The two adverts that I have analysed are: an advert for the NHS which is trying to recruit new nurses and re=hire former nurses with the promise of a higher pay. And a advert for Fiat Punto which is trying to attract people and persuade them to purchase their car. They used narrative, representation and film techniques such as mise-en-scene and sound to make them effective. If an advert is effective it will appeal to its targeted audience.
The two adverts I analysed have different purposes. The purpose of the NHS advert is to prove/show that nurses make a difference and also by proving this and giving offers of higher pay in order to attract new nurses and try to get back old ones. However, the purpose of the Fiat Punto ad is to try and attract people to buy their car, the Fiat Punto. The target audience for the Fiat Punto advert is young women, it is more aimed at the young city-going women. The advert tries to show women in control so to appeal women who like to be in control of their lives rather than just going along for the ride. Whereas the NHS advert targets older women, possibly mothers or former nurses, or just those with a caring nature, to attract them into or back to nursing with claims of increased pay.
Both adverts use the concept of narrative to get the audience interested in the advert and make it effective. Narrative refers to the basic structure of the two adverts which follows the five point narrative structure: Exposition, development, complication, climax and resolution. The Fiat ad starts with loud, non-digetic music, but the main point of interest within the advert is the car with a female driver and a male passenger. As the advert develops it becomes clear that the man is looking at the other women they pass. It becomes complicated as she notices what her boyfriend is doing and it reaches its climax when she pulls over and signals to a man to come over and kisses him. It ends with them driving away with the man agreeing to not stare at other women.
This advert is a more fun, non0serious advert, loud and playful with a happy mood whereas the narrative of the NHS ad is simple, in order to make a strong serious point. The NHS advert begins with a close up shot of a teenaged girl, as it develops we realize she is unable to speak, it goes on to say, via text not narrative speech, that she wants to talk. Towards the end we hear the voice a woman, yet still the camera remains focused on the teenaged girl, and it ends with saying that with nurses help, she will be able to soon speak, and finally brings up information about joining the NHS as a nurse.
The fiat Punto advert appeals mainly to young people who want to have fun. The use of realistic young couples arguing means other young couples can relate to the advert. The couple in the advert are also show as fashionable, exciting and glamorous to make people believes that if they buy the car then they would be like the couple shown in the advert. Whereas the NHS ad, though set-up in a realistic situation like the Fiat ad, it is more mature and less exciting than the Fiat ad. It tries to appeal to peoples caring side by putting the audience in the nurses position and tries to show that there is job satisfaction of helping people. This advert is particularly aimed at women since they used a female voice as the nurse.
Both adverts establish a setting that either appeals to the audience or helps sell the product. The NHS adverts opens to a young teenaged girl, laying down on a hospital bed, with a heart monitor bleeping in the background. Only dietetic sound, such as people talking, phones ringing, plates or other objects clashing can all be heard in the background. All the lighting is focused on the girl and the background is out of focus, so the audience can not be distracted by anything.
The setting for the NHS advert and the way it is filmed sells its product by using a realistic setting, which is a girl in a hospital beg, who can not speak, but with nurse help she can. The way they time the narrative of the advert shows they are looking for patient people. IT shows us the girl and after a long period of time, asks the audience, ‘Lost your patients?’ The advert confronts the viewer with the reality of the scene and uses the heart monitor to symbolise the balance of life and death and shows how individual nurses can make a difference.
