EPCC English 1301 3p-450pm MWF
Visual Analysis
The Standard of Purity Americas #1 Trusted Baking Soda Brand
Rocelyn Moore
5/9/2012
The first thing we see is the company’s logo sitting on an orange and white background.
It is a big red bold circle encompassed in a thin red circle separated just enough so we can notice.
The circles sit inside a white background that resembles the shine off the sun, inside the big red
bold circle is a white man’s arm up to the shoulder. The muscle is flexed and the sleeve of his
white shirt is rolled up to the shoulder, the hand is holding a hammer. Across the top inside of
the big red bold circle the large white font in all capital letters reads “ARM & HAMMER”, in
the lower portion of the circle still in all capital letters but smaller white font we see “THE
STANDARD OF PURITY”. Right underneath this logo we see “SWITCH&SAVE”, then we
see a big orange quotation box stating “Bloggers Quotes from their post”, off to the right just
underneath this we see an orange box with the big bold red circle and the arm with the hammer,
the box reading “Pure Baking Soda America’s #1 Trusted Baking Soda Brand”.
The linguistic message begins by challenging us to switch and save. Arm and Hammer
lets us know they have already challenged “top bloggers” to switch to their household and
personal care products; they want us to know what these bloggers have said about their baking
soda “the original secret to cleaning, freshening, and deodorizing with countless uses for about
one dollar.” “- Amanda, mommymandy.com” says “You can use Baking Soda for many different
things like scrubbing dishes and getting tough grime off your stove top”, another blogger “When
I was a child, I remember seeing the orange box with the ARM & HAMMER symbol on it. As I
became an adult, I took comfort in knowing it’s a natural, safe, effective and affordable product
that can be used in so many ways- Shannon, themommyfiles.com”. After hearing from theses
mothers we are told we can take the challenge and save up to fourteen dollars, all we have to do
is flip the page over and get the details.
When flipping the page over there it is again the company’s logo on an orange and white
background. Our eye then catching the word “TRY” it is in all capital letters and red font. Next
we see kitty litter, a toothbrush, laundry soap, and baking soda along with other products we can
use every day, each product stamped with the company logo. Last we see the word “SAVE” in
all capital letters and red font. The linguistic message continues reiterating we should try the
entire line of Arm and Hammer products to “discover performance and value”. They go on to tell
us that if we accept their challenge we will save up to fourteen dollars with money-saving
coupons, and we can get these coupons at “switchsavechallenge.com”. This leads us into a larger
ad where we see a slogan in large white font and a white baby with big brown eyes dressed in a
clean white onesie, starring off into space with his mouth open.
Continuing with the orange and white background there is smaller pictures in a circular
frame going down the left side of the ad. The first picture is a white baby smiling while hugging
a teddy bear so tight his nose is in it as if he is smelling it. Next we see a picture located right
underneath the first one and it is a white diaper pail. Third we have a white baby sitting in a
clean white highchair with a playful and satisfied disposition, this picture is located right under
the second and right above the company’s famous orange box with the big red bold circle
encompassed in a thin red circle and the man’s arm holding the hammer. “Pure Baking Soda
Americas #1 Trusted Baking Soda Brand “the box reads.
Arm and Hammer continues the linguistic message by telling us their baking soda is a
safe and gentle way to freshen and clean our homes around our babies. Their slogan “The secret
to caring for baby safely and gently” reiterates that we might not know the many uses of this
particular product. Effectively the ad goes on to tell us that Arm and Hammer pure baking soda
is a “Pure gentle and affordable” way to clean and freshen up our homes in the presence of a
baby. Importantly the other linguistic messages begin to refer directly to the images in the ad,
telling us their secrets beginning with Number 9.
If we put a half cup of their baking soda into our laundry we will get a “whitening and
brightening booster” that’s gentle enough even for our babies skin, referring to the baby in the
bright white onesie. The baby smelling the bear is secret Number 15 “Sprinkle on then
thoroughly shake off” letting us know babies stuffed animals can be freshened simply and
quickly using their baking soda. Secret Number 7 tells us to add to our diaper pails to “eliminate
the odors from the dirty diapers” referring to the white diaper pail we see in the ad. The last
secret we find out is Number 3; baking soda is “a pure safe way to clean highchairs and other
hard surfaces explaining the satisfied baby sitting in his clean white highchair. Our last linguistic
message goes back to the orange box of pure baking soda Arm and Hammer‘s “original secret to
cleaning, freshening, and deodorizing”, informing us that we will be purchasing countless uses
for about one dollar, and we can find “more information and tips at armandhammer.com”
Arm and Hammer uses their company logo, pure baking soda, and a healthy Caucasian
baby with big brown eyes and content disposition as the pure images in their ad. This company
has been around for many years and is known for their symbol and the orange box. They give us
real comments from mothers about what their baking soda can do, and how it is natural, safe,
effective and affordable. Effectively the babies are used to let mothers in on some secret uses of
their baking soda. Powerfully the ad uses the big red bold circle encompassed in a thin red circle
separated just enough so we can notice sitting inside a white background that resembles the shine
off the sun, and the white man’s arm up to the shoulder holding the hammer along with the
baking soda and babies as their signs.
Each sign heavily influences the signifiers starting with the orange and white
background, then the big bold red circle with the arm holding a hammer sitting in front of a
white sun, leading to the orange box. The signifiers continue with the clean white clothing,
emotional hugging and smelling of the teddy bear and the playful satisfied look of the baby. All
signified by the box of Arm and Hammer pure baking soda, company logo, white onesie, teddy
bear, diaper pail and highchair .
Having knowledge of the American culture will help us understand the full message of
this ad. With the use of the color white and the Caucasian babies they want us to get a since of
clean and pure “ARM & Hammer the Standard of Purity”. Being known for their baking soda
Arm and Hammer uses the color orange and their company logo to advertise the challenge. Just
like Shannon most of us grew up seeing the orange box with the Arm and hammer symbol on it.
“America’s #1 trusted baking soda brand” is targeting mothers by the use of diaper pails and
highchairs. These mothers may not know about their extensive line of household and personal
care products, or the many uses of their baking soda, and most of us can agree saving money is
worth a challenge.
Arm and Hammer uses linguistic and visual coded messages starting with the switch and
save challenge going to the countless uses and the secret, linguistic coded messages continue by
giving us comments from mothers who have already taken the challenge, and telling us we can
save up to 14 dollars. This effectively leading us into the visual coded messages showing us
various products that they produce, happy, healthy white babies, clean white furniture and
clothing, freshness, the color orange and the big red bold circle encompassed in a thin red circle
and the white man’s arm holding the hammer.
Our non- coded messages are the orange box of pure baking soda with the company logo,
the company’s various household and personal care products stamped with their symbol, their
logo and the fact that we need to get the coupons from their website before we can get our
savings. Non-coded messages lengthen with the white clothing, teddy bear, diaper pail,
highchair, and once again the orange box of pure baking soda. Impressively we are challenged to
switch to Arm and Hammer products for at least one month. Then we are given real life
comments from actual users about their original product, the bloggers share actual uses for their
pure baking soda and inform us it is a safe, natural effective and affordable product. Arm and
Hammer goes forward expressing that their products are affordable and their pure baking soda
can be used in many different ways for a safe, gentle, and pure environment. We see evidence of
cleanliness, freshness, and an extensive line of products for our household and personal care. The
baking soda is used to persuade us in to feeling like this is the only product we need, it has many
uses and it is pure so no worrying about chemicals around the babies all while saving money
using this one product. After all it is “Americas #1 Trusted Baking Soda Brand”.