Ad Analysis
Decoding the Rhetoric of Consumer Culture
Facts
 Advertisements comprise thirty percent of the material
aired on television, and many of us will view more than
two million commercials in our lifetimes.
 The A. C. Nielson Company reports that, by the age of
sixty-five, the average U.S. citizen will have spent nine
years of his or her life watching television—twenty-eight
hours a week, two months a year.
 The average youth will spend nearly twice as many
hours in front of the tube (fifteen hundred hours) as he
or she spends at school (nine hundred hours).
Ads Unmasked
 Advertisements, however, do more than entertain and
sell more than just products. They suggest standards of
normalcy, of coolness, of sexiness, of happiness, and so
on—standards that shape the way that we view and
interpret the world.
 They also serve the profit-driven interests of the
corporations that create them.
 As cultural critic Naomi Klein explains, "Quite simply,
every company with a powerful brand is
attempting to develop a relationship with
consumers that resonates so completely with their
sense of self that they will aspire, or at least
consent, to be serfs under these feudal
brandlords." (149)
Key Questions
 Who appears in the ad? A celebrity or someone well known? An
unfamiliar figure? What are the expressions of the people featured
in the ad?
 What is the setting of the ad, and what does it suggest about the
message?
 Who is the audience for the ad, and how do you know?
 How are language and conversation used in the ad? What, if
anything, do the people featured in the ad say? In print
advertisements, are there conversation bubbles? For commercials,
consider any conversations that might take place.
 In what ways does the ad attempt to manipulate the consumer into
buying the particular product it sells? On what emotions and desires
does the ad play? In other words, how is pathos used?
 Consider issues such as race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality.
In what ways, if any, are they present in the ad? What does their
presence in or absence from the ad suggest about the message?
Language for Analyzing Ads
 Nostalgia: Advertisements for Coca-Cola, summer vacation
destinations, or even political candidates can stir up sentiments or
memories of “the good old days.” In a commercial, for example, the
use of black and white film and/or flashbacks—illustrated by clothes,
music, and/or historical events—can invite a specific audience to
reflect on the past and evoke a sense of nostalgia.
 Merchants of “cool”: According to PBS, merchants of “cool” are
“creators and sellers of popular culture who have made teenagers
the hottest consumer demographic in America.”[1] Such merchants
may include Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Hot Topic, and
Aéropostale. Each relies on the tween and teen markets to keep its
empire in business and markets its definition of “cool” as the coolest
when it comes to youth culture.
 The myth of the “ideal you”: Today, in many cases, advertisers
still sell their products in a way that invites us to be the “best”
versions of ourselves. Cultural stereotypes substantiate this idea of
the “best” self, which exists only in the shared imagination of the
advertiser and audience.
Analyzing Ads: Gender
 Gender Subtexts in Ads: One Example—“The
Homemaker Myth”
 That Susie Sunshine belongs in the home instead of the
workplace and that Johnny Sunshine isn’t and could
never be a homemaker are ideas based on stereotypes.
Consider laundry detergent advertisements: men are
rarely shown doing the laundry. In most laundry
detergent commercials, a mother is depicted as the
official domestic caretaker, who lovingly rids her family’s
clothes of grass and food stains. For some families, this
may be typical. However, there are issues of gender role
expectations at play in such advertisements.
Analyzing Ads: Gender
 Considering the Contexts of ADS: Male and Female
Consumers then and Now
 When analyzing an ad in terms of gender, it is certainly
important to identify the ad's intended audience. It is
equally important to consider the ad's publishing
context. As definitions of femininity have evolved,
commercials trying to sell products to women have
changed—and the same goes for commercials
advertising products for men.
Ads and Gender: Examples
A Checklist for Analyzing Gender
in Print Advertisements
 Context: What is the context for the ad's publication?
Where did it first appear—on television, on the radio, on
the Internet, or in print? What magazine or online site is
it published at? If applicable, where is/was the original
billboard located? How would readers/viewers see or
have seen this ad?
 Audience: Who is the intended audience for this ad?
 Product: What is the ad trying to sell? Can you identify
it at first glance? The primary function of a visual
advertisement is to sell a specific product, service, or
idea: Is the product prominently displayed? Or, is it less
noticeable than other aspects of the advertisement?
A Checklist for Analyzing Gender
in Print Advertisements (cont.)
 People: Who is pictured in the ad? Are the models male
or female?
 Roles: What roles appear to have been assigned to the
models? Are the roles stereotypical?
 Appearance: What type of clothing are the models
wearing? Do they appear to be wearing makeup? How is
their hair styled? Does their overall ensembles reflect
the product well—why or why not? Does the ad suggest
that people who purchase the advertised product will
look like the models in the ad?
A Checklist for Analyzing Gender
in Print Advertisements (cont.)
 Body position: Are the models sitting or standing? Where are they
in relation to the other elements of the ad? If there is more than
one individual pictured in the ad, consider their positions in relation
to one another. Does one model’s body position seem inferior or
superior to the other's? What relationship does he or she have with
the product being advertised?
 Body language: What are the models' postures? Are they standing
straight and tall, leaning against something, sitting down, or
hunching over? Where are their arms? How are their heads
positioned? Is there a clear emotion being conveyed by either of the
models' body language? If both male and female models are
featured in the ad, consider their body language toward one
another. Based on body language, can you make any assumptions
about the relationships between the male(s) and female(s)
represented in the ad?
 Movement: Is there explicit action or movement in the ad? Implied
action or movement?
A Checklist for Analyzing Gender
in Print Advertisements (cont.)
 Gaze: Are the models' eyes visible in the ad? If so, are they
downcast? Looking out at the audience? Locked on another
model? Focused on the product the ad is trying to sell? If
they are not visible, are they obstructed or covered by the
product? Or, is a model’s face cut out of the ad entirely?
 Subtexts: What are the underlying arguments or assertions
of the ad? That men should pursue women aggressively?
That women should pursue men aggressively? That women
should be passive? That women should be mothers? That
men should be family-oriented? That men should work in
the professional business world? Look for subtexts that
both support and refute traditional gender stereotypes.
 Written language: Is there text in the ad? If so, is the text
informational? Does it directly relate to the product? Does it
contain a slogan or catchphrase? Something else? What
level of language is used? Slang? Jargon? Can it be
interpreted in multiple ways?
Analyzing Ads: Race
 Racial and Cultural Stereotypes
 When looking at an advertisement through the lens of
race, it is important to note how individuals of various
races, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds are
portrayed. It’s also important to note how stereotypes
may be at work in the advertisement as well as how
they affect the message. Many races, ethnicities, and
cultural groups are often misrepresented in advertising
through stereotypes that advertisers exploit under the
pretense that they are attempting to identify with a
specific audience. In your analysis, be sure to take
notice of factors such as appearance and attire, body
language and gestures, setting, speech, socioeconomic
status, and education.
Race and Ads: Examples
A Checklist for Analyzing Race in
Print Advertisements
 Context: What is the context for this ad's publication? Where did it
first appear—on television, on the radio, on the Internet, or in a
print source? What magazine or online site is it published at? If
applicable, where is the original billboard located? How would
readers/viewers see or have seen this ad (driving by at 60 mph, as
a small banner at the top of a website, as a glossy spread in a
magazine, etc.)?
 Audience: Who is the intended audience of this ad?
 Product: What is the ad trying to sell? Can you identify it at first
glance? The primary function of a visual advertisement is to sell a
specific product, service, or idea: Is the product prominently
displayed? Or, is it less noticeable than other aspects of the
advertisement? On what expectations are the advertisers banking?
Of what does the ad say that its audience is in need? That is, what
need does the product aim to fulfill? Is there a correlation implied
between the product and a particular race? If so, what is the
demographic associated with the advertisement?
A Checklist for Analyzing Race in
Print Advertisements

People: Who is pictured in the ad? Of what race or ethnicity are the
models/characters?

Body position: Are the models/characters sitting, standing, or moving?
Where are they in relation to the other elements of the ad? If there are
models/characters of different races or ethnicities featured in the ad,
consider their positions in relation to one another: Does one
model’s/character's body position seem inferior or superior to the
other's? Is his or her position contrasted against that of an individual of
another race or ethnicity? Based on body positions, can you make any
assumptions about the relationships between the represented
demographics? What relationship do they have with the product being
advertised?

Body language: What are the models'/characters' postures? Are they
standing straight and tall, leaning against something, sitting down, or
hunching over? Where are their arms? How are their heads positioned?
Is there a clear emotion being conveyed by the models' body language?
If there are models of different races or ethnicities featured in the ad,
consider their body language toward one another: Based on body
language, can you make any assumptions about the relationships
between the represented demographics?
Analyzing Ads: Socioeconomic
Status
 To what social class do you belong? How do you know?
Can others tell by how you talk, dress, and act? By how
much money you have? By your level of education? By
your occupation? Despite the presumed cultural ideal of
social equality in America, key markers such as income
and education are often used for social classification.
Analyzing Ads: Socioeconomic
Status
 Advertisers for many goods and services often frame
their rhetorical appeals—their strategies of persuasion—
in terms of audiences who are presumed to belong to a
particular, often loosely defined, social class.
 Frequently, these appeals rely on stereotypical qualities
associated with various socioeconomic classes. For
example, an advertisement for an expensive women’s
pant suit may appear in a magazine
like Vogue (generally regarded as appealing to an uppermiddle-class or upper-class audience) and may feature a
svelte, glamorous model unlikely to grace the pages of a
flyer for Walmart (generally regarded as appealing to a
lower-middle-class or working-class audience).
Blue Collar versus White Collar
 If we are analyzing an advertisement in which a model is
working in a construction area digging a ditch, we might
discuss the concept of blue-collar work.
Blue Collar versus White Collar
 On the other hand, if we are analyzing an advertisement
in which a professional is depicted in what looks to be a
high-powered office, we might discuss the concept of
white-collar work.
One for the Upper-Classes
A Checklist for Analyzing
Socioeconomic Status in Print
Advertisements
 Who appears to be the target audience for the
advertisement?
 What seems to be the general tone of the
advertisement? Serious? Playful? Satiric?
 Do you notice any other appeals to stereotypes
regarding education or income levels (e.g., the
“corporate elite,” the "nouveau riche," or the “literary
elite,” who may or may not earn high incomes but wield
“power” by virtue of educational or literary
achievements)?
A Checklist for Analyzing
Socioeconomic Status in Print
Advertisements
 How would you characterize the overall appearance of the
models in the ad? If applicable, how would you
characterize their clothing? To what social class would
you connect each model's attire? Are brand names
evident (e.g., Ralph Lauren, Ecco)? Are the models wellgroomed or scruffy? Healthy or unhealthy? Thin and fit or
heavy and out of shape? Do the models' qualities suggest
they are from a particular social class? If so, how? Is the
advertiser relying on stereotypical characterizations,
then? Why do you think the advertiser chose to portray
them in these ways?
 What would you guess the average income is of the
individuals featured in the ad and/or of the audience to
which the ad appeals?
A Checklist for Analyzing
Socioeconomic Status in Print
Advertisements
 Does the ad appeal to any stereotypes based on gender
or race? On what evidence do you ground your
assumption? If possible, what do you infer to be the
highest degree of education that the individuals featured
in the ad hold? Also in terms of level of education, who
do you believe is the intended audience?
 What is the setting for the advertisement? An elegant
spa? A pizza parlor?
 If text appears in the ad, what level of language is used,
and for what purpose? Slang? Other informal language?
Technical jargon? Standard American English? Dialect?
With what class do you associate the use of this level of
language? What is the effect of language use in this
advertisement?
A Checklist for Analyzing
Socioeconomic Status in Print
Advertisements
 Are symbols, metaphors, hyperbole, allusions, and/or other forms of
figurative language used? If so, what is the effect? Does the use of
figurative language evoke appeals to class in any way?
 What appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos do you find? Are these
appeals related to class issues? Do you notice the use of any logical
fallacies related to class issues (e.g., ad hominem, the slippery
slope)? How effective are they?
 In what ways does the advertisement appeal to class? Is the goal of
the ad to encourage consumers to spend for the purpose of
obtaining, or acquiring the appearance of, a higher socioeconomic
status? (Examples of such strategy might be ads for a BMW or a
Porsche that suggest the consumer would be more likely to attract
members of the opposite sex if he or she were to purchase the
advertised car.) Or, does the ad urge individuals to pursue an elite
status (e.g., an American Express credit card) that will provide the
illusion of upward class mobility.
A Checklist for Analyzing Race in
Print Advertisements
 Movement: Is there explicit action or movement in the
ad? Implied action or movement? How are the
characters interacting with each other in the
commercial?
 Diversity: What races or cultures are represented in the
ad? Are the ethnicities of the models evident? If there is
more than one individual pictured in the ad, consider
their appearances in relation to one another: Are they all
of the same general physical appearance and/or age?
Are there equal numbers of people representing each
race? What can these observations tell you about the
target audience of the ad?
Sources

Brown, Emma, Angela Eward-Mangione, and Susan Gail Taylor. “Ad
Analysis: Gender.” Writing Commons. n.d.
http://writingcommons.org/open-text/information-literacy/visualliteracy/ad-analysis/436-analyzing-ads- gender. 2 January 2015, Web.

Corbett, Sam,Jessica Masari Eberhard, and Susan Gail Taylor. Ad
Analysis: Race.” Writing Commons. n.d.
http://writingcommons.org/open-text/information-literacy/visualliteracy/ad-analysis/437-analyzing-ads-race. 2 January 2015, Web.

Madden, Mary Kay and Susan Taylor. Ad Analysis: Socioeconomic Class.”
Writing Commons. n.d. http://writingcommons.org/opentext/information-literacy/visual-literacy/ad-analysis/438-analyzing-adssocioeconomic-status. 2 January 2015, Web.

Moxley, Joseph. “Ad Analysis.” Writing Commons. n.d.
http://writingcommons.org/open-text/information-literacy/visualliteracy/ad-analysis. 2 January 2015, Web.

Yirinec, Jennifer. “Language for Ad Analysis.” Writing
Commons. n.d.
http://writingcommons.org/open-text/information-literacy/visualliteracy/ad-analysis/435-language-for-analyzing-ads. 2 January 2015,
Web.
A Checklist for Analyzing Race in
Print Advertisements
 Subtexts: What are the underlying arguments or assertions
of the ad? Is there an obvious correlation between race and
the product? Is there an assumption made that a person of
a certain race or culture might find the product particularly
interesting or useful? That is, does the advertisement
directly target a particular race, or does it seem racially
nonspecific? If targeted, what does the ad communicate
about the norms of the demographic’s lifestyle, needs, and
desires? Look for subtexts that both support and refute
traditional racial stereotypes.
 Written language: Is there text in the ad? If so, is the text
informational? Does it directly relate to the product? Does it
contain a slogan or catchphrase? Something else? What
level of language is used? Slang? Jargon? Does the
language seem targeted toward a particular race? Can it be
interpreted in multiple ways?