Five Great British Adverts!

Five Great British Adverts

Levi's, 1992.

The iconic Levi's advert instantly wins over the women viewers such as myself, with the stereotypical romanic American music followed by a tall, dark and handsome man swooping on scene, and sexually ripping his shirt off as he rebelliously dives into the water and although he keeps his trousers on it does not make him any less good looking. Levi's do this to demonstrate to the typical 1990s rebellious teenager how nice the jeans look on.  And making their audience desperate for a pair, to look as good as him and to get the women's attention. 

The denotation is a male repeatedly diving into different pools, the connotations of this is that each pool is owned by a different age range and social class this suggests that Levi's considered their jeans to be worn and loved by everyone.

The mise-en-scene is a very happy atmosphere; the sun is shining and people are all together enjoying each others company. The slow paced camera work and moments of slow motion makes the male look cool and majestic as he almost flies through the air.

Lastly, Levi's ends with the following slogan "the more you wash them the better they get" implying that Levi's will last a lifetime of wears and washes. 

Stella Artois, 2001.

During this Stella Artois advert we're taken though an emotional story of a father and his injured son. On the arrival of the son, who we can only assume was home from World War 2, the scene is very chaotic and is emphasised by the fast moving camera work and the low/dusk lighting of the mise-en-scene which helps to create this dramatic start. 

As the son reunites with his father we experience pathos and later a sudden outburst of humour which instantly broke the ice and uplifted the mood. 

We follow the characters into the bar as the son tells his terrifying stories on war, meanwhile the father quickly pours his son some wine, stereotypically more of a feminine drink suggesting that before the war the son would normally drink this only now the war has changed him into more of a man. The son rejects his offering and requests a "Stella Artois", the father doesn't hesitate and gives him the drink, with a proud look across his face. Although, when a different male asks for the same request the father doesn't do so and protects the drink suggesting he was not worthy enough. 

The connotation of this represents the strong bond between a father and son, by the father giving him the drink shows his son he only deserves the best. So Stella Artois must be the best.

Honda, 2003.

A very simplistic idea, which is cleverly constructed into a fantasizing masterpiece. The sound effects coming from the piercing sounds of the car pieces clashing together instantly diverts your attention onto the advert. This is key as it is essential to watch each part to understand the final creation.

Altogether, the connotation of the advert is that Honda are portraying the precision and brains that has gone into the construction of their new car, and the structure of the advert implies that the car will work like clockwork. The denotation is almost like watching a game slowly unravel as the bits and pieces of the car eventually construct themselves together.

The slogan at the end "the Power of Dreams" ultimately reinforces Honda's belief that their car is extraordinary.

Sony, 2006.

Sony immediatly flood the screen with colour as the denotation of the advert shows a quarter of a millions of balls bouncing through the streets of San Francisco. The slow camerawork transitions along with the slow paced music adds to the relaxing, happy feeling of the advert. 

The mise-en-scene of a typical high street in America creates the feeling of home and the colourful balls bounding through connote that Sony is trying to spread happiness to a wide range of people, which links to colour through our screens at home.

Personally, the advert infatuates me; and even though throughout the advert you're in some ways waiting for something spectacular to happen and at the end, end up with asking yourself the question "is that it?" I cannot help but love the simplicity and effectiveness this advert has on the audience.

The ending slogan "like no other" exaggerates the uniqueness of the brand Sony.

T-Mobile, 2009.

The sudden flashmob that takes over the train station instantly creates a happy atmosphere. The camerawork captures many different angles and some show glimpses of the everyday people enjoying the performance and capturing it on their phones. The connotation of the advert reflects on memorable moments that can be remembered and shared thanks to the mobile, provided by T-Mobile.

The mise-en-scene of the dull looking train station makes for a perfect location for the flashmob as it truley reflects the happiness that can be shared in a typically depressing place.