Media Project Highlights

Adbusters Analysis

​

1. I think the concept in the Adbusters news story is still relevant today because companies are advertising a feeling or ideal that consumers want to have rather than the actual product. They sell socio-economic messages about fitting in and how people should look instead of what the product is.

2. Analyzing each ad

   1. iPhone Ad

      1. Denotative Meaning: This ad is promoting iPhones and is selling that it makes life easier. Since iPhones are very useful for staying on top of things and communicating with people very efficiently, it quite literally can make your life easier.

      2. Connotative Meaning: The underlying message here is that you should always be on your phone because that is what is expected of you in society. It says in the ad that life is easier on iPhone “and that starts when you turn it on.” Apple is clearly promoting people to spend more time on their phones.

   2. McDonalds Ad

      1. Denotative Meaning: This ad is selling a buy one get one for $1 deal on the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Filet-O-Fish, and 10 piece McNuggets. This is a limited time only deal and allows customers to mix and match more than one of McDonald's signature items.

      2. Connotative Meaning: The underlying message in this ad is encouraging people to eat not one but two sandwiches for a meal. Since it is a deal with good value, McDonalds is encouraging customers to eat more and is selling the deep satisfaction because you get more fast food for less money.

   3. Subaru Ad

      1. Denotative Meaning: This ad is selling a Subaru SUV that seats seven or eight people with three rows of seats. It is selling a car big enough for a family to fit in.

      2. Connotative Meaning: In the ad it says, “the perfect family SUV for your mostly perfect family.” Subaru is selling a “mostly perfect” family when you buy this car. Subaru is saying that this SUV will make you have a more perfect family by buying their car.

   4. Cover Girl Ad

      1. Denotative Meaning: Cover Girl is selling makeup products called the Boost System in different colors including gold. They are selling nail gloss, eyeliner and mascara.

      2. Connotative Meaning: The undercover message Cover Girl is selling is that if you buy their makeup products you will look like the model in the picture. The model has flawless skin and is beautiful, so they are selling beauty with their products. It also says that you will have “10x more noticeable lashes” when using this mascara, so they are promoting that you will be noticed more by others if you buy and use their product.

3. More truthful ad ideas

   1. iPhone Ad: Instead of promoting more use of iPhones in their ad, they could promote how to efficiently communicate with others and use the calendar to stay on top of things. They could highlight these apps in the ad, but not promote more use of iPhones because that increases isolation and decreases in-person socialization.

   2. McDonalds Ad: Instead of these fake pictures in the ad of the food items that never look like that in person, there should be pictures of what the food actually looks like. Also, the health facts of eating all of that fast food could be on the ad to show customers what they are really putting in their bodies.

   3. Subaru Ad: Instead of selling the perfect family from buying a car when not showing any people enjoying the car, they could show what it actually looks like to have family car rides. This could be a screaming child or messy car because no family is actually perfect.

   4. Cover Girl Ad: Instead of having a model with flawless skin and a beautiful face showing off the makeup, they should have regular people with all different skin tones and facial complexes test out the makeup. In addition, they could have an individual walk through a room with and without the mascara on. This would test if having mascara on makes ten times the amount of people notice them.