Assignment 1 Task 4- Conventions of Banner Adverts

Conventions of Banner adverts 

What information is the advert giving you – how does it catch your attention? (Product release date, Sale, Competition, Features etc…) Is this typical of banner adverts - why? The advert below is an banner advert for NIKE sportswear. In the advert there is illustrations and a picture of a NIKE Air Max shoe. The illustrations show a teenager spray painting the NIKE Air Max shoe in a urban area. This might suggest that the shoes are designed/built for youth and worn by youth. In the top-right corner of the banner ad is the NIKE logo. The NIKE brand is seen as a professional brand and is often associated with athletes and young people. The fact that it is a NIKE banner advert, makes it stand out and instantly appeal to a younger audience. The advert uses the original NIKE font and slogan "JUST DO  IT". The use of the slogan makes the advert more recognisable to consumers. When clicked on, the advert displays a link that takes you to the NIKE website and also displays social media links. This shows that the advert was made for a younger audience.

What you do to make it interactive: shoot, click, close, fight, skip, answer etc Is this typical of banner adverts - what happens when you click? This advert is somewhat typical of a banner advert because it allows people to interact with the advert by clicking on it. Clicking on the ad takes the user to the NIKE website.

How have they Branded advert (Logo, Trademark, Product, colour scheme?) Have they featured the product and how prominent is it in the advert? Is this typical of banner adverts – why? This advert has used the NIKE swoosh logo and the "just do it" slogan to brand the advert. They have also shown an image of the product they are promoting. This is typical of a banner advert because most banner adverts use branding to promote the product or service.

How long does this advert run for – or how long does it require you to read it? Are there more images than text? Is this typical for a banner advert - why? This banner advert in particular uses more imagery than text and does not require people to read it for a long time. A normal banner advert would usually have a "shop now" or "buy now" button. However this banner advert does not, it relies solely on the images and branding to sell the product. Why does this appeal to a youth audience? The advert appeals to youth because it uses illustrations and fonts that younger people would find appealing.

Do they use Photo images and how have they manipulated them – cut out & backgrounds etc? The banner advert uses a photo of the product. It looks like it has been cut out and placed on a different background. The ad also uses illustrations to make the product stand out. Is this typical for banner adverts to do this – why?

What colour are used - Why does the above appeal to a youth audience? The main colour that is used is blue. The primary colour of the product is white. Because the product is white, it stands out. This draws attention to the product. Where is your attention drawn to on the page – is this where the large central image is? Why is this typical for banner ads to do this?

The ‘Copy’ – how big and what fonts are used – how many are different? The advert uses the classic NIKE font for the "just do it" slogan. Because the slogan is highly recogniseable, people are able to know what the advert is advertising.

Is there a story? If yes, what is it about? If not, what is happening in the advert - what do you see? The TV broadcast advert of the new Apple Macbook shows how the appearance of the laptop can change, by adding stickers. In the advert, there are a range of different stickers that are used to customise the laptop. Why does this appeal to a youth audience? The Apple brand is known to be a high tech and prestigious brand, which makes their products appeal to younger audiences. The fact that some of the stickers are well known cartoon and fictional characters, shows that the advert is aimed at a younger audience.

What can you hear (what TYPE of music, is there a voiceover) and how it sounds? In the advert an instermental of Chimes by Hudson Mohawke can be heard. Younger people tend to like fast and upbeat music, so the fact that the advert uses an upbeat electronic instermental suggests that the advert is in fact aimed at a younger audience. It is typical for broadcast adverts to use an instermental or song. Using music engages the audience.

How long does this advert run for – or how long does it require you to read it? This broadcast adverts runs for about 31 seconds.Although there are no voiceovers, there are plenty of images.

What types of images are used – live action video or special effects – and what are they of? There are a range of different stickers that are used to customise the laptop. The advert uses stop-motion effects to make the stickers look like they are moving.  Is this typical for Broadcast Ads to do this - why?

What is the editing doing – is the advert quick or slow? What happens at the end of the advert – is there a product shot and/or the logo/TM? The advert is quite fast because the stickers on the laptop are constantly changing to the rhythm of the music. The last sticker that is shown in the advert, is the apple logo sticker. This shows that the advert is an apple advert. At the end of the advert, there is a slogan which reads "the notebook people love" in the classic apple font. It is very typical for broadcast adverts to show the brand logo or trademark slogan/phrase. This allows the audience to recognize the product and brand. Is this typical for Broadcast Ads to do this - why?

The ‘Copy’ – how big and what fonts are used – how many are different? The font that is used is the classic apple font. The font is used when the slogan appears in the middle at the end of the advert. The slogan is related to the images in the advert. The slogan states that the apple MacBook is the "notebook people love". Implying that many people prefer apple over other brands. Many broadcast adverts use slogans and less text.This is because they don't want people to get bored and loose interest by the amount of text that is on the screen.

Assignment 1, Task 4 Final Assessment

Explain: what are the differences between the conventions (the typical things you expect to see/hear) of Banner Ads and Broadcast ads for this type of product?

1. Still image vs moving images   Banner adverts can use lots of images and text. However banner adverts are limited to the amount of content that can fit on the actual banner itself. Broadcast adverts can show as much information as they want because they are not limited by space. But if broadcast adverts show too much information, they can cause the audience to lose interest in the advert. Overall, moving image adverts allow the audience to take in the most amount of infomation.People can interact with banner adverts in different kinds of ways compared to broadcast adverts. For example banner adverts can use interactive games, social media link buttons and website links.