1. Select a commercial that’s at least sixty seconds long.
2. As you watch the commercial, do you find it persuasive? Does it move you emotionally? What precisely
are you reacting to?
3. Make specific observations. What’s the narrative (or story) offered? Examine the setting and characters.
Consider the age, gender, parental status, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic location of the
characters to see what demographic this ad targets. Advertisers take into account the consumers’
personality, lifestyle, characteristics, and interests.
4. In your analysis, notice what is important in this ad. Is this product or service trying to solve a problem or
add some fun to people’s lives? What does the worldview of this ad seem to value? What’s good and what’s
bad in this world? What exactly is this ad appealing to, such as a desire to have a good time, vanity, safety,
getting away from it all, or the approval of children or pets? Something else? Is the ad trying to manipulate
emotions or appeal to a deeply held value? Does it use humor? Do you see any faulty reasoning, such as an
ad hominem attack, an either-or argument, a hasty generalization, or a false analogy?
5. Finally, put your observations together. Your essay should begin with the story that’s shown in the
commercial. Next, give your analysis of the explicit message and then discuss the underlying cultural
message. Pull back the curtain and show that subtext so the viewers of this commercial can see what’s
being sold to them beyond the product they’re being shown. Use reasons to support your claim and
evidence to back up those reasons. If you use sources beyond the commercial, make sure they’re cited.
Finally, don’t forget to add a counter-argument regarding another way this ad could be interpreted.
Your completed essay should be at least one thousand words or four pages long.
At the end of the essay, cite the YouTube channel link of your commercial.