The Commercial (Discussion)
From Screenpedia
The Polysemy of Commodities
Groups 5 & 1
- Luxury, leisure and conspicuous consumption
- Individualism
Groups 6 & 2
- The natural
- Folk culture and tradition
Groups 7 & 3
- Novelty and progress
- Sexuality and romance
Groups 8 & 4
- Alleviation of pain, fear/anxiety and guilt
- Utopia and escape from dystopia
The Persuasive Style of Commercials
Groups 6 & 2
- Metaphor
- Utopian style
Groups 7 & 3
- Product differentiation and superiority
- Repetition and redundancy
Groups 8 & 4
- Extraordinary and excessive style: “televisuality” and counter television
- Graphics and animation
Groups 5 & 1
- Violating reality (special effects)
- Reflexivity and intertextuality
Commercial analysis
Each group will analyze two commercials from a 2013 episode of The Simpsons. You should first discuss the polysemy attached to the advertised commodity and then you should discuss the persuasive style used to present that polysemy.
Alternative commercial analysis
From The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006).
Bibliography
- Jeremy G. Butler, Television: Critical Methods and Applications (New York: Routledge, 2012).