Analyse the newspaper advertisements "The Look of Love" and "Bank of Scotland"

The Look of Love

"The Look of Love" as advertised in 'The Times', is in fact an advertisement for a Peugeot 206 - whereas taking a first glance at it you would imagine it to be a film advertisement.

I believe this has the overall look of the advertisement is presented like a film poster. The title, "The Look of Love" could me misread and perceived as the title for the film, and not only this, but the subtitle, "Boy gets car, Gets girl" could also be a brief description of what happens in the storyline.

Other factors in the ad can lead us to believe this, such as 'A Peugeot production starring the 206 Look' which would be the film production company, and the actors in the film (the Peugeot text being bolded and larger than the rest to give percipient to the car company, as the 206 Look also is, to show which model of the car the advertisement is about).

Again, underneath this, 'And featuring 1 years free insurance' which would be apprehended as the film credits.

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Below these two lines, in extensive bold pink writing, 'In a showroom near you' is written to replica the familiar 'In a cinema near you'. Last but not least, underlying this at the bottom of the ad there is small-scale text giving details on the car which again, if it were on a true film poster, usually are the features included and such.

Coming to the characters in the advertisement, which would otherwise be the actors if it were a film; the main character in the advertisement is a young, handsome Asian boy.

He is clearly the main attraction of the ad, and is holding a hammer, which could represent many things; strength, power and such - which the male star of a film would usually be bound to. He is also the paramount, centre image on the poster, and is looking upwards, in a stance which shows he is an important prospect to the ad.

Plainly, he has the stereotypical image of the main, male role as we would encounter in a film. He is also accompanied on the poster again, with a youthful, alluring, Asian female - who more than likely can be associated with the male star, and the title, "The Look of Love" as usually in films male and female characters have some connection with another. This can be proven almost straight away, as if you take note of her position on the poster; her hips are leaning towards him, which could be illustrated as showing some attraction or partnership towards him. Yet, at the same time, the fact she is turned away from him, with her arms crossed, chip up looking somewhat defiant to herself leads us to believe as many procacious women do, that she is perhaps playing 'hard to get'. We can also interpret that the male character is interested in the female, hence that he is reshaping his boring, humdrum run of the mill car into the Peugeot 206, to gain her regards.

He must love both the car (that he is gaining from the, so to speak, 'make-over') and the girl to do this. This again leads back to the original wording of the subtitle, "Boy gets car, Gets girl" as it entails, even though she is playing 'hard to get', improving the car to the standards and image of a Peugeot 206, will win her affections over. Ultimately, this makes us believe that is we buy the car it will portray a good outlook on ourselves and perhaps make others attracted to us as opposed to before hand.

The colour in the centre fixation of the ad is also a major part as it grabs our attention and draws us in. It is varied and interesting and the psychedelic background seems impelling and diverting. In sharp contrast to the background colours which are warm and tepid, the car stands out at the forefront as it is a wintry icy blue colour. This ensures that even with all the background activity in the ad, we still notice the car and submit it to memory.

Language is a major factor of the ad too and appeals to a certain type of audience also. It is simple and to the point appealing to people who'll act on impulse. We don't need an ample story behind the ad; we just need to know that if we buy this car, advantageous things for us will happen. In 5 words, "Boy gets car, Gets girl" the ad and storyline is summed up and told, which brings us to be hooked. The text is also at the apogee of the ad, and is bold, the largest of the ad, in strong contrasting colours, which also grabs our awareness.

As for intended audience, through the language and layout of the ad, we can relate the advert to a love story, and so we would presume it is aimed towards young 20-30 year olds who are fairly new to the scene and are looking to vary their interests through many means. This could perhaps also apply to people who are settled in jobs, but are looking for something more prime to make an impression on others. The characters in the ad are also of this age boundary, and so it is imaginable that Peugeot would want 20/30 year olds to put themselves in the position of them and be convinced they can achieve the same. Also this age group would be more likely to be attracted to the characters and so comprehend in buying the car they will not only be more appealing in themselves but others they find fetching will commend them into their social status.

The Bank of Scotland

"The Bank of Scotland" as advertised in 'The Times' is clearly an advertisement for The Bank of Scotland.

The advert itself is very simple and bland; however it doesn't take away its rather professional and serious status. This is mirrored in the way the model, in the picture - which dominates the page, looks, and the limited amount of clear cut, concise writing used. The image bestows a straight forward touch, for example - the use of colour; black and white, which could reflect upon that the Bank may be manifest and manageable in use. Yet the hairstyle and austere facial expression upon the model can also demonstrate that there is still a high amount of professionalism behind the simple exterior, among many other things.

The image on the ad is an arty, unusual and interesting picture. What fixates us is her pristine hair. The hair itself on the model is lifted and grown, which could show they want to make their business grow, and it is also sharp, straight, edged, and notably tailored - which could make evident they are a sharp, distinct company. The image makes us question what her hairstyle implies, is she a Customer - Employee? Does her hair indicate she has business on her mind?

However, the language and writing on the ad is minute and complex, which requires observation also. This shows again that the intended audience is aimed at professionals and intellectuals who won't need frilly, froufrou text to draw their attention to the ad, and that it will appeal without bright illustration. This can also link back to the use of colours in the image. The subtitle, 'A bank with more of a head for businesses', again can link back to the image also, as the models head (hairstyle) is a building which could perhaps be the bank AKA the business being advertised. Another part of the text that can associate with the image is, 'Look at things differently' as the models hairstyle is prominent and different, which could signify that the Bank isn't like other banks, and is an awesome, refreshing change with new ideas compared to various other Banks.

Comparison of "The Look of Love" and "The Bank of Scotland"

In brief both ads are entirely different from another.

Both ads are trying to grab attention for both different audiences and different aspects in life. "The Look of Love" is an advert for a car, a more pleasurable and convivial demeanour, as opposed to "The Bank of Scotland", an advert for a businesslike, no-nonsense purpose.

The overall outlook is drastic. Whereas "The Look of Love" is full of bright, chromatic image and alert text, "The Bank of Scotland" is more subtle, with more use of dynamic images and to the point descriptions.

The image on "The Look of Love" uses over at least 10 colours, whilst the image on "The Bank of Scotland" uses barely 2, this shows attention is meant to be grabbed on different means and for different people. Personally, I was attracted to "The Look of Love" because of its use of colour.

Something I haven't mentioned is the images properly. "The Look of Love" is an illustration, whereas "The Bank of Scotland" is a photo shopped photograph. Again, "The Look of Love" uses various colours and arty techniques (with an Asian feel) whereas "The Bank of Scotland" is a more professional yet still arty photograph in black and white. As opposed to my other opinion, after studying both I found "The Bank of Scotland" to be the most appealing to me due to the use of editing.

The language and text in the ads are similar yet different. The amount of text submitted on both ads is fairly even, yet they are portrayed differently by the font size, colour, and style. "The Look of Love" uses brash large text all about the poster to grab attention, yet "The Bank of Scotland" uses simple, short text only below the image which requires more observation. Again, I found "The Look of Love" to me most alluring as it was more to the point and spread amongst the page rather than a full paragraph at once.

In general, I would say "The Look of Love" is an advert that is intended for the younger generation while "The Bank of Scotland" is for a slightly older generation.