Task One - Forms of Television Advertising

There are many different forms that advertising can take and there are many positives and negatives of each types of advertising. The main types of advertisement are Realist Narrative, Anti-Realist Narrative, Animation, Documentary, Talking Head, Stand Alone and a Series.

A Realist Narrative is normally an advert that relates to real life, and something that normal, everyday people can be apart of. A main example of this is the L'Oreal adverts, featuring Cheryl Cole.



This is a good example of a Realist Narrative because it relates to the real life needs of ordinary people. Its a good advert as it features Cheryl Cole who is a well loved role model for many women. Using a famous person helps to sell the product as the audience believe that if they buy it they could look as good as Cheryl Cole. It is also relatable as problems with hair are common amongst women, particularly younger women, so they feel as though they can relate to the video. The use of the music and the video of Cheryl dancing is effective as it makes us realise that no matter what you do, your hair will stay neat and tidy and still look good. The video also uses close up shots and long shots to emphasise the effect of the product and to make the video more effective. However, there are also some negative aspects to this advert such as the idea that some people may genuinely believe that if they buy the product they might be disappointed if they don't turn out exactly like the person advertising it, in this case Cheryl Cole. Also, there is a lot going on in one advert which may be a lot to take in for some people, and so they are less likely to watch the whole advert. 

An Anti-Realist Narrative is an advert that doesn't use real life events, but has a real life product for sale. An example of this would be the Mr Muscle adverts.

This is a good example of an Anti-Realist Narrative because the situation isn't something that's ever going to happen but the idea of the advert is to sell the 'Mr Muscle' drain cleaner, which is a real product. It is effective because the mise-en-scene is relatable to the majority of women. It is set in a kitchen and shows a woman having trouble cleaning, which many women feel they can relate to. It also has a scientific aspect to it as it explains how it works. Also the length of the video is quite short, which emphasises the idea that the drain unblocker works quickly and efficiently, which also makes it more appealing to the target audience. The close up of the drain and the plughole is a useful way to film it as it lets us see for ourselves how the product works, instead of just being told it does. Even though this advert is effective in promoting the product it is trying to sell, it may seem to some people as too unrealistic, which means they are probably likely to loose attention in it half way through. Some people may not like the idea of adding a superhero to an advert which is trying to sell cleaning products as children may get the wrong idea and think that if they have this product a superhero is going to come to there house. 

The next form of advertising is an Animated advert. An Animated advert is normally a cartoon and not real at all, but is still trying to sell a real product. An example of this is the Kit Kat Vending Machine advert.

This is a good example of an animated advert as it isn't real but it is memorable and many office workers can relate to it. The use of the mise-en-scene in this advert is good as it is based in an office building and relates to the problems of everyday office work. This appeals to people who have an office job as they can relate to it and feel as though it is about them. The advert is longer than most adverts but this emphasises the idea of a long day at work and perfectly sells the product. The use of sound is also very good in this advert, especially when he is sitting at the desk and everything starts to go wrong for him. The cacophony of noises suggests how stressed the character is and that he needs a break. The use of sound after that is also very well done as we can hear nothing else but his heartbeat, it makes the advert a lot more effective. The use of he close us and long shots also make the advert successful. This advert also has many negative aspects to it. For example it lasts a very long time and halfway through some people are likely to lose interest. Also, we don't really know what the advert is trying to promote until the very last couple of seconds, meaning that even though it is effective, it doesn't sell the product well. 

Another form of advertising is by using a Documentary style. This is normally an advert based in a real life setting with people who have real life professions, such as scientists. A good example is the Vortex advert in 1980.

This is effective because it is filmed like a real documentary and based in a laboratory with people who look like they are scientists. This is a good way of promoting the advert as many people will believe the effects of the Vortex cleaner as it has been suggested by scientists. Again this type of advert may relate mostly to women as they may need help when it comes to getting the right cleaner. Also the length of it is quite short which means it doesn't take up a lot of the audiences time. The close up of the Petri dishes is also good as we, the audience, can see for ourselves the results of the cleaner, meaning we are more likely to go out of our way to buy it. There are, however, some negative aspects to this advert. For example the speech between to two people is very formal and this means that some people may not like it as that may not be what they are interested in watching. 

A Talking Head advert is also another way of making an advert. A Talking Head advert is when the person is talking into the camera, as if they are talking to us personally. An example of this is the advert featuring Ewan Mcgregor thanking people for their help towards a charity.

This is an example of a Talking Head advert as the person in the advert is talking directly to the audience, which make it very personal. The use of the medium shot on his face means that we can see the emotion and sincerity on his face which means that we get involved emotionally. The idea of using a famous person, such as Ewan Mcgregor, means that people are more likely to watch it as they know who he is, which then makes them more likely to help the charity he's appealing for. Also, filming in what looks like his home means that the whole advert becomes more personal as we feel he is really talking to us. Furthermore, the length of the advert is good as it isn't too long but isn't too short either, which means it's long enough to get the point across to the audience. The one thing that could make this advert better is the use of pictures or evidence that the money that has been raised has gone to a useful cause. I think that if the audience could see how their money has helped they would be more interested in the advert and willing to tell other people about the charity. 

A Stand Alone advert is an advert which is a one off but is memorable to everyone. An example of this is the 2012 Olympic Games advert.

This is a Stand Alone advert as it was a one off to promote the 2012 Olympic Games. It is effective because it shows how anything is possible. They create this idea by showing the athletes on things such as mountains and hanging from tall buildings. This appeals to the audience as it makes them feel like they are able to achieve anything, especially younger children. The way that the music is used is also good as it is dramatic and emphasised which attracts the attention of the people watching it. The creators of the advert have also used the images of real life athletes and changed them into cartoon characters to make it more enjoyable for perhaps little children to watch. There are also a range of camera angles such as extreme close up, close up, medium shot and wide shots which make it nice to watch as it changes between angels regularly, keeping the audience's attention. One problem with this advert is that even though it is promoting a world wide event it is quite a long advert, also meaning that people watching this advert may not quite watch the full thing. 

Finally, the last form or advertising is a Series. An example of this is the Alien Family adverts for Argos.

This is a good example of a Series advert because it shows the lives of a family in different situations. Its a good idea because attracts the attention of little children, as they are blue aliens, but also older people as its promoting the easier way of getting products online. The adverts also have a sense of humour to them as well as real life situations. The length of it is also good because it's short, meaning the audience will be paying attention throughout the whole advert, which means they are more likely to be attracted to what the advert is promoting. A negative aspect to this advert is that because the characters in it aren't real, adults watching it may not take it seriously and may stop watching it before it has finished, meaning that they are not around to see what the advert is actually promoting. This, therefore, means that less people are likely to use the app as they may not have known the advertisement was selling that. 

As you can see there are many different Forms of Television Advertising, and each of which have many different positive and negative aspects. Depending on what you want to advertise, there are many options to choose from, and you're likely to find one that advertises your product efficiently.