Advertisement Analysis worksheet

This questionnaire is intended to help you start writing your advertisement analysis essay.  First, choose 1-2 advertisements and then answer the questions about your chosen advertisements.

  1.What product, service, or point of view is being advertised?

2. Who is the audience of this advertisement?  What does the advertisement say to the viewer? What lifestyles, values, opinions, and points of view are represented?

3. What is the appearance of the advertisement? What colors are being used?   Does it reflect a time period?

4. What kind of image  is the advertisement? Who is in the image? A real person? An iconic figure we know? Is it an abstract drawing?

5. How would you describe the image> Write a description of everything that you notice about it. Don’t worry about analyzing it yet. Just describe it.

6. What words are in the image? What messages do they send?

7.  What emotions does the image convey?

8.  What is the most catching element in the ad, the focal point?? Is there a particular logo? A section of writing? A person? A product?

9. What are the messages the advertisement sends about gender, the body, femininity/masculinity?

10. Is there anything bias in this advertisement? How is this bias demonstrated? For example, if it is representing women African American women or women of color, how is it representing them?

11. Which of Jean Killbourne’s arguments and ideas in the articles we read and/or the film Killing us Softly 4 do you see here? In other words, imagine that Killbourne is analyzing this advertisement. What would be her analysis about it? List her key ideas and identify particular quotes that apply to your advertisement.