Print advertising
There are 3 tasks on the electronic version of this sheet
First task in your working groups
You are going to discuss a range of print ads. You need to research
print ad content before you make your own full magazine page
advert.
In your working video groups, choose a printed advert you could discuss. As a group, discuss the effectiveness
of the advert and note down the main points below. Describe the main elements that make the page effective
and prepare a 2-3 minute talk (no more than 3 mins) to summarise your findings. Each team member will
need to speak. You will deliver the talk at the beginning of second lesson this week. This gives you time to
practice in a group.
Describe and include the following in your talk (make your own notes based on your
discussion)
Which advert are you
describing? Which type of
magazine product would be
suitable for this advert?
Based on the advert alone,
describe the target audience?
Ron Zacapa Rum.
Cheap weekly magazines and supermarket magazines.
What are the key elements on
the page? How has the
designer made these more
noticeable?
What are the main design
techniques used to really sell
the product/persuade the
reader to buy?
How does the typography
used complement both the
product and the page?
Discuss the typographic
elements using correct
terminology.
Describe the effectiveness of
the overall colour scheme
The product is the only part of the advert in colour, the rest is monochrome. It is in the
foreground, making it the focal point and the slogan doesn’t stand out too much, ensuring it
does not detract from the product.
What is the main selling point
on the page? Which
component is the most
persuasive?
Which techniques will you use
as a group to influence your
own print advertising
campaign?
The product is the main selling point on the advertisement. The bottle stands out against its
background and looks very attractive while the rest of the page is simplistic and dark. The
golden-brown liquid is the most persuasive part of the advert, again due to the darkness of
the rest of the page and it being the focal point in the centre of the page.
The simple typography all in the same font is a technique we shall definitely use as well as
the complimenting colours that bring attention to the centrepiece – the product we are
selling.
25-50 due to having a higher income to spend on luxury items.
The background (white clouds with black mountains and a dark sky) reinforces the slogan
“Aged above the clouds”. The golden brown liquid stands out and looks very attractive
placed in the centre of an otherwise purely black and white image.
The slogan font is the same as the logo, and is white so doesn’t detract from the product
and blends in well with the rest of the advertisement. The KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid)
technique is in effect here as there is not a wide variety of fonts used to keep the
typographic elements uniform, neat and attractive.
The colour scheme is very effective as it draws attention to the product in the centre and
makes it look warm and exciting while the rest of the image is in monochrome.
As part of your advertising campaign, you will feedback your findings to the group at the start of second
lesson – so make sure you have practiced and timed your talk – Two-three minutes in total only.
Homework will require you to type up these notes. The electronic document is on Moodle called Print
Research tasks
Second task – in a group. Discuss theme for the new print ad campaign
In your working groups, discuss how you can advertise your own product on a full page in a glossy magazine,
such as the Radio/TV Times. You already have a theme for your advertising campaign for the TV Advert, you
now need to complement this with printed advertising. All individual print adverts will be included in your
Advertising Campaign presentation, during week commencing 8th December.
Third task – Individual moodboards
When you have identified your theme, use Photoshop to create a moodboard for your own advert – A4
landscape 297mm x 210mm 100 ppi resolution.
Homework– individual research task
Using the internet, research how your chosen product has been advertised in the past. You are looking for
printed advertisements.
Find a range (4-6) of DIFFERENT print adverts for your product, copy them here into this word document
(double click on each picture and choose Wrap Text, Tight). You can then make them smaller and drag them
around your page.
Choose two different types of advert to describe in detail (one could be a billboard and one a magazine ad,
but not from the same print campaign):
Advert 1: Copy the advert here and answer the following questions:
Describe the primary target
audience?
Suggest various locations
where this type of advert
could be found?
In your opinion, what gives
this advert impact?
What makes the typography
effective? Describe the
techniques used to help it sell
the product?
How to the graphics help sell
the product?
How would you describe the
colour scheme?
Why do you think these
particular colours have been
used?
How does the advert sell the
product to you?
What could they have done
better?
What makes this a
professional piece of work?
Everyone aged 14-30. McDonalds naturally attracts a wide audience so they have made sure
the classic ‘M’ logo on the chip box is very prominent.
The fact it is advertising the ‘Saver Menu’, showing cheaper items appeals to people with a
lower income, and as such attracts a younger audience as well as people in the working class
social-demographic.
This advertisement would be found in a leaflet or digital magazine because the white
background keeps the printing costs down. The “Take a Close Look” banner could easily be
adapted to be used as a button function, linking you through to another site if this was for a
digital magazine.
The bright white background makes the red typography stand out and the KISS technique
(Keep it Simple, Stupid) is effective, showing just the products and the Saver Menu logo, with
the tiny characters emphasizing how big the products are in comparison to the price.
The typography is bright red and sits on a white background, this makes the wording stand out
more. It is clear and in a neon-sign lighting style which bounces out at the audience. The
typography also reinforces McDonalds’ brand identity and keeps the page a uniform colour by
being coloured a bright red with white centre.
The products are all photographed expertly and look very attractive under excellent lighting
conditions and the white background make them stand out even more. The only typography
used in the advert says “Saver Menu” keeping the advertisement stream-lined and simple.
From one quick glance the audience knows and understands what the advertisement is selling
and what the product is.
The colour scheme is very simple and uniform, everything bar the products being sold is white
and red. The red is used as it keeps in line with McDonald’s signature red logos and the white
is used as a backdrop to keep everything very simple and to make the products stand out
more.
The advert sells the product by being stream-lined and simple and reinforcing the
McDonalds’ brand identity without being too loud or in the audience’s face. Everything is
calm and reigned back and the products on show have the audience’s complete attention,
with nothing else on the page detracting or diverting.
I believe that the advert would be more effective if the products were slightly bigger and
brought to the centre of the page as opposed to being slightly to the right. The Saver Menu
logo could also benefit from being slightly bigger.
The clean, concise look and the quality of the photography make this piece professional
standard. The tiny digitally created people also add a nice touch which look very
professional.
Advert 2: Copy the advert here and answer the following questions:
Describe the primary target
audience?
Suggest various locations
where this type of advert
could be found?
In your opinion, what gives
this advert impact?
What makes the typography
effective? Describe the
techniques used to help it sell
the product?
How to the graphics help sell
the product?
How would you describe the
colour scheme?
Why do you think these
particular colours have been
used?
How does the advert sell the
product to you?
What could they have done
better?
What makes this a
professional piece of work?
Young, healthy women aged 15-30. The salad shows a different, healthier side to
McDonalds while the ‘M’ logo is still very prominent.
The advert could be found as a double-page spread in a women’s magazine such as Look,
Closer and HELLO! Because of the fitness orientated product and colours.
The bright blue backgrounds and the close-up of the salad attract the reader’s attention and
make the product look very refreshing.
The typography again is very simple and uniform, only opting for one font style. The advert
uses this KISS technique very effectively in all aspects of the advert and the typography ties
it all together.
The graphics help to show the audience the quality of the product being sold. The
professional quality of the photographs are a great help as the photographers have
managed to capture the products at the most attractive angles and even the close-up of the
salad on the right is very clear and of great quality despite being so close.
The colour scheme uses a variety of cool blue shades and features a bright green salad and
salad cup. These colours have been selected for the advert as it makes the products look
refreshing and healthy.
The advert sells the product by using the healthy looking colours and showing a close-up of
the salad from an attractive angle on the left and then displaying some other products on
the right to show the audience (once their attention has been caught by the close-up) the
“Combo” meal the salad is apart of.
I feel as though the knife and fork on the right-hand page look poorly edited in and are
unnecessary – if anything they take attention away from the meal being displayed.
The colours are uniform and help tie the advert together. The font used is also simple and in
keeping with the standard McDonalds advertising campaigns, not diverting attention away
from the products by being neat and easy to read.