Research

 This is the research for my ad project. 

STA Travel Advert 

• What is the target audience 

In demographics, this ad is targeted towards single young male audience (age 18 - 30) as evidence with the male actor used in the video who seems young and goes to many settings (such as beaches, etc ) which requires a lot of energy that is expected in young individuals while psychographically, the video is towards young males who like to travel such as backpackers and or travelling enthusiast who spend their time outside of their own country as evident with the large backpack and long travelling jeans that is versatile in every situation seen on the travelling male actor. 

• How is this audience usually targeted?

This audience is targeted by using images of famous landmarks that's unique to each country and many camera shots of the airport shown on the advert with various match cuts which gives a sign to the audience that the two scenes are closely related. The actor usually uses large backpack and long travelling jeans filled with pockets to show that they are ready for the next adventure which help amplify the message and the target audience psychographic/lifestyle will relate to the scenes in the advert.. In the advert they are usually seen with others alike or locals socializing or participating in an activity that's part of the country's culture with bright lighting to show how fun and lively travelling is. 

• Did this advert conform or subvert the normal way?

This advert conformed the normal way because it follows the societal norms and reinforces the existing identities of backpackers / people who like to travel showing pictures of many places around the world and their stereotypical attire (pocketed pants, etc) to reach their desired audience 

• What images/locations were used to appeal to the audience?

Some of the images used are famous landmarks that are iconic and beautiful nature based (such as mountains, beaches, parks, greenery), city based scenery unique to each country in the shot of the advertisement to appeal to the travel based enthusiast that would spark ideas for them to go to the aforementioned country. Medium shots used to show the body language of the actress and show they enjoy the places they are advertising enticing the target audience to join them. Longshot to show how the character fits into the background.  

• What sounds/music were used to appeal to the target the audience?

Upbeat music were used for the video to create a sense of excitement setting the tone to the viewers watching and appealing to the backpackers and young adventurist that are finding a country to visit.  

• What people were shown in the ad? How do they appeal to the audience?

A young single male is shown in the ad which could relate to does who are in the same position and have the same passion for travel. They appeal to the audience by making that actor go around to different places with a big smile on his face that depicts that travelling to different places is fun and exciting as he does jumps, goes to a soccer game, visits clubs, etc to show that he is free and enjoys his time in these countries that appeals to the backpacking/ adventure seeking  audience. 

• What is the message of this advert?

The message of the advert is that travelling as a young single male with a passion and time for travelling is an exhilarating experience and people with the same demographic and psychographically should do the same. 

• How was this advert distributed? What does this tell you about the audience?

It was distributed via youtube which implies they would like to target a younger age around 18 - 24 who likes to travel around the world with an affordable price. 

Real Estate Advert 

Who is the target audience? (Demographic/Psychographic)

• In this advert, the demographic are young asian-foreign couples, age 23 -35, who want to live in Bali, Indonesia. This can be proven by the female actress with the blonde hair and revealing clothes that’s associated with people from Australia, America and Europe as well as the actor who seems to be a mix of asian and other races outside of asia and is also some kind of CEO or businessman of a company as a suitcase is shown. In a psychographic perspective, they seem to target young asian-foreign couples who have a wealthy lifestyle seen by the luxurious cars and innovative tech gadgets (e.g flippable TV). 

How is this audience usually targeted?

• This audience is usually targeted by using many images of the high-end property and the many features with a fixed camera movement that promotes tranquility in each simple cut in the editing that they make  that it comes with such as the fancy bedroom, etc. There should also be a room where the couples can relax quietly and privately which creates serenity between the audience and advertisement. This advert also uses images of happy couples when enticing this audience to show that when they finally buy the property their relationship will be better and it will facilitate all their personal needs which appeals to this audience who have the money to buy the most comfortable property that would fit their couple goals and lifestyle.

Did this advert conform or subvert the normal way?

• This advert conform the normal way as most adverts do when they want to appeal to these kinds of audience showing high-end property, expensive cars and fancy fashion choices which is the stereotypical lifestyle of this target audience.

What images/locations were used to appeal to the audience?

• Camera shots of the high-end property and the many features that it comes with such as The swimming pool, fancy living room, bedroom, etc with high key lighting so the audience can see everything clearly. There were also images of expensive car with actors wearing exquisite clothing and accessories such as watches. 

What sounds/music were used to appeal to the target the audience?

• Non diegetic sounds are use in the form of the narrator voice in the background that highlights the key features of the property such as the receptionist room, other areas in the property as well as the various activities that could be done with or without their significant other which gives the advert context and information . The voice of the narrator also invokes a sense of relaxation that could reassure the audience the property is well built for their extravagant lifestyle and relaxation. 

What people were shown in the ad? How do they appeal to the audience?

• The actor was shown as a sophisticated young businessman who has a wealthy lifestyle (as seen with the expensive car) and owns the property that has relaxation properties in it. The actress was shown as a “modern housewife” who does groceries and makes her husband happy while they drink wine that could attract couples with the same lifestyle. 

What is the message of this advert?

• The message of the advert is if you are rich young asian-foreign couple who is finding a property with many features like exquisite bedrooms that gives a sense of serenity taht will give them high quality time with their partner that is located in Bali, Indonesia. This property in umalas is perfect for them.

How was this advert distributed? What does this tell you about the audience?

• This advert is also distributed via youtube and possibly television because they are targeting more older demographic age 25 -35. They use youtube so it could be recommend it to the right audience. 
  

Bali Promotional Advert 

Who is the target audience? (Demographic/Psychographic)

The target audience demographic are young people, ages 18 - 24, mostly women as the advert mostly shows the female actresses doing most of the activities who appears to be mostly from America, Australia, and Europe as well as a few others who are asian but are not from Indonesia. Psychographically, They are all travellers are eager to explore Bali’s culture, landscape and people. Each traveller have their own interests such as sports, city strolling, party goers that becomes the target audience of this advert

How is this audience usually targeted?

• This audience is usually targeted by using multiple camera angles of Bali’s scenery such as the beaches, beautiful cliff side views with a bright lighting to give the video a vibrant appeal to the nature enthusiast who want to visit bali excited.  They also provide various sports related activities and nightlife that offers many different activities for each and every traveller who would visit bali. The advert usually shows the actors and actresses together sharing an activity to show friendliness and intern catch the audience’s attention. (an establishing shot used to show how large and beautiful the scenery is)

Did this advert conform or subvert the normal way?

• This advert conform the normal way as a travel base audience who want to visit bali will gravitate towards any advert with Bali’s people, landscape n etc. It also show stereotypical activities Bali tourists are usually like such as parties, snorkeling n etc that lean more towards conforming with normal way. 

What images/locations were used to appeal to the audience?

• There are multiple camera angles of Bali’s scenery such as the beaches, beautiful cliff side views and some of the unique temples that can only be spotted in Bali. They also show many communities in Bali that interact with the main actors in a friendly and welcoming manner allowing them to do various balinese traditions and other activities such as snorkeling and surfing. The area is also uses high key lighting all throughout to show how the place is friendly and beautiful to look at.

What sounds/music were used to appeal to the target the audience?

• They use upbeat music that slowly rises when someone does a certain activity in Bali that creating excitement around the balinese activities that would appeal more to the young travelers that want to visit Bali. The non diegetic sounds this tourism adverts are melodic tone like most energetic and upbeat music which enhances positivity and gives the audience motivation to travel.

What people were shown in the ad? How do they appeal to the audience?

• They show many Balinese individuals that kindly greet the main actors and actresses in the advert. The main people in the advert are also people from Australia, America and Europe with blonde hair. The main actors represent the travelers who want to visit Bali and when they put them in the advert it is as if they are seeing themselves in the advert and by allowing them to interact with the Balinese population it creates the appeal that Bali is friendly and worth considering. Medium shots used to show the body language of the actress and show they enjoy the places they are advertising enticing the target audience to join them and for mise-en-scene, most adverts use costumes that are similar to the target audience psychographic/lifestyle and correlating props that help amplify the message.

What is the message of this advert?

• The message of the advert is if you are a young traveler who is from Australia, America and Europe who wants to visit a country with friendly people, amazing landscape and various different activities that tailor to everyone’s interest then Bali is the best place to go to.

How was this advert distributed? What does this tell you about the audience?

• This advert is also distributed via youtube as most people on youtube are aged 18 - 24 which is quite similar to the target audience's age range .  They use youtube so it could be recommend it to the right audience that want to travel to Bali. 

Coca Cola  Advert 

Who is the target audience?

• (Demographic/Psychographic)In this advert, the demographic are young asian people, age 20 -30. This can be proven by the female actress and actor with the black hair who live in hot climate countries like most south east asian countries (e.g Indonesia, Philippines, etc). Psychographically, it could be targeted towards those who usually walk or do some kind of activity outside (with an absence of any kind of good cooling machine), those who want to find a boyfriend as the actress in the advert is seen admiring the guy and those who like sugary

How is this audience usually targeted?

• This audience is usually targeted by using many pictures of the coca cola or any kind of soda. The young actor is also seen drinking the drink in hot weather which creates a satisfying sensation for the audience looking for a good soda. They also use some kind of cooling wind in the background to highlight the coca cola’s cooling effect that would appeal to the drink based audience. Medium shots used to show the body language of the actress and show they enjoy the drink they are advertising enticing the target audience to join them. 

Did this advert conform or subvert the normal way?

• This advert conform the normal way as most adverts do when they want to appeal to these kinds of audience showing pictures of the fizzy soda with water dripping from the bottles which is the stereotypical way of advertising such sugary cold drinks. 

What images/locations were used to appeal to the audience?

• Camera shots of coca cola with high key lighting was taken from the cold refrigerator located in a mini mart . They use this mini market format to mimic real life in southeast Asia that engage the audience more and to make coca cola seem like a more convenient and accessible drink. They also use some kind of cooling effect n the background to highlight the coca cola’s cooling effect after a long hot day in Southeast Asia’s summer.

What sounds/music were used to appeal to the target the audience?

• The music used wis mostly upbeat, jolly music that slowly rises when the coca cola was shown. The actress in the advert also has a bit of dialogue showing a bit of kindness by lending a free coca cola to the actor which indicates that the drink is viewed in a positive light which would make it appealing for the audience watching. Diegetic sounds are also used in a form of dialogue from one actor to another which gives the advert context and information so the audience can follow along the “story” of the advert.

What people were shown in the ad? How do they appeal to the audience?

• Young people were shown in the advert heavily enjoying their drink to represent the likability of the drink contributing to the target audience considering the product. The actress is also seen gazing at the actor drinking the soda which give of the impression that if young people drink this soda, they would automatically be more attractive which is usually the target audience’s main concern as in this age they are usually finding a spouse / girlfriend / boyfriend. They also use mise en scene costumes like the sweat filled shirt that are similar to the target audience psychographic/lifestyle (this means they like to exercise )and correlating props that help make the product seem like a good fit for the actors sweat filled activities.                                                       

What is the message of this advert?

• The message of the advert is that if you are young person who lives near Southeast Asian grocery store, you can buy a cold sugary coca cola that will relieve the us form the scorching heat and for the guys make them seem more attractive.

How was this advert distributed? What does this tell you about the audience?

• This advert is also distributed via youtube and possibly television as they want to reach as much people as possible.  They use youtube so it could be recommend it to the right audience that want to a sugary cold drink in the hot weather and television so other people in other age ranges would also consider the product. 

AirAsia Advert 

Who is the target audience?

(Demographic/Psychographic) In this advert, the demographic are young people, age 23 -35 mostly asian men as the advert depicts the main character as a young man who works as an average office worker. Psychographically, The main character is a middle to low income background, possibly burned out form his job based on his job and his money jar that is not even half way full aspiring to take a few days off for vacation purposes, out of the country doing whatever it takes to make to make his/her dream come to life.

How is this audience usually targeted?

This audience is usually targeted by depicting the main actor/actress in their everyday “boring” job such as a desk worker, office worker, etc who isn’t in the best financial state to be going on vacation, out of the country. The advert usually proposes a solution like a coupon or a big promotion so the desperate worker could finally book their big vacation by doing one of the company’s term n condition such as becoming a member, downloading an app, etc which is not that hard to do as such it attracts this target audience who are also trying to find a way to make their dreams come true without breaking the bank.

Did this advert conform or subvert the normal way?

This advert conform the normal way as most adverts do when they want to appeal to these kinds of audience, who are low to medium income and not in financial position to book their vacation, showing the actor in the same position and booking a plane ticket that is ridiculously cheap with all the big red discount signs that usually attracts them because it shows a clear solution.

What images/locations were used to appeal to the audience?

 Camera shots of the applications that has a discount notification on flights the actor wants to go to. The vibrant flight attendance that “reward” the actor that buys a ticket using the app which would appeal to the audience a lot as it is already ”cheap” and as if there is no drawbacks but a reward to ordering the cheap ticket. The lighting in the background also looks dull and dreary until the end where the background becomes colorful, bright and lively that further supports this. 

What sounds/music were used to appeal to the target the audience?

There is a narrator in the background that narrates the scenes while the jolly music plays in the background that slowly rises as we get to the promotion and discounts the airline wants to highlight which draws the audience attention more into that specific scene. Diegetic sounds are also used in a form of dialogue from one actor to another which gives the advert context and information so the audience can follow along the “story” of the advert.

What people were shown in the ad? How do they appeal to the audience?

The actor was shown with low key lighting in front of the actors face casting a shadow under his eye making it seem like he is tired and worn out with a basic work attire that is boring and dull and when he finally got what he wanted his facial expressions changed and he became happier with all the bright lighting  and his attire is full of interesting patterns with a baby blue color and t-shirt which indicates he is more relax which is the life the audience desperately needs and would appeal to their desires to travel. For mise-en-scene, most adverts use costumes that are similar to the target audience psychographic/lifestyle and correlating props that help amplify the message and when he switches to a more happy / desirable side the mise en scene also changes to match the message the director wants to say.

What is the message of this advert?

The message of the advert is that if you are young person who lives near Southeast Asian grocery store, you can buy a cold sugary coca cola that will relieve the us from the scorching heat and for the guys make them seem more attractive.

How was this advert distributed? What does this tell you about the audience?

• This advert is also distributed via youtube.  They use youtube so it could be recommend it to the right audience that want to travel for without breaking the bank for their holiday break. 

Hilton Travel Advert 

Who is the target audience?

Demographically, This advert is towards American families who has multiple kids, age 5 -10, who are usually middle to middle-upper class as evidence with the American styled home that is 2 stories tall which is quite pricy. Psychographically, the family likes to treat their kids on a vacation but also wants to enjoy that vacation without becoming stressful because they have to constantly take care of the winning kids.

How is this audience usually targeted?

The advert focuses on the excellent service of the brand and promotions that help the family’s struggles which shows how the brand cares about the audience’s struggle. This audience also targeted by showing a stark contrast between how the brand treating the audience like royalty (the kids not misbehaving and parents relaxed) with bright shots of each room compared to the their previous camera shots of other amenities not sponsored by the brand which attracts them to the brand.

Did this advert conform or subvert the normal way?

Like many other adverts that target, this advert conform to the normal way. The advert presents the brand as a solution to the family as they have a stressful time going to the hotel. They don’t present the brand in the negative light but instead present it as a life saver showing great hospitality, free room upgrades and etc which is what most brands typically do so the target audience would be pleased.

What images/locations were used to appeal to the audience?

In the beginning, they use low key lighting to present the house in a stressful manner as the struggle begins with the image of the cramped airport spaces and busy hallways with small durations of each scene creating a panicked situation. Then, a bright notification on their phone suddenly shows up and in the next scene the brightly lit hotel lobby with bright flowers that happily greets the family and rooms that are spacious which gives of a sense of serenity to the target audience.  They also use some dolly or tracking as well as handheld  movement of the actor/actress rushing to the airport so the audience can be immersed in the scenes taken as if they are involved in the action.

What sounds/music were used to appeal to the target the audience?

In the beginning of the advert, they use discordant non diegetic sounds. Some of the evidence are the  a screeching alarm wakes the family up and there is a rush, high pitch music in the background that stir up tension. There are also baby crying sound effects in the background, parents telling the kids to “hurry up”. After all the chaos, there is a soft doorbell sound effect of the notification of the promotion which draws attention to the upgrade and from there the sounds become soft, calming piano sound effects which appeals to the audience that deals with the kid’s chaos during traveling, reinforcing the message ( an example of using melodic non diegetic sounds)

What people were shown in the ad? How do they appeal to the audience?

The ad shows the family - a mom, dad and three children which is a typical American family that they are likely aiming for. The parents in the start are overwhelm and restless as the kids stir up conflict in the scene transitioning to the hotel. The parent’s expression changes to relaxed and at ease as the kids are occupied and controlled which is something most families with young kids seek when traveling appealing to that audience.

 

What is the message of this advert?

If you are a parent that have young kids that are unbearable to control and still want to have an amazing time, this brand will accommodate these problems and help make their holiday more bearable.

How was this advert distributed? What does this tell you about the audience?

• This advert is also distributed via youtube.  They use youtube so it could be recommend it to the right audience that are finding a good hotel that are family friendly. 

 

New Zealand Travel Advert - Camera Angles & their effect 

1. Close up shot 

•  What do they show ?
• The advert only show the persons face until the shoulders. Mostly focusing on the actors face, blurring the background so only the actor is brought in focus 

• Why are they used ?
• To show the actors reaction and expression to the overall situation that he is in 

• Why are they important  ? 
• So the advert makers can convey information through the actors reaction and or emotion. Additionally, it is also to show that what the main character is seeing/viewing  is important. 

• What does this make the audience feel ?? 
• So the audience watching could also feel the shock and the anticipation of what could happen  in the next scene where they reveal what he is seeing the audience could also spark excitement. 

• How are the locations are represented ?? 
• They are bright and sunny but it is blurred so the audience can focus on the person.  

 2. long shot 

• What do they show ?
• The advert shows the two people from head to toe on a bicycle with a grassy background with some mountains far back. 

• Why are they used ?
• To show how the characters blend with the overall area they are in. 

• Why are they important  ? 
• Because it immerses the audience into the world that the advert makers have created. Putting the audience into the minds of the actors and actresses that are experiencing new zealand nature 

• How are the locations are represented ?? 
• They are bright and sunny which connotes that the place is beautiful and an awesome place to visit. 

3. Establishing shot 

• What do they show ?
• A shot of the New Zealand terrain including the mountains, river, roads and etc 

• Why are they used ?
• To introduce a new scene and tells the viewer where is the next scene going to take place 

• Why are they important ??
• Because it helps the viewers understand the time and place of where the next scene take place and so it doesn't disrupt the flow scene to scene.

• How are the locations are represented ?? 
• It is a cold climate with large mountains and rivers that connotes the diversity of the different textures and etc in the next scene. 

Self reflection: This research task helped me develop my analysing skills and help me further understand the conventions of the typical adverts online. This really helped my project so we would have a better idea of the advert we are going to create and understand our target audience more.