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Number 008www.curriculum-press.co.uk

Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising

M tudiesSedia

The aims of this Factsheet are to introduce and define the waymagazines and advertising use media language to persuadeaudiences and to promote lifestyles and ideas.

MagazinesMagazines have a close relationship to advertising as both mediaforms attempt to sell something to their target audience. This mayappear more obvious in advertising but consider the followingmagazine genres.

••••• Lifestyle Magazines promise to fulfil many needs. They give usadvice about food, sex and relationships and they attempt tomake us feel as if we belong in a group (the group that reads themagazine). They promote articles geared to getting us ‘thatpromotion’ or the ‘right man’ (in the case of those targetedtowards women) or they give us advice about changes thatcould be made to improve the readers’ lives. They show thereader which choices to make and which products to buy tohelp them feel accepted.

••••• Specialist Magazines are for enthusiasts of a particular topicoften based on hobbies or careers: for example motoring, nature,photography, film, music etc. These magazines provide specialistinformation for people with specific interests and offer adviceon how to ensure the audience can effectively take their place inan elite group. Often this includes advice on the right productsto buy to help you take part in your chosen hobby or area ofinterest.

••••• Celebrity magazines are for a largely female mass audience.They show us details of celebrity lives. They are voyeuristicand allow us to feel a part of a social network that is not ourown. We are apparently allowed to get close to the celebritiesso that they appear to be on a similar level of intimacy as afriend. This can act as an addition to the reader’s social sphereand it allows the masses to escape into the success/failure ofother people’s lives. These magazines are often used asspringboards to help the celebrity’s career. Often celebritymagazines include fashion and beauty tips to enable the reader’sto buy products which help them emulate their favouritemagazines.

It may come as no surprise, therefore, that magazines have developedfrom product catalogues which had a clear purpose to persuade theaudience to purchase goods. Contemporary magazines sell in adifferent way, but they are very closely related to advertising.

Analysing a MagazineThe front cover is an important part of the magazine as it initiallyattracts the reader and is a taster of what can be seen within thecontents of the magazine. It is its own ‘shop window’. By looking atthe front cover of a magazine a potential reader will be able todetermine how far it will fulfil their needs. Firstly, the titles anchorthe texts to the genre of the magazine.

Hello and OK are friendly names,informal and chatty like a friend. Heathas exciting connotations. Moresuggests the contents and theaudience are larger than life. The imageon the front cover will clearly representwhat that audience is interested in.

Looking at magazine articles is similarto analysing the newspaper. You needto look at both the image and the textand look at the purpose, language style,mode of address and layout in just thesame way.

Model AnalysisThe magazine is using the colloquiallanguage of the tabloid whichpresents a friendly, open chatty modeof address to the audience. The mainfocus is on the romance of Pete andNikki from Big Brother. The ideologybeing communicated here is that otherpeople’s opinions don’t matter whenyou’re in love: ‘People tell me it won’twork. I just think ‘Oh shut up”. Themagazine is appealing to our need tobe voyeurs as we are being offered theopportunity to find out information about the Big Brotherromance, see Posh drunk and look through Chantelle andPreston’s wedding presents. This allows the readers to feel partof a social network that is not their own. The readers also feelless envious of the glamorous lifestyles as they are given accessto celebrities not looking their best, in this case Victoria Beckham.

Topical soft news values are shown in the references to BigBrother and Chantelle and Preston’s wedding. The words ‘WorldExclusive’ for the main article makes it seem unique and impliesthe story cannot be accessed anywhere else on the magazinemarket. This is an incentive to buy the magazine and is targetingBig Brother fans. ‘Their only joint interview’ has the same effect.The image of Nikki kissing Pete is chosen for its emotive appeal.She looks emotionally attracted to him and he looks strong anddefiant.

The stories are personalised. The readers are on nickname termswith these celebrities. This is again fulfilling a social need tohave access to this celebrity group. Readers are encouraged torelate to them as if they were friends because of the informalway the magazine is addressing the reader.

The fonts have been chosen for their exciting colours and largefont size. Different font types delineate the different stories anda pink background is used for the wedding feature whichconnotes love and romance.

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008 - Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising Media Studieswww.curriculum-press.co.uk

AdvertisingAdvertising is necessary to promote a product and to persuadepeople to buy it. Advertising comes in many forms and uses manydevices to grab the attention. Magazines are an essential vehiclefor advertisers, between 30% and 50% of a magazine’s income comesfrom advertising.

Forms of AdvertisingThree of the main types of advertising are:1. Consumer Product Advertising2. Awareness Raising Advertising3. Charity Advertising

1. Consumer Product AdvertisingThis is mass media advertising bought by a manufacturer to raiseawareness of a product and to persuade consumers to buy it.

In consumer advertising, there is usually an image of the product inthe advert. Often advertisers focus more on an aspirational imagerather than the product itself in order to sell a lifestyle or a dream tothe consumer. The idea is that the positive imagery will be associatedwith the product creating an idea that the product will bring you theideal promoted.

On an advert of a health food there is often an aspirational image ofa beautiful body.

On a car advert there may be an aspirational image of a landscapeconnoting freedom and providing an escape from life’s stresses.

Consider why the specific images used in adverts have been chosen.What is the image trying to suggest about the product?

2. Awareness Raising AdvertisingThis is mass media advertising but it is bought by the governmentand other organisations to inform the public about health and welfareissues: e.g. smoking, emergency services, eating habits, sexuallytransmitted diseases and drink driving. These adverts are attemptingto inform their readers or change their attitude to a specific issue.They may target particular groups and attempt to persuade them tochange their habits (the male smoker is targeted below) or they maytry to stop someone from behaving in a specific way by providingoff-putting information. Often these adverts use fear or insecurityto shock the readers into feeling a specific way about an issue. Theanti-smoking advert is raising awareness between the link betweensmoking and impotence. Something that is certain to tap into thefears and insecurities of many men and this may be effective inpersuading some to attempt to give up smoking.

3. Charity AdvertisingThis is also mass media advertising but there is no actual product.Charities rely on donations from the public to help fund their work.Their adverts are designed to persuade readers to give money orsupport charitable activities in some way.

Charities are known for using shock tactics to spur the audienceinto action and often play on guilt in order to try to convince peopleto donate to support their work.

This is an anti-fur advert from PETA. The image is shocking andupsetting and has been chosen to raise awareness in the realitybehind using fur to make clothing.

The Barnado’s advert shows children with the heads of elderlypeople. Their point was that abuse causes children to grow old toofast. The shock tactic intends to make viewers of the advert feelguilty if they don’t support the work of the charity. The Barnado’scampaigns are always highly successful due to the emotive andoften shocking quality of their campaigns.

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008 - Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising Media Studieswww.curriculum-press.co.uk

The Language of AdvertisingThere are a number of ways language can be used to help persuadethe target audience to buy the product.••••• Technical Language: Technical language is often used to show

important aspects of a product e.g. Lexus RX400h ‘The world’sfirst high performance hybrid SUV’. The use of technicallanguage suggests the value of a product and it suggests theproduct is advanced and offers the most up to date technology.

••••• Emotive Language: Language that encourages an emotionalresponse. Advertisers use language that will create a positiveemotional response to the product. Look for words like ‘sublime’,‘perfect’, ‘best ever’, ‘superior,’ etc.

••••• Slogans: A phrase connected to the product that sums up theproduct’s appeal. ‘Have a break, have a KitKat’ suggests theproduct will allow the purchaser to relax and take time forthemselves. As the slogan is often repeated it is rememberedand the association between the idea (relaxation) and the product(KitKat) is reinforced.

••••• Puns: A play on words - often on the different meanings of thesame word. e.g. The BP advertising slogan is ‘To power ourcities of the future we’re turning to bright sparks’. ‘Bright spark’could refer to the light or the intelligent people working for BP.

Exam Hint : You will need to know how an advert is constructedfor all the exam boards, whether it is for analysis in exam or inyour own production. Students often forget to analyse the textin an advert, so to gain marks analyse the effect of the text aswell as the image.

Persuasive DevicesDifferent adverts use different techniques to try to persuade peopleto buy their product. Below are some of the most common.

Humour: Whether it’s basic slapstick or subtle ambiguity andpunning, humour adds layers of meaning to a text and will make itmore satisfying to decode and consequently more memorable andentertaining. Stella Artois adverts are famous for the humour in thestress the characters are under as they see their beer go astray.

Sex: This is one of the most basic human needs and one of the mosteffective persuasive tools. Many adverts claim that consumers willbecome more attractive to the opposite sex if they buy their product.The Lynx campaign adds humour to this technique and is highlysuccessful.

Aspirational People: Famous people are used to endorse productsand if the audience admire that person or aspire to be like them theywill be more likely to buy the product.

Celebrity endorsement implies tat the product is part of the lifestylewe associate with the celebrity and we may buy Police Sunglassesto try to buy a small part of the Beckham’s glamorous life. Otherexamples of this are Gary Lineker and Walkers crisps and Madonnaand Steven Spielburg in the GAP adverts.

Reward and Punishment: Advertisers often use the idea that theirproduct will reward us where others would punish us in some way.Physical rewards are offered e.g. the face cream that will keep you‘young looking’. Other techniques include, buy one get one free,the possibility of collecting coupons to get a free products ormerchandise (e.g. Felix cat food has a whole range of merchandiseyou can buy or collect coupons to get). The recent ‘Persil penguin’proved to be a very popular reward that was tied in to a TVadvertising campaign.

More frequently psychological rewards are offered. Whiskers catfood has added vitamins so the implication is that the consumer willbe a good cat owner if they choose this cat food allowing them tofeel good about themselves. By implication the opposite also applies(the punishment) - if you don’t use Whiskers you will be a bad catowner.

What is clear from all of these persuasive devices is that we respondto adverts which promise to meet our needs.

Shock Tactics: Shock tactics grab not only the attention of theaudience but also that of the media itself and in doing so can increasethe effectiveness of the campaign. Pot Noodle’s “Slag of all snacks”was banned but still proved very successful with the consumer.

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008 - Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising Media Studieswww.curriculum-press.co.uk

Maslow constructed the following diagram to identify human needs.

needfor self

actualistion

needfor self esteem

socialneeds -belonging

need forsafety and security

physical survival needs

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Need Motivation to satisfy need

Challenging Projects. Opportunities for Innovation andCreativity. Learning at a High Level

Important Projects. Recognition of Strength-Intelligence.Prestige and Status

Acceptance. Group Membership. Association withSuccessful team. Love and Affection

Physical Safety, Economic Security, Freedom from Threats,Comfort, Peace

Water, Food, Sleep, Warmth, Health, Excercise, Sex.

The needs are arranged in the triangle to identify that our most basicsurvival needs come first. We must feel content that these basicphysical needs are met before we consider meeting the needs aboveit. Advertisers use these ideas to tap into our needs and then offerproducts which will fulfil them.• Heat magazine offers to meet our social needs by providing a

sense of belonging• Beauty and grooming products offer to meet our self esteem

needs by providing a way to look good and feel confident• Anti-drinking campaigns play on our safety needs by identifying

dangers we could face• Charity advertising often plays on our self actualisation needs

by showing us how we can help other or make a difference to theproblems that have been identified

Exam Hint : When analysing advertising or magazines, it isworth considering how they identify the psychological needs oftheir target audience. An understanding of this will allow you toevaluate the other media language choices as adverts will try toshow how the product can meet the identified need.

How to Analyse AdvertsDecipher the needs being sold to us through advertising. Look atthe underpinning ideology within adverts and check to see if it istrying to sell us a lifestyle as well as a product. Very often theadvertising industry tries to sell us a variety of needs quite subtly.

In adverts for food and drink, the physiological need of hunger orthirst is not the main need identified – we live in a culture wherehunger is not an issue for the majority. Mostadvertising will suggest the food product canfulfil other, less basic needs.

The Special K adverts suggest the product willmake us thinner and therefore sexier – fulfillingsocial and esteem needs.

Ferrero Rocher chocolate advertssuggest a glamorous and luxuriouslifestyle. The adverts use images ofluxury that have an aspirational qualityand so we will feel special by eatingthe chocolate.

Brand Names and Brand IdentityOne of the main things to identify when analysing an advert is thebrand and the way that branding works. A brand is described as‘product plus personality’. This is an important idea for advertisersas this means that they can sell the personality to the consumerrather than the product itself. A brand will mean more than just theproduct it produces – it will represent a lifestyle and a set of ideasand values.

What ideas, values and lifestyles do Coca Cola, Nike and Versacerepresent? What other brands can you identify that have veryspecific meanings that goes beyond the products theymanufacture?

Brands also exist when a name is used to market a range of differentbut related products. Kitkat is a good example as the name is usedto sell Kitkat original, chunky, temptations, dark chocolate, whitechocolate and lemon flavour. Nestle makes Kitkat and is also abrand name. It makes many products such as coffee, breakfastcereals and chocolate but the brand name is the important thing. Ifpeople see Nestle on a product they may buy it simply becauseNestle has a reputation for quality products.

Hoover proved how influential branding was when it became sopopular that the brand name is now used as product name. Mostpeople talk about ‘hoovering’ rather than vacuuming showing howthe brand has become associated with one of the products it sells.Hoover make other domestic appliances but these are not as closelylinked to the brand. Hoover make washing machines too but‘hoovering’ is not the same as washing.

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008 - Media Language 3: Magazines and Advertising Media Studieswww.curriculum-press.co.uk

The brand is developed by a marketing team who decide whatassociations the brand will have (e.g. Coca Cola is well known forvaluing the family and it has a wholesome image). These lifestyleassociations are sold to the consumer through the slogan, imageswith connotations of wholesomeness, repeated family situationsshown through advertising and repeated showing of coca colabringing the family together or somehow solving problems or makingpeople happier. The Christmas campaigns tend to focus on thisside of the brand image whereas at other times of the year the brandfocuses on its more youthful, fun values and the advertising reflectsthis. The logo is present in all the advertising and so the logo alsobecomes associated with the brand image.

Advantages to creating and marketing a brand1. Brands provide consistency. Burger Kings taste the same where

ever you buy them. This provides reassurance for the consumer2. Consumers expect the same quality between products connected

to the same brand name. If people like Kellogg’s breakfast cerealthey are more likely to try Kellogg’s cereal bars

3. Consumers are more willing to try a new product if it’s got abrand name they know and trust

4. Brand name products have a ‘snob’ appeal. It is often seen asmore socially acceptable to buy branded products rather than acheaper alternative and this encourages sales

This may explain why Pepsi and Coca-Cola dominate the cola market.

Analysing the logo of branded productsThe logo and choice of name is important in reaching the consumer.On the Coca Cola logo, the use of the veryfamiliar red colour connotes passion and itis exciting and vital. The white couldconnote purity and cleanliness which isessential to a food company. The font isinformal and like handwriting. It is likecalligraphy and so suggests a history or aheritage to the company promoting the ideaof a trustworthy quality product. The waterdroplets have connotations of refreshment.

Activity: Analysing an AdvertLook at the following advert and consider:1. Who do you think the target audience is? Why?2. What ideology underpins the text?3. What is the main persuasive device being used?

Model Analysis• The manufacturer’s logo is gold so has connotations of wealth

and meets the aspirational needs of the consumer• The product is clearly shown so the reader knows what is

being sold• This is a night time scene. The couple in the car are looking

out on a secluded panorama. The couple are cheek to cheeklooking at the stars. These media language choices holdconnotations of love and romance. However, the advertisershave linked the stars to the car with its five star security ratingwhich is humorous in its use of a romantic setting being usedto talk about the car.

• The car is linked to ideas about an ‘ideal boyfriend’ as thelanguage uses expressions associated with romance but the‘speaker’ is the car manufacturer

• The advert contains technical language: ‘ABS with EBD andBrake Assist’ and ‘Program deformation zones.’ This is notexplained but it sounds impressive and is informing the readerabout the safety aspects of the car with irony as it is includedwithin the framework of the romantic situation

• The target audience are likely to be female as the advert speaksto women directly and the conventions of romances areassociated with a female audience

The needs being met are:• Safety (the safety features of the car are mentioned)• Social (the car may assist with impressing the opposite sex)• Self Esteem (the car may help the buyer feel good about

themselves as the car is presented as ‘sexy’)

Persuasive techniques being used are:• Humour – specifically irony• Reliability and trust• Sex• Reward

Analysing adverts and magazines will begin with a close analysisof the media language used to construct the texts but in bothformats, a deeper analysis will be achieved if you consider the waythe texts appeal to the audience’s needs and how they offer to meetthem.

Advertising uses specific persuasive devices to attempt toencourage the audience to purchase the product or idea being sold.Always evaluate the way that adverts attempt to persuade the targetaudience to act. You will need to consider what they need theaudience to do and then how they try to achieve this aim.

ImagesHeat magazine:http://www.specialistmags.co.uk/coverimages/1165.jpgHello: www.images.amazon.comMegane advert is from Sunday Times supplementAll other images found at http://www.advertisingarchives.co.uk

Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched and written by KarenFallowsCurriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. Media Factsheets maybe copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registeredsubscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of thepublisher. ISSN 1351-5136