Deconstructing a Print Advertisement

Reflection:

I found this activity interesting and thought provoking. I often look at the ads around me on the subway to and from work, and I wonder about the intended audience; I wonder how effective they are; I wonder how much we take in without even thinking; I wonder how much we question the subtle message, or just subconsciously accept them as “truth.” When I had the chance to choose an ad for this project, I looked through lots of print ads on the Internet. I wanted to find an ad that had human subjects, and I especially wanted to look at ads that had to do with women.

What I came across was a Nike “women empowerment” ad campaign, featuring athletic women - or, more specifically, parts of female bodies - accompanied by words talking about what they love about various aspects of their bodies. I was immediately struck by the disembodied portrayal. Rather than show a whole women - with apparent complexities - the ads zoom in to feature very specific body parts: buttocks, legs, thighs, etc.  Furthermore, the language does not sound authentic to me; I am pretty certain that the copywriters for this campaign were men trying to imagine what women would say to portray a body-positive attitude. The overall feeling is still one of women being objectified and seen as one-dimensional.  

What made this activity most useful and interesting was the set of guided questions included in the ad deconstruction protocols. Although I had lots of immediate opinions and reactions when looking at the ads, it was helpful to go carefully through the steps of the analysis protocol, forcing me to to think more deeply about layers of the messaging and the larger implications of the messaging.

Although I consider myself thoughtful and analytical about advisements and marketing campaigns, it’s practically impossible to stay hyper-alert at all times, keeping a critical eye open and observant. This activity was informative and deepened my understanding of advertisements’ purposes, messages, and implications further.

Use in the high school English classroom:

As I went through the process, I kept thinking: this would be the prefect activity for my high school students to engage as they deepen their analysis and critical thinking skills. I’ll be teaching a unit on rhetoric in the spring, and so I think it will be a great component to add to that unit. I think that the analysis protocols can be helpful step-by-step guide for students as they learn how to think about advertisement messages.