Alix KellyA2 Media StudiesAncillary 2

RADIO ADVERTISEMENT REPORT

For my ancillary 2 task, I am going to be looking and analysing 3 radio adverts and developing an understanding of the codes and conventions of radio advertisement. I am already aware of some of the typical cods and conventions of radio advertisement. The three I am going to choose are Nandos restaurant, an energy drink radio advert and also another energy drink advert for the make ‘V’.

Some of the typical codes and conventions of radio advertisements include the sound being between 15-50 seconds long. The language is usually suited to the demographic of the target audience. There are usually jingles used to make the radio advert more memorable towards the audience. Finally, another typical convention of a radio advert is the use of a voice over, who most times will be a woman that speaks very clearly and easily understandable.

Firstly, I am going to look at the Nandos advert. To start, this advert has made the sound clip within the 15-50 second conventional barrier. It is 30 seconds long. The voice over for this advert is a Spanish male speaking directly to the audience. There is a jingle used in the advert which makes the audience aware of the culture that this restaurant comes from (Portugal). At the beginning of the advert, there are maracas used as a jingle to set the tone of the advert. It is very abrupt, serious and addressed to the audience “Spirit of Nandos”. On the other hand, after this introductory set, the voiceover speaks with no jingle in the background, which allows him to be funny and friendly towards the audience, “Its ok” tells us he is speaking directly to the audience. However, there is another slight change in tone when the voice over starts to relate the advert to the restaurant. This is also helped by the jingle that is played alongside the voice over. The jingle is a Spanish salsa tune which helps to make the advert more recognisable at the end of the advert. In terms of the formality of this advert, I would aim it towards a younger and less formal target audience. This is due to the fact Nandos is known to be a low budget restaurant that mainly sells chicken and other authentic dishes. The demographic of the target audience that go to Nandos is a working/lower middle class standard. Their income is not as big or alternatively it has been known for popularity with students and children in higher education.

Secondly, I am going to look at an advert for an energy drink known as ‘Blue Storm’. This advert has also used a time frame of 32 seconds. A very noticeable jingle at the beginning of this advert makes the audience aware that it is going to be humorous. The jingle sounds like an explosion to catch the audience’s attention. The voice over includes an American man, with a very deep and slow voice, he makes the advert sound like an announcement. The use of the jingle and the American voice over sets a humorous tone onto the advert. The shocking explosion noise makes it sound important to the audience. The music that is used in line with the voice over is fast paced and up lifting, which relates to the idea of an energy drink. The formality of this advert is mixed. In terms of the voice over and the jingle, this advert could be viewed as informal. However, in the advert the voice over mentions “USA nutritionists” which could be seen as an advantage point of formality for the radio advert. Conversely, this advert is very male orientated by looking at some of the language that the voice over uses. For example “In the gym” “In the club”, these are known as very male orientated activities. In terms of the demographic of this advert, personally I would say it is for working class/lower middle class males aged 25-35.

Alix KellyA2 Media StudiesAncillary 2Lastly, I am going to observe the advert for another energy drink known as ‘V’. Yet again, this radio advert has been conventional and stuck to the 15-50 second limit. This sound clip is 42 seconds. Straight away we can hear that this advert is a British male voice over, but it is not aimed directly at the audience as there is a conversation being spoken between to people. The language of this advert is humorous towards the audience. As the first male voice over is speaking he sounds soppy and upset, his description gives the audience an impression that he is talking about a girl. However, as the advert progresses, the tone of the advert changes, the audience realise that he is talking about the can of energy drink. This make the advert more humorous but also changes the tone from soppy and upset to entertaining. The jingle that runs alongside the voiceover sounds like very slow orchestral music, making the mood seem sad and depressing. However, the man who does the second voice over with the deeper voice interrupts this tone and changes it to a more informative and entertaining approach for the audience. In terms of the demographic for this would be similar to the other two adverts that I have analysed, working/lower middle class men.

To conclude, the adverts that I have analysed, they all use a tone of humour to try can catch as much of the audience’s attention as they can. The language used also creates humour but also uses informative language to tell the audience about the products or services they are selling.