advertising analysis assignment

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How to Analyze an Advertisement

Last Updated: July 6, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christine Michel Carter . Christine Michel Carter is a Global Marketing Expert, Best-Selling Author, and Strategy Consultant for Minority Woman Marketing, LLC. With over 13 years of experience, Christine specializes in strategic business and marketing consulting services including market analysis, organizational alignment, portfolio review, cultural accuracy, and brand and marketing review. She is also a speaker on millennial moms and black consumers. Christine holds a BS in Business Administration and Art History from Stevenson University. She is a leader in multicultural marketing strategy and has written over 100 articles views for several publications, including TIME and Forbes Women. Christine has worked with Fortune 500 clients such as Google, Walmart, and McDonald’s. She has been featured in The New York Times, BBC News, NBC, ABC, Fox, The Washington Post, Business Insider, and Today. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 176,530 times.

Breaking Down a Television Commercial

• For example, if the commercial appears on a TV channel that mainly shows children’s programming, then you can deduce that the advertisers are trying to appeal to children or maybe the parents of young children.
• If you see a commercial in a movie theater, you may be able to determine its target audience based on the nature of the movie. For example, commercials that appear before R-rated movies are probably intended for adult audiences.

• How a commercial seeks to grab your attention can also say a lot about its target audience. For example, a commercial that uses explosive special effects may be aimed at teenagers and young adults.
• Advertisers don’t just want their commercial to grab your attention; they also want you to remember it. Consider how their attention-grabbing techniques are meant to stick in your mind and influence your view of a product over the long term. [2] X Research source

• For example, a commercial might prominently feature upbeat music, smiling faces, and sunny weather to create a generally happy feeling that you then direct towards the product the commercial is advertising.
• Advertisers will usually try to make commercials that put their product in a positive light. Determining how they go about doing this will also reveal what unspoken beliefs or values the commercial is attempting to appeal to.

• For instance, may accompany depictions of a generic product with sad music to make you feel that products other than the one being advertised are not as good.
• Ask yourself if your feeling towards the commercial would change if it used a particular genre of music versus another, then think about why different music styles elicit different responses from you.

• For example, if a commercial pairs a particular beer brand with women in bikinis, the advertisers may be trying to appeal to teenage and adult men through sex appeal.
• Think about why an actor or actors of a certain race or gender were selected, and ask yourself if the perception of the product would change if different actors were used in the commercial. This may indicate certain biases or subconscious motives at work in the ad.

• If you’re analyzing one or more commercials for a marketing class, you may find that certain words are used more frequently than others. For example, words like “tasty” and “sensational” are commonly used in ads because they tend to make products seem more desirable.
• Pay particular attention to words that aren’t used to directly describe the product, and think about why those words have been included in the commercial. If words aren’t overtly being used to inform the audience, they’re being used to covertly influence viewers.

Evaluating Advertisements in Print Media

• For example, an ad that appears in Cosmopolitan magazine is probably meant to appeal to women, while an ad featured in the newspaper is probably aimed at a wider general audience.
• Think about how a person from a particular demographic might respond to an ad targeted at a different demographic, and why they might have a different reaction. This will help you to determine some of the hidden social meanings that the ad is incorporating.

• For example, if an ad for a watch features a man wearing it while on a cruise with his family, you may come to associate the watch with the excitement of going on a cruise and the positive feelings of having a family.
• Note that the ad’s plot may not seem relevant to the product itself. This is an example of an advertisement intentionally manipulating their audience’s feelings.

• Think as well about how the language in the ad describes the benefits of buying the product. For example, does the ad say the product will make you happier, cooler, or sexier?
• The typeface used is also an intentional design choice. Ask yourself how you might react to the ad if the words were printed in a different typeface and why that might be. [8] X Research source

• For example, ask yourself what sort of images of people or objects are included in the advertisement and how these images influence your reaction to the product. Consider whether your reaction would change if different people or objects were used.
• If you’re analyzing the ad from an artistic perspective, you should also note which colors are used and where in the ad those colors are placed. You may find there are certain colors that are matched with particular emotional responses.
• The ad may feature images that reflect a certain lifestyle (e.g., a two-story home in a wealthy neighborhood) and use these images to associate the product with particular values and beliefs in your mind.

• For example, a background of a sunny beach and palm tree might be trying to elicit feelings of calm and relaxation, while a busy city street might bring to mind feelings of activity or people in motion.

• For example, an advertisement that seeks to leave its audience excited and energized about its product might feature a large amount of overlapping words and images and leave very little blank space in the ad.
• An ad with lots of empty space might want to make people think of feelings like “quiet” or “understated.”

Expert Q&A

• Advertisements can be analyzed in much the same way that books can (i.e., interpreting symbols, determining the motives of the creator, examining the use of particular themes, etc.). Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Christine Michel Carter. Global Marketing Expert. Expert Interview. 30 September 2020.
• ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-makes-tv-ad-memorable-luke-cairns
• ↑ http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/how-analyze-advertisement

About This Article

Advertisements are all around you, and once you know what to look for, you can analyze them to see how they work. Every ad is designed for a specific target audience, like children, young professionals, or women. An ad for children might use bright colors and big text, while an ad for young adults might feature twenty-something models. The goal of an ad is to grab its target audience's attention and make them feel or want something. Some ads might use flashy visual effects to draw people in, while others will rely on happy or sad music to play on people's emotions. If an ad has a famous person in it, the company that made the ad is probably trying to influence that celebrity's fan base to buy their products. The main thing to consider when looking at any ad is how all of the different elements are being used to sell you something. For more tips, including how to analyze TV commercials, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Advertisement analysis examples: Unpacking persuasive strategies using reallife campaigns

• Post author By support
• Post date September 26, 2023

Have you ever wondered how advertisements manipulate our thoughts and emotions?

How they steer our purchasing decisions and shape our perception of products?

In this era of endless commercial bombardment, analyzing ads becomes more important than ever.

Dive into the fascinating world of advertisement analysis and uncover the hidden tactics used by marketers to captivate our attention and influence our choices.

Discover how this vital process not only exposes deceitful practices but also paves the way for more ethical advertising strategies.

Prepare to be amazed by the power of the advertising industry as we explore real-life examples of its effects and effectiveness.

Get ready for an eye-opening journey into the realm of advertisement analysis.

advertisement analysis example

Advertisement analysis involves examining advertising to determine its effects on consumers.

This process is crucial for understanding the impact of advertising on society and working towards creating more beneficial ads.

It allows businesses to maximize their advertising dollars by identifying what works and what doesn’t.

Understanding the target audience helps determine the purpose and effectiveness of the ad, while different elements of the advertisement, such as graphics and language, are used to appeal to the target audience.

Visual arguments in advertisements can shape behavior and have a significant impact on people’s lives, and analyzing the connection between the idea and product in an advertisement can be an effective approach.

Key Points:

• Advertisement analysis studies the effects of advertising on consumers
• It is important for understanding the impact of advertising on society
• Helps businesses maximize their advertising budget by identifying successful strategies
• Understanding the target audience helps determine the ad’s purpose and effectiveness
• Different elements of the ad, such as graphics and language, are used to appeal to the target audience
• Visual arguments and the connection between idea and product in an ad can shape behavior and have a significant impact on people’s lives.

Sources 1 – 2 – 3 – 4

Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iA6dkaXYoo

💡 Did You Know?

1. The advertising industry spends an estimated $600 billion globally on advertising each year, making it one of the largest industries worldwide.

2. In 1971, Coca-Cola launched one of the most successful ad campaigns of all time with their catchy jingle “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” which became so popular that it was later re-recorded as a full-length song titled “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.”

3. The famous Apple “1984” advertisement, which aired during the Super Bowl in 1984, was directed by Ridley Scott, who is best known for directing movies like “Gladiator” and “Blade Runner.”

4. The first-ever television commercial aired in the United States on July 1, 1941, during a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. The ad was for Bulova watches and cost a total of $9.

5. In 1990, the Federal Trade Commission conducted a study on the impact of subliminal messages in advertisements. The study found that there was no significant evidence to suggest that subliminal messages have any substantial effect on consumer behavior.

Advertisement Analysis: Understanding The Impact On Consumers

Advertisement analysis is a process that involves examining advertising and its effects on consumers . By dissecting and analyzing advertisements, we can gain valuable insight into how they influence our behavior as consumers . It helps us understand the psychological impact of ads , the messages they convey , and the ways in which they shape our perceptions and preferences .

Advertisements have a powerful influence on our purchasing decisions and overall consumer behavior . They can evoke emotions , spark desires , and create a sense of urgency or need for a specific product or service. By studying the effects of advertising , we can better understand the strategies employed by marketers to persuade and engage consumers .

The Two Sides of Advertising: Positive Values vs. Consumer Exploitation

Advertising has the potential to promote positive values and contribute to the well-being of society. However, it can also be used to exploit and manipulate consumers. By analyzing advertisements, we can distinguish between these two sides of advertising and recognize the intentions and motives behind them.

Certain ads aim to educate and inform consumers about products that genuinely benefit them. They focus on the features, benefits, and value propositions of the product or service, helping consumers make informed decisions.

On the other hand, some advertisements may employ deceptive tactics , making false promises or manipulating consumers’ insecurities to generate sales. These ads are designed to take advantage of consumers’ vulnerabilities, often preying on their emotions and desires.

It is important for consumers to be aware of these different strategies employed in advertising and be critical when evaluating the messages they receive. By being informed and cautious, individuals can make better choices and protect themselves from falling into the trap of manipulative advertising practices.

Creating Better Ads Through Advertisement Analysis

Advertisement analysis is essential for businesses to create effective and ethical ads. It helps companies understand the impact of their advertising efforts, enabling them to make strategic decisions and refine their messaging to better resonate with their target audience.

Benefits of advertisement analysis :

• Identify successful elements of ads
• Improve aspects that need enhancement
• Make adjustments to advertising strategies
• Allocate resources wisely
• Increase the chances of achieving ad goals

By analyzing advertising campaigns, businesses gain valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t. This knowledge allows them to optimize their advertising strategies, resulting in more impactful and successful advertisements.

“Advertisement analysis is the key to creating ads that resonate with the intended audience.”

Maximizing Advertising Dollars: The Importance Of Advertisement Analysis For Businesses

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, businesses must make the most of their advertising dollars. Advertisement analysis enables companies to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of their advertising campaigns. It helps track the return on investment (ROI) for each advertisement and identifies which strategies and channels are yielding the best results.

By understanding the impact of their advertising efforts, businesses can make data-driven decisions and optimize their advertising budgets . This helps them minimize wasteful spending and maximize the impact of their advertising by focusing on strategies that yield the highest return.

• Advertisement analysis allows businesses to assess the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns.
• It helps track the return on investment (ROI) for each advertisement.
• Identifies which strategies and channels are yielding the best results.

“Businesses must make data-driven decisions and optimize their advertising budgets in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

Identifying What Works: Analyzing Ads For Better Effectiveness

Advertisement analysis is a valuable tool for businesses to understand what aspects of an ad resonate with consumers and influence their purchase decisions. Successful ads offer insights into the key factors that contribute to their effectiveness, including compelling visuals , persuasive language , and emotional appeal .

Conversely, analyzing less successful ads can uncover areas that require improvement. By identifying weaknesses in advertisements, businesses can make informed decisions to enhance their strategies and boost the effectiveness of future campaigns.

Target Audience: Unveiling The Purpose And Effectiveness Of Ads

Understanding the target audience is essential in advertisement analysis. Marketers can create more effective messages by unraveling the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics of the intended audience.

By analyzing advertisements, businesses can gain valuable insights into the preferences, values, and motivations of their target market. This knowledge enables them to craft advertisements that resonate with their target demographic and capture their attention .

Key points:

• Demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics of the target audience must be unraveled for effective advertisement analysis.
• Different elements of advertisements are specifically designed to appeal to the target audience.
• Analysis of advertisements provides valuable insights into the preferences, values, and motivations of the target market.

“By understanding the target audience, businesses can create advertisements that resonate with their intended demographic.”

Emotional Appeal And Fear Tactics: Strategies In Advertising

Emotions play a significant role in advertising , and understanding their impact is an essential aspect of advertisement analysis . Many advertisements employ emotional appeals to connect with consumers on a deeper level and create a lasting impression . By analyzing these emotional strategies , we can better understand their effects on our perceptions and behaviors .

Fear is another powerful emotion often used in advertising. Whether it is the fear of missing out , fear of failure , or fear of being socially excluded , advertisers tap into these fears to drive action . By scrutinizing the use of fear tactics in advertisements, we can evaluate the ethical implications and the potential impact they have on consumer behavior .

Graphics In Advertising: Conveying Messages And Tones

The visual elements in advertisements are essential in conveying messages and setting the overall tone and mood. Graphics, including images, colors, and typography, play a crucial role in capturing the attention of the audience and conveying the intended message.

Simple, easy-to-understand visuals with a consistent theme or color palette create a cohesive and visually appealing advertisement. Additionally, the use of clean layouts and typography enhances the readability and comprehension of the ad.

By analyzing the visual components of an advertisement, we can gain a deeper understanding of how they contribute to its overall effectiveness.

• Visual elements are essential in conveying messages and setting the tone and mood
• Graphics, colors, and typography play a crucial role in capturing attention
• Simple visuals with a consistent theme enhance the ad’s appeal
• Clean layouts and typography improve readability and comprehension

The Art Of Graphic Design In Effective Advertising

Graphic design is a fundamental aspect of creating effective advertisements . A well-designed advertisement can attract attention , communicate a message clearly , and evoke a desired response from the target audience. By analyzing the design elements of advertisements, we can appreciate the skill and artistry that goes into creating visually impactful and persuasive ads .

Effective graphic design in advertising relies on careful consideration of various factors, including layout , color psychology , typography , and visual hierarchy . By understanding the principles and techniques of graphic design, businesses can create ads that not only grab attention but also effectively communicate the desired message.

Dissecting Hidden Messages: The Key To Advertisement Analysis

Advertisement analysis involves delving beneath the surface of an ad to uncover hidden messages and subliminal cues . By closely examining the language, imagery, and symbolism used in advertisements, we can identify the underlying messages and associations created by the advertisers.

Visual arguments are heavily employed in advertising to communicate with audiences and shape their behavior. These arguments can have a profound impact on people’s lives, influencing their choices, attitudes, and aspirations. By dissecting advertisements and unraveling the hidden messages , we gain a deeper understanding of the strategies behind the ads, enabling us to be more critical and discerning consumers.

Blockquote: Advertisement analysis is a vital process in understanding the impact of advertising on consumers and society as a whole.

By examining the persuasive strategies used in real-life campaigns, we can develop a more critical eye towards advertisements and make informed decisions about the products and services we choose to consume. Through analysis, businesses can also create more effective and ethical ads , maximizing their advertising dollars and ultimately improving their relationship with their target audience .

Bullet points:

• Delving beneath the surface of an ad
• Examining language, imagery, and symbolism
• Identifying hidden messages and associations
• Unraveling the strategies behind ads
• Developing a more critical eye towards ads
• Making informed decisions about consumption
• Creating effective and ethical ads
• Improving the relationship with the target audience

How do you write advertisement analysis?

When writing an advertisement analysis, it is crucial to first identify the target audience. Understanding who the ad is trying to reach will help analyze how the ad is tailored to appeal to that specific demographic. Next, carefully examine the techniques used to entice the audience. This can include persuasive language, attractive visuals, and emotional appeals. Additionally, analyzing the graphics used in the ad can provide insights into the intended message and the overall aesthetic appeal. By reading and understanding the message or language used, it becomes possible to delve deeper into the underlying message and any hidden meanings. Moreover, paying attention to the emotions the ad is attempting to evoke helps comprehend the intended impact on the audience. Considering the official soundtrack of the ad can also offer insights into how music is used to enhance the overall effect. Lastly, understanding the cultural significance of the ad will provide a broader context for analyzing its impact and effectiveness. Overall, a comprehensive advertisement analysis should incorporate these key elements to provide a thorough understanding of the strategies employed by advertisers to engage and persuade their target audience.

1. What are some key elements to consider when conducting an advertisement analysis? Can you provide an example of how these elements can be applied to analyze a specific advertisement?

When conducting an advertisement analysis , there are several key elements to consider. Firstly, it is important to examine the target audience and their demographic characteristics. This includes factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, and interests, as it shapes the message and imagery used in the advertisement. Secondly, analyzing the visual and textual components of the advertisement is crucial. This entails identifying the colors, font styles, and imagery chosen, as well as dissecting the language and tone used in the text. Lastly, considering the overall message and objective of the advertisement is vital in understanding its persuasive techniques and evaluating its effectiveness.

To illustrate the application of these elements, let’s take the example of a Nike advertisement promoting a new line of running shoes targeted at young athletes. The target audience in this case would be athletic individuals, primarily aged 18 to 30, who have an interest in sports and fitness. The visual elements of the advertisement might include vibrant colors, dynamic images of athletes running, and bold typography. The text could emphasize the product’s features and highlight phrases such as “unleash your potential” and “elevate your performance.” Analyzing these elements together reveals that the advertisement aims to appeal to young athletes by conveying the idea that wearing Nike shoes will enhance their performance and help them reach their full potential.

2. How can cultural, social, and psychological factors influence the effectiveness of an advertisement? Can you provide an example of an advertisement that successfully utilizes these factors to appeal to its target audience?

Cultural, social, and psychological factors play a crucial role in influencing the effectiveness of an advertisement. Cultural factors include values, beliefs, and norms shared by a specific group, while social factors refer to the influence of social interactions and relationships. Psychological factors involve the thoughts, emotions, and motivations of individuals. These factors can affect how an advertisement is perceived, understood, and acted upon by the target audience.

An example of an advertisement that successfully utilizes these factors is the “Share a Coke” campaign by Coca-Cola. This campaign, which began in 2011, replaced the Coca-Cola logo on bottles and cans with popular names and terms like “best friend” and “soulmate.” This approach appealed to cultural factors by celebrating personalization and individuality, tapping into the desire for unique experiences. Socially, the campaign encouraged people to share their personalized Coke bottles with others, promoting a sense of connection and social bonding. Psychologically, the campaign played on the need for recognition and belonging, as people sought out and shared bottles with their names or the names of loved ones. The “Share a Coke” campaign successfully harnessed these cultural, social, and psychological factors to engage with its target audience and create a meaningful experience around its brand.

3. What are some common persuasive techniques used in advertisements, and how do they contribute to the overall message or impact of the advertisement? Can you provide an example of an advertisement that effectively uses these techniques to convey its intended message?

Some common persuasive techniques used in advertisements include emotional appeal, celebrity endorsement, and the use of statistics and facts. Emotional appeals aim to connect with the audience on a personal level, evoking feelings of happiness, fear, nostalgia, or other emotions. Celebrity endorsements leverage the popularity and credibility of well-known individuals to promote a product or service. The use of statistics and facts adds credibility to the claims made in the advertisement.

One example of an advertisement that effectively uses these techniques is Nike’s “Dream Crazy” campaign featuring former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. The ad starts by evoking emotions through powerful imagery and inspiring voiceover, aiming to connect with viewers on an emotional level. It then incorporates the celebrity endorsement of Kaepernick, leveraging his reputation as an activist, to convey a message of empowerment and social justice. The advertisement also includes statistics and facts about individuals who have defied societal expectations, further strengthening the overall impact and credibility of the message.

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• Tags advertisement analysis , advertisement; , advertising , analysis , campaigns , example , examples , marketing , media analysis , persuasive , reallife , strategies , unpacking , using

• Orientation

Sample Ad Analysis

Using the steps for conducting a semiotic analysis outlined in the Semiotics Handout as the foundation for your argument, write a short, 200-300 word analysis of a women's fashion advertisement from a current magazine.

Preparation for this assignment requires the following:

1.) Locating an appropriate advertisement 2.) Going through the steps for conducting a semiotic analysis as outlined in the above-mentioned handout

After completing the steps, your posting should include the following:

1.) A thesis statement 2.) A short but detailed description of the ad 3.) An analysis of the ad that includes some of the details/discoveries that you made while completing the steps

The following is a sample response to the above assignment:

By depicting beautiful and successful women as white, thin, and submissive, high-fashion advertisements promote racist, sexist, and classist ideologies. An ad for Calvin Klein featured in a recent issue of W magazine is an apt example. In this ad, a young, attractive, and apparently wealthy thin white woman with dark blonde hair is sitting hunched over on the edge of a bed in an upscale home, peering down at the ground. Virtually expressionless, she appears to be either drunk or drugged, and her body posture suggests that she is vulnerable. This posture, as well as the dark colors of the ad, create a mood that is both depressive and mournful, almost as if the woman in the ad is, was, or is about to be the subject of some kind of abuse.

This ad bears resemblance to a number of other ads from the same magazine. Such companies as DKNY, Neiman Marcus, Piazza Sempione, Earl Jean, TSE, and Echo have full-page ads that feature thin, white upper-class women in both submissive and provocative poses. Given the overwhelming similarity of these ads, it's clear that high-fashion advertisers are in the business of promoting more than just products, namely images of beauty and success. The problem, of course, is that these images depict women as submissive (if not abused) objects, not to mention that they define beauty and success as "white and thin."

This definition of beauty and success has unfortunate social consequences. High-fashion ads such as those mentioned above, by associating beauty and success with such traits as "white," "thin," and "submissive," promote not only unhealthy and unrealistic images of beauty but class divisions based on racial priority. The message, in short, is that only Caucasian women are successful, and for these women, success is predicated on an ability to appear as a submissive, sexual object.

Following the Steps The above response was composed after completing the steps outlined in the semiotics handout. Here is the information I generated while following these steps:

Establish the sign to be decoded I will be analyzing an advertisement for Calvin Klein found in a recent issue of W magazine.

Set aside your opinion Done.

Define/categorize the sign Judging by the image, and from what I already know of fashion advertisements, this ad for Calvin Klein falls into the category of "haute couture," or "high fashion."

Determine what the sign means (analysis of images, language, etc.) In this ad, a young (20-24), attractive, and thin white woman with dark blonde hair is sitting hunched over on the edge of what appears to be a bed, peering down at the ground. She is dressed in a relatively short black evening dress, and she is wearing black heels. Given the fact that her right foot is arched and pushed slightly forward, I am assuming that she is looking at her shoes. Her face is virtually expressionless, and it seems as if she is either drunk or drugged. In either case, her lack of expression and body posture suggest that she is in some way vulnerable. Where is she? What is she doing? Although the use of muted brown makes the background of the ad difficult to discern, she appears to be in the bedroom of an upscale home (hard wood floors, cherry doors, etc.). Perhaps it's the end of the night, and she's just beginning to settle in. Perhaps she was at a party and wandered off. Regardless, it's clear that she is part of the upper crust of society.

Looking back at the ad as a whole, its dark colors as well as the expression and posture of the model create a mood that is at once depressive and mournful, almost as if the figure in the ad is (or was) the subject of some kind of abuse.

Finally, although not visible from the scanned copy, the ad contains a minimal amount of text, located on a white background below the ad. Just below the bottom right edge of the photograph, it reads, in poetic form, "Barcelona / Bilbao / Dallas / Dubai / New York / Paris / Seoul / Singapore." And slightly further down but in larger lettering, it reads, "Calvin Klein." The implications here are manifold. First, these cities are noted as fashion centers. Second, and more importantly, the language of the ad implies that Calvin Klein's importance and influence is by all accounts global. And when you consider what this advertisement suggests, Calvin Klein's influence is questionable at best.

Establish a set of signs (books, ads, films, etc.) related to the sign you are decoding In the first case, this ad was part of a series of ads from Calvin Klein featuring the same woman. In the other ads, she is also dressed in black clothing. At the same time, however, the other ads have her featured in considerably more provocative poses. In one ad, for example, she is lying on a bed with her eyes closed; she is dressed in nothing more than black heels and black pantyhose, and her hands are covering her breasts. It can be assumed, of course, that this is the same bed she was sitting on the edge of in the previous ad. Now, however, she is nearly naked.

These ads also bear some kind of resemblance to a number of other ads from the same magazine. Such companies as DKNY, Neiman Marcus, Piazza Sempione, Earl Jean, TSE, and Echo have full-page ads that feature thin, white upper-class women in both submissive and provocative poses. Given the overwhelming similarity of these ads, it's clear that "high fashion" advertisers are in the business of selling specific images of beauty and success. The problem, of course, is that these images depict women as submissive (if not abused) objects, not to mention that they define beauty and success on racist and sexist terms.

This specific image of beauty and success is not, however, confined to these advertisements. Similar images of women can be found in non-fashion ads, television shows, movies, and music videos.

Point out the differences and similarities between the sign and related signs I have already discussed some of the similarities among high-fashion advertisers, but it's interesting to note that advertisements for everything from alcohol to cars promote like-minded images of women. In these ads, the women might not always be depicted as successful, but the majority of them feature thin, white, and seemingly submissive women.

Sketch the overall context (historical, cultural, and political) in which the sign appears Historically, Calvin Klein is known as a controversial figure. His ads from 1995 that featured young models in provocative poses blurred the line between photography and pornography. It should come as no surprise then that this ad is designed to raise more than a few eyebrows. Beyond the obvious call for attention, however, the ad is also part of a culture that values style over substance, surface over depth, image over word, and profit over social benefit.

Develop a list of questions, concerns, and/or issues that will guide your analysis

• What are the social consequences of depicting women in this particular fashion?
• Is there an agenda behind depicting women in this fashion? If so, who does it benefit?

Develop a focus (thesis) statement By depicting beautiful and successful women as white, thin, and submissive, high-fashion advertisements promote racist, sexist, and classist ideologies.

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14 Analyzing Visual Elements in Advertising

Whether you are reading a magazine, watching a television show, or even sitting in a movie theater, you are likely to be bombarded by advertising. The ability to dissect an advertisement to discover any hidden agendas is an important one. Carefully looking at an advertisement’s audience and strategies often reveals hidden messages about what the advertiser thinks about that audience. Not only is this interesting, but it also helps you to find the same elements in written arguments.

Visual Arguments

Visual arguments provide a wonderful foundation for discovering the elements of rhetoric, as we are often more familiar with images than with texts. Our world is filled with visual arguments—from advertisements on TV and on billboards alongside the highway to T-shirts & ball caps.

Whatever form they take, images are used to communicate with an audience. Whether a human aid organization displays pictures of starving orphans to communicate the dire need for funds or a real estate agent snaps a photo of a home to capture potential buyers’ attention or you choose which photo to put on your Instagram profile, images are used to make a variety of points.

In many ways, images shape our behavior and can even change our lives. You might purchase a product based on an advertisement—or you might enlist in the army based on an advertisement. The images used in political campaigns can literally change the way a country functions by influencing how people vote in an election.

Analyzing Visual Elements

The presentation of visual elements is extremely important, affecting how the argument is perceived. Just as how you choose to dress for a job interview might impact whether or not you get the job, so choosing how ideas are represented visually will impact how well the audience receives the argument.

When analyzing visual arguments, such as advertisements, keep the rhetorical situation in mind. The following are important elements to focus on:

Type your key takeaways here.

• Author: Who created the text?
• Audience: Who is the intended audience?
• Purpose: What is the purpose of this image? What does the author want the audience to do?
• Design: How are elements place on the page? Is anything repeated? Is any information highlighted? How are light and color used?
• Strategies: Does the image use humor, guilt, youth, celebrities, etc, to make a point? Are there any cultural references?
• Medium: Does the image also contain text? How does text work together with the image to create meaning?
• Text/Subtext: What do the words say? What are the implications of the words?
• Context: How does the image relate to its larger location? ie If an image is in a magazine, how does it relate to the other content in the magazine?

Remember, in advertising, every detail is chosen very carefully. Advertisers typically sell products by way of ideas. In other words, an ad for Coca Cola sells fun, not a sugar-laden beverage. Looking for the idea that the advertiser is connecting to the product can be a very effective and interesting way to frame an ad analysis paper.

Assignment: Choosing a Topic and Guided Brainstorming

Find an advertisement in a print magazine that catches your attention. If you don’t subscribe to any magazines, you can find a nice selection in your local library or at the grocery store. Moving forward, you will need to have the magazine name and publication date and a copy of the ad on hand, so, if you don’t own the magazine, make sure to take a photo of the cover of the magazine and the ad itself. It’s not a bad idea to take a picture of the table of contents, as well.

If you can’t get to a store or a library in person, you can also locate an advertisement through your local library. It’s important to use the library (not just a google search) because you need to know where the ad was originally located in order to complete an accurate analysis of the ad. Here is a video showing you how to access the YC Library’s digital magazine collection:

Thoroughly discuss the following points for your advertisement. Be specific and give reasons for your answers. The goal is to discover the main strategies the advertiser is using to target the specific audience for the ad. What is the advertiser trying to convince the consumer can be accomplished by purchasing the product advertised? Remember, your end goal is to write an essay that shows readers how an advertiser markets a product to a specific target audience.

• What product or service is being advertised?
• What are the most important elements that you see in this advertisement?
• Who is the audience (think about who reads the magazine!)?
• What is the advertiser using to appeal to the consumer? (humor, guilt, emotion, sex, youth, expertise, celebrities, etc.)
• Critique this ad as visual artwork. Consider the color, lines, composition, media, contrast, mood, and style.
• How does the visual artwork assist the words or language to promote the product?
• Does the advertiser use any double meanings or cultural references?
• What idea is being used to sell the product? (i.e. Coke ads sell fun)

You may fill in the following form and download your answers:

Here’s an example of what your answers might look like:

For a more extended discussion of advertising, please watch this documentary from PBS:

Attributions:

Content created by Dr. Karen Palmer. Last edited 5/28/2020. Licensed under CC BY NC .

The Worry Free Writer Copyright © 2020 by Dr. Karen Palmer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Persuasive Techniques in Advertising

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Students will learn persuasive techniques used in advertising, specifically, pathos or emotion, logos or logic, and ethos or credibility/character. They will use this knowledge to analyze advertising in a variety of sources: print, television, and Web-based advertising. Students will also explore the concepts of demographics and marketing for a specific audience. The lesson will culminate in the production of an advertisement in one of several various forms of media, intended for a specific demographic.

Featured Resources

The Art of Rhetoric: Persuasive Techniques in Advertising : This online video describes how advertisers use pathos or emotion, logos or logic, and ethos or credibility/character in order to persuade consumers.

Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription : A transcript of the video provided by Chelsea Majors

From Theory to Practice

Students encounter advertising at every turn of their lives: on public billboards, during nearly every television show, on the Internet, on their cell phones, and even in schools.  They are undoubtedly aware that these ads have a specific purpose: to sell something to them.  Rarely, however, do teenagers think precisely about how the text, sounds, and images in these advertisements have been carefully crafted to persuade them to purchase a product or service-and that these techniques are not far from those they have already used in their own persuasive writing. We emphasize the need to make our students more literate, and this lesson aims to improve their critical media literacy.  By reducing advertising to its basic rhetorical components, students "can begin to understand how to construct their own messages to convey the meanings they intend and to evoke the responses they desire" (173).  Becoming more media literate allows our youth to "create messages of their own so that they can communicate clearly, effectively, and purposefully" (176). Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• Video of television program, including commercials  
• TV with VCR/DVD player  
• Advertisements from magazines  
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription  
• Internet-connected computer with speakers and projector  
• Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements
• Demographics: Who Are You?
• Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online  
• Targeted Commercials  
• Commercial Dig  
• Commercial Dig Reflection Questions  
• Analyzing Ads  
• Planning Your Advertisement  
• Commercial Assessment  
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Reflection Questions

Preparation

• Make copies of the necessary handouts.  
• Gather advertisements from magazines-ideally, two per student. Look for ads that lend themselves well to the assignment, with a balance of text and images and with fairly discernable examples of pathos, logos, and ethos. Consider asking your school library media specialist for issues of magazines he or she plans to discard.  
• Record at least part of a television program, including the entirety of one commercial break, for showing in class.  
• If students will be using the Venn Diagram , Comic Creator , or Printing Press , arrange for them to have access during the appropriate sessions.  
• Preview the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video and obtain proper technology for projecting it in the classroom or computer lab. Also check out the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription .  
• Arrange for students to have access to computers for Sessions Three and Four.  
• Bookmark the Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements and preview the sites before recommending which ones students visit for example advertisements.  
• Familiarize yourself with the technologies discussed in the final session, deciding which you are prepared to ask or require students to use in the production of their own ads. Contact your school library media specialist or technology specialist for assistance.

Student Objectives

Students will

• demonstrate an understanding of three persuasive techniques (pathos, logos, and ethos) and other advertising strategies.  
• analyze advertisements according to their employment of these techniques.  
• demonstrate an understanding of the concept of demographics and specific audience.  
• synthesize this knowledge into advertisements of their own creation.

Session One

• Where do you encounter advertising?  (They will likely mention television, billboards, radio, Websites, school hallways, and so on.)  
• Which specific advertisements "stick in your head?"  
• What makes these advertisements memorable?  (They might mention music, catchy slogans, celebrity appearance, the appeal of the product itself, and so forth.)  
• Do you think advertisements have an effect on your personal interests?  
• Explain to students that advertisers very carefully construct their ads to make them memorable and appealing to consumers, and that the ways in which they try to convince them to buy products are similar to the ways they have been taught to write persuasively, using certain techniques and aiming toward a particular audience.  
• Distribute the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout and introduce the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos, defined at the top of the handout.  Students should understand that these rhetorical strategies are similar to those used in a persuasive writing assignment, and that they will use these strategies when creating their own commercial by the end of this unit.  Encourage students to make connections to examples of each of the terms they have used in persuasive writing of their own. Note: This is an appropriate time to clarify that the word logos in this context should not be confused with a brand-specific image or insignia referred to as a logo.  
• After explaining the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos, have students practice identifying the three techniques by placing a P , L , or E in the blank next to the examples at the bottom of this handout.  Have students share their responses with a partner and check for understanding by conducting a brief discussion of the examples.  
• Although most of these examples were designed to have one clear answer, be sure to emphasize to the students that pathos, logos, and ethos are not always separate entities and may often overlap with one another. For example, "Nine out of ten dentists choose Crest," suggests that the dentists are credible experts (ethos), and also includes a statistic (logos).   
• Deepen students' understanding of the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos with visual examples by sharing with them the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video . You may want to pause and have students explain how the television, print, and online advertisements utilize the three rhetorical strategies.  The narration in the commercial further explains their use in each advertisement. There is also the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription .  
• Briefly discuss the "Other Advertising Strategies" section of Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout.  Explain that these are more specific types of strategies that advertisers use and that many overlap with pathos, logos, and ethos.   For example, you may mention that patriotism is a strategy meant to evoke certain emotions, and would therefore constitute a use of pathos.  
• Close the session by explaining to students that in future sessions, they will be examining existing advertisements with their new analytical skill and applying it to creating ads of their own.  
• Encourage students to begin looking at advertisements they encounter in terms of these three techniques.

Session Two

• Begin with a brief review of the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos from the previous session.  Ask students to demonstrate their growing understanding by providing examples of each of the techniques from advertisements they have recently seen.  
• Now introduce the term demographics to students: the characteristics that make up a human population such as gender, age, and race.  Have students discover which demographic group(s) they fit into by completing the Demographics: Who are you? handout.  When creating their group commercials in a later session, students will need to consider the demographics for their product. Explain to students that this is how advertisers think of consumers: not as individuals, but as members of groups that tend to believe, behave, or purchase in certain patterns. Even when an advertisement is appealing to the idea of individuality (such as Burger King's "Have It Your Way" promotion), advertisers are appealing to the demographic group of "people who like to be thought of as individuals," not to any single consumer.  
• Continue the discussion of demographics by distributing the Targeted Commercials handout, which will further explore the concept of demographics. Ask students to begin applying their understanding of demographics and targeted advertising by showing the first part of a television program of your choice.  Since the purpose of this activity is to show how advertisers cater to a show's intended audience, you may want to make sure you are presenting a show with commercials that very obviously target a specific demographic.   
• Before watching, share with students a brief description of the show they are about to see, including race/gender/class of the main characters, genre of the program, and the time/date/channel on which the program aired.  Have students use these factors (and any other prior knowledge they may have of the show) to determine the probable demographics.  Students should indicate their choices on the handout .  
• While students watch the commercial break(s), have them take brief notes to remind them of the products being advertised.  
• Have students complete the "After the program" response question at the bottom of the Targeted Commercials handout.  Then discuss the degrees to which the advertisements match the demographics of the likely intended audience of the television program.   
• This would be an appropriate time to talk about clear evidence that programming and advertising are marketed to specific groups.  Lifetime: Television for Women, Spike! TV, Logo, and Black Entertainment Television all exist not only to give viewers programming they might like, but also to allow advertisers to target their audiences more specifically.  
• Distribute the Commercial Dig activity, explaining to students that this is a long-term assignment that requires them to keep track of eight commercials viewed during one television program and to explain briefly the purpose of each advertised product. Remind students that the commercials they record on this chart should all come from the same show, as the completed chart will be used to re-emphasize the concepts of demographics and targeted advertising. Inform them that this assignment should be completed by Session Four and ask if there are questions before closing the session.

Session Three

• Remind students what they have learned so far in this lesson: techniques advertisers use to persuade consumers to buy their products and the concept of "targeting" certain audience demographics to make the process of persuasion more efficient and focused.  
• Explain to students that they will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge by looking at some real ads for real products.  Share that the goal of this activity will be to examine how advertisers skillfully use multiple strategies to persuade their audiences.  
• Distribute the Analyzing Ads handout and discuss the expectations and format for response.  Students will analyze six advertisements: two print ads, two television commercials, and two Internet advertisements.  The Internet advertisements should take the form of marketing Websites featuring a particular product, or pop-ups/embedded ads in Websites unrelated to the product.  
• This activity will allow students to practice their recognition of pathos, logos, and ethos in three different modes of advertising, preparing them for the creation of their own commercials.  Students should also record any of the "other strategies" explained on Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout, also required as part of the final project.  
• Share with students the print ads you already collected as well as the Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements and have them look for ads. Point out to students that they may wish to access television ads on their own time, including during their work on the Commercial Dig activity. Depending on how efficiently students work through this activity, this part of the lesson will likely extend into the next session.

Session Four

• At an appropriate time in student engagement in the continuation of the analysis activity from the previous session, distribute the Commercial Assessment rubric and explain that you will use it to evaluate the commercials they will produce in an upcoming session. Ask students, in small groups, to review one of the teacher- or student-selected commercials and apply the rubric to the commercial.  Students should determine whether the commercial effectively utilizes pathos, logos, and/or ethos, and note their score on the rubric . Students should also indicate the effectiveness of any of the "other strategies" on the second page of the rubric .  
• When students are ready, check for understanding by several volunteers present one of the advertisements they analyzed, briefly discussing the effective use of persuasive techniques.  
• Wrap up this section of the lesson by using the Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online to engage students in a discussion of the advantages of each mode of advertising, using the examples on the handout as a guide.  This discussion will help students decide which modes of advertising they might use when creating their commercials in the next session.  You may wish to use the Venn Diagram to facilitate this discussion.  
• Remind students that they will need to have their completed Commercial Dig activity ready for discussion in the next session.

Session Five

• Ask students to get out their completed Commercial Dig activity sheets.  Give students the opportunity to solidify their understanding of the concept of demographics by working through the analysis tasks in the Commercial Dig Reflection Questions .  Have students use their completed charts to answer the reflection questions . Students should talk through their responses with a partner before producing a written response.  
• Which advertisements could be viewed as harmful or unfair to a group of people?  
• Can targeting a specific demographic sometimes encourage stereotyping?  
• When do you see stereotyping used in advertisements?
• You may wish to give students access to the online articles Target me with your ads, please and Mixed Messages , which discuss how Websites use technology to target consumers and the use of billboards in impoverished and minority neighborhoods, respectively, as part of this discussion.

Session Six

• Students will use this session to begin to synthesize all they have learned about advertising and begin creating a commercial for a fictional product.  First ask students to form small groups and decide on a product to advertise.  
• Next, students should determine the target audience for their product, remembering previous lessons on demographics.  
• Depending on available time and resources, ask students to create a print, filmed, live, and/or Internet advertisement for their product.  They should take into account their observations from the Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online .  
• Have students use the Planning Your Advertisement sheet to plan for an advertisement that will target the previously determined demographic, and demonstrate pathos, logos, ethos, and three of the "other strategies." This may also be an appropriate time to review the expectations set forth in the Commercial Assessment rubric.  
• Give students access to the Comic Creator and/or the Printing Press to create the print advertisement.  Free software such as iMovie and Windows Movie Maker may be used to edit any filmed commercials.  Web creation sites such as PBWorks and Google Sites may be used to create Internet-based advertisements.

Session Seven (after students have had time to prepare their advertisements)

• Give students time to meet in their groups and plan the presentation of their ads.  
• Have each group present, allowing time for discussion with the class about the effective use of persuasive techniques in each advertisement.  
• After the presentations and discussion are complete, distribute the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Reflection Questions and give students time to solidify their learning by responding to the four questions.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Use the lesson reflection questions to allow students to think about what they have learned about advertising and persuasion.  
• Use the Commercial Assessment rubric to assess student work on their advertisements.
• Professional Library
• Student Interactives
• Lesson Plans
• Strategy Guides
• Calendar Activities

The Comic Creator invites students to compose their own comic strips for a variety of contexts (prewriting, pre- and postreading activities, response to literature, and so on).

The interactive Printing Press is designed to assist students in creating newspapers, brochures, and flyers.

This interactive tool allows students to create Venn diagrams that contain two or three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically.

Students analyze rhetorical strategies in online editorials, building knowledge of strategies and awareness of local and national issues. This lesson teaches students connections between subject, writer, and audience and how rhetorical strategies are used in everyday writing.

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• Kindergarten K

How to write an Advertisement Analysis for MBA

• March 7, 2023
• Study Guides

Understanding Advertisement Analysis

Advertisement analysis is critically examining and evaluating advertisements better to understand their content, meaning, and impact. This process involves analyzing an advertisement’s text, visuals, and overall design and considering the target audience and the context in which the ad appears. By conducting an advertisement analysis , businesses can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and make informed decisions about how to improve them.

Here's What You'll Learn

Techniques for Advertisement Analysis

Several techniques can be used to conduct a practical advertisement analysis:

1. Text Analysis

Text analysis involves examining the language and messaging used in an advertisement to understand its intended meaning and impact on the audience . This includes analyzing the ad’s headline, tagline, copy, and other written content.

a. Headline Analysis

The headline is often the first thing a viewer sees in an advertisement, and it plays a crucial role in capturing their attention and interest. Analyzing the headline can reveal necessary information about the ad’s purpose and target audience.

b. Language Analysis

The language used in an advertisement can convey various messages and emotions and can be analyzed to determine how the ad is trying to influence the audience. This includes examining the ad’s written content’s tone, style, and vocabulary.

c. Persuasive Techniques Analysis

Many advertisements use persuasive techniques to influence the audience’s beliefs or behaviors. These techniques include appeals to emotion, authority, and social proof, and they can be analyzed to understand how the ad is trying to persuade the viewer.

2. Visual Analysis

The visual analysis involves examining an advertisement’s design, layout, and overall visual elements to understand how they contribute to its message and impact on the audience.

a. Layout Analysis

The layout of an advertisement can be analyzed to understand how it guides the viewer’s attention and emphasizes some aspects of the ad. This includes examining the placement and size of visual elements and text.

b. Design Analysis

The design elements of an advertisement, such as color, font, and imagery, can be analyzed to understand how they contribute to the ad’s overall message and impact on the viewer.

c. Color Analysis

The colors used in an advertisement can convey various emotions and messages, and they can be analyzed to understand how the ad is trying to influence the viewer.

Importance of Advertisement Analysis

Advertisement analysis is an essential process for businesses for several reasons:

1. Understanding Consumer Behavior

By analyzing advertisements, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of consumer behavior, including motivations, needs, and decision-making processes . This information can be used to develop more effective marketing campaigns and better meet the needs of their target audience.

a. Analyzing Motivations

Analyzing consumer behavior motivations can help businesses better understand what drives their target audience to purchase.

b. Identifying Consumer Needs

By understanding the needs of their target audience, businesses can develop more effective advertising campaigns that address those needs and solve their problems.

c. Understanding the Decision-Making Process

Understanding their target audience’s decision-making process can help businesses create more persuasive advertising campaigns that appeal to their interests and preferences.

2. Competitive Advantage

By analyzing advertisements, businesses can gain valuable insights into their competitors’ marketing strategies and identify gaps in the market that they can exploit. This information can be used to develop unique selling propositions that differentiate their products or services from their competitors.

Examples of Advertisement Analysis

1. coca-cola’s “share a coke” campaign.

Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign was hugely successful in multiple countries worldwide. The campaign’s main concept was to personalize Coke bottles with popular names, encouraging customers to share their Coke bottles with friends and family. Here’s an analysis of the campaign:

 a. Text Analysis

The campaign’s “Share a Coke” tagline is short, memorable, and easy to understand. The use of personalized names on the Coke bottles made the campaign feel more personal, and the tagline encouraged people to share their Coke bottles, thus creating a sense of community.

b. Visual Analysis

The visual elements of the campaign were simple yet effective. The personalized Coke bottles with different names were eye-catching, and the images of people sharing their bottles were relatable and emotional.

c. Audience Analysis

The campaign’s target audience was young people aged 18-34 who were active on social media platforms . The campaign encouraged customers to share their personalized Coke bottles on social media using a specific hashtag, which helped to spread the campaign’s message.

 2. Nike’s “Just Do It” Campaign

Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign is one of the most iconic and successful ad campaigns ever. The campaign’s tagline has become synonymous with Nike and its brand message. Here’s an analysis of the campaign:

The campaign’s “Just Do It” tagline is short, memorable, and inspiring. It’s a powerful call to action, encouraging people to push themselves to achieve their goals .

The campaign’s visual elements were also powerful. Using black and white images with the Nike logo and tagline in bold letters was simple yet effective.

c. Brand Analysis

The “Just Do It” campaign helped position Nike as a brand about pushing boundaries and challenging oneself. The campaign’s message resonated with customers who wanted to feel empowered and motivated.

 Best Advertisement Analysis Tools

 1. google adwords.

Google AdWords is a powerful tool businesses can use to create and manage online advertising campaigns . Here are some of the features that make Google AdWords a great tool for advertisement analysis:

a. Keyword Planner

Keyword Planner helps businesses to find the right keywords for their advertising campaigns. It provides keyword search volume, competition, and cost-per-click data.

b. Display Planner

Display Planner helps businesses to create effective display ads by providing data on audience demographics, interests, and behaviors.

c. Ad Preview and Diagnosis

Ad Preview and Diagnosis help businesses preview their ads and diagnose any issues that might prevent them from appearing on Google search results.

SEMrush is an all-in-one marketing tool that provides businesses with valuable insights into their competitors’ advertising strategies . Here are some of the features that make SEMrush a great tool for advertisement analysis:

a. Advertising Research

Advertising Research provides data on competitors’ advertising strategies, including their ad copy, targeting, and display networks.

 b. Ad Builder

Ad Builder helps businesses to create effective display ads by providing templates, design tools, and targeting options.

AdSense helps businesses to monetize their websites by displaying targeted ads. It provides data on ad performance, revenue, and ad networks.

How to Conduct Effective Advertisement Analysis

Effective advertisement analysis involves several key steps:

1. Establishing the Purpose

To conduct an effective advertisement analysis, it is important first to establish the purpose . This involves identifying the ad’s objective, determining the target audience, and identifying the ad’s call to action.

a. Identifying the Ad’s Objective

This involves understanding what the ad is trying to achieve, such as increasing sales or building brand awareness .

b. Determining the Target Audience

It is essential to identify the intended audience for the ad to tailor the analysis accordingly.

c. Identifying the Ad’s Call to Action

The analysis should consider the ad’s call to action and evaluate its effectiveness in prompting the desired response from the audience.

 2. Gathering Information

The second step involves gathering information about the ad, including analyzing its text and visuals, researching its background, and understanding its context.

a. Analyzing the Ad’s Text and Visuals

This involves examining the ad’s language, images, and other visual elements to determine how effectively they convey the intended message.

b. Researching the Ad’s Background

Researching the ad’s background can provide insights into the target audience , the brand’s messaging, and placement.

c. Understanding the Ad’s Context

Understanding the ad’s context involves considering the cultural, social, and political factors that may impact the ad’s effectiveness.

3. Evaluation and Conclusion

The final step is to evaluate the ad’s effectiveness, provide recommendations, and summarize the analysis.

a. Assessing the Ad’s Effectiveness

This involves measuring the ad’s success in achieving its objectives and determining its impact on the target audience.

b. Providing Recommendations

Based on the analysis, recommendations can be made to improve the ad’s effectiveness or to inform future ad campaigns .

c. Summarizing the Analysis

The analysis should clearly and concisely summarize key insights and findings.

How do you analyze an advertisement?

To analyze an advertisement, you need to identify the ad’s objective, determine the target audience, analyze the ad’s text and visuals, research the ad’s background and context, and evaluate the ad’s effectiveness.

What are the five parts of an advertisement?

The five parts of an advertisement are the headline, subheadline, body copy, visual, and call to action.

What are the four elements of a successful advertisement?

The four elements of a successful advertisement are attention, interest, desire, and action. A successful ad captures the audience’s attention, generates interest, creates a desire for the product or service, and includes a clear call to action.

How do you write a good analysis?

To write a good analysis, you should understand the purpose of the analysis and the audience for which it is intended. You should then gather relevant information, organize your thoughts, and provide clear, concise, and logical explanations. Your analysis should be supported by evidence and examples and include improvement recommendations.

What are the eight advertising techniques?

The eight advertising techniques are emotional appeals, testimonials, endorsements, bandwagon, fear appeals, humor, sex appeals, and plain folks. These techniques persuade the audience to buy a product or service by appealing to their emotions, desires, fears, or values.

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Design a Successful Advertisement Assignment: A Step-by-Step Guide

Define your advertisement objectives, identify your target audience, establish advertising goals, determine your unique selling proposition, create your advertisement concept, brainstorm ideas, choose the right ad format, develop visuals and copy, design your advertisement layout, apply layout principles, select a color scheme, choose typography, create your own advertisement assignment, utilize ad creation tools, test different ad versions, gather feedback, measure your advertisement success, identify key performance indicators, analyze results, optimize your ad campaign.

Designing a successful advertisement assignment doesn't have to be an intimidating task. In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the entire process to create your own advertisement assignment that will effectively reach your target audience and achieve your advertising goals. Let's dive in!

Before you start designing your ad, it's important to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve with your advertisement assignment. This involves identifying your target audience, establishing advertising goals, and determining your unique selling proposition.

Knowing who you want to reach with your ad is essential for creating a successful campaign. Consider the following factors when identifying your target audience:

• Demographics: age, gender, location, income, etc.
• Interests: hobbies, preferences, needs, etc.
• Behavior: online habits, purchasing patterns, etc.

Having a clear idea of who your target audience is will help you tailor your ad to resonate with them and increase its effectiveness.

Setting goals for your advertisement assignment will help you measure its success and guide your design choices. Common advertising goals include:

• Increasing brand awareness
• Driving website traffic
• Generating leads or sales
• Encouraging customer engagement

Choose the goals that align with your overall marketing strategy and ensure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Your unique selling proposition (USP) is what sets your product or service apart from your competitors. It's the reason why customers should choose you over other options. To determine your USP, consider:

• What makes your product or service unique
• The benefits your customers will receive
• How your product or service solves a problem or fulfills a need

Once you've identified your USP, make sure to emphasize it in your advertisement assignment to effectively communicate your value proposition to your target audience.

Now that you've defined your objectives, it's time to get creative! In this section, we'll explore how to brainstorm ideas, choose the right ad format, and develop engaging visuals and copy to create an advertisement concept that captures your target audience's attention and achieves your goals.

Before diving into ad design, take some time to brainstorm ideas for your advertisement assignment. Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Think about your target audience's interests and preferences. What type of content would they find appealing?
• Consider your unique selling proposition (USP) and how it can be incorporated into the ad concept.
• Try using mind mapping or free-writing techniques to generate a list of ideas.
• Take inspiration from successful ads in your industry, but remember to put your own spin on it and stay true to your brand.

Don't be afraid to think outside the box—sometimes, the most memorable ads are the ones that break the mold!

There are various ad formats available, each with its own strengths and limitations. When choosing the right format for your advertisement assignment, consider the following:

• Print ads: These include newspapers, magazines, and billboards. They're ideal for reaching a local audience or targeting a specific demographic.
• Online ads: From display banners to social media ads, online advertising offers a wide range of options to reach your target audience on various platforms.
• Video ads: With the rise of platforms like YouTube, video ads are an engaging way to tell your story and showcase your product or service.
• Audio ads: Whether it's a traditional radio spot or a podcast ad, audio ads are a great way to reach people who are on the go or multitasking.

Consider the preferences of your target audience and the nature of your product or service when selecting the most suitable ad format for your campaign.

Once you've settled on an ad format, it's time to bring your advertisement concept to life with compelling visuals and copy. Here's what you need to keep in mind:

• Visuals: Choose images or graphics that are eye-catching and relevant to your product or service. Ensure they align with your brand identity and resonate with your target audience. Don't forget to consider the principles of design, such as contrast, balance, and hierarchy, to create a visually appealing ad.
• Copy: Write clear and concise copy that communicates your unique selling proposition and encourages your target audience to take action. Use persuasive language, but avoid over-hyping your product or service. Remember to include a strong call-to-action (CTA) that tells your audience what you want them to do next.

By combining well-designed visuals and engaging copy, you're well on your way to create your own advertisement assignment that stands out and achieves your advertising goals.

With your advertisement concept in place, it's time to focus on designing an attention-grabbing layout that will showcase your visuals and copy effectively. In this section, we'll discuss how to apply layout principles, select a color scheme, and choose typography to create your own advertisement assignment that stands out and engages your target audience.

To create a visually appealing and functional ad layout, you'll need to consider several design principles. These principles will help guide your design choices and ensure your ad effectively communicates your message:

• Balance: Distribute visual elements evenly across your ad to create a sense of harmony and stability. This can be achieved through symmetrical or asymmetrical layouts.
• Contrast: Use contrasting colors, shapes, and sizes to differentiate between elements and draw attention to key sections of your ad.
• Hierarchy: Organize your ad's elements in a way that guides the viewer's eye through the most important information first. This can be done by varying the size, color, or position of elements.
• Whitespace: Don't be afraid to leave some empty space in your layout. Whitespace can help your ad feel less cluttered and make it easier for the viewer to focus on your message.

By applying these layout principles, you'll be able to create a well-organized and visually striking advertisement that effectively communicates your message to your target audience.

Color plays a significant role in creating an eye-catching and memorable advertisement. When selecting a color scheme for your ad, consider the following:

• Brand consistency: Use colors that align with your brand identity to create a cohesive look and establish brand recognition.
• Emotional impact: Different colors can evoke different emotions in viewers. Choose colors that elicit the desired emotional response from your target audience.
• Contrast: As mentioned earlier, contrast is essential for drawing attention to specific elements in your ad. Make sure your color choices provide enough contrast to make your text and visuals stand out.

By carefully selecting a color scheme, you'll be able to create an advertisement assignment that not only looks visually appealing but also resonates with your audience on an emotional level.

Typography is another crucial aspect of your ad's overall design. The right font choices can greatly impact your ad's readability and aesthetic appeal. When selecting typography for your advertisement assignment, keep these tips in mind:

• Legibility: Choose fonts that are easy to read, especially for the most important information in your ad.
• Font pairing: Use a combination of complementary fonts to create a visually interesting and balanced design. Typically, this involves using one font for headlines and another for body copy.
• Consistency with your brand: Select fonts that are consistent with your brand's identity and messaging to maintain a cohesive look across all your marketing materials.

With the right typography choices, your ad will not only look visually appealing but also ensure that your message is easily understood by your audience.

Moving through these steps, you're well on your way to create your own advertisement assignment that stands out and communicates your message effectively. Remember, a well-designed ad is a powerful tool to engage your target audience and achieve your advertising goals.

Now that you've designed your advertisement layout, it's time to bring your concept to life and create your own advertisement assignment. In this section, we'll cover how to utilize ad creation tools, test different ad versions, and gather feedback to ensure that your advertisement is as effective as it can be. Let's dive in!

Creating your advertisement doesn't have to be a daunting task. Many tools are available that can help you bring your design to life, even if you're not a professional designer. Some popular options include:

• Canva: A user-friendly online design platform where you can create eye-catching ads using customizable templates, graphics, and fonts.
• Adobe Spark: Another online design tool that offers a variety of templates and design elements to help you create professional-looking ads.
• Google Web Designer: A free tool from Google that allows you to create HTML5 ads with animations and interactive elements.

By leveraging these tools, you'll be able to create your own advertisement assignment without having to worry about mastering advanced design skills.

Once you have your ad design, it's important to test different versions of your ad to determine which one performs best. This process, known as A/B testing, involves creating two or more variations of your ad and measuring their performance based on key metrics. To conduct an effective A/B test, consider the following tips:

• Test one element at a time, such as headlines, images, or calls to action, to identify which specific changes lead to better results.
• Run your tests for a sufficient amount of time and ensure that you have enough data to make informed decisions.
• Analyze your test results and implement changes based on your findings. Remember, the goal is to continuously improve your ad's performance.

This process of testing different ad versions will help you optimize your advertisement assignment and maximize its effectiveness.

Finally, don't forget to gather feedback from your target audience. It's essential to understand how your ad is being received and if it's resonating with your audience. Here are some ways to gather valuable feedback:

• Focus groups: Organize a group of people from your target audience and show them your ad. Encourage them to share their thoughts and opinions on its effectiveness, design, and messaging.
• Surveys: Distribute surveys to your target audience asking for their opinions on your ad. This can provide you with quantitative data and specific insights to help you make improvements.
• Social media: Share your ad on social media platforms and monitor comments and reactions. This can give you a real-time understanding of how your audience is responding to your ad.

By gathering feedback from your audience, you'll have a better understanding of what works and what doesn't, allowing you to refine your advertisement assignment and make it even more effective.

With these steps, you're well-equipped to create your own advertisement assignment that stands out and captivates your target audience. Remember, the key to a successful ad is continuous improvement, so don't be afraid to test, gather feedback, and make adjustments as needed. Good luck on your advertising journey!

After creating your own advertisement assignment, the next step is to measure its success. Analyzing your ad's performance will help you understand what's working, what's not, and how you can improve your advertising strategy. In this section, we'll discuss how to identify key performance indicators (KPIs), analyze results, and optimize your ad campaign. So, let's get started!

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are measurable values that help you determine whether your advertisement is on track to achieve its goals. To effectively measure your ad's success, you'll need to identify the most relevant KPIs for your advertising objectives. Some common KPIs include:

• Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it. A higher CTR indicates that your ad is resonating with your audience and driving them to take action.
• Conversion rate: The percentage of users who complete a desired action after clicking on your ad, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. This metric helps you understand how effective your ad is at encouraging users to take action.
• Return on ad spend (ROAS): The revenue generated from your ad campaign divided by the amount you've spent on it. This KPI helps you determine whether your advertising investment is paying off.

By focusing on the right KPIs, you'll be able to accurately measure the success of your advertisement assignment and make data-driven decisions to improve its performance.

Once you've identified your KPIs, it's time to analyze the results of your ad campaign. Regularly monitoring your ad's performance will help you spot trends, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions about your advertising strategy. Here are a few tips for effective analysis:

• Track your KPIs: Use advertising platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads Manager to monitor your KPIs and gather data about your ad's performance.
• Compare results: Look at how your ad is performing compared to previous campaigns or industry benchmarks. This will help you understand whether your ad is meeting or exceeding expectations.
• Identify patterns: Look for trends in your data, such as certain days of the week or times of day when your ad performs better. This information can help you optimize your ad schedule for maximum impact.

By analyzing your ad's results, you'll gain valuable insights into its performance and be better equipped to create your own advertisement assignment that drives success.

Now that you've analyzed the results of your ad campaign, it's time to optimize it for even better performance. Optimization involves making adjustments to your ad based on your findings to improve its effectiveness. Here are some ways to optimize your ad campaign:

• Refine your targeting: If your ad isn't resonating with your target audience, consider adjusting your audience targeting to better reach potential customers who are more likely to be interested in your product or service.
• Test different ad elements: As discussed earlier, A/B testing different versions of your ad can help you identify what works best and improve your ad's performance. Keep testing and iterating to find the most effective combination of visuals, copy, and calls to action.
• Adjust your ad budget: If you find that your ad is performing well, consider increasing your budget to reach more potential customers. Conversely, if your ad is underperforming, you may need to reevaluate your budget and allocate resources more effectively.

Optimizing your ad campaign is an ongoing process that requires regular analysis and adjustments. By doing so, you'll continue to improve your ad's performance and make your advertisement assignment even more successful.

In conclusion, measuring your advertisement's success is a crucial part of the advertising process. By identifying the right KPIs, analyzing your results, and optimizing your ad campaign, you'll be well on your way to creating your own advertisement assignment that achieves your desired goals. Remember, advertising is an iterative process, so keep learning, experimenting, and improving to ensure your ads reach their full potential. Happy advertising!

If you're looking to further enhance your advertising skills after reading our step-by-step guide, don't miss the workshop ' What Makes a Memorable Advertisement? ' by Jessy Moussallem. This workshop will provide you with valuable insights on creating impactful and unforgettable advertisements that will resonate with your target audience.

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Analyzing the Rhetoric of Newspaper Advertisements

This activity is designed to introduce students to rhetorical analysis. It focuses on the visual rhetoric of advertisements.

Author : Chris Kamrath

Course : PWR 1

Activity brief description: Together the class watches three short videos.  Each video makes a similar persuasive appear: convincing the reader to visit, download or subscribe to a specific digital newspaper. The rhetorical strategies employed by each advertisement vary widely. After each video we discuss the specific rhetorical elements that were important and we begin discussing how the ad worked persuasively. In small groups, the students then discuss a fourth video.  They identify rhetorical elements and start to develop a claim about why focusing on these rhetorical elements helps us understand the rhetoric at work.  Through this process students are developing rhetorical insights and the starting points for a rhetorical analysis thesis. This activity often provides material for the discussion of key rhetorical concepts over the next few classes:  I can provide names/concepts for the rhetorical strategies that students identified in this activity.

I use video advertisements because they are short and students can quickly find and discuss the rhetorical appeals.  I also choose videos/advertisements that introduce key questions or issues related to the theme of the class.  My class is on journalism and technology.  These videos introduce issues related to the transition from print to digital, including the social media distribution of news, citizen journalism, digital subscriptions, etc.

Activity length and schedule : Week 1 (Often on the first day of class). This activity works very early in the quarter.  This is designed to introduce the students to the basics of rhetorical analysis, give them the experience of deliberating about how specific rhetorical elements matter, and help them understand how they can make an argument how rhetorical appeals work.

This activity takes 1 hour +/-.  Each video is about 1-2 minutes. We spend roughly 8-10 minutes discussing each.  In small groups we spend 20 minutes discussing the 4 th video. Students then whiteboard a list of key rhetorical elements.  Finally, students select the most important elements and create a ‘starting point’ by drafting a claim about how these key rhetorical elements work together persuasively. 

Activity goals :

• To help students recognize how particular rhetorical elements/choices make texts persuasive.
• To introduce the process of discovering key rhetorical elements when reading a text.
• To introduce students to the building blocks for a rhetorical analysis thesis.

Activity details :

See handout .

The University of Chicago The Law School

Innovation clinic—significant achievements for 2023-24.

The Innovation Clinic continued its track record of success during the 2023-2024 school year, facing unprecedented demand for our pro bono services as our reputation for providing high caliber transactional and regulatory representation spread. The overwhelming number of assistance requests we received from the University of Chicago, City of Chicago, and even national startup and venture capital communities enabled our students to cherry-pick the most interesting, pedagogically valuable assignments offered to them. Our focus on serving startups, rather than all small- to medium-sized businesses, and our specialization in the needs and considerations that these companies have, which differ substantially from the needs of more traditional small businesses, has proven to be a strong differentiator for the program both in terms of business development and prospective and current student interest, as has our further focus on tackling idiosyncratic, complex regulatory challenges for first-of-their kind startups. We are also beginning to enjoy more long-term relationships with clients who repeatedly engage us for multiple projects over the course of a year or more as their legal needs develop.

This year’s twelve students completed over twenty projects and represented clients in a very broad range of industries: mental health and wellbeing, content creation, medical education, biotech and drug discovery, chemistry, food and beverage, art, personal finance, renewable energy, fintech, consumer products and services, artificial intelligence (“AI”), and others. The matters that the students handled gave them an unparalleled view into the emerging companies and venture capital space, at a level of complexity and agency that most junior lawyers will not experience until several years into their careers.

Representative Engagements

While the Innovation Clinic’s engagements are highly confidential and cannot be described in detail, a high-level description of a representative sample of projects undertaken by the Innovation Clinic this year includes:

Transactional/Commercial Work

• A previous client developing a symptom-tracking wellness app for chronic disease sufferers engaged the Innovation Clinic again, this time to restructure its cap table by moving one founder’s interest in the company to a foreign holding company and subjecting the holding company to appropriate protections in favor of the startup.
• Another client with whom the Innovation Clinic had already worked several times engaged us for several new projects, including (1) restructuring their cap table and issuing equity to an additional, new founder, (2) drafting several different forms of license agreements that the company could use when generating content for the platform, covering situations in which the company would license existing content from other providers, jointly develop new content together with contractors or specialists that would then be jointly owned by all creators, or commission contractors to make content solely owned by the company, (3) drafting simple agreements for future equity (“Safes”) for the company to use in its seed stage fundraising round, and (4) drafting terms of service and a privacy policy for the platform.
• Yet another repeat client, an internet platform that supports independent artists by creating short films featuring the artists to promote their work and facilitates sales of the artists’ art through its platform, retained us this year to draft a form of independent contractor agreement that could be used when the company hires artists to be featured in content that the company’s Fortune 500 brand partners commission from the company, and to create capsule art collections that could be sold by these Fortune 500 brand partners in conjunction with the content promotion.
• We worked with a platform using AI to accelerate the Investigational New Drug (IND) approval and application process to draft a form of license agreement for use with its customers and an NDA for prospective investors.
• A novel personal finance platform for young, high-earning individuals engaged the Innovation Clinic to form an entity for the platform, including helping the founders to negotiate a deal among them with respect to roles and equity, terms that the equity would be subject to, and other post-incorporation matters, as well as to draft terms of service and a privacy policy for the platform.
• Students also formed an entity for a biotech therapeutics company founded by University of Chicago faculty members and an AI-powered legal billing management platform founded by University of Chicago students.
• A founder the Innovation Clinic had represented in connection with one venture engaged us on behalf of his other venture team to draft an equity incentive plan for the company as well as other required implementing documentation. His venture with which we previously worked also engaged us this year to draft Safes to be used with over twenty investors in a seed financing round.

More information regarding other types of transactional projects that we typically take on can be found here .

Regulatory Research and Advice

• A team of Innovation Clinic students invested a substantial portion of our regulatory time this year performing highly detailed and complicated research into public utilities laws of several states to advise a groundbreaking renewable energy technology company as to how its product might be regulated in these states and its clearest path to market. This project involved a review of not only the relevant state statutes but also an analysis of the interplay between state and federal statutes as it relates to public utilities law, the administrative codes of the relevant state executive branch agencies, and binding and non-binding administrative orders, decisions and guidance from such agencies in other contexts that could shed light on how such states would regulate this never-before-seen product that their laws clearly never contemplated could exist. The highly varied approach to utilities regulation in all states examined led to a nuanced set of analysis and recommendations for the client.
• In another significant research project, a separate team of Innovation Clinic students undertook a comprehensive review of all settlement orders and court decisions related to actions brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for violations of the prohibition on unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices under the Consumer Financial Protection Act, as well as selected relevant settlement orders, court decisions, and other formal and informal guidance documents related to actions brought by the Federal Trade Commission for violations of the prohibition on unfair or deceptive acts or practices under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, to assemble a playbook for a fintech company regarding compliance. This playbook, which distilled very complicated, voluminous legal decisions and concepts into a series of bullet points with clear, easy-to-follow rules and best practices, designed to be distributed to non-lawyers in many different facets of this business, covered all aspects of operations that could subject a company like this one to liability under the laws examined, including with respect to asset purchase transactions, marketing and consumer onboarding, usage of certain terms of art in advertising, disclosure requirements, fee structures, communications with customers, legal documentation requirements, customer service and support, debt collection practices, arrangements with third parties who act on the company’s behalf, and more.

Miscellaneous

• Last year’s students built upon the Innovation Clinic’s progress in shaping the rules promulgated by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act to create a client alert summarizing the final rule, its impact on startups, and what startups need to know in order to comply. When FinCEN issued additional guidance with respect to that final rule and changed portions of the final rule including timelines for compliance, this year’s students updated the alert, then distributed it to current and former clients to notify them of the need to comply. The final bulletin is available here .
• In furtherance of that work, additional Innovation Clinic students this year analyzed the impact of the final rule not just on the Innovation Clinic’s clients but also its impact on the Innovation Clinic, and how the Innovation Clinic should change its practices to ensure compliance and minimize risk to the Innovation Clinic. This also involved putting together a comprehensive filing guide for companies that are ready to file their certificates of incorporation to show them procedurally how to do so and explain the choices they must make during the filing process, so that the Innovation Clinic would not be involved in directing or controlling the filings and thus would not be considered a “company applicant” on any client’s Corporate Transparency Act filings with FinCEN.
• The Innovation Clinic also began producing thought leadership pieces regarding AI, leveraging our distinct and uniquely University of Chicago expertise in structuring early-stage companies and analyzing complex regulatory issues with a law and economics lens to add our voice to those speaking on this important topic. One student wrote about whether non-profits are really the most desirable form of entity for mitigating risks associated with AI development, and another team of students prepared an analysis of the EU’s AI Act, comparing it to the Executive Order on AI from President Biden, and recommended a path forward for an AI regulatory environment in the United States. Both pieces can be found here , with more to come!

Innovation Trek

Thanks to another generous gift from Douglas Clark, ’89, and managing partner of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, we were able to operationalize the second Innovation Trek over Spring Break 2024. The Innovation Trek provides University of Chicago Law School students with a rare opportunity to explore the innovation and venture capital ecosystem in its epicenter, Silicon Valley. The program enables participating students to learn from business and legal experts in a variety of different industries and roles within the ecosystem to see how the law and economics principles that students learn about in the classroom play out in the real world, and facilitates meaningful connections between alumni, students, and other speakers who are leaders in their fields. This year, we took twenty-three students (as opposed to twelve during the first Trek) and expanded the offering to include not just Innovation Clinic students but also interested students from our JD/MBA Program and Doctoroff Business Leadership Program. We also enjoyed four jam-packed days in Silicon Valley, expanding the trip from the two and a half days that we spent in the Bay Area during our 2022 Trek.

The substantive sessions of the Trek were varied and impactful, and enabled in no small part thanks to substantial contributions from numerous alumni of the Law School. Students were fortunate to visit Coinbase’s Mountain View headquarters to learn from legal leaders at the company on all things Coinbase, crypto, and in-house, Plug & Play Tech Center’s Sunnyvale location to learn more about its investment thesis and accelerator programming, and Google’s Moonshot Factory, X, where we heard from lawyers at a number of different Alphabet companies about their lives as in-house counsel and the varied roles that in-house lawyers can have. We were also hosted by Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati and Fenwick & West LLP where we held sessions featuring lawyers from those firms, alumni from within and outside of those firms, and non-lawyer industry experts on topics such as artificial intelligence, climate tech and renewables, intellectual property, biotech, investing in Silicon Valley, and growth stage companies, and general advice on career trajectories and strategies. We further held a young alumni roundtable, where our students got to speak with alumni who graduated in the past five years for intimate, candid discussions about life as junior associates. In total, our students heard from more than forty speakers, including over twenty University of Chicago alumni from various divisions.

The Trek didn’t stop with education, though. Throughout the week students also had the opportunity to network with speakers to learn more from them outside the confines of panel presentations and to grow their networks. We had a networking dinner with Kirkland & Ellis, a closing dinner with all Trek participants, and for the first time hosted an event for admitted students, Trek participants, and alumni to come together to share experiences and recruit the next generation of Law School students. Several speakers and students stayed in touch following the Trek, and this resulted not just in meaningful relationships but also in employment for some students who attended.

More information on the purposes of the Trek is available here , the full itinerary is available here , and one student participant’s story describing her reflections on and descriptions of her experience on the Trek is available here .

The Innovation Clinic is grateful to all of its clients for continuing to provide its students with challenging, high-quality legal work, and to the many alumni who engage with us for providing an irreplaceable client pipeline and for sharing their time and energy with our students. Our clients are breaking the mold and bringing innovations to market that will improve the lives of people around the world in numerous ways. We are glad to aid in their success in any way that we can. We look forward to another productive year in 2024-2025!