Structure of TV Adverts continued…

Effects of using these styles

Talking heads

The talking heads technique is used in all types of TV commercials ranging from serious charity adverts to funny betting adverts. Talking heads will have some body, or a group of people, who will talk directly to the camera. This will be addressing the purpose of the advert. For example if talking heads are used in a charity adverts and its asking people to donate, it will have somebody talking and looking directly at the camera and say ‘please donate today’. Also talking head advert swill have people saying stats and figures about what their talking about. Again for a charity advert a talking head may say ‘did you know it only takes £2 to have a child vaccinated against malaria’. Talking heads are also very effective as they will make the viewer comfortable as they will be looking at them through the TV. The main purpose of an advert is to address the issue to the viewer and by talking heads having the effect of talking and looking directly at the viewer, the purpose is therefore fulfilled.

How could I use talking heads in my TV advert?

I could use talking heads in my advert to tell the viewer about what my deodorant contains. This will be effective as they will understand as somebody will be making eye contact with them and this will make them feel comfortable and understand better. Also I could use talking heads in my advert by having a short video at the ned of customers who’ve used my deodorant and it will be them talking and looking into the camera and telling the viewer why they bought and how much they like it.

Documentary

A documentary style TV advert is used to show the product and what it can do. It will have somebody demonstrating the product and its features and showing the main purpose in action. For example if there an advert of a toothbrush in a documentary style, it will have somebody listing features such as ‘grooved grip’, ‘hundreds of bristles’ and ‘special surface for cleaning the tongue’. It will then show the toothbrush doing features. This will usually be somebody using the product, so in this case, somebody brushing their teeth and using all the features listed. Documentary and talking head style combine together as the talking heads can use documentary style to sell the product. This means the talking heads will be very informative and educate the viewer on the product. The sole purpose of using documentary in a TV advert is to educate the viewer on your product and this will let them have an understanding of it and they will feel comfortable purchasing the product.

How could I use documentary style in my TV advert?

I could use documentary style in my TV advert by having a narrator listing all the features of my deodorant such as ‘easy to spray button’, ’90 degree spray head’ and ‘easy to hold grip’. I would then have somebody demonstrating all these features to the viewer know they all work. This would be documentary as I will be educating the viewer on my product and why they should buy it.

Animation

Animation adverts are mainly used to focus on kids products or are used to catch the viewer attention. Animation will catch the viewers’ attention as they are more colourful and are not used in every- day life so the viewer is more likely to watch an animation. Animation adverts will usually have a character in the form of a person or an animal as this character will talk about the product or the advert will be based around the characters lifestyle. The animated character will promote the product and will talk about the product to the viewer. The character will usually successfully get the message across as an animation is very eyen catching and colour to the viewer.

How could I use animation style in my TV advert?

I could use animation in my advert to have a mascot who represents my company. Having a mascot is good as someone will know it’s related to a company but having animated mascot will make it unique and more remunerable compared to a non-animated mascot. I would use my mascot in my advert to demonstrate or to show the viewer’s how my deodorant works and what ingredients it contains and why they should buy it. The main purpose of having an animated mascot in my video would be to make sure people will remember it. An alternative method of using animation would be to have my entire video animated including characters and settings. This will make my advert more appealing and eye catching but most animated things are aimed at children, which my product isn’t.

Realist

Realist style is used to be serious with the viewer to get an urgent message across. Realist is a style to tell the viewer about things happening which are happening in the world at the moment such as starvation, the ice caps melting or racism. Most realist adverts are for charity or are for curing a disease and they are trying to get the viewer to pay to help. Realist style and documentary style can be used together to tell the viewer about a problem which is happening in the world, such as starvation, and the documentary can be used to educate the viewer on the problem and tel them statistics and facts which will try and help the viewer donate to help the problem which is being addressed from the realist style.

How could I use realist in my TV advert?

I could use realist in my TV advert and tell the viewer about real problems which are happening in the world. Although my product in an antiperspirant which focuses on sweating and sweating isn’t a massive world problem, it is still a realist and most people of both genders sweat and can smell because of it. In my realist TV advert I would say facts and stats about sweating and body odour which will persuade them to buy my product by addressing them the real deodorant problems in the world at the moment which is smelling bad.

Anti-realist

Anti-realist will address the viewer saying about problems in the world which don’t exist or are a comedy version of realist problems. Anti-realist style is usually used in a comic fashion and will be on most adverts. Having an antirealist style will make an advert easier to remember to the viewer which is what you want as they will remember your product from the TV advert.

How could I use anti-realist in my TV advert?

I could use anti-realist in my advert in a comic sense and make out that the problem of sweating and body odour is massive epidemic. I could include over the top videos and facts which will make the audience laugh and help them remember my advert and most importantly my product. If I were to use anti-realist style in my advert I would have a video of someone that smelt (not using my deodorant) and everyone who walked past him began to run away and scream, which is antirealist and no one will run away from someone is they smelt. This would be funny and make the audience remember my advert and hopeful buy my product.

Abstract

Abstract style is where an advert will have a theme or actions which will never happen to the viewer. Examples of abstract themes used are travelling back/ forward in time, growing into a giant/ shrinking and other phenomes. Businesses which use abstract themes are children’s adverts and deodorant advert. Abstract is used in children adverts for the use of vegetables, saying if they eat the vegetable they will grow to the size of a giant (used on the green giant sweetcorn advert where the child eats the sweetcorn and becomes the size of the giant) which is impossible. Abstract style is also used in deodorant adverts as they will feature a man spraying himself with the product and suddenly loads of pretty girls will come on to him. Lynx had an advert where the man sprayed himself with the Lynx body spray and Engels fell from the sky to be with him because he spelt so good, this is abstract as angels don’t exist and even if they did, they wouldn’t fall from the sky because someone spelled well. Abstract style also have an element of humour to them as the actions taking place is so unrealistically going to happen to the audience that it becomes funny and therefore easier to remember.

How could I use abstract in my TV advert?

I would use abstract in my TV advert to exaggerate my product effects. I would do this as the man sprays himself as for example, dead celebrities come alive to be with him becomes he smells so good using my products. This would be funny and abstract as its impossible for dead people to come alive and this would humour the audience which may make them want to buy my product and remember my TV advert.

Series

Having a style of series to have more than one advert which advertises the same message but using the same characters and company in a different theme. For example ‘gocomparethemarket’ adverts where originally supposed to have a meerkat (Surgai) advertising the insurance through animation. As everyone though the advert was good and remembered it through the talking animated meerkat, more advert were made which had the meerkat advertising the car insurance but where different to the original. The advert where different as they contained settings (his house and different countries). This is a series style as a series of different advert have been made to not only advert the product but to satisfy the audience who liked the idea and concept of the advert.

How could I use series in my TV advert?

I could have a series of my advert but put the character in different scenarios which would happen to the audience which means they can relate to the advert. I think having a series of my advert would be unrealistic as it would cost a lot to keep producing advert and very timeconsuming.