Advert Code And Convention

Codes And Conventions Of Adverts

By Ben Hawton

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Adverts

Awareness: How People Hear About it.People will see adverts in numerous different ways such as television, billboards, social media, youtube and most of the time you wont even realise you are promoting a product, like when you go shopping and you carry around the bag from the shop you bought from. Different companies have different opinions and strategies on the best way to promote and sell a product or advertise their company.

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Pathos

Pathos is the Greek word for ‘suffering’ and ‘experience’. It’s the root of the words ‘empathy’ and ‘pathetic’. Advertisers use pathos by making an audience feel what they want them to feel, whether it’s humour, anger, pity, or any other emotion. You might call it ‘tugging on the heartstrings’ or ‘dialing up the emotions’. Gillette’s new ad is a prime example of pathos. If you wanted an advert to sum up 'all the feels', this would be it. On the surface, it’s just a clip of a dad teaching his son how to shave for the first time. But the kicker is that his son is transgender activist Samson Bonkeabantu Brown.

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Logos

Logos is the Greek word for, um, ‘word’. But it's also where we get the word 'logic’. Advertisers use logos by convincing an audience of their argument using facts, logic or reason. Logos is when we use cold arguments – like data, statistics, or common sense – to convince people of something, rather than trying to appeal to an audience's emotions. When it launched, the iPhone X was one of the ritziest, most expensive phones available. That may be why Apple kept it simple with this ad, rattling off a list of compelling facts and figures about its latest creation – like wireless charging, durable glass, and a lack of home button. The result? A perfect example of logos, and an ad that's teeming with logical appeal.

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Ethos

Ethos is the Greek word for ‘character’. It’s where we get the word ‘ethic’ from. Brands use ethos by working with a celebrity or expert – someone who the audience will see as being credible or trustworthy. They hope that by working with a household name, some of the celeb's magic dust will fall on the product they’re advertising. Colin Kaepernick is an American football player who oozes good ethics. He bravely protested against racial injustice and systematic oppression in the USA by kneeling during the US national anthem, rather than standing. It resulted in him not having a team to play for.

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Lighting

• Sets mood
• Creates a certain atmosphere
• Highlights parts of a scene
• Draws attention

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Camera Shots

• Pack shots - shows a companies full set of products, shows more then 1 product in one advert
• Close up - can highlight a use of product, for example with a cleaning product can show the use and before and after of a surface.
• Wide shot - shows the full set, makes the audience understand the theme of the advert which would make them more invested.

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Editing

Editing in adverts will vary through different companies and target audiences, the differences will be:

• Duration
• Scene lengths
• Snappy cuts
• Target audience
• Mood

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