The Message Portrayed: Advertising
Schultz1
John Schultz
English 101 MW
Wallace
24 September 2014
The Message Portrayed: Advertising
Advertising is extremely important to the success of a product being sold. Willifood advertises its apple chips in an intriguing way. In this advertisement, the first thing viewers are drawn to is the cartoon man standing in a dark room, creating an antagonistic emotion toward this man. He is overweight, middle aged, and is portrayed to have a belly that looks like a cheeseburger. His clothing does not fit him, causing his stomach to fall out of the clothes, creating the illusion of a hamburger patty. The layers in which he wears his undersized t-shirts forms the impression, to the viewers, of a sesame seed bun, a tomato, and a slice of cheese. The man’s hands are positioned in a way that he seems to be holding his stomach like he would a cheeseburger and has a huge grin on his face expressing his desire to eat his own cheeseburger belly. In the bottom right corner of the print ad is the actual product in its original packaging and displays the message of the ad with a slogan that reads: “Don’t treat your body like junk.” Willifood sells its product to unhealthy eaters by diverting their attention to the message the ad portrays, instead of the product, resulting in the shift of attention back to the apple chips.
Contradiction is the main strategy used to draw the viewers in and persuade them to buy the product. The obvious contradiction is the fact that while trying to sell healthy apple chips, the advertisement depicts an unhealthy man excited about his “burger belly”. This image draws the
Schultz 2 attention away from the product by generating the thought that the viewer may be “treating their body like junk.” With this scheme the advertisement can effectively get into the mind of the viewer and manipulate them into purchasing Willifood apple chips. Contradiction, in this case, is very effective because the ad aims the attention away from the product
John Schultz
English 101 MW
Wallace
24 September 2014
The Message Portrayed: Advertising
Advertising is extremely important to the success of a product being sold. Willifood advertises its apple chips in an intriguing way. In this advertisement, the first thing viewers are drawn to is the cartoon man standing in a dark room, creating an antagonistic emotion toward this man. He is overweight, middle aged, and is portrayed to have a belly that looks like a cheeseburger. His clothing does not fit him, causing his stomach to fall out of the clothes, creating the illusion of a hamburger patty. The layers in which he wears his undersized t-shirts forms the impression, to the viewers, of a sesame seed bun, a tomato, and a slice of cheese. The man’s hands are positioned in a way that he seems to be holding his stomach like he would a cheeseburger and has a huge grin on his face expressing his desire to eat his own cheeseburger belly. In the bottom right corner of the print ad is the actual product in its original packaging and displays the message of the ad with a slogan that reads: “Don’t treat your body like junk.” Willifood sells its product to unhealthy eaters by diverting their attention to the message the ad portrays, instead of the product, resulting in the shift of attention back to the apple chips.
Contradiction is the main strategy used to draw the viewers in and persuade them to buy the product. The obvious contradiction is the fact that while trying to sell healthy apple chips, the advertisement depicts an unhealthy man excited about his “burger belly”. This image draws the
Schultz 2 attention away from the product by generating the thought that the viewer may be “treating their body like junk.” With this scheme the advertisement can effectively get into the mind of the viewer and manipulate them into purchasing Willifood apple chips. Contradiction, in this case, is very effective because the ad aims the attention away from the product