Direct Line- Inform, Persuade

Direct Line

For my final story I have chosen to analysis Direct Line which is an insurance company for cars.

As the advert begins we can here two gentlemen who sound mid40/50’s having a conversation about an insurance company. This tells us straight away that this advert will be a conversational one. The two are talking in third person as if they are talking about you which intrigue you as an audience.  It also sounds as if they are talking in private but making it obvious that they are talking about you so you feel like you need to listen. The first man we hear sounds late 40s while the second man sounds like he’s in his 50’s which suggest that this insurance company is for older drivers more than young drivers.Their age is also suggest through the use of sound which is used e.g. the banging of cups and spoons clearly telling the audience that these two people are having a drink of tea together which is mostly associated with the older generation.  When the first man says “I can see them now sat with their prawn sandwiches checking out the best car insurance deals online” we instantly know that this advert is going to try and persuade you to buy can insurance with them.  This tells us that this advert’s main purpose to persuade which is found in a lot of adverts over the radio. 

The advert also uses a lot of facts and numbers which also makes the advert a factual one. The facts tell us things about the insurance company e.g. you get 12 months free cover which is one of the main selling points of the advert because its information a lot of people will find interesting.  One man says that we won’t be able to find them on price comparison websites suggesting to us that this insurance company find them better than all the rest that they have their own website. It also suggest that they feel like they don’t need to be compared to any other insurance company because they are the best so there’s no need.  The fact the company has its own website suggest that their target audience are middle class people of the older generation which is why they are spate from the rest of the insurance companies.

Humour is also thrown into the advert at the very end by a funny voice talking very fast and in a high pitched tone. The voice sounds very silly and out of character for the advert which would make the older generation of people laugh due to it not being something they would expect.  As the ad finishes one of the gentlemen start talking to the audience directly informing them if they can’t find the insurance company either ring them or visit them on their website www.directline.com which also suggest that this insurance company is very handy to find because they have so many media outlets you can contact them on.

When we look on the RACC we can see that there are rules that insurance company’s need to follow in order to get their advert broadcasted. If we look under Identification of Advertising/Advertisers we can see that advertisements of any kind need to make it clear what they are trying to sell and make sure that listeners can understand the message.

Overall  I think the advert does a very good job giving people enough information to tempt them to look at the website. I also think that their target audience is clearly stated in the voice actors used which helps people distinguish the right insurance company for them. 

Kids Company- Emotion, Inform, Persuade

Kids Company-

For my second advert I have chosen a kids company which is a charity set up to help children who have nowhere to go and who are alone due to a number of different reasons.

The advert starts off with a young boy talking about how he’s going to spending Christmas with his mum who he tells is a prostitute, then he goes on to say how he wants to go hungry because there’s no good and then goes on to say that he wants to sit around with used needles on the floor. The fact that a young boy is saying all of these shocks the audience due to the fact that this is the harsh reality for a lot of children across the country. By using a young boy in the advert really plays with peoples emotional which is the main purpose of the advert to upset the audience and persuade them into donating some money to help these children.  The charity knows that by using a child will affect a person more than using an adult would. The child used sound very vulnerable and trapped as if he doesn’t have a choice in the way he lives which is shown through the use of the sarcastic comments made by him such as “I want my mum to work as a prostitute”. By the advert showing how trapped this child is suggest to the audience that they are the only ones who could help as long as they donate money.  A lot of adverts usually include two different styles and messages and this advert being to persuade and to emotionally effect the listener.

The advert brings up a lot of negative topics that a lot of people don’t like to talk about and especially don’t want their children hearing which is why a advert like this would have to be played at a certain time when the radios know that the children won’t be there e.g. a weekday dinner time or at night when children go to bed.  The advert uses the worst situations like the child mum being a prostitute and the use of needles which we assume is used for heroin one of the most addictive and dangerous drugs out there. This is done to shock the audience who end up feeling really feeling for this child who has to witness all these horrible things. Also people who have been in similar situations will drawn to the advert because they will be able to relate.

As the advert carries on a women’s voice is introduced informing the audience that over 1000 children in England will be alone that Christmas. By including facts the adverts also becomes one that is used to inform. It also shows that this advert is a serious one and by including hard facts will go on to shock the audience even more. The women’s voice comes across very clear and precise making sure the audience don’t miss anything’s that’s being said. Her voice is also very serious and hard which is to amplify the seriousness of the fact that’s being talked about.  The use of persuasive language used by the women such as ‘please’ suggest that this women is pleading to you to donate and also shows how desperate these people are for donations.  The advert also uses direct words such as you targeting the audience directly pulling them in and making the advert more personal.

When the little boy begins speaking he uses emotive language such as ‘all alone’ ‘cold dirty flat’ once again making the audience upset and really feel for this little boy. The advert is very shocking for someone to hear because the young boy talking doesn’t sound very upset which suggest this is the norm for him and that he’s so use to it. It also adds to how the boy is being sarcastic with the situation which is used to persuade the audience to do something.

The overall message of this advert is to inform people that the country has a serious problem with children being alone and witnessing horrible events. I think that the adverts main selling point is the young boy talking due to him naming all these horrible events and people being affected by how a young this boy actually is.

Due to this advert being hard hitting there are rules and regulations that it has to follow in order to get it broadcasted. RACC states that a child can do a voiceover under these circumstances…    

• no moral harm is caused to the child;

• the child's welfare and vulnerability are safeguarded;

• the child is not being commercially exploited.                                                    

 Which is too be expected.

Overall I think the way the advert plays on their audience emotions works very well and emotive language that is used also works well to make people feel something for the advert itself and all the children out there who are going through these horrible events. 

Nandos Advert- Persuade

For my first advert I have chosen Nandos due to it being a popular food restaurant in the country. When we first listen to the advert we can assume that it’s trying to inform people about who Nandos are and what they are which is basically their message in the advert. We also know that the person speaking in the advert has an accent which we assume to be Portuguese which tells the audience that Nandos is a Portuguese brand. The advert also plays on stereotypes such as the voice over itself due to a lot of people assuming that the  Portuguese accent sounds like that, also the voice over says “if your eyebrows join in the middle like my sisters that’s okay” which is also very stereotypical for a Portuguese person. Some people could argue that the advert is abit racists due to the advert giving the audience that initial idea that all Mexicans look like this and sound like this.  However due to the advert playing on the fact that restaurants Portuguese and using that as a sense of humor stirs away from the racists and stereotypical side.  By using the terms you and your pulls the audience in because it makes them feel that the advert is targeting them directly making them listen and making the advert feel more personal to them.

During the advert “it’s okay” is mentioned 5 times during the 30 seconds of the advert which suggest whoever you are when you’re at Nandos its okay. This also suggests that Nandos is a restaurant for everybody and welcomes anyone. The advert also names a range of people from a traffic warden to the voiceovers sister which once again suggest that the restaurant caters for everyone. It then goes on to name some of the food Nandos has to offer from a salad, rice, chips and even cheeky deserts which are all different ranging from healthy food to fatty food. This tells people that whatever you desire or whatever you feel like Nandos can cater for you. Once again humour is thrown by describing the deserts as ‘cheeky’ which is funny because a lot of people like to diet and don’t like to eat deserts. However by describing the deserts as cheeky Is luring people in by making them think that they should treat themselves and by a desert.  The advert also says “if you wish to spoil yourself with chips or cheeky deserts”  which suggest that even though these foods aren’t as healthy as other choices that you should still spoil yourself once again luring the audience in making them feel like it’s okay to spoil yourself.  All of this is done to persuade the audience to come to Nandos and try their food, by using persuasive words and involving the audience in the advert.  

The word Nandos is said three times in the advert which reminds me people at the beginning and at the end (in case they had forgotten) the name of the restaurant.  Nandos is also the last word to be mentioned in the advert making it stay in the audiences head until the next advert comes on. Sixteen seconds into the advert music begins to play which us as an audience would associate with the Portuguese or the Spanish which once again reminds the audience what nationality this restaurant is. It also suggests that Nandos is proud to be Portuguese due to the constant reminder in the advert. The music itself makes the advert more enjoyable to listen to and creates a happy feeling within the target audience.

Adverts also have to take in to account the rules and regulations that and advert has to follow in order for it to be broadcasted. As I have mentioned before a comment is made about the voice overs sister joins in the middle which is slightly racist towards Portuguese people. When we look at the RACC there is a section called Racial Minorities which covers the use of accents and stereotypes.  It states that Jokes about different races, light-hearted scenarios involving racial stereotypes and the use of foreign accents have the potential to offend and therefore adverts have to be very careful about the way they use these which Nandos does very well by making it funny and not as hurtful as some people may perceive it to be. The RACC  also states that is using an accent in an advert is used for humour purposes that it does not necessarily get round the potential to offend which Nandos has done.

Overall I think that advert sells Nandos very well by targeting the audience directly and pulling them in making them feel involved. I also think that the advert is there to persuade people to come to the restaurant and to sell the restaurant itself. I think the humour in the advert makes it better and more interesting to listen to and is used very well in the accent.

Introduction

In this assignment I will develop an understanding of the styles, structures, purposes and contents of commercials on the radio. I will also cover the process in which radio commercials are produced including financing job roles and other content. To do all this I well be analysis three different radio adverts which have already been made which over time will help me when i come to make my radio advert.