For your second major essay assignment you will write an analysis of two advertisements totaling 4-5 pages. Your text should be double spaced, written in 12 point, times new roman font. The first draft will be due on Tuesday, October 20th. MLA Format Your essay should follow the conventions of MLA for citation. The following link will take you to a useful resource in adhering to these guidelines: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ The form of the essay will adhere closely to the one described in Chapter 10 of The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing. A sample ad analysis is provided on pages 248-250 of The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing. Pages 247-248 provide a number of useful questions to ask before writing an analysis, and pages 250-251 provide different perspectives you can use to approach analysis. Choosing Your Material First, you will need to choose two advertisements for analysis. Consider the following strategies for selecting these ads. 1. Choose two ads that promote the same product for two distinctly different audiences. 2. Choose two ads from different decades that advertise to a similar audience. 3. Choose one genuine ad and compare it to an ad that seeks to parody/satirize the original. Ideally, you will choose advertisements that reflect some ethical issue. The speech I assigned from the advertising executive mentions a number of ethical issues related to advertising, including, but not limited to, cause-related marketing, product placement, ads that target children, and ads for tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceuticals and fast food. We might also add to this list advertisements that promote problematic attitudes about gender, race, and class. Introduction It should be clear from your introduction what advertisements you will be discussing. Provide some background and/or context for the ads. Where and when did they appear? Describe the key points of similarity between the ads, demonstrating your reasoning for pairing them. The last sentence should be a thesis statement that is argumentative, interesting, manageable and specific. Summary Describe each individual visual text in turn. Try to convey the essential characteristics of the ad to an audience who may not have seen them. Pay particular attention to elements that you will be analyzing in detail in the body of the essay. Analysis Certainly, you may discuss logical and ethical appeals in your chosen texts. Nonetheless, pay special attention to the beliefs and values reflected by your chosen advertisements and the way pathetic appeals may have intended and unintended effects on the audience. Provide some insight into the implicit, sub-textual attitudes of the text. As your text book suggests, “Use ideas generated from your observations, question-asking, and close examination” (Allyn and Bacon 253). Compare and contrast the way your ads appeal to their given audience. Conclusion Make final comments about the significance of your analysis. Why are the themes of your chosen ad worthy of discussion? What are the ethical implications of the strategies or products promoted by your ad?
