Advert Research (Lucozade, Old Spice, Shelter)

Lucozade 

What is being sold? Research company background, type of product and price.

A sports energy drink is being sold in the advertisement. Lucozade is a soft drink manufactured by the Japanese company Suntory and marketed as a range of sports and energy drinks. In 1927 it was created as "Glucozade" by a Newcastle pharmacist William Walker Hunter. It was acquired by the British pharmaceutical company Beecham's in 1938 and sold as an energy drink for the sick as Lucozade. The company's advertising slogan was "Lucozade aids recovery". A glucose–water solution, the product was sold until 1983 as a carbonated, slightly orange-flavoured drink in a glass bottle wrapped in yellow cellophane. Pharmacists sold it, children were given it when ill, and hospital visitors would regularly arrive with a bottle. It was rebranded it as a "pick me up" in 1978 and as a sports drink in 1983 to associate it with health rather than sickness. The company switched to a plastic bottle and introduced a range of flavours in more recent times and it is sold at around £1.50 in most shops.

Who is the target audience? Explain.

Lucozade Energy has always seemed a brand obsessed with physicality, therefore the target audience for this product would typically be sports people and young people. By featuring the sportsman Gareth Bale on the front, people would be more encouraged to buy the product because they know that Gareth has something to do with it. The glucose drink focuses new ad energies on manual workers. an age range of 18-30 year olds would be the most accurate as a target audience because during these ages people are more likely to be engaged in sporting activities and would therefore want to drink lucozade to improve their performance.

What representations are evident in the advert? why have they been used? how does this appeal to the target audience?

Gareth bale has been represented as a serious, determined athlete which encourages other young people to be like him. his face is easily recognisable by the target audience because the image of his face is large and clear. It is noticeable that there is sweat on his forehead, making the audience assume that he is a hardworking individual and the lucozade drink is aiding him to progress further by providing him the energy that he needs. this encourages the target audience to work hard like gareth does, giving them inspiration to be as famous as he is. The use of sporting clothing on Gareth also suggests that he is passionate about sports and that it is a big part of his life.

Is the advert successful? Explain your answer

I think that the advert is successful as many sportsman aspire for their performance to be as good as Bales, so therefore by him advertising the drink it therefore suggests that he has the drink to gain energy before the fame, so this will encourage others to buy the drink. the white square that outlines the advert is clearly recognisable as a football pitch, associating the advert immediately with popular sports and therefore attracting a large amount of people. this is complimented by the blue and yellow colour theme that is typical of sports clothing and equipment.

Shelter 

What is being sold? Research company background, type of product and price.

 Shelter is a registered charity that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing in England and Scotland. It gives advice, information and advocacy to people in need, and tackles the root causes of bad housing by lobbying government and local authorities for new laws and policies to improve the lives of homeless and badly housed people. It works in partnership with Shelter Cymru in Wales and the Housing Rights Service in Northern Ireland. Shelter helps people in housing need by providing advice and practical assistance, and fights for better investment in housing and for laws and policies to improve the lives of homeless and badly housed people. Shelter was launched on 1 December 1966, evolving out of the work on behalf of homeless people then being carried on in Notting Hill in London.

Nothing is being sold in the advertisement; it's purpose is to encourage people to support the charity by giving donations. All donations are accepted and there aren't any price limits.

Who is the target audience? Explain.

There is not a specific target audience, however, if there was one it would be middle aged adults. they would be the most well-off people in society because they are working so can afford to donate to charities typically speaking. These specific adverts display young adults to middle aged adults which encourage these sort of ages to donate as they would be able to relate to the people shown in the adverts that are homeless as they are of a similar age. In this sense, the adverts are not very effective as it excludes the fact that there are younger and older people who are in need of help and support. they have clearly just included young/midde aged adults on the advert so that the target audience is more encouraged to donate money.

What representations are evident in the advert? Why have such representations been employed? In what ways do the adverts appeal to the target audience?

the advert represents a variety of races, genders and ages. the adverts are appealing to the target audience as they have used bright, contrasting colours to catch the audiences eye. the three people featured on the advert have been represented as sufferers due to the red and black colour theme. considering the large red writing is all over their faces, it creates the impression that they are trapped behind these words. this is complimented by their faces being very close up to the camera and merged into the black border as it creates the impression that they cannot escape from the situation that they are in. the red writing may also have connotations of blood, suggesting that being homeless is dangerous and can result in violence from members of the public. the line 'loosing a job' is effective because we live in a capitalist society so most people need a job to survive, meaning this issue will effect most people and be relatable to the target audience.

The advert presents people of different races which is positive as it shows that it isn't a racial issue, different ages and genders to emphasise that homelessness can effect anyone. however, none of the people featured are white british which could be suggesting that those people are not usually affected by homelessness which of course is untrue. The contact information is easy to read as it has been put in the colour white over a dark background, representing light amongst darkness.

Is the advert successful? Explain your answer

i believe that this advert is successful because it clearly represents the pain and suffering that homeless people have to face on an everyday basis. the transparent font covering the faces is effective because not only does it draw attention to the people's facial expressions, it also shows powerful, rhetorical questions that forces the audience to consider difficult issues that these people have to face everyday which persuades them to want to make a change, that can potentially change their lives for the better. the colours in the advert have been used well, for example, the dark facial expressions of each person on the advert have been blended with the black border, creating the impression that these people just blend in with everyone else. however, because their faces and facial expression are so clearly presented on the advert, it gives us the idea that they shouldnt just blend in with everyone else; these people are desperate individuals that need to be helped. People can easily read the contact information due to it being put on a dark background.

One the contrary, I think these adverts would be a lot more effective if they presented a wider spectrum of people so it could appeal to a broader audience and represent the true variety of people that are homeless in the UK.

Old Spice

What is being sold? Research company background, type of product and price.

Old Spice products were manufactured by the Shulton Company that was founded in 1934 by William Lightfoot Schultz. Schultz was inspired by his mother’s potpourri and as a result, the first Old Spice product in 1937 was a woman’s scent called Early American Old Spice. The product was received well, and therefore followed with Old Spice for men in 1938. Old Spice's buoy-shaped bottle cologne has been its staple product, available in its original scent as well as newer Pure Sport. In 2006, Old Spice introduced a fragrance, OS Signature, which won the magazine FHM 's 2006 Grooming Award for Best Sporty Fragrance. Old Spice Red Zone products include a "Scratch-and-sniff" version of the Signature fragrance. Old Spice launched the Hardest Working Collection in 2016 with antiperspirants and body washes, offering the best protection and performance yet from the company. In 2014, Old Spice expanded its product line-up to men’s hair care with the introduction of shampoos, conditioners and styling products. These products included: gel, putty, pomade, paste and wax. As of 2016, Old Spice has six main lines of grooming products and each line features a variety of products and scents. nowadays, old spice is sold for around £3 and gift sets are available for around £10.

Who is the target audience? Explain.

the target audience for this product would be typical be men of all ages, but it would also attract females to buy the product as it features a young, muscly and attractive man. Because young men would be amused by the young man on the horse.

What representations are evident in the advert? Why have such representations been employed? In what ways do the adverts appeal to the target audience?

Is the advert successful? Explain your answer