You may ask yourself why I chose to analyze these advertisements in the form of an internet blog. The reason is simple: blogs are the future. Less and less people are paying attention to traditional media sources and are instead turning to the internet. Blogs offer people the option of reading other people’s thoughts on topics that interest them. It won't be long until ads themselves sneak into blogs, as blogs will surely become a large resource for the advertising world.

At any time, click on the ad to make it larger.

The advertisement for Carlo Viani jewelry is a great example of the effective use of color. The entire page is a dark red, except for the jewelry, which is gold with touches of red. The person’s hand is even the dark maroon color. This puts the emphasis on the jewelry itself. You are forced to look at the gold creations and do not pay any attention to the person. The maroon also highlights the maroon in the jewelry. This ad shows very effective use of color by making the color used fade into the background. The use of red also gives the impression of love and desire. Because jewelry is a gift normally given to a loved one, and that most women love jewelry, the use of red is prefect. The advertisement says “jewelry that people will notice” without ever even saying it!


Tetley’s ad for Pure Green Tea is also an excellent example of effectual color use. The ad shows the tea on a wood table set against a backdrop of, what appears to be, trees or long grass. This backdrop consumes about 90% of the page making green the prevalent color of the ad. The reason this works for the tea company is because it gives the impression of purity and nature. This is exactly what Tetley wants people to perceive about their tea. This is reinforced by text that reads, “100% pure and natural” and “The purest part of your day. ” Although the text says it plain and simple, it is the psychology of the color green that makes the reader think of purity when they think of Tetley Pure Green Tea. Green is a calming color that reminds us of nature. Nothing is more pure than nature and organic things. This leads the reader to perceive the tea as pure and natural. That is why the use of green in this ad is perfect for Tetley Pure Green Tea.


Jeep’s advertisement for new 2007 Compass is, in my opinion, an awful example of layout. Firstly, the ad is horizontal. This forces the reader to flip the entire magazine over, which can be a hassle. Perhaps this was done to engage the reader and be the first step in getting them to commit to the ad. If this was the case, I bet they lost more viewers than they gained. When readers are flipping though a magazine, they do not want to have to turn the magazine on its side, especially when they might have already acquired a ‘flipping rhythm.’
If that wasn’t bad enough, there is text all over the place. Little thought bubbles with attempted playful text jump out around the car. I found my eyes darting every direction except the vehicle. That could not have been the intention. I found that the black bottom and cluttered cityscape really made the page look cheesy and child-like. I have my problems with the text, color, and the campaign itself, but since I am dealing with layout, I will save that for another time.


Ecco’s ad for their new athletic comfort shoe is a prime example of an effective layout. It’s simple and I feel that this is always the best in terms of layout. The shoe is in the middle of the page and is the first thing the viewer will see when looking at the ad. The black background directs the viewer’s eye directly toward the product and the brand name. The black makes everything stand out perfectly and creates the image that the shoe is sleek and stylish. As well, the light black, curved stripe in the center of the page also makes the reader check out the product. That is after all, the main point of any advertisement. The layout uses white space effectively to frame the shoe. All the emphasis is on the product with some on the text, making an effective ad.


In the advertisement for Camel cigarettes, type is prominently displayed. Cigarettes are dangerous, toxic, and deathly. To make this ad work, it had to land the impression of being playful and harmless. This is a tall order but it seems as though the type has done it all on its own. While it gets help from the calming and natural color green, the type is the real reason for the success of the ad. The text is large and does not intimidate the reader. It reads, “Big Fat Delicious” in old-time playful type. This gives the impression that the cigarettes are playful and harmless. The text does a great job of giving the impression that Camel cigarettes are an old, reliable buddy.


This ad is for Jamaica and it not a great example of effective type. The large yellow text, “JAMAICA” jumps out at you and is effective in making you notice the product, which is in this case Jamaica. This is not enough however to save the rest of the ad. There are too many different fonts occurring on the same page. It is distracting to the reader. Other than the “JAMAICA” text, the rest of the text is difficult to read. I could barely get through “The urge to tear up your return ticket runs just as deep.” I can’t be sure, but I think they changed the text on certain words in that phrase. It is just too difficult to read and make sense of after just one read. This occurs again at the bottom of the page. As well, a new text is introduced in cursive writing. This light yellow type is also very difficult to read because cursive writing is always somewhat difficult to read. There is too much going on in terms of type, and this takes the viewer’s attention away from the image. The flow of reading is completely destroyed through all these modes of type.


What can I say? Bausch & Lomb needed this one. After over a year of bad press from their blinding and fungus infecting contact solutions, Bausch & Lomb came out with something that is in their favor…and it has meaning! This ad shows a dark red-tinted bathroom sink. The only thing that is illuminated and looks clean is the contact case. The text reads, “At least her contacts are clean.” This ad is great and is very effective. It leads the consumer to believe that anyone can wear contacts and it destroys the myth that contacts get dirty and infect your eyes. It does this by showing an extremely dirty washroom with anything unhygienic you can think of lying around, including fake eyelashes and fingernails. This tells us that the person who uses the sink is very dirty and does not like to worry about the hassle of daily cleanliness. The contact case however, is bright, white, and sparkling. Under the image and tagline there is the usual text about how contacts are safe and goes on to give information about the company. Even though there is a lot of text, the ad still works because of the clever headline and image. Good work Bausch & Lomb! Hopefully this will make us temporarily forget that you blinded us.


The advertisement for Rogers’s new style and celebrity gossip magazine, HELLO!, fails in the department of meaning. I see what it is trying to be, but I do not think it gets there. They want to say, “welcome to the flashy celebrity life,” as if by reading this magazine you can learn their secrets and become ‘one of them.’ There are many reasons why this impression is not given.

Firstly, the background behind the limo does not work. It is dark, boring, and makes me want to fall asleep. This magazine is supposed to be about the exciting life of celebrities, not their boring interior decorators. The background should be of a photo shoot or something more spectacular, such as a red carpet.

This leads me to my next point: the welcome mat. I understand what is trying to be accomplished with this, but it really is just not glamorous enough. They are trying to sell a life of riches and fun! This isn’t working with the welcome mat. The welcome mat says, “Welcome to my grandmas farm.” What they should have used is a red carpet. This still leads them to the limo and could still have the text on it. It would be much more effective and would give the impression that the magazine itself is a red carpet to the stars and style.

The limo may be the only thing effective in this ad. It accomplishes what it has set out to do.


When discussing the use of grids in ads, it either happens or it doesn’t. In Crystal Light’s advertisement for their new Singles, the use of a grid definitely happened. Put a piece of tracing paper over the ad and it is easy to see, everything falls on a grid. The text’s “confident,” “playful,” “free,” and “good to go” obviously fall on the grid, along with the circles next to them. However, if you follow the grid closely, the text at the bottom of the page also falls on the same grid. This is very interesting. The rest of the ad also falls on a grid, but not to the same extent as the previously mentioned text. The use of the grid leads the reader towards the bottom of the page where the information, and product are displayed. This is very effective.

The advertisement for Grateful Dead bassist, Phil Lesh’s new CD and DVD uses a grid, but looks as if it did not. There is a lot of text floating on the page, although it appears to be somewhat symmetrical. It uses a grid sometimes, but then at other times it does not. I guess the art director felt that he had a better feel for the look than a grid could have. The ‘P’ of “Phil” and the ‘L’ of “Live” match up on a grid, along with “Phil’s First DVD Ever!” The “and” and “DVD” also match up, but this appears to be all that used a grid. The rest of the ad ignores the grid both horizontally and vertically. Perhaps this is why the ad looks so cluttered. The use of the grid could have been effective, if it was used for the entire ad.


For the final four advertisements I chose to look at, I will not only discuss one aspect of the ad; I will instead dissect the entire ad, explaining why it works or why it does not.


The advertisement for Olympus’s new Stylus 710 Digital Camera contrasts simplicity with complexity. The layout is very tame. The simple white text and format are simple with little flashiness. The blank space frames the product well and forces the reader to look directly at the product. A simple white bar containing small text about the product and the Olympus logo on the blue background seems to make the reader look up at the product even more. The camera has a sleek design, but when you look at the screen, which is impossible to resist, you see charging bulls rushing in your direction. This greatly contrasts the simple happenings in this advertisement. This contrast is the hook. The tagline simply says, “Now the picture is steady, even if your hands aren’t.”

This full-page advertisement targets adventure seekers, and generally everyone who is unhappy with disappointing photography. Everyone has had the problem of a camera that takes blurred pictures. This ad addresses that, and takes it to a new level. It gives the impression that if the camera can take a steady shot of immediate danger running at you, then it can definitely take a steady shot of your family BBQ. The advertisement also targets people who seek adventure, but can’t seem to get those perfect pictures of their ventures.

Olympus is a well-known brand name, especially for cameras. This ad takes a classy route and doesn’t blatantly say that it is better than the competition. It does however give that impression with the tagline “Now the picture is steady even if your hands aren’t.” Using words like “now” makes the viewer think that this is uncharted territory that no other camera has been able to achieve so far. Olympus also makes the consumer feel that their product is better than the competition with their slogan, “Designed to Do More.”


Chips Ahoy is a product that is normally associated with indulging and high cholesterol. This new product tells the consumer that you can now indulge with a healthier version of the cookie. It is a small bag of flat little cookies that is only 100 Calories for a 23g pack. Chips ahoy uses effective marketing to target consumers who could not normally buy their product. The target market is people who are on diets or live healthy lifestyles. In the year 2006, this can be just about everyone. We live in a society that is more health conscious than ever. This ad however targets mostly middle-aged women.

The image shows a pack of Thinsations that has many cookies falling out of it. This lets the consumer know that even though its low in fat, there are still many cookies in the bag. At the top of the ad is capitalized forceful white lettering that lets the consumer know that the product is aware of a fact. This fact is that sometimes you want to eat the whole bag. “Eat the whole bag” is in a light pink cursive text that lets the consumer know that eating the whole bag is now acceptable. The contrast in text mirrors the contrast in the old fattening cookie and the new Thinsations version. Surrounding the text and the product is a purple background. This also creates the perception of a light healthy lifestyle. This ad targets women with purple and pink colours that ease the consumer into the product, letting them know its ok to indulge again.

At the bottom of the ad it lets the reader know that there are more Thinsations products available and that they are all “Sensible Solutions.” “Sensible Solutions” is a marketing initiative owned by the parent company of Christie, that lets consumers know what is a healthy and sensible choice.


The full-page advertisement for Honda’s 2006 Honda Civic can be found in the September 2005 issue of Slam Magazine. Slam is a basketball magazine targeting mostly males aged 15-25. This advertisement wishes to target these young males, not for just one car, but for a lifetime. The ad has a surprisingly large amount of text for this young age group, and asks that the consumer join the “Civic Nation.”

The ad shows a street, with many clubs, that young people are lining up to get into. We know from this that it is a hip place with hip people who are full of energy, looking for a good time. The car is no different. This is what is trying to be the hook in the advertisement: trendiness. With the lights and bright colours surrounding the car, it looks like the perfect car to pull up to the club in. The product is surrounded by flashiness, making the car itself look flashy. All of the buildings are covered in mostly green, with some yellow and red. This gives the consumer the idea that the car is all about going fast, with little need to slow down or stop.

The scrolling rugged text writes that Honda is back with their new Civic, which is better than ever. It also tells the reader that the Civic has been in the car game for 20 years, but this car will be the one to launch them into the next 20 years. This method of advertising has both good and bad implications for the target market. On one hand, it is trying to say that it is a car that has been doing great things for years, and now is ready for the future (youth). But on the other hand, this will not appeal to the young people who want a car that is a brand new design. It seems as though this target audience would want a brand new flashy car, not one that has been around for years. At the bottom of the page we do not see the Civic logo. Instead we see “civic nation.” This tells the consumer that owning this vehicle is about more than owning a car, it’s about a lifestyle. In my opinion, this is ineffective marketing. Marketing is more than selling a product, it’s creating a relationship. If Honda wishes to create a relationship with the consumer with “civic nation,” it needs to promise more than just a car.


We now see advertising at its finest, and most expensive! Reitmans chain of clothing stores has a large advertising campaign going on currently in which it places women going about their day to day life while acting like a runway model. It is a satiric piece that pokes fun at how impractical models and fashion shows are. That isn’t real life. People don’t act like that nor dress like high-end fashion models. This advertisement follows that campaign strictly and effectively. In fact, Reitmans took up 3 full pages in the magazine for this advertisement. That must have cost a lot of money, meaning that Reitmans has a large budget for this ad campaign.

If you have seen the commercials, then this three-page ad will connect with you right away, but if you haven’t, this ad is still effective. In fact, it is more effective. All three pages are on the right page of the magazine, meaning that an article would be on the left hand side. The first two pages of the ad have no writing. They just show the woman doing a “model” pose while doing daily activities. When having reached the third page of the ad, if the consumer had not seen the commercial, then they would be surprised to find that the previous two pages were part of an add for Reitmans. The third page again shows the woman in the same pose, wearing a new set of clothes, doing another activity. The difference is that this page has text at the bottom. It simply says in a light text, “designed for real life. Reitmans.” Through the subtlety, it is one of the most effective print ads I have seen in a very long time. The consumer has no idea what is going on. Then finally on the third page, their questions are answered: Reitmans.

The target audience is middle-aged, working women. These are the people used to show the product and the people the store is geared towards. The ad shows women doing what a woman in 2006 would be doing, dressed in Reitmans clothing. Through this advertising campaign, Reitmans is becoming one of the most recognizable brand names for affordable clothing for women.









That’s it for this week’s blog. Check back regularly for updates on ads that worked, ads that didn’t, and most importantly…WHY?

Thanks for checking it out,

Jordan