrack, which will also be chosen to fit the brand identity and the conventions of television adverts.

To differentiate both TV adverts, I will use two different settings and themes (one will consist of a montage of different sports, and the other an interview-style review of the product, reflecting on the character's personalities.) I will also use a range of actors from different ethnicities, representing different social groups and equality between all cultures to ensure that my advert is appealing to the entirety of my target audience.

I created a mood-board (below) in order to represent my initial ideas visually. This helped me brainstorm my main aims, target audience and ideas so that I could begin to think about what I wanted my adverts to look like.

I also created a Stealomatic for my first advert using several clips I found online. This was very helpful for me to begin to visualise how I wanted my advert to look before filming so that I could think about all the shots I wanted. I used the soundtrack I will use for my advert so that I could get a feel for editing to my music, which will be a key aspect of both of my adverts. I edited this to exactly 30 seconds (which is the required time frame for my own advert) so that I could see how much content I could include which will be useful when I come to filming and editing.