P. Brown Reading Assignment 2

Chapter 7 explained multiple approaches to advertising. I found this particularly interesting, as I am relatively new to the concept of advertising. Moreover, I enjoyed learning about the origins of the appeal of transformation, and how it stems from medicine traveling shows with roots in fourteenth-century Europe. Moving forward, the chapter discusses and defines several terms pertaining to the genre of an advertisement. Upon reading the drama style, I instantly thought of an advertisement promoting the wearing of seatbelts that I had seen fairly recently. I chose to attach this video to my post. In the promotion, there is absolutely no recognition of an audience by the characters, although the audience feels like they are a part of the scene happening. In all actuality, the characters do not even speak, and yet the ad is still stirring and thought provoking.

Later in chapter 7, the book explains that a creative director by the name of Donald Gunn created twelve categories that nearly all television commercials utilized. Then, the book goes into its own selling techniques. Although each technique is explained well, the book doesn’t explicitly say of any combinations of multiple techniques. Therefore, I wonder if the combination of a few techniques in a single advertisement is something worth considering. Perhaps it could add another level to the work, or, on the other hand, it could be too much to pack in to an advertisement. For instance, in a short television commercial, trying to utilize multiple techniques may be a bit overwhelming. Perhaps not, I am merely speculating. Nonetheless, these various techniques do seem to fit almost every ad I have witnessed and remembered witnessing.