(D1) Compare Specific Audio Visual Examples

In this post I am going to compare the Audio Visual Advertisements I have chosen to find the differences in how they are conveyed, and how they are produced towards their own target audiences.

Comparisons  - 

Purpose, target audience, cinematography, call to action, sounds, style and feel, semiotics and mise en scene..

The chosen advertisements I will be comparing here are COVID-19 Chris Whitty Information Campaign and the Audi RS E-tron Christmas Advertisement.

Target Audience - 

First and foremost, the COVID-19 advert is aimed at the largest target audience. That is because the advert is aimed at every person in the United Kingdom, as opposed to one specific group. This is because the advertisement was to inform people about COVID-19 and raise awareness across the country of the risks and symptoms of the virus so people can determine whether they are at risk and help with keeping the country safe. This was more aimed towards older people though, as they were more vulnerable to the virus than other age groups. Comparatively, Audi's advertisement is a very niche target audience. their advertisement is aimed from around mid 20s to middle aged people. The advertisement is aimed at people who are highly affluent and want the luxury and performance of an expensive car. The psychometric profile that this advertisement is aimed towards is both the 'explorer' profile and the 'aspirer' profile. The audience would fit the aspirer profile because the class associated with the car is very high, as well as the luxury that aspiring people would prefer to have. They would also fit the explorer profile as the car is electric car, which has very limited customers currently, as they are expensive and most people do not like the idea of them. However, a changing world is bringing more electric cars into circulation due to change in climate.

Purpose - 

The purpose of the COVID-19 advertisement is to inform. The video is short and simple, and contains minimal but important information. This video is used to spread awareness, and to promote a lifestyle in a way, by keeping everyone else safe you can also keep yourself safe. The video is simple so it is easy to interpret by anyone, and contains short bursts of information which is more reliable for people to retain information. On the other hand, the purpose of Audi's advertisement is to sell a lifestyle, which has a similar concept to the COVID-19 advert, but has a completely different meaning. The lifestyle Audi try to promote is of affluence and class, and they have a specific target audience of these people, who are both previous and potential customers. Audi are also trying to associate their name with class here, as they use the term 'Merry Christmas, the Audi way', making the 'Audi way' a feeling of superiority and prosperity, as the target audience shift from normal people who drive regular Audi's to the 'better' people who drive the more expensive Audi's.

Cinematography - 

the cinematography in both videos is extremely different. For example, in the COVID-19 Video, the cinematography techniques are extremely limited. This is exactly what the production team want though, as the video is purely for informing someone about the risks and information of coronavirus. This means that they would want the cinematography extremely simple. Throughout the video there is one medium close up of Chris Whitty, so that all focus is driven onto him, as he is talking and labelling information for the audience to interpret. The use of one shot also means that an audience will not get distracted from the content they are supposed to listen to. However, on the other hand, Audi's advertisement contains a vast array of shot types and angles. For example, it starts out with an establishing shot, showing the first character and the environment.

Call to Action - 

The COVID Advertisement has many call to action features. For example, throughout the video the NHS logo is present, showing people where they can go to find more information about the virus and the possible prevention of it. There is also an audible section of the advert where Chris Whitty tells you to go to the NHS Website or the government website for COVID-19. This gives people somewhere to go after the advertisement to find out more about it. The advertisement also ends on a screen stating where you can 'find more information' and linking both NHS and the governments websites to find out more. These call to actions are used obviously and purposely throughout the advertisement to make it as easy to access for the viewers as possible, so they can make a bigger impact with the advert, as their goal is to keep people as safe as possible. Comparatively, the Audi advertisement has very little call to action, as the advertisement has taken a much more cinematic approach to the advertisement.

Sounds - 

Sound in an advertisement can have a huge effect on how it feels, and how the advertisement is presented. The way sound is used can have an effect on how the product is promoted, and the overall target audience. The sounds in both advertisement differ hugely, for example, the NHS advertisement uses very little sound, as it is only the sound of Chris talking as that is all we need to hear. The Audi advertisement has much more audio, from ambient sounds to speaking as well as voiceover at the end of the advert. This shows how the advertisement is more product driven, and promotes how it feels and looks to own a certain product, and shows that through the comforting ambient sounds throughout the video. Contrastingly, in the NHS video, the sound is loud  and not as comforting as the Audi advertisement. This is used purposely so that the viewer is focused on the content rather than the video itself, and the harsher sound on the video means that the audience focus more on the speaking    This provides a very different feel to both advertisements, which works for them as they are promoting different things and would like different outcomes.