Assignment A: analysing radio adverts. (David)

Advert 1: national counter terrorism policing " multiple bombings".

Agency: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

Producer: Anita Sasdy

Sound Engineer: Ben Gulvin 

This advert is about counter terrorism police receiving a phone call about a suspicious package left in a storage unit, the main message of the radio ad is to tell people that they should always call the authorities in the event that a suspicious package is ever found.

This advert follows a very serious and formal style, the use of deep multi voice without any music really portrays the seriousness of the ad itself, this advert can be considered as both a one off advert and as part of a collective because all though there isn't any more parts (1,2,3) it follows a similar narrative to many already published ads and ads that are still being made to this day, the only media format this ad uses would be that of a serious genre. This ad's purpose is to bring awareness to situations that need to be met with extreme caution and sometimes force by the counter terrorism police, and also to highlight the need to report any suspicious activity or packages that you find.

There isn’t any music used in the ad to highlight the serious nature of the ad.

This radio ad aims at the general public's fears, they do this because it makes the a lot more likely to report any suspicious people or packages to the relevant authorities.

This advert was distributed across the entirety of Great Britain.

The advert gives a specific phone number to use in the case of finding a suspicious package (0800789321) you can also visit ACT to hear the full story that is being portrayed in the advert.

Legal or Ethical issues with the Advert:

There are two things in this Ad that can be flagged as legal/ethical issues.

1: the use of the audiences fear and shock to instil the notion of reporting the finding of suspicious bags/packages.

2: this Ad could be considered as inappropriate towards younger children.

  

Advert 2: cancer research UK "The Breath"

Agency: Abbott Mead BBDO

Creative: Diccon Driver, Alan Wilson

Producer: Frankie Burwell-Wright

sound engineer: Parv Thind

This advert is about a smoker who is aiming to say an entire paragraph in one breath, he ultimately cannot do this because he smokes, the overall message of this AD is to quit smoking ad it can negatively affect the things you want to do e.g. play football with your kids which is actually mentioned in the AD, the AD ends with the male saying "to find a stop smoking adviser who will give you the best chance of quitting for good visit "nhs.uk.smokefree".

This radio AD is serious and simple because of the important nature of it, its just one male speaking about the issues he encounters when smoking and how to greatly reduce these issue.

This can be considered as both a stand-alone AD and also as part of a series, primarily because there is not any part two's to it but there are other adverts that warn against the dangers of smoking and cancer.

There is no music in this radio advert but there are certain sound effects, for example at the six second mark the man takes deep breath, or at the nineteen second mark the man "runs out of breath, then inhales deeply" both of these things can be heard very clearly, the second example especially is used as an example within the AD to actually let the audience hear what can happen to you if you smoke,

Only a single voice is used in this AD because it takes a very serious tone because of the topic of discussion.

This Ad delves into the audience’s fears of smoking by portraying the negative impacts smoking can cause.

This Ad was distributed all over England.

A link to a website is left in the Ad which can provide support with quitting smoking (nhs.uk.smokefree).

Legal or Ethical issue with the advert:

There may be some legal and ethical issues with the ad, for example, for people who follow Islamic faith may find it inappropriate to listen to such an ad because smoking is forbidden, also non-smokers may just find it unnecessary to listen to an Ad that does not apply to them.

The AA "Baby Route"

Agency: Adam and Eve/DDB

Creative: Frank Ginger, Shay Reading

Producer: Louise Richardson

Sound Engineer: Sam Ash well

This Ad is an information ad about the AA (Automobile Association), it is informing the audience of the services they can provide and how quick/efficient they are at these tasks, at the start of the advert the song "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner is being played, this immediately initiates excitement in the audience because of the tempo of the song, this song constantly plays throughout the entire Ad, although on the eleventh second the music fades into the background while a man begins to speak over it describing what the AA does and how fast they can do it, the mans voice stops at the twenty sixth second mark and music begins to return to its original volume, this reignites the excitement in the audience. This is especially important because you do not want to lose the audiences attention until the end of the ad, the music used can also make the radio ad be considered as nostalgic as the song was released in 1988, this can also make a lot of people remember that ad and in turn remember the organisation because a lot of drivers (who this is aimed at) grew up with popular music very similar to this.

The speaker who begins to talk over the music presents himself in a very formal and serious manner, all though there is some light hearted comedy performed in the ad, the formal/serious tone of voice over the music can signify that even though we can have fun and joke around, the job will be completed, also in the ad it is stated that the job will always be completed and a driver will usually arrive within half an hour this can be considered as misleading advertisement because if these things do not happen on a regular basis then the company responsible for creating the script for the Ad are lying.

There are multiple persuasive techniques used in the ad, for example the main constantly repeats the name of the company (AA) this could be used as a way of making sure the audience remembers the content of the Ad.

This ad was distributed all across of England and does not include any contact details regarding the company.

Legal or ethical issues:

In the Ad it is stated that the job will always be completed and that their drivers will usually arrive within 30 minutes, both of these points can be considered as misleading information simply based on the fact that these things may not happen.

Regulatory standards the Ad's should meet 

·      Charity Ads must be broadcasted free of charge.

·      The organisation concerned can produce satisfactory evidence of charitable status.

·      The organisation concerned is not prohibited from promoting on the radio.

·      Factual material must not mislead the audience.