TV Advert Evaluation

TV Advert Evaluation

The Brief

The brief was to remarket a Unilever product so that it attracted a new target audience. Our chosen product was Pot Noodle. We decided as a group to remarket Pot Noodle as it is a product that we all are familiar with. The current target audience for the product is working class people or students. As a group we decided to appeal to middle class people as we felt that there aren’t many fast and easy food products for middle class people.

The finished product and feedback

I used a survey and questionnaires to collect feedback on are Pot Noodle advert.  Seven people replied to the survey and questionnaire, five of which were male and two were female.  Four of the respondents were students, one was a teacher, one was a chef, and the other claimed to be a full time game.  Five of the respondents were teenagers, one was 72 and the other was 51. The majority of the respondents acknowledged that the advert was about a hurried business man but one respondent said that they didn’t understand the advert.  Most people felt that the advert would appeal to busy people. A few people thought that the advert would appeal to middle class people as intended, but one person thought that it would appeal to a working class man. Furthermore most people said that they liked the montage the most in the advert.  People criticised the advert by saying that the product wasn’t something they would buy regardless of how it was advertised, the rest of the respondents said that the music in the advert was too quick.

In my opinion our advert was appropriate to our target audience as it was filmed in a middle class setting which middle class people can relate to. Also I feel that we were able to appeal to our target population because the actor and setting are highly relatable for middle class people. Middle Class people can see this advert and say that they have been in the same rushed situation before.

The main technical and aesthetic qualities of our advert are the mise-en-scene, camera work, editing, and sound. The mise-en-scene is effective in our ad because it is a typical middle class setting and the viewer can see from the off that the advert features a middle class person.  The props in our piece seemed very appropriate particularly the brief case and keys which are typically used by middle class people.  Furthermore a range of camerawork has been used to create an ad which is entertaining and that has good variety. My particular favourite shot is the match on action shot of the character pulling up his tie. I also feel that the editing is quite good in our ad especially the montage which shows the Pot Noodle being opened. The music in our advert is also very effective in creating a rushed and hurried atmosphere.  

I feel that the content in our ad is effective as again the storyline is very relatable to middle class people. The kitchen also has a real middle class, posh feel to it. 

The persuasion techniques that we used to sell our product were very effective. To sell our product we used a relatable character.

The message that we were trying to get across was that Pot Noodle is a quick and simple snack which is a convenient food option for the middle class person.  We wanted to also tell viewers that a Pot Noodle isn’t just for working class people and that it can be enjoyed by the middle class person as well. We also used the slogan ‘Pastaa but Fastaa’ to make Pot Noodle appeal to middle class people as it sounds posher then ‘Pot Noodle’

In parts I feel that our advert is fit for purpose as it does look very middle class who are our target audience.  Furthermore I think that it complies with advertising regulations and there is content that could offend.

Personal Reflection

The final advertisement exceeds my expectations mainly because of the realistic middle class kitchen which we were able to film in.  The kitchen makes the advert seem more professional then if we would have used a working class person’s kitchen.  The final piece is actually very similar to the scenes that we created in are storyboard which means that we planned are ad well. But obviously are advert wasn’t exactly the same as are storyboard and some of it had to be adapted.

In my opinion our advert is fairly good and works well.  If we were to do this project again I would probably get more involved in the editing which I couldn’t initially as I had limited knowledge on it.

The opportunity to film at a good location was helpful

Shots

Throughout our TV advert there are various shots that are used to good effect. For example 6 minutes into the advert a close-up shot of the businessman watch is shown to create a hurried atmosphere. This is effective as the product that is being advertised is renowned for being a quick and easy snack. Another effective shot used in the ad is the long distance establishing shot of the kitchen 2 minutes into the advert. This shot sets the scene for the advert from the off; you get to know what location the ad is set in, who is in the advert and the products demographic. The POV shot used of the gentleman opening the cupboard and picking up the pot noodle is also highly effective. It show cases the entire product which the advert is trying to sell. 

Weaknesses

One weak point in are TV advert is that the montage of the pot noodle being prepared some cuts are  bit jumpy and inaccurate. Also I feel that in parts acting could be improved. For example at the part when I am on the computer the acting is fairly weak, but we aren't professional actors. I also feel that we could have added a voice over at the end of the advert. This would create a bit of diversity to the advert and could have been used to explain the product further.

Technical Aspects

In my opinion the mise-en-scene used in this advert is very good. The clothing which the gentlemen is wearing makes him look like a middle class professional which is what we tried to achieve. We thought if we used a character who is a person from our demographic; he would relate to the target audience better. Furthermore the use of the kitchen is effective as it looks like a working professionals kitchen. The whole idea of the mise-en-scene is so that the situation that the character is in is relate-able to audiences. 

The most effective use of editing in the advert is probably the montage of the pot noodle being prepared. I feel that it is nice and fluid and also is a great way of emphasising how quick and easy it is to make a pot noodle. I also like the close-up shots used at the beginning of the commercial when the man is rushing to work. It makes it clear that the man is in a rush and shows that the pot noodle doesn't take any preparation at home as he just picks it up and walks out of the door.