Deconstruct Hyundai’s ad according to the media studies

triangle.

TEXT

DENOTATION: • It’s a television ad featuring a boy being bullied and taunted to create his own football team if he doesn’t like it. So he gathers his super strong friends in a Hyundai Santa Fe to defeat the team of bullies. • This is a story told from the point of view of the boy as he is followed throughout the commercial.

CONNOTATION: • Even though the boy and his friends appear smaller, they are shown to have abilities beyond their age group. It is implied that the boy and his friends will completely destroy the bullies in a game of football.

TEXTCODES: • (Codes can be symbolic or technical) Low camera angles are used to give the boys a sense of power. It also signals to the viewers to see the story through their point of view. The serious expression and cool demeanor on the boys’ faces indicate their strength, unity, and sense of action. They are in control. • The boys are shown performing tasks to demonstrate their strength and virtue. They lift weights, wrestle bears, and rescue grown men from burning buildings. The bullies are bigger, but wear darker clothing to indicate their “badness”

IDEOLOGY AND VALUES: • Unethical behaviour such as bullying will be punished • It is okay to use violence to resolve your conflict or to make things right (boys want tackle football over touch, implying they are planning to punish the bullies physically)

TEXT

COMMODITY: • The product is a Hyundai Santa Fe. The commercial highlights the look of the Santa Fe and its ability to seat 7 passengers.

INTERTEXTUALITY: • Hyundai highlights one aspect of the product, but for the most part attempts to highlight their product through the use of humour and positive values. The “winners” or “good guys” use a Hyundai. This is different in comparison to your standard car commercials which highlight the more technical aspects of their product such as their gas consumption, speed, and cost.

AUDIENCE

CULTURE: •American culture football, the narrative of the small boy being picked on, standing up to an aggressor, seeking justice on your own (as oppose to seeking authority figures to right a wrong)

GENDER: • Even though the driver is a female, the focus is on the males of the narrative. The use of young boys is humourous, but their activities are those of grown men.

AUDIENCETEXTUAL COMPETENCE: • The commercial is easy to understand. Mood and visual cues are given throughout the ad to drive home a simple narrative. • While music is used to heighten the sense of power and “cool factor” of the children, it is not necessary to understand the musical source.

PSYCHOLOGY: • Audience may feel a sense of satisfaction that the boys will ultimately triumph over the bullies. The notion of good triumphing over evil, a sense of justice or just desserts. • Some audience members may feel some sympathy towards the bullies. They have unknowingly taken on more than they can handle. • Some audience may feel a personal connection to the situation.

AUDIENCESOCIAL FUNCTION: • Reinforces cultural norms and behaviours• Reinforces gender roles and stereotypes • Reinforces socially acceptable behaviours and reactions

OTHERS: • How could I change the text to make it more enjoyable?• What makes this text not enjoyable? • How is this text consumed? What impact does the format have on the consumption of the text? (This was shown during the Super Bowl.)

PRODUCTIONCODES AND PRACTICES: • The use of camera angles to suggest meaning (medium shot but focused on the boys’ eye level). This is a story from the boy’s point of view. • Use of music and camera angles to give a sense of power and cool• Commercials are generally required to be short. The message must therefore be conveyed in the simplest, quickest, but most effective way possible.• Costume: the bullies are dressed in darker clothes and given a sense of “badness”. The boy and his friends are dressed more conservatively.

PRODUCTIONCODES AND PRACTICES: • The use of camera angles to suggest meaning (medium shot but focused on the boys’ eye level). This is a story from the boy’s point of view. • Use of music and camera angles to give a sense of power and cool• Commercials are generally required to be short. The message must therefore be conveyed in the simplest, quickest, but most effective way possible.• Costume: the bullies are dressed in darker clothes and given a sense of “badness”. The boy and his friends are dressed more conservatively.

PRODUCTION

TECHNOLOGY: • Use of special effects and fictionalization (bear was probably fake, boy carrying the man from the burning building was staged) • Use of camera angles and film editing to tell a clear narrative • Use of rock music to convey a sense of cool and power

FINANCE/DISTRIBUTION: • Hyundai commissioned this advertisement to be played during the Super Bowl. This would be a high stakes advertisement for them as there are a lot of pressure to deliver a particularly entertaining ad. • Super Bowl profits from the advertising fee to broadcast during the game. Hyundai profits from reinforcing their brand name.

PRODUCTIONOWNERSHIP: • Hyundai Group is a South Korean conglomerate (2 or more corporations falling under a parent corporation)• This particular commercial is done for an American audience (findyour7.com leads to the USA branch of the corporation). There is no indication that Hyundai is not actually American.

LEGALITY: • Note the small text near the bottom that accompany each child’s super task. (Do not attempt)

TARGET AUDIENCE

Target audience refers to a specific group that something, usually an advertising campaign, is aimed at appealing to. When people ask what a media text (such as an ad or a movie) is geared towards, they are referring to target audience.

In marketing, the target audience may also be called the customer profile or a marketing profile. Regardless of what it is called, what you are trying to do is visualize the ideal customer.

TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION PSYCHOGRAPHIC

• Age• Gender• Geographical location• Education level• Income level• Marital status• Sexuality, etc.

• Personality• Values• Attitudes• Interests• Beliefs• Opinions• Lifestyle, etc.

Psychographics define how a consumer sees themselves and the world around them.

I think saving the environment is

important. Also I like penguins. I

guess I’ll buy some Dawn after work.

You COULD market to everyone, but then your message may lose its relevancy. Also that can get pretty expensive!

(Not every teenage girl likes Twilight and is on Team Jacob you know!)

(There’s a market segment that’s purely Team Edward.)

Actually there are a lot of teenage girls who don’t like Twilight at all.

This could be for many reasons.

• Young, possibly 15-30 years of age• Both males and females• North American audience• Fairly educated• Substantial income, willing to spend on what they deem as a quality product

• Extroverts, athletic lifestyle• Conservative moral values • Individuality, recognition, and freedom• Competitive, desires strength/adventure• Brand recognition is important• Style is just as important as function

• Age? • Geographical location?• Education level?• Income level?• Marital status?• Sexuality?

• Personality?• Values?• Attitudes?• Beliefs?• Opinions?• Lifestyle?

Let ’s quickly construct the target audience

profile for Chr istian Mingle.

There are many types of advertising claims and appeals. But the bottom line: advertisers seek to situate themselves as the solution to a need.

Let’s put theory into action.

In groups of 3-4, you are going to do the following:

1. Select a recent commercial that all of you find interesting.

2. Analyze the commercial according to the Media Studies Triangle

3. Determine the target audience for that commercial (both demographic and psychographic). Use examples from the commercial to support your ideas.

4. Present your conclusions to the class. Please don’t just stand up and talk. Use visuals to support your ideas. (Screenshots from the commercial, pausing the commercial at certain points, acting it out, whatever!)

Please keep your presentation under 10 minutes (excluding commercial’s play time).