Magazine advertisement
Analyse, review and comment on the magazine advertisement for Mauritius and explain how the presentation and language have been used effectively. In today’s society, we are unceasingly bombarded with advertisements which are presented in numerous forms which include paper, electronic and audio. Advertisements dominate the media across the globe; the consumer is faced by them from the moment they wake up, until the moment they go to bed. This makes advertising a very successful business, so advertisement are placed in all possible places, from bus stops to tooth brushes. The most successful advertisements include the use of presentational devices which are structured to appeal to their target audience, such as; the use of colour, text, images, slogans, headings and subheadings.
Every single advertisement, regardless to its location or the form it takes, has a target audience. An advertisement will have its design completely tailored to attract the necessary target audience to become effective. An advertisement becomes an effective one when the product which it is advertising is seen to be a necessity to the potential consumer. An example of an effective advertisement is one for the holiday island of Mauritius which is taken from a national newspaper. The advertisement is composed of a large image of the sea and island which occupies almost two thirds of the space, beneath is the title filled with the image of the sea and lower down still is a concise yet informative and persuasive block of text.
The most obvious presentational device used on the Mauritius advertisement is the image of the craggy outcrop, clear sea and silent beach which predominates over the rest of the advertisement. This image is effective in capturing the attention of the consumer, largely because of its vibrant colours. The striking aqua colour of the sea not only captures the consumer’s attention; it also makes the Mauritius advertisement seem more attractive. Making the advertisement seem attractive to the person viewing it is vital because it puts the product it is advertising in a more desirable light. The image also helps the advertisement appeal to a broader target audience by showing not only a silent beach and sea, but also a mountainous environment. This is an effective presentational device as it lets the advertisement appeal to both romantic couples seeking a quiet holiday, plus couples who are in quest of a break with more adventure. Read about Lush vision and mission
There is also an unmistakable contrast between the barren landscape on the outcrop, the lush vegetation on the beach of the island and the clarity of the sea on the main image. This dissimilarity could suggest to the consumer that there is more than one type of leisure activity available to the visitors of Mauritius; this widens the target audience further. The charcoal coloured outcrop also creates a clear divide between the blue sky and sea, which otherwise would have blended together.
The isolated couple in the sea are an effective presentational device; they persuade the consumer to visit Mauritius by making the island seem peaceful and quite. However, the couple are wearing snorkels which could suggest that more adventurous activities are welcome on the island. This suggests that the target audience for this Mauritius advertisement are wealthy couples or small families who are looking for either a relaxing or adventurous holiday set in a quiet environment.
The clouds in the focal image are effective in attempting to persuade the consumer as they give the whole image believability; if the sky was completely clear, the image would seem too perfect to be real. Ensuring that the image is believable is crucial in making the advertisement effective, if it wasn’t the consumer may begin to doubt other sections of the advertisement. The main image then extends down onto the title of the advert; Mauritius. This creates a powerful effect making the name of the island standout from the text beneath. It is also effective in that the consumer’s vision is drawn down to the title from the image above. It may also suggest that the Mauritius culture is based predominantly around the sea, because the type face used to display the title is filled with the image of the sea.
The tagline, ‘It doesn’t have to be one day.’ is an effective linguistic device as ‘one day’ could either mean a holiday which lasts for one day or ‘one day’ in the future. This pun is effective as it can be interpreted in two ways, depending on who is reading it. This means two different people, with different ideas of could relate to this one sentence. The sentence, ‘… the most breathtakingly beautiful and romantic place on Earth.’ suggests to the consumer that Mauritius is undoubtedly the most beautiful and romantic place on earth, as if it is a fact. By adding this, they give the consumer no reason to look elsewhere for their holiday if they are seeking a beautiful and romantic island. This also supports the idea that the advertisement is aimed at couples. The same text then goes on to, ‘Children are very welcome…’ which supports the idea that the advertisement is aimed at small families as well.
Another effective linguistic device which is present in this advertisement is the sentence, ‘Well, now it’s even easier to get to and ‘one day’ can be now.’ The phrase ‘even easier’ has been intentionally used rather than ‘easy’ when describing travelling to the island as it makes it sound as if travelling to Mauritius was easy in the past, but they wanted to make it easier still. By making it seem as if there was never a problem to fix, it suggests to the consumer that the people of Mauritius care about the visitors. This linguistic device is effective because making the consumer feel cared for could assist in making a sale.
The piece of text finishes with the sentence, ‘We’d be so pleased to hear from you.’ This is an effective linguistic device as it uses personal pronouns to make the person who is reading it feel as if they have been personally addressed. Being addressed personally gives the text more meaning to the reader, as if they have been selected to be invited to Mauritius. The advert for Mauritius is most effective as it appeals to a wide range of consumers by using clever linguistic and presentational devices to attempt to persuade the consumer to visit Mauritius. The presentational devices first attract the consumer’s attention using colour and images, the linguistic devices then attempt to increase the consumer’s interest further by using highly descriptive language of the island of Mauritius.
