Analysis of Advertisements - OUGD401 - Study task 1

With a modern eye ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ advertisement -created in 1876 by Schumacher & Ettlinger - can seem complicated at first. It seems unusual for the product being advertised (in this case an oven) not to be centre of attention. However, the outstanding political message is hard to miss.

The company’s American routes are made obvious by a number of visual ‘clues’. Firstly, the red, white and blue colours seem to absorb all objects around them.  Not to mention the stars and stripes swallowing up the carpet, curtain and walls. All this is representative of the American flag. Other symbols representative of America are used such as eagles and guns. On closer analysis, the clock shows dates (1776 and 1876).This acknowledges and celebrates the 100 years of America’s independence. The font on the dinner table seems extravagant like this potential American lifestyle shown. Furthermore, the classic uppercase western font displayed at the bottom of the image in shining gold, reflects America’s power, wealth and authority. The painting style of the advert also reflects a regal feeling. There is a clear sense of patriotism and pride in America that cannot be missed.

So, why is the advert more focussed on America than the product itself? Judging from the imagery used, the idea is that the world has come to “Uncle Sam’s Little Dinner Party 1876”. This sounds positive at first, but if you look closely at the receipt held by ‘the world’, the racism and mockery towards other countries comes to light. Also, the use of the slave shows America’s attitude to the rest of the world- despite the abolishment of slavery in 1833. America appears to be boasting of its cultural superiority whilst belittling other countries. The advert is suggesting that if you buy this cooker, you will be living the American dream, as illustrated in the image itself.

The viewer imagines this American dream. No matter who you are or what background you have come from, you will succeed and be prosperous in America. The target audience is questionable. It could be aimed at the middle class, illustrating to them the extravagant lifestyle that they could lead if they were to purchase the oven. If aimed at the upper class, it simply competes with the other cookers on the market and comforts them that their ideal lifestyle will be possible with the product. It is likely that the image is aimed at men, as a man is the centre of the image and all is revolving around him. This was the culture of the time.

In 1915, a poster with many similarities to Uncle Sam’s, was produced by Savile Lumley.  The poster is far more simplistic. The illustration is set in the future and it shows a father and two children in what appears to be the sitting room. The advert communicates that the daughter is asking her father the question written at the bottom of the poster - “Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?”. The poster aims to make the viewer feel a sense of guilt and therefore guilt trip men into becoming soldiers.

 The question can be answered in two ways, however, the stern look on the fathers face suggests that he did not put himself forward as a solider. This forces the viewer to imagine the potential consequences and embarrassment if did not become a solider. The imagery also promotes being protective towards your family- if you don’t go to war, you are not protecting your family!

The use of a script font for the caption expresses the innocence of the child and makes the advert feel more personal. The ‘YOU’ is capitalised and underlined- this combined with the father looking directly towards the viewer makes the advert very direct and almost commanding. The son in the image clearly looks up to the army as he plays with his war toys. The viewer can imagine the boy explaining how he would join the army, so why didn’t you daddy? All of these tools only increase the pressure to become a solider.

There is an interesting use of colour in the advert. Both males are dressed in warm colours , yet the girl who is asking the question is dressed in colder blue colours. This may represent the coldness women would feel towards men if they were too cowardly to join the army.

The image shares the same patriotism as Uncle Ben’s. The curtains are layered in red roses, a symbol of England. Likewise, another symbol of England – a fleur de lis – covers the chair. In both images there is a shared sense of pride, in yourself or in your country.  There is a common aim to persuade the audience in terms of sale. Uncle Ben’s aims to sell the product, whereas you are guilt tripped into selling your life for the second image. There is also an offer of contentment or promise that is visualised in the image, the viewer naturally wants to aim for this. Finally, both images appear to be aimed at men. The male is always central and this reflects the time period and culture when these images were produced. In modern day, it could be argued that more pressure is on women, but in these images it is clear that in the past, an immense amount of pressure was laid on men.