Instruction
ADVERTISING ESSAY Using Jib Fowles essay Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals (515-53) as a reference point, select a company, ad campaign, or specific advertisement to investigate; you may even select an ad from A Portfolio of Print Advertisements on pages 540-77 and the portfolio of television commercials (577-85). Explain and describe the ad (commercial or print) and explore its appeals and meanings. The section on Analyzing Arguments on page 530-1 provides some key ideas to explore. Some concepts you might address are who is the target audience, what appeals are evident in the advertising, when and where does the advertising appear, what is the companys demographic, what obvious and subtle meanings are conveyed, is the advertising effective, is it offensive in any way and to whom, what characterizes the company, do they reference celebrities, etc. You could even focus on an event and explore some options. What types of companies advertise during the Super Bowl, and how much does a spot during halftime cost? What about advertising during awards shows? There are many possible angles to take with this assignment; just make sure you focus on advertising. You might want to include a picture or visual illustration of a certain ad (be sure to cite any material you access The Little Seagull Handbook (93-132) provides a guide for how to enter and cite material on a works cited page). Pages 123-4 show how to cite an advertisement. The Writing Center is also a great resource to access when creating a works cited page. You must include citations from Fowles essay as well. In essence there will be no less than two sources on your works cited page, though your essay may include more. Your draft must be in MLA format, which includes an MLA header, one-inch margins all around, proper page numbers, a title, and double spacing. The essay must be no less than 1,000 to 1,200 words (about 4 pages), but your draft may contain more material (within reason) if you wish. Remember, more content does not equal a higher grade. Your submission should have the same appearance as the sample MLA essays in The Little Seagull Handbook and Research & Composing in the Disciplines. Remember, MLA format advocates using a formal tone and active voice; if your essay is not written in this manner, expect to receive less than a C on the assignment.