Microsoft Word Verson
Alex WigfieldUnit 5 and 6 Evaluation
Radio Advertisement
A good and effective radio advert should include the usage
of advert models and Codes and Conventions. For example, the Codes and
Conventions of any radio advert include:
- Logos
- Ethos
- Pathos
- Familiar noises
- Contact info
- Terms and Conditions (spoken fast)
- Relates to everyone
- Jingles
- Instrumental
- 15 - 60 seconds long
- Voice overs
- Slogan
- Persuasive Language
- Northern accents
- Memory recall
An effective radio advert should have been planned out
before hand and include plenty of research. This is to make sure that the radio
advert has up to date information and applies to the correct target audience.
The skills needed to make an effective radio advert are; communication, time
management, problem solving, Audacity (software) skills, research and
microphone skills.
To record the sounds needed for my advert, I used a Zoom
Microphone. To gain the best sounds I could, I recorded my sounds at 48,000Hz.
However, one problem I faced recording my sounds was that there was too much
background noise. After exploring possible reasons and solutions, I concluded
that I needed a room that was quieter and sound proof. For this, I used a music
room that had anti-echo walls. This significantly decreased the background
noise and made the vocals much clearer.
To edit the sounds, I used Audacity. I used this program
instead of Adobe Audition because I find the layout easier to use and I already
know how to use it. I used tools like Amplify, Fade In, Silence and
Equalization. The techniques I have used are Trial and Error. This is because I
needed to adjust the sounds and then listen to it to see if it needed to be
changed further. I also used a script to follow then I know which words have
been recorded and who needs to say them.
The theories and techniques I have used in my radio advert
are:
- Logos -This means that I have included statistics within my advert. This makes the advert more believable.
- Pathos - One of the characters within my advert is quite frustrated as many people will be during a flight when all you do is waiting.
- AIDA Model. This model was invented in 1980 and shows three main points; Desire, Attention and Action. I have used this model by reminding the listeners what they desire, which is cheap food on-board a cheap flight not a cheap flight and expensive food. I have used that AIDA Model’s ‘Attention’ section by saying that my brand (Yorkshire Airlines) offers cheap flights and cheap, affordable food. This gets the listener’s attention. Finally, I say that they need to book the flights and buy tickets from us. This is the ‘Action’ part of the AIDA Model.
- Alliteration is used in the slogan, which is ‘Swift, Secure, Smart’. This makes it easier for the listener to remember the slogan and can find the company on the internet if they need more information.
My radio advert is very effective as it is realistic and
uses realistic sounds that you would normally hear in the environment used. I
have also used a storyline within my radio advert, which reminds the listeners
that they have been in this situation before. According to my peers’ feedback,
my advert if effective because it gets that point across and makes you feel
like you’re there. The codes and conventions I have used in my advert are;
Logos, Pathos, Familiar Sounds, Contact Info, 15-60 seconds long, Voice overs,
Northern Accent, and a Slogan. Including these codes and convention is what
makes my advert an effective one. A northern accent has been used because they
are often seen as wise, trustworthy and direct people. I used slogans because
it gives a short and brief description about the company. My advert also relates to my target audience, which is 20-40
year olds as according to my research, those are the most common people to go
on holidays within the UK.
After my feedback from my peers, people seem very happy with
my radio advert as it is realistic and I have followed the Codes and
Conventions well. The improvements from my feedback have been that I needed to
include a jingle and that my advert has too much of a story-line and needs to be
direct and to the point.
One of the problems I faced is that I have so many
sound files and so there are a lot of layers to the soundboard.
To overcome this, I had to brainstorm multiple ways of compressing the sounds into the smallest space as possible without affecting quality or the ability to edit the sound files if needed. One way I thought of is to put multiple sound tracks on the same file. This makes more room and I can still edit the sound by highlighting the area.
Another problem I faced was that at some points
during editing, I couldn't change or add effects in my project. For example, I
could not get any effects to show up as they were all in grey and couldn't be
clicked. After asking peers with the same problem in order
to find solutions, I soon found out that the project needs to stop playing in
order to make any changes to the files.
One final problem I
faced was that I had too much background noise within some sections that where
meant to be silent. To solve this, I decided to search through the top tabs in
the window to see if any tool where available to solve this problem. After carefully
searching the tools available, I soon found out the 'Generate Silence' tool.
This was more useful than deleting because if I wanted the gap
between the two sounds to be exactly the same, I would be able to
keep the timing the same without having to move the sounds around.
I believe that my
organisation skills during this project have been good. This is because I have
planned out schedules and plans for my assignments and I have stuck to them to
the best of my ability. However, I could have been more punctuate with my work
as I have not been able to stick to my timetables exactly. For example, I was
behind schedule for the production part as I did not finish recording the
necessary sounds for the advert. However, I did make up the time after because
I had pre-planned the post-production steps.
Again, I would
improve my assignment by adding a jingle at the end of my radio advert and by
reducing the amount of storyline and make it more of a promotional advert and
not a brand advert, which is what the feedback was from my peers. I would also
make sure that I had all of the sound files recorded before I started
production as this would delay the editing time for the advert.
At the start of the
assignment, I said that I wanted the following;
- My radio advert to apply to a target audience of 18-30 year olds
- To inform them about cheap food and notification times
- To build up a
- Use many key skills and Codes and Conventions
At the end of my
advert I believe that I have covered all of the above and I have fill and
ticked everything I set out to do. However, the script I had originally thought
of what about 1:20 long. This meant that it was no longer following the codes
and conventions of radio adverts (60 seconds maximum). This means that I had to
reduce what was being said in the script. On the plus side, this did have a
positive effect on the advert, this meant that the storyline wasn’t too boring
and would be more direct.
Overall, I am very happy with my radio advert. I am
particularly proud of the announcements as I put a great deal of effort into
that area and my work has paid off. I am also happy with the solutions to some
of the problems I faced during my project and the adaptations I was willing to
make to support the Codes and Convention of radio adverts so that it would
apply to my target audience.
Printed Advertisement
For my company, I need a print advertisement that not only
shows what the company is but what it offers and why it is different to any
other Airliners. To achieve this, I need to follow the Codes and Conventions of
printed adverts, media theories, Ethos, Logos and Pathos (where applicable) and
to reach as many consumers as possible within my target audience, which is
18-30 year olds (male and female).
To make the advert, I used the Industry Standard; Adobe
Photoshop. This is because I wanted to practice my skills within this area and
also, the program contains all the tolls and quality I require for my advert.
The tools I used are; Marquee, Background Eraser, Brush, Eyedropper, Fill and
much more. The reason I used that eyedropper tool is because I needed to make
sure that I stick to the colour schemes of my company and not to use other
shades of the same colour. The techniques I used are ‘peer assessment’. This is
because I wanted to design my poster and every so often, ask my peers what they
thought of my poster. This was because I wanted another person’s eye and see my
poster from another point of view. This way, I could make improvements as I go
along, which is more organised and less time consuming. I also kept on changing
my sketches to make the poster apply to my target audience and gain the
necessary effect and that if follows the intended Codes and Conventions.
I have used different theories and techniques within my
poster. Here are some of them:
- · Colour Theory. I have used green and yellow as the main colours within my poster. This is because yellow describes itself as happy, jolly and summery. This links in with the idea of holidays and being positive. I have used green within my advert because green relates to the outdoors and nature, which is what Yorkshire is all about. Green is also a ‘get up and go’ colour and will encourage people to get up and buy a plane ticket. I have also used red within my poster but not within the main colour scheme. This is because I used it for a section that includes key bits of information for example offers. I have used red because according to Colour Theory, red is attractive to the eye and that people’s eyes are automatically attracted to that area. The colours green, yellow and red are all ‘Split-Complementary’ colours. This means that they have an excellent visual contrast without having too much tension with the eyes to focus on the content.
- Typography theory. I have used Serif and Sand-Serif fonts within my poster. This is because Serif fonts associate themselves with vintage travel and maturity. This means that my company’s target audience is not for a younger class. I have also created a font family using bother Serif and Sans-Serif fonts. This is because I wanted to link both maturity and travel to the modern, sharp times of the present. With both types of font, this makes the advert appeal to a wider target audience. Also, I have kept the tracking and leading loose but not too far apart. This is because I wanted to fill in as much space as possible without being too invasive of space on the poster.
- Shape and Gestalt theory. I have carefully used circles and squares within my advert. This is because I wanted the following effect; Squares have been used to show sturdiness and strength. In this case, I have used squares to show strength within the prices and offers on my poster. This suggests that I will be less likely to change the prices and make my company more trustworthy. Circles have been used to show purity and simplicity. This is shown on the map provided and suggests truthfulness. I have also used continuity theory to control what order that reader sees the poster. For example, the reader will automatically read from the read box and see an offer. After that, they will see the rest of the advert starting from the top left until they reach the bottom right, where they will see contact details.
I believe that my print advert is effective because it uses
the Codes and Conventions of printed adverts. For example, I have used; Colour
Theory, Font Families, Logo of company, Slogan, Logos and contact details. A
slogan makes my poster effective because it gives a very short, easy to
remember description about the company. Using Logos (persuasive technique)
gives the target audience facts and statistics, which makes the company appear
more reliable and also gives evidence of how good the business is. For these
reasons, this is why it meets not only my expectations but it applies to my
target audience.
According to my feedback, my poster uses its colours well.
For example, the colours work with the ‘Yorkshire’ theme and is very
eye-catching. They have also said that I have used codes and Conventions well
and that it appeals to the correct target audience. Surprisingly, there was no
improvements that needed to be made and that my peers ‘love it’.
The issues I faced was that I faced while making the poster
was that I was unsure about what the layout of the poster should be. One solution
was that I needed to sketch the poster out in different ways first and choose
the best one. This work amazingly and was able to produce my poster faster and
more efficiently.
During this section of the project, I was very organised as
I had a schedule and timetable that I needed to stick to in order to get my
assignment in on time. I stuck to my timetable well and had all the resources
available to me when I needed them.
If I was to improve my poster and methods, I would make use
of the pre-production and get the planning and sketches done before beginning
to make the poster and improvising as this was very time consuming and I had to
rush certain bits of it.
In my Initial Proposal, I wanted the following:
- · An advert that showed statistics and offers and a poster that not only showed what the company was but what it had different
- · An advert that linked in with the radio advert
- · An advert that was eye-catching
After adapting minor changes of my original plans, I believe
that I have changed my advert to follow the Codes and Conventions more closely
and applies better with my target audience. I think that I have changed my
poster’s designs for the better.
Overall, I am very happy with my printed advert as it
demonstrates all of the key areas of both my company, the needs of my target
audience and the theories I have used. I have used a wide variety of theories
and techniques within my assignment and I am pleased with the way I have
organised and solved and problems that have arisen.
