Dayquil Ad Analysis

Mothers, Medicine, and Meanings
“That hand the rocks the cradle rules the world.” Moms have perhaps the biggest purpose in the world, and moms have perhaps the widest job description in the world. They are everything from chauffeur to chef to chaperone. However, what happens when moms get sick? Should they take a break, sleep in, and let the responsibility of their children fall on others? Not according to the Vicks company. In one of their advertisements found in a magazine targeted to mothers, the ad may effectively draw mothers in, but it also unintentionally degrade mothers and make them feel guilty for being sick. This DayQuil/NyQuil ad tries to appeal to mothers by offering two images of the ideal mom and also a convenient medicine for
Below the images of DayQuil and NyQuil are long lists of what the medicine helps relieve: everything from a cough to a stuffy head. Therefore, these image suggests that DayQuil will help a mom push through all the nasty symptoms of a cold, such as sore throat, fever, aching, and chest congestion, so that a mom won’t have to take a sick day. Furthermore, the image suggests that NyQuil will help solve the problem of insomnia due to a cold. Nyquil will give a user the best sleep (while having a cold) and relieve symptoms such as sniffling, sneezing, and fevers. This is apparent as the woman sleeps deeply despite the fact that she has a stuffy nose due to a cold. An all-encompassing medicine would be appealing to a mother because moms don’t have the extra time to take several medicines or to try to decide what specific medicine they need. NyQuil and DayQuil are depicted as the all in one medicines to relieve moms’ sufferings from head cold
First, the image suggests that moms must take care of their kids even if they are sick and have a husband who can help. In the advertisement, the bottom image shows a mother with a wedding band on. She holds a tissue and sleeps with her mouth open. However, the words on the first image say “moms don’t take sick days”. The words “moms don’t take sick days” imply that moms can’t or won’t take sick days, even if they are married like the woman in the image. This is an ideological idea because the advertisement would not purposefully say that moms cannot take sick days, even if they are married and have a husband. While it may seem like a good thing that moms don’t have to take sick days, this ad This ad portrays the stereotypical idea that moms should care for their families even when they aren’t feeling