Advertisement Analysis

For my first advertisement, I chose to analyse a recent advert from Lemsip made during the
COVID-19 lockdown.

12 Types of Advertising

- Show the Problem

When the advertisement begins, we are shown a woman going outside during the
Winter, as symbolised with the Christmas-time music and blurry droplets of snow in the
foreground. The woman then sneezes, and we are given a flashback to major points in
the woman’s life where she has had a cold, showing that colds are a common
occurrence to not just this woman, but everybody watching the advert. The woman is
seen sneezing, holding her head, and staying in bed, showing that this problem can get
in the way of everyday tasks and stop us from going about our normal daily routine. This
is especially prevalent in the modern day as we are on high alert for any symptoms of
sickness due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as shown in the advertisement when the
woman is seen on a video call to her family and they look worried and shocked when the
woman is shown about to sneeze. This is where Lemsip comes in to save the day and is
shown to get rid of any flu-like symptoms fast.

- Ongoing Characters or Celebrities

Throughout the advertisement, Lemsip as a brand is shown as a small mascot in the

form of a box of Lemsip with arms and legs, always being there for the woman when she
is sick and is seen giving her a cup of Lemsip, handing her a packet of Lemsip tablets and
high fiving her when she beats the flu symptoms, showing us that Lemsip will always be
there for us when we are sick and come to our aid at a moment’s notice.

- Demo

In this advertisement, the woman is shown to exhibit symptoms of a cold or flu when
the Lemsip mascot comes to help her. When the mascot arrives, he is shown handing
the woman a steaming mug full of Lemsip, showing that one way to consume the
product is by adding it to boiling water. In the next shot, the mascot is shown offering
the woman a packet of Lemsip tablets, showing that another way to use Lemsip is to
ingest a tablet with some water and in the rest of the advert, the woman is seen
recovering with a steaming mug and the Lemsip mascot beside her, showing that by
drinking a cup of Lemsip will bring you back to good health and get rid of your cold.
- Exemplary Story (Show the Benefit)

Throughout the advertisement the woman is shown coughing, sneezing, staying in

bed and having headaches, however, once the Lemsip mascot enters the
advertisement and offers help by giving the woman the Lemsip product, she is
shown smiling. After being given a warm cup of Lemsip and a packet of Lemsip
tablets, the woman is shown smiling and is visibly grateful to be beating her cold
thanks to the Lemsip products, this pays off in the final scenario of the advert, when
the woman is shown recoiling, about to sneeze and the Lemsip mascot is standing
beside her, waiting to help the woman, but she does not sneeze and instead smiles
to the mascot, showing that she has beaten the cold and is thankful for the product.

- Associated User Imagery

One of the more subtle types of advertising in this advert, Associated User Imagery is
used by showing the main focus of the advert, the woman, as being just a regular
person going by their day when the sickness strikes. This makes the audience
connect more with both the woman and the advertisement because the target
audience is not supermodels or famous actors, but regular people that are studying
for exams, taking in the groceries, at work, moving to a new house and talking to
friends and family. This makes the audience feel like they could be the one in this
situation and that they need to buy this product in case they find themselves in this
situation.

Psychological Triggers

- Honesty

This Lemsip advertisement gets straight to the point and shows exactly what the
product can achieve, they don’t advertise Lemsip as a miracle worker, it won’t
automatically beat your flu and make you feel better the second you take it, the
advertisement shows that the product takes time to work, at the beginning of the
advert the woman is sick and at the end of the advert she is not back to feeling
healthy, but she is shown to be slightly better and in recovery thanks to the product.
This is Lemsip as a company and a brand being honest with their customers and not
promising to instantly bring them back to health, but instead, they promise to help
them get on the road to recovery.
- Justify the Purchase

Lemsip justifies the purchase of buying their product by showing that if you are sick
and you buy the product, you will eventually get better. If you don’t buy the product,
it will take you longer to get better, this means that the audience believe that if they
buy the product, they can keep it in their house until they are sick and then they can
use it to get better. This creates a situation where the customer will buy it and feel
like their purchase has been justified because they will have the product for
whenever they need it.

- Current Fads

At the end of the advertisement, the woman is shown on a video call with her family
members while she sits alone in her living room, this is showing the current social
climate due to COVID-19 as there are restrictions prohibiting gatherings of people in
person. This is also shown when the narrator says, “This year is no different.” This
shows the audience that even during the pandemic, Lemsip will be there to help
their cold.

- Fear

Although it may be subtle, this advertisement also uses fear as a psychological

trigger. The ad puts across the idea that if you don’t buy Lemsip, the next time you
are sick, Lemsip will not be there the help you get on the road to recovery and
therefore you will be sick for longer, convincing the customers to buy the product or
they’ll regret it once it’s too late.

- Simplicity

One of the most powerful psychological triggers in this advertisement is simplicity.

Buy Lemsip, if you’re sick, take it and get better. It’s simple, there are no extra steps,
just use the product if you’re sick and you’ll get better quicker. It works so well
because there is no room for confusion and that’s why it works so well, it can be
understood by anyone and everyone, no matter what language you speak.
 Bibliography

Lemsip Advert:
https://youtu.be/muspiEmkjcE

12 Types of Advertising:
https://chloewalkermedia.wordpress.com/simons-project-2/unit-19-
advertising-production/12-types-of-advertising/

Joe Sugarman 31 Psychological Triggers:

https://www.dseeker.com/psychological-triggers/