The Power of Advertising

Good morning/ afternoon. The power of advertising lies in the fact that the representations in these texts reflect the values of society at a given time. These representations are a significant part of the appeal to the audience that is targeted to buy a specific product. Familiar discourses and their signifiers result in connotations which also contribute to these representations. Audience attention is also drawn by techniques such as size and location of objects, people etc. colour, body language and clothing. The appeal can be irresistible!

The advertisement I will be analysing is the Ovaltine Ad. There are several discourses operating here. The discourse of work is developed through several signifiers and the connotations derived from them. The signifier of a work desk denotes a place to work but it also has connotations of a boundary which separates the public and private sphere in office space. The young woman representing youth has crossed that boundary as is evidenced by her body stance: the denotation is one of striding and this has connotations of power. The facial expressions of the other more mature workers, who are binary opposites of the girl, denotate emotions of which, together with the hand gestures and body stance, present connotations of surprise-even shock at the young woman's actions in the workplace. The younger, more energetic girl is appeal to youthful audiences who can be like her if they drink the product.