Let's analyze this ad, shall we?

[Dr. Drib]

Here's the well-publicized link:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10034929-1.html


We see a woman holding Sony Reader, but we don't know what model it is.

The cover of this Reader seems slightly larger than mine, or else she has small hands. Is this Reader larger than the current 505?

What is the symbolism or significance of having the same man's image tripled, and YET only one of the men is really curious to look at what she's holding?!

Why are the other two men "unconcerned"?

I see obvious involvement on her face, similar to mine when I am reading.

Then we have a kind of curlicue of words circling around and about her body like angry bees. Will she get "bit" by the Sony Reader?

Let's examine the word "bit": She may be smitten by what she's reading; but, if the Reader somehow breaks, she'll be "bit" in a different way.

Perhaps the circling words tell us that what goes around comes around? Or, do these seemingly endless circling of words that loop in and out perhaps remind us that the Reader can be rotated vertically and horizontally? (At this point of reference, we vehemently refuse to make a pun. .)

Now we come to the first recognizable sentence: A team of advertising managers probably worked for months on this one, tying in the idea of ebooks with the idea of "Chapters." Brilliant! Novel! (Pun intended.) Unusual association of words!

How good is this ad? Is this ad sucessful?

Don

[RickyMaveety]

Can we not and say we did??

[Dr. Drib]

Thanks.

I changed the last sentence.


Don

[RWood]

(In the spirit of Dr. Bad Advice) Moving further with the analysis, we can tell that they are standing in line for something from the ropes, since there is a counter behind them with perhaps a pen set behind the man on the left it suggests a bank or post office -- two places well known for long slow moving lines. We can take the three shots of the same person to mean either Sony wished to cut costs in the production of the ad by using only two models or we can view it as a progression from (left to right of the man) frustration, resignation, and interest. Thus the Sony Reader is so good that it can interest even this alpha male as he is clearly looking at the Reader and not at the female. She on the other hand has risen above the mundane by carrying a library with her wherever she may go. She radiates the knowledge and calm gained from reading. This draws others into her world but not toward her. As for the Reader being bigger than the current model, it does not seem that much bigger and may only be a result of using a small focal length lens on the camera.I would make a few comments on other aspects but (and here is where I differ from Dr. Bad Advice) I think I have inflicted enough PUNishment for the evening.

[RickyMaveety]

Har har har.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by RWood

(In the spirit of Dr. Bad Advice) Moving further with the analysis, we can tell that they are standing in line for something from the ropes, since there is a counter behind them with perhaps a pen set behind the man on the left it suggests a bank or post office -- two places well known for long slow moving lines. We can take the three shots of the same person to mean either Sony wished to cut costs in the production of the ad by using only two models or we can view it as a progression from (left to right of the man) frustration, resignation, and interest. Thus the Sony Reader is so good that it can interest even this alpha male as he is clearly looking at the Reader and not at the female. She on the other hand has risen above the mundane by carrying a library with her wherever she may go. She radiates the knowledge and calm gained from reading. This draws others into her world but not toward her. As for the Reader being bigger than the current model, it does not seem that much bigger and may only be a result of using a small focal length lens on the camera.I would make a few comments on other aspects but (and here is where I differ from Dr. Bad Advice) I think I have inflicted enough PUNishment for the evening.

Hahah, I love it!

On a serious note: I actually had to do these kinds of analyses on ads in one my graduate rhet classes when I was working on my Masters. They were a lot of fun to write.

Don

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I see an advertising mess.

The woman is artificially set against the strangely-uniform tripletic males by rotating her 90 degrees from the men's orientation... highly overdone. Also, her pose looks unnatural and forced, and she doesn't really look as if she's enjoying what she's reading.

You cannot really identify her reader as any digital reader. If you didn't already know what was being sold, it could as easily be a leather-bound paper book.

The randomly-swirling words only serve as visual distraction. They should be creating an attractive aura around the girl, or swirling to the men's faces to attract their attention. (The men in front of her in line should be looking over their shoulders, as if distracted by the swirling words, to see what it is.)

In most ads that feature both sexes, the opposite sex will show an interest in the main character because of the unique thing they are doing... NOT ignore the person to see the thing they are doing. The man could have provided the classic "attract the opposite sex" message, but instead he just looks nosy. And it's hardly an attractive pose.

Overall, I'd say this ad misses just about every mark except one: Good use of contrast. I'll give it one more point for making the company name prominent.