Decoding

Advertisements:
Coca Cola
Coca Cola Television Commercial
u Product advertised on Coca Cola Drink

u Target market

u Families, siblings, teens

u Focuses on

u Love, togetherness, family

u Siblings can relate to teasing one another

u Terms relating to commercial:

u Field of Experience

u Pathos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=q
u Psychographics dPXQLrueRg&feature=emb_logo
Field of Experience

u Field of Experience: more common ground the source and the receiver have,

the more probable they will like and understand one another (pg. 5)

u Families of all kinds are able to relate to this commercial whether they have

brothers or sisters

u Gives off a feeling of love

Pathos

u Pathos: the emotion, or appeals to passion, a speaker uses (pg. 31)

u Audience is able to feel laughter towards the big brother teasing the

younger brother

u They may be able to relate it to their own life growing up

 Pathos Continued

u At the end of the video, the big brother steps up to protect his younger

brother

u May have feelings of happiness, love, kindness, proud

u Music that is used fits the setting of the two brothers

u During the part in which the older brother sticks up for the younger one –

love feeling

u “There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do”

Psychographics

u Psychographics: audience profiles that aim to reveal the lifestyles and

mindsets of the intended audience (pg. 51)

u Ex. Baby boomers, veterans, generation Xers

u Commercial tries to aim towards family life

u Looks at those who have siblings; can be centered mainly around brothers but

can include sisters

Coca Cola Radio Advertisement
u Product advertised: Coca Cola drink (mainly during summertime)

u Target market:

u General audience; appeals to everyone

u Does not state age, race, sex, religion

u Terms relating to radio advertisement:

u Credibility

u Vocalics

u Psychological action

u Hypodermic Needle Theory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDj8QYigFnw
Credibility

u Credibility: the reputation of the speaker and

includes many components such as expertise,

trustworthiness, similarity to the audience, and past

performances (pg. 10)

u Radio advertisement is sponsored by Coca Cola

u Reliable source
Credibility Continued

u People can trust this advertisement

u In the past it has been deemed a good/safe product

u People continue to drink Coca Cola

u Does not have negative reputation overall

Vocalics

u Vocalics: vocal qualities such as rate, pitch, inflection, and dialect, are

persuasive because they communicate control, power, and status (pg. 12)

u Sound effects being used in commercial say “yessss” leading to people to

think the word “yes” when thinking about Coca Cola

u The word “ahhh” is attached to the feeling of relief and relaxation

u Tone is upbeat and happy

Psychological Action

u Psychological Action: The propagandist seeks to modify opinions by purely

psychological means; most often he pursues a semi-educative objective and

addresses himself to his fellow citizens (pg. 41)

u Uses the words “yessss” and “ahhhh” to link the Coca Cola drink to feelings of

satisfaction

u Narrator persuades the voice saying “yesss” to like the commercial of the real

Coca Cola bottle being opened

Hypodermic Needle Theory

u Hypodermic Needle Theory: message is thought to enter the body

in a well-targeted and effective manner like a shot with no defense

(pg. 52)

u People believe that gullible audience members can be led to

buy products that they neither need nor really want, to vote

for the slickest politician, and to follow leaders with blind

obedience
Hypodermic Needle Theory Continued

u Those who hear the Coca Cola radio advertisement may be more lenient

towards getting a Coca Cola drink over other choices

u Ad is more convincing with words of positive expressions

Coca Cola Print Advertisement
u Product advertised: Coca Cola drink

u Target market: Bringing happiness to customers when drinking Coca Cola. It

brings out a fun, adventurous side of the ad and not just having a simple,

plain, boring type of ad

u Terms relating to print advertisement:

u Propaganda

u Visual Rhetoric

http://www.jeffwack.com/portfolio/angeles-crest/
Propaganda
u Propaganda: the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions,

manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that

furthers the desired intent of the propagandist (pg. 7)

u Seeing a print advertisement of Coca Cola can have different results of how

people feel towards the product

u Could be seen as too childish, not attracting a younger/middle aged

audience

u Could also be seen as happiness, enjoyable, exciting

Visual Rhetoric
u Visual Rhetoric: includes graphs, charts, political cartoons, pictures,

photographs, designs, layouts, even the color, fonts, and use of space on a

page (pg. 141)

u Can make an argument through the presentation of ideas that receivers

interpret as propositions, which are claims that can be proved or refuted

u Print advertisement uses a variety of colors and objects

u It has excitement in the print and can bring feelings of joy when looking

at it