ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
TITLE III
English Composition Assignment
Interdisciplinary Course Materials
Business Administration
Course: EN 021/EN 023 Improving College Writing
Course Outline Topic: Advertisement Analysis
Project Title: What Do Ads Really Say?
Project Description: Students will write a 1 ½ - 2 page essay analyzing an
advertisement.
Author: Erika Hendra
Curriculum Expert: Maryangela Gadikian
Semester Created: Spring 2009
A. Essential Question: How do advertisements work? What makes an ad effective (or
not)? Do viewers of ads really buy into what the ad is telling and selling?
B. Introduction: We are bombarded with information on a daily basis. TV, the
internet, newspapers, magazines, movies, billboards... we can’t get away from it. How
then, are we supposed to sift through all that information? One of the best ways to begin
analyzing information is with print ads. Most advertisements contain the obvious visual
elements as well as text, statistics or other types of information all meant to sway our
opinion. In order to become savvy consumers and researchers, we need to know how to
deconstruct and analyze ads.
C. Basic Directions: For your Advertisement Analysis, I’d like you to choose an ad
and analyze it using the criteria we’ve discussed in class. Remember, you are analyzing
the ad, not just describing it. Your thesis must state something that you are proving or
explaining in the analysis. Some things to consider and help you focus your analysis are:
is the ad effective? Is it persuasive? Do you find it offensive? Or perhaps the ad fails to
engage its target audience. As you analyze, keep in mind that subject of the ad, who the
target audience is, what the ad’s purpose is, the layout and design aspects, the context,
and the medium.
D. Things to Learn Before Starting the Project: Practice analyzing visuals and
applying critical viewing practices: identifying the subject, audience, and purpose of the
ad (including logos, ethos, and pathos); examining language as a medium: diction, tone,
syntax, level of formality, etc; determining and understanding the context of an ad; and
examining the balance of visual elements to textual ones.
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E. The Project Assignment: The project is broken down into five stages. Although I
haven’t assigned a specific percentage for the completion of each stage, it will show in
your final grade whether or not you have taken full advantage of each stage.
1) Class discussion and analysis of a variety of ads – both print and video. (This can be
done either in small groups, or as a whole class, or a combination of the two). During
discussion, the introduction of the elements of analysis will be introduced:

SUBJECT: What is the subject of the ad? What is the ad about?
Summarizing it might help you flesh out what exactly the subject is. What
are your eyes drawn to? Make note not only of what your eyes are drawn
to but why.
Don’t forget about the details; you don’t have to address and examine
them right away, but details are important. Remember that ads have
limited time to catch and keep your attention, so every detail is important.
Remember also, that you shouldn’t hang onto your first impression of an
ad; approach it with an open mind and test to see if your first impression
holds up to scrutiny. Make note also of anything that’s missing that you
feel should be there.

AUDIENCE: Who is the target audience (and how do you know?) Think
about who the subject would appeal to. Where was this ad found? (and
consider the demographic of the magazine it came from, or during the
show in which the commercial aired). On one of the most basic levels,
you might decipher if the ad geared toward a general audience or an
audience with a specific expertise. Is the ad dated in any way? Does it
still apply to the same audience?

PURPOSE: What is the purpose of the ad? Yes, the aim of every ad is to
sell or announce a product, but could it also be selling something else too?
A lifestyle or attitude? Does it give statistics? Or do you think that it
relies more on emotional persuasion? Remember that logos makes use of
facts and statistics to persuade, where ethos relies on using a reliable
spokesperson. A text or an ad that uses pathos is one that appeals to our
emotions. Which of these does the ad use?

GENRE: Is your ad a print ad? A radio or TV commercial? An ad found
on the internet? Perhaps it’s a billboard. Whatever genre your ad falls
into, make sure to consider how that shapes the audience, the subject, or
the purpose.

TEXT: Most ads have text as well as visuals, and when you analyze the
text there are several aspects to consider: the tone and the voice, the level
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of diction used, and the level of technicality. You’ll want to make note of
how large or small the text is, where it’s placed in the ad, and how it
relates to the images.

IMAGES: When analyzing the pictures in an ad, consider the colors used,
the composition or balance between images or images and text. Notice
what jumps out at you and what might hide in the background. Is there a
spokesperson? Is it someone you recognize? Are there any patterns (no,
not like plaid but any image or words that repeats?)
2) Students find a compelling ad (either in print or video) and bring it into class to
begin analysis during writing workshop. During workshop, you will answer the
questions that we went over in the previous class to suss out the meaning(s) of your ad.
Make sure to make a note of where the ad came from.
3) Drafting: After answering the questions, work on drafting a complete essay. You
might not use the answers to every question in your essay, so decide carefully what
information will help you best support your analysis. We will spend time in class revising
and conferencing, so make sure you bring your draft to class.
4) Revision: I strongly advise you to take your essay to a tutor in the Skills Center for
additional help with revision. Although we will conference during class, we simply
won’t have the time to address every aspect of your paper.
F. Student Resources: magazines or newspapers; the television or the internet.
G. Faculty Resources: There are some sample ads that I use from Beyond Words:
Cultural Texts for Reading and Writing, but most any ads will do. The criteria about how
to analyze an ad also came from Beyond Words: Cultural Texts for Reading and Writing.
You might also consider using the McDonald’s Mc Cafe commercial as an in-class
example (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg87E1tjTOE).
H. Grading Rubric: A note about grading: When I set up my syllabus, I tell students
that they need to have a solid C grade in order to pass to EN 110. I feel very strongly that
if a student has been placed in a Developmental Writing course, they should earn a C so
that he/she is ready for the rigors of EN 110. This rubric, of course, can be altered to
include a D grade category if you prefer
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Excellent
A
Good
B
Content
Demonstrates
insight and
creativity. Analysis
is clear and
supported well with
specifics from the
ad.
Organization
Organization
enhances the main
ideas. Supporting
information is
presented logically,
with no extraneous
details. Transitions
are smooth.
The writing flows
and shows a high
level of
sophistication.
Strong and specific
words are used to
convey meaning.
Essay shows
thoughtful
analysis, though
the writer may not
have addressed an
important aspect of
the ad. Overall,
most of the ideas
are supported with
examples from the
ad.
Organization is
generally good, but
there may be some
extraneous details
or unclear
transitions.
Sentence
Fluency and
Word Choice
Mechanics
Proofreading is
thorough. Correct
spelling and
punctuation
throughout.
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Generally applies
standard English
usage and
appropriate word
choices. Sentences
are grammatical,
but sometimes stiff
or choppy.
Contains
occasional
spelling,
punctuation, and
typographical
errors, but the
errors are not
overly distracting.
4
Needs
Improvement
C
Contains some
interesting ideas,
but the writer does
not explore them
thoroughly. Lacks
detailed
explanation or
supporting
examples.
Includes an
organizational
skeleton (intro,
body, conclusion),
but often strays
from the main
idea. Lacks
transitions.
Some errors in
grammar and
word choice.
Sentences may be
incomplete or
rambling.
Some distracting
errors. Needs
more thorough
proofreading.
Unsatisfactory
F
The writer simply
summarizes the ad
rather than
analyzing it. The
writer’s point of
view is not evident.
No clear direction.
Main ideas are
vague and
connections are
confusing or
incomplete.
Contains frequent
grammar errors.
Sentences are
choppy, awkward,
and hard to follow.
Vocabulary is
limited and words
are used
incorrectly.
Frequent spelling,
punctuation, and
typographical
errors. No evidence
of proofreading.