An advertiser's job is to interest you in a product, and hopefully, persuade you to buy it. Watch the following ads and reflect on how successful the ad is at delivering a message.

Consider the following questions:
1. Does the ad tell a story? If so, what is the basic structure?
2. What is the tone of the ad—is it humourous, playful, serious, informative, etc?
3. Who was the message intended for? Who is the target audience?
4. What techniques are used to persuade or inform me?
5. What is the overt message? Is there also an embedded message?
6. What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in the message?
7. Are printed words used in the ad? What effect do they have?
8. Does the commercial succeed in delivering the message? Do you feel inspired to act?
Volvo Trucks (Sweden)
KMart Ship My Pants (US)
Molson Beer (Canada)
Evian Water (France)

Why are some ads more successful than others? Take a look at a short video called How to Write a Boring Ad that makes fun of traditional commercials.