Deconstruct this commercial using these questions:
1. Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why?
2. Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What words, images or sounds suggest this?
3. What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.)
4. What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?)
5. What kind of lifestyle is presented? How?
6. What values are expressed?
7. What tools of persuasion are used? See "The language of persuasion "
8. What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented?
9. What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does this serve the media maker's interests?
10. What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the untold stories?
Sample Deconstruction
Healthy Choice Café Steamers
Mother’s Day is coming and so will an onslaught of commercials for flowers and cards. But don’t look to Healthy Choice to truly honor mothers. Their recent commercial for Café Steamers is loaded with an ageist subtext that should have mothers reeling, not celebrating.
The commercial was created by Healthy Choice to sell their subgroup of packaged ready meals called Café Steamers. It is just one of many products from Healthy Choice, a product of ConAgra Foods, Inc. ConAgra Foods, Inc. is one of the largest food corporations in the country. Their corporate success largely came on the backs of Latina workers who worked for the company without any union representation for many years. It was just in 2001, the workers managed to negotiate their first union contract and a pay increase.
Of course, none of this history is even slightly represented in this ad. Instead, we see an ad that clearly targets a white, older, suburban, upper-middle class audience. The family looks like a typical white American family. The young couple is in their mid-30s and look like two working professionals. The mother could be in her 60's. The couple seems to have no children and the apartment seems to be big, spotless, and bright with large marble countertops and chrome accents.
The subtext of the commercial is that we should be annoyed and disturbed by mothers who “act young.” Not only should we be disturbed or annoyed, but this commercial suggests that it is humorous that older women struggle resisting their aging process in a country that punishes elderly people through media and government measures like decreasing social security. Aside from messages about youthfulness, this commercial’s subtext also suggests that healthy eating can come in a packaged bag full of preservatives and sodium.
Like any other media commercial, this ad uses several techniques of persuasion to get viewers to buy their product.
Humor: The ad pokes fun at the aging mother who wants to resist aging by “dressing young.” The daughter then makes a joke about how these steamers are cheaper than Botox and will help her stay young.
Repetition: Nearly every other line was either about the mother's "desperation" or the Café Steamers.
Testimonials: The daughter's partner was quick in pointing out the quality aspects of the food. "Delicious", "Fresh", "Crisp".
Simple Solution: The commercial suggests that Healthy Choice is a quick path toward green and healthy lifestyles.
These Café Steamers are a part of the Weight Watchers diet which targets mostly older women who are interested in losing weight. So as this product tries to sell healthy eating it is at the same time re-inscribing unhealthy messages about aging and body image. These messages are what help make this product sell because without a consumer base of older women who are ashamed of their age and body, Healthy Choice has no profits.
Healthy Choice did not give a healthy message here. Instead of celebrating mothers, the company further demeaned them for profit.
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