Richard Dyer- Star theory + Dior advert

Richard Dyer developed the idea that the viewers perception of a film is influenced by the perception of it's stars, and that publicity materials and reviews can determine the way that the audience experiences a media text.

Dyer analysed idea texts with this idea and he came up with a conclusion that a star is not a real person. Stars are construed by institutions, just like any other aspect of fiction, suing a range of materials and sources. For example advertising or magazines.

Icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial gain and target one specific audience/group of people in order to generate profit.

Dyer also suggest that stars create a person that is desirable to a target audience but is actually not a true representation of themselves.

This is done because famous people represent shared cultural values and attitudes and therefore they promote a certain ideology about themselves and that they want an audience to believe. The paradox is that if stars presented themselves in a "normal" way they would not be desirable or unique and therefore the audience would consume the less, therefore resulting in institutions making a loss.

Dior have used Johnny Depp for their advert, Richard Dyer would argue that Dior have produced a very successful advert due to both genders looking up to Johnny Deep.

Johnny Depp is believed to be "heartthrob" and a lot of women idolise Johnny Depp and therefore they are more likely to consume the advert with Johnny Depp.

Therefore because Johnny Depp attracts a lot of women attention men are more likely to consume the advert and the product he promotes, as men would like to share the same ideologies as Johnny Depp in order to attract women. 

Johnny Depp is represented as very manly, cold and adventurous (which is represented through the cold colours used in the advert and clothing). 

Driving vintage car through the desert, makes it seem that he's on a furious mission which is further suggested by the lines; "What am I looking for?" and "Which way? I don't know", which adds mystery and charm to his character making him more appealing for the audience. 

Furthermore Johnny Depp is also shown as fearless, as he comes across wild animals and shows no signs of fear or worry, which might appeal to female audience and suggest to the male audience what women are attracted to and what they are looking for in a man. 

However Richard Dyer's theory suggests that stars don't represent themselves in media texts and are created by media institutions in order to generate profit. I believe that in this case, Richard Dyer's theory is supported very well, as it is well know that Johnny Depp hated his "sex symbol" status in 80s and 90s. It is also well know that Depp was never part of fashion world and has always presented himself in quirky sartorial looks topped with a hat and glasses. Where as in this advert Johnny Depp is dressed in a navy shirt, black vest and trousers, accessorised with rings, bracelets and necklaces.

This has character has been created in order to accurately represent the perfume advertised, as it is described as "contemporary, strong and unmistakably masculine" and all of these features of the smell have been represented through the character played by Johnny Depp. 

Therefore making it more appealing and interesting to both female and male audience. 

Blumler and Katz- Uses and gratifications + Coca Cola advert

Uses and gratification theory looks at the motives of the people who use media, as well as asking why the audience is watching television programmes, films or other media products in the way in which they do, e.g. why do we bother to read the newspaper or why do we must keep up to date with favourite soaps.

Theory makes the audience active as it is the audience who are choosing what to consume, as you only watch the films that you want and therefore the audience is in control of their choices and the role of media is just to produce the product. 

The theory also argues that the audience must have social and psychological needs that generate certain expectations about mass media and what they want to consume. 

It also sates that people are motivated by a desire to gratify certain needs; surveillance, personal identity, personal relationships and diversion. 

Surveillance:

The surveillance need is based around the idea that people feel better if they know what is going on in the world around them, for example we watch news as we feel like it is a reliable source of information and the fact that we know what is going on around the world makes us feel secure.

Therefore we use mass media to be more aware of the world and to gratify desire fore knowledge and security. 

However social media can influence the concept of surveillance as it is common that fake stories are created on social media, therefore giving the audience false sense of security. 

Personal identity:

The consumption of media can help the audience to develop personal identity and position themselves within society.

Forming of personal identity through the use of media can be seen in music videos, as pop stars can become big role models for young people. Therefore if a star does something wrong it usually causes an outcry in society. 

Consuming media allows the audience to directly relate to the product and make the audience feel gratify in a way that it makes them understand the they are sharing their identity and therefore makes them fell more acceptable within society.  

Personal relationships:

Theory sates we can form relationship with the media as well as we can use media to create relationships with others. 

Many people use television as a companionship, for example when we are watching television with other people or by ourselves we can form relationships with the characters on the TV show. 

We could also use the media within relationships, for example we can build relationships with others through media. Having a favourite TV show in common can often be the start of the conversion and it can make talking to strangers much easier.  

Diversion:

Diversion need refers to escapism, as we watch television so we can forget about our own problems for a while and think about something else. 

We can consume media to take our mind off our everyday lives and to distract our self from our own problems. Consuming media allows people to see that people experience that same feelings as we do and want to forget our own problems by focusing on someone else's. 

Surveillance:
This advert allows fulfills the viewers need to be aware of what is happening in the world, as it clearly shows how the world has and is changing. 
Therefore the advert gratifies the viewers need of knowledge and awareness of the world. However theory states that this should bring the viewer sense of security, however I believe that this advert contradicts it, as it shows that society is becoming lazy and less social compared to what it has used to be.

Personal identity:
I believe that this advert is very realteble to most generations, as we all follow more or less the same routine.
Therefore due to the audience being able to relate to this advert, they are more likely to consume it, as well as it will be able to gratify their need to share identity with someone which will suggest to them that they are accepted in society. 

Personal relationships:
Theory stares that we can form relationships with media, for example TV show characters. 
I believe that due to the audience being able to relate to this advert, it is easy for them to form relationship with characters presented in this advert as they can understand the character and relate to their lifestyle. 
I also believe that this advert is encouraging the audience to form personal relationships with each other, as in the adverts today's generation is presented less sociable and therefore the last scenes of the advert encourage the generations to come together and form relationships. 

Diversion:
This advert supports this aspect of the theory, as it allows the audience to relate to the characters in the advert and therefore see that we all lead similar lifestyle and therefore it allows the viewer to take their mind off their own problems and focus on characters in advert.  

Advertising standards

In the UK rules for advertising are written by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP).

The rules set by BCAP considering TV advertising are framed to make sure that advertisements are "legal,decent, honest and truthful".

I've read through the rules set by BCAP and picked out a few that I might consider when creating an adverts and in post production.

01. Compliance 

1.3	Advertisements must comply with the law and broadcasters must make that a condition of acceptance.
1.3.1	Advertisements must not state or imply that a product can legally be sold if it cannot.

02.Recognition of advertising

2.4	Television only – Television advertisements, except for programme promotions, must not:
2.4.1	refer to themselves in a way that might lead viewers to believe they are watching a programme
2.4.2	feature, visually or orally, anyone who currently and regularly presents news or current affairs on television
2.4.3	include extracts from broadcasts of parliamentary proceedings.

03. Misleading advertising

3.2

Advertisements must not mislead consumers by omitting material information. They must not mislead by hiding material information or presenting it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner. Material information is information that consumers need in context to make informed decisions about whether or how to buy a product or service. Whether the omission or presentation of material information is likely to mislead consumers depends on the context, the medium and, if the medium of the advertisement is constrained by time or space, the measures that the advertiser takes to make that information available to consumers by other means.

04. Harm and offence

4.1	Advertisements must contain nothing that could cause physical, mental, moral or social harm to persons under the age of 18.

4.6	Television only – Advertisements must not include visual effects or techniques that are likely to affect adversely members of the audience with photosensitive epileps

4.7	Television only – Advertisements must not be excessively noisy or strident. The maximum subjective loudness of advertisements must be consistent and in line with the maximum loudness of programmes and junction material

05. Children

5.4	Advertisements must not condone or encourage bullying.
5.5	Advertisements must not portray or represent children in a sexual way.
5.6	Advertisements must not imply that children are likely to be ridiculed, inferior to others, less popular, disloyal or have let someone down if they or their family do not use a product or service.

https://www.cap.org.uk/Advertising-Codes/Broadcast.aspx

Advertising Theories : Consumer Involvement Theory

Consumer Involvement theory look at the importance of the product to the consumer. 

There are 3 levels of involvement:
1. Low level of involvement - low level of involvement involves habitual decisions, such as tea or toothbrush. These purchases are not really important for the consumer therefore have little relevance and therefore they need less time to process the purchase. 

2. Some level of involvement - some level of involvement involves simple decisions such as skin cream or snacks. These kind of purchases have more importance to the consumer, than low level involvement purchases, and therefore the consumer will take more time and effort when evaluating the product.

3. High level of involvement - High level of involvement involves lengthy decisions such as car or property. High involvement purchases are usually are expensive or risky and therefore the consumer gets highly involved in deciding whether the purchase in necessary. 

Factors that might influence the level of involvement can be personal factors (needs, financial status, importance of the product or interest in the product), object factors (differentiation of alternatives available) and situation factors ( for example) occasion or use.

Sponsorship sequences.

Sponsorship sequence is usually 15-20 second long (sometimes shorter). The sequence aims to advertise the product/service in very quick and sharp manner. Sequence sponsoring the proframme usually reflect the programme that is following.

Conventions:
*Usually shown before the TV show.
*Sponsorship sequences usually last 15-20 seconds and aim to quickly and sharply  advertise the product/brand/service
*Usually mirror the TV programme that they are sponsoring.
*They don't have much narrative.
*Contain large logos and slogans, in order for audience to remember the product.
*Feature the physical product
*Due to them being very short it is important to use symbolism, such as colour.

Examples:
Sponsorship sequences usually consist of an opening bumper and a closing bumper, however sometimes you get a bumper for the end of ad break as well. They aim to advertise the product/service as well as they aim to associate the product/service with the channel or the programme itself.

Analysis:
All 3 clips follow the conventions. Their length is 15-20 seconds and they all use the product/brand/company logos.
They all have voice overs that state what the product/service is and the name of the programme that they are sponsoring.
All 3 clips don't have much narrative in them and they all feature the product.

Tim O’sullivan : Culture and society + Coca Cola dvert

Tim O'Sullivan argues that all media texts tell some kind of story.
Media texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves, usually story of us as a culture rather than telling our own personal story.

This advert presents two different lifestyles during two different eras. On the left we can see life style of the people in 70s and on the right we can see lifestyle of a modern person.
Advert shows how the time and lifestyle has change although the routine remained untouched; waking up, breakfast, commuting to work, working, lunch,getting home and having a dinner with family. However although the routine is the same, it is done completely different compared to the 70s.
It shows that now we live in fast paced environment, where we don't have much time and are always in hurry, as well as it shows how lazy society has became.
We can see the increased pace of life style through the ways both characters are waking up and getting ready for work; man in the 70s wakes up peacefully and proceeds to having breakfast while taking to his wife, whereas man on the right jumps out of the bed and leaves without even finishing his breakfast.
The laziness of today's society has been represented through the way both men commute to work; man on the left uses a bike to get to work and he manages to get to work on time and he also has time to catch up with a colleague, whereas man on the right gets a car to work which leads to him being stuck in traffic and being late to work completely ignoring his colleague.
Furthermore laziness of the society is represented through the lunch both characters have; man on the left has home made sandwiches and an apple for lunch, which he enjoys outside, whereas man on the right is have pre-prepared sandwiches which are much fuller ,compared to what the man in the 70s is having.
Further the advert is trying to tell us how we have became less social, as we can see man on the left takes time to catch up with his wife while having dinner whereas man on the right is watching TV while having a dinner, abandoning any conversation with his wife.
In conclusion I believe that this advert is encouraging the society to reflect upon themselves and their lifestyle.

Conventions of Adverts.

Conventions of print advertisement: 
*Print advert should have one striking image that attracts audiences attention and intrigues them to find out more.
*The slogan that captures the attention of potential target audience.
*Logo of a company or a brand
*Simple colour scheme that represents the product/service (usually no more than 3 colours)
*Limited use of words

Skittles advert:

*The image of the product is clearly visible on the image therefore the audience can easily identify the product and the brand.

*The colour scheme used for this advert is also very effective as it reflects the product and slogan. The slogan is “taste the rainbow” and all of the rainbow colours have been used through the advert. Therefore the colour scheme is effective as colours will be associated directly with the product.

*Limited use of text on this advert is also effective, as it is shore and therefore the audience is able to read the text quickly and also short texts are much easily remembered. Short text also catches attention better, as there is more chance that audience will read it, where as if the advert was filled with text people might not bother to read it.

*Skittles has its own slogan, which is “taste the rainbow” which is also included in this advert and therefore even if the advert did not have an image of the product, the audience would still recognise the brand due to its established slogan.

Maltesers advert:

*The product is present on the advert and therefore the audience can recognise the brand and the product easily.
*The image that they have used is able to deliver the message of the advert. As halo signifies divine and saint. Therefore by putting a halo above a malteser sweet the advert is suggesting that it will only do good to you which also reflects on the slogan at the bottom of the advert ; "less than 190 calories per pack"
*Maltesers are aimed at women and are advertised as sweets with reduced amounts of calories and therefore this advert is effective as it states that it has less 190 calories which therefore will attract the attention of it's target audience.
*The colour scheme is also effective, as red can be seen as energising colour and it tends to excite emotions and motivate us to take actions.






Conventions of TV advertisement:
*Camera angles
*Sound
*Lighting
*Iconography
*Editing
*Music
*Computer Graphics
*Special effects (SFX)
*Usually lasts from 15 seconds and up to 1 minute.
* TV adverts also tend to use celebrities in order to sell their products. e.g. Dior suvage and Johnny Depp
* Popular music is used in TV adverts. For example asda Christmas advert uses Sax by Fleur East.

Tessa Perkins : Stereotypes + Diet Coke advert.

Stereotypes - assumptions we make about people based on the way they look, which helps to understand their attitudes, values, ideologies and beliefs. 

Tessa Perkins presents 5 assumptions about stereotypes. She argues that:

1. Stereotypes are not always negative.

2. They are not always about minority groups or less powerful.

3. They can be held about one’s own group.

4. They are not rigid or unchanging.

5. They are not always fake. 

People always assume that stereotypes are always negative and are aimed at less powerful, however this is not always the case as it is possible to make an assumptions on higher class.

It is also possible to hold a stereotype about the people in the same group as you; for example people will have stereotypes about an institution (for example Wyke collage) however people within the institution will have stereotypes about people within their institution. 

Perkins also argues that it's very hard to change a stereotype, however she say that it is possible for stereotype to change and develop over the time. 

Tessa Perkins also states that stereotypes are not always false and they have to have some truth in them or where else would assumptions come from.

In this advert Coca Cola are trying to sell a life style that would appeal to women.

Target audience for diet coke are young females (16-25 years old) therefore in order to appeal to their target audience Coca Cola had to turn to stereotypes.

First of all they have used a group of young females, who are seen gossiping in the park. This is a one of the stereotypes used in this advert, as females are seen as social creatures and are usually the ones associated with gossiping, which they are doing in the advert.

Further we can see a group of women spotting an attractive man and they start teasing him and making fun of him, which again can be stereotypical of women. 

In the next scene we can see "the gardener" taking his shirt off and then we get a close up of shocked and impressed females as he has stereotypically desired body which appeals to females and therefore suggest to male viewers that, women are attracted to this body type which can be false. 
Even the product its self is stereotypical, as Diet Coke has a USP of low sugar levels and stereotypically women are associated with slimming and diet and therefore Diet Coke is trying to appeal to the female audience. 

Advertising Theories : AIDA

Elmo Lewis developed AIDA theory which states that in order for advert to be successful it must follow the theory. 

Theory states that advert must attract Attention, arouse Interest, simulate Desire and get Action. 

AIDA is very helpful when the purpose of the media text is to persuade the audience to do something. First it must grab audiences attention and engage their interest. The advert must also build a desire for the product/service and finally it must encourage the audience to take action.

1. Attention

It is important to get the attention of the audience very quickly. In order to do that advert must use powerful words or a picture that will catch readers/viewers attention and make them intrigued about your product/service.

2.Interest

After getting the readers/viewers attention the advert must arouse the interest. The audience will give you a little time to get their interest therefore the advert must focus on the needs of the audience. This can be achieved by the use of short bullet points and subheadings.

3.Desire

After the advert gained the interest of the audience it must simulate the desire for the product/service. This can be done by helping the potential consumer to understand how your product/service can help them in a real way. The main way of achieve this is by appealing to their personal needs and wants, for example the desire can be built up by linking features and benefits of your product/service.

5. Action.

The advert must be clear about what action you want the consumer to take, for example you could include the website or the list of stores where product/service is available. 

More sophisticated variation of this theory has been developed which includes one more step - Conviction. (AIDCA)

Due to consumer society becoming more aware of persuasion advertising is having, they become more skeptical about marketing claims. Therefore in order to convince the audience you could use data in your advert. Fore example Malteser adverts usually states that they have less than 190 calories per bag, which can convince the audience that Maltesers are more healthier compared to other sweets on the market.  

Laura Mulvey : The Male Gaze theory + Diet Coke advert.

Summary:

The purpose of this advert is to remind the audience about the product and persuade to buy and in order to appeal to its audience the product has to appeal to their needs and desires.  In Coca Cola adverts the drink is usually presented as a thirst relive, social drink as well as lifestyle.

Diet Coke is specifically aimed at young women, aged 18-30, and in order to appeal to them the advert is trying to appeal to women’s interests and desires.

In this particular advert, the first frame is an establishing shot showing the audience that the action is taking place in park; warm colours and sun suggest to the audience that it is a warm day.

 In the next frame we see a group of five women drinking Diet Coke, in order to appeal to all women the audience can see that the group of women is made up of different ages and races

The next shot we get is an eye line match of one of the women spotting a “gardener” and telling about him to other women, this suggests that women are interested in him.

Then we see one of the women shaking up a can of coke and rolling it towards the man, we also get cross cuts between the can of drink and the man suggesting that the can is rolling to him.

So the guy takes his shirt of which results in women being surprised and shocked, whereas the guy just continues mowing the lawn

The male Gaze theory:

The male gaze(Laura Mulvey) theory suggests that women are sexualized in media texts, as it puts the audience into the prespective of hetrosexual man. Usually it happens through the use of cinematography, for exmple the camera might show off the curves of the womens body.

Mulvey also suggests that the purpose of female characters in media texts is to be an erotic object for characters within the narrative and to be an erotic object for the audience.

Feminists can view the theory in 3 ways; how men look at women, how wemen look at themselves and how women look at other women.

For example, it states can be viewed as men focus on sexual features of women and see her as an object. Men ill focus on curves and other parts of a female body and do not always value women as a human.

Also it can be argued that media texts make women feel negative about themselves when viewing other women as they pick faults with their own appearances and give them low self esteem. However they do not take into consideration post production and therefore they set themselves unrealistic role models.

When women look at other women they shape their own identity. They take elements of what like from other women to make themeslves look more desirable.

Diet Coke advert and The male gaze theory:

The diet coke advert challenges Mulvey’s theory, as the theory suggests that only females can be objectified, whereas this advert challenges this theory as the male character is objectified by the group of females.

This can be seen when we get a close up of one of the women seductivley bitting her lip while looking at the man which suggests her interest in him.

In this advert we also get unusual gender representation, as we get women mocking the man.

This is done because the target audience of the Diet coke are females and therefore in order to apeal to women, the advert is using man. It can also be argued that the man that is presented in the advert, is seen as a stereotype of the “perfect” man as he has a desirable by many body and good looking face, which is attractive for women, however can be preassuring for men as they will be looking at the adverts and settting themselves unrealistic goals and it can also affect their self esteem due to them thinking that all females arte attracted to men similar to the one in the advert.

The music that is used in the adverts also highlights the idea of the man being objectified. The track used called “I just want to make love to you” by Etta James, the song of the title suggests that the women are attracted to the male character in the advert and that they suxualize him, which contradicts Mulvey’s theory.  

The first two lines of the song also state “I don't want you to be no slave,

I don't want you to work all day” which again shows that women are sexuzlizing the man as futher lyrics say “But I want you to be true

And I just wanna make love to you” showing that they want the man to be with them all the time breaking the stereotype of the man being the one who works all day.

However Oliver Geyer (Diet Coke’s director) sated that this advert is not about the Diet coke man being an object. He stated that “it is about cultural change, women being equal to men”, he also says that “showcases female empowerment”. Which again contradicts Mulvey’s theory, where females are not suppoed to be the one in power and they are supposed to be the ones who are objectified.

However it can be argued that the amn enjoys the attention as he conforms to the womens wishes, which again contradicts with Mulve’s theory as she is stating that objectification leads to negativiy, whwreas it can be argued that in this case the women are boosting the self esteem of the male character in the advert.

History of Advertising.

Advertisements - A notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event or publicizing a job vacancy, usually paid for in the form of media text.

The first form of advertising were posters advertising an event, for example the first potters date back to gladiatorial contests in Ancient Rome. However the first advertisements that fit today’s definition appeared in newspapers, in the seventeenth century. They usually were statements of fact without any illustrations or fancy fonts and they were hardly distinguishable from the news stories.

In the eighteenth century, after the Industrial revolution, as the consumer good became more sophisticated, manufacturers started to recognise the need of building awareness of their product/service as many items were new to the consumers.

In the nineteenth century the form of adverts became more or less as we know it today, as they have stated to have mixture of images and text. With the proliferation of goods and services in the nineteenth century, businesses started to realise the importance of advertising and it should be dealt with by experts in the field.

In the early twentieth century, the government started to recognise the power that advertising has in delivering the message to the public. This is when advertisement was used to enlist solider end enforce government policies, during the First World War, and looking back at them now we refer to them as propaganda. Many of these adverts use deliberate psychological manipulation, which today we see as crude and unfair. Propaganda posters created very specific power relationship between the audience and advertiser, and by looking at the posters we can tell that the advertiser knows best and are giving the audience the information for their own good. Our, modern audience, has more sophisticated approach to advertising and is much more sensitive to any attitudes which might be considerate as patronising.

Advertising became a well-established industry in 1914 and it continued to expand after the First World War. Psychology was also developing and growing as a science and many advertisers were quick to react to the relationship between psychology and advertising, therefore they have used psychology in order to reach their audience. During this time the ways to reach your audience have expanded as technology has developed and advertisers were able to advertise their product at the cinema or on the radio.

In the 1920s radio was the most popular way to advertise a product/service and between 1923 and 1930 60% of American families acquired a radio set. The term “soap opera” came into being as soap manufacturers sponsored domestic radio dramas in return for frequent plugs for their product.

Advertising by television became popular after the Second World War, as the consumer spending has increased. Millions of dollars were “poured” into advertising agencies by manufacturers as they were in need to inform consumers about the new available products (such as washing machines, TV sets and food mixers), that were unavailable for them before. The combination of the image and the sound started to build up brand recognition, as well as it was able to reach wider audience and soon the television was full of programmes such as Colgate Comedy Hour and Coke Time. This is sometimes referred to as single sponsor era, as TV programmes were made by advertising agencies and paid for by single sponsor.

In the 1950s people behind the advertisements (mainly man) became media stars and were featured on the magazines and were considered to have a great power as well as being seen as super highly paid.

In the 1960s the networks wanted more control over the content and as television became more sophisticated and production costs rose, single sponsors began to struggle. NBC executive Sylvester Weaver came up with the idea of selling separate small blocks of broadcasting time, rather than whole show. Therefore several different advertisers were able to buy time during one show and the content of the show would move out of the control of a single advertiser. This became known as participation advertising, as it allowed a whole variety of advertisers to access the audience of a single TV show, which is now known as a “commercial break”

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Brief

Create an advertising package for a new product or service, to include two TV advertisements, together with the two of the following three options:

*A radio advertisement
*A TV programme sponsorship sequence
*A web pop-up