TV Advert Analysis

This is the full 1 minute advert for the popular ever strong energy drink "Relentless". The technical codes involved in the advert attracted me, and left me wondering how the editing was done. I thought I would analyse the technical codes in it, such as the editing speed, the content, and the transitions in the advert.

It starts with a relatively young man potraying the stereotype image of a free runner - baggy clothes and a baseball cap - crouching on the top of a high altitude, when a narrative immediately comes into place, the first line being 'I've always known I was somehow different'. This gives the audience the impression that he is speaking to us directly, about his past. A close up of the bottom of his face sat still thinking is shown along with the line of 'unmoved by common pleasures'. This implements that he is different to everyone else and does not enjoy the normal things in life, the message being he is very original, this also being a similarity to the product being advertised.

The editing pace is quite mixed to begin with; not much movement, but some quick cuts between them (this could be a reference to quick gulps of the drink). This introduces the many things involved in the advert, with the characters and the urban sports such as free running and skateboarding, which are left with no action, portraying the lack of energy, linking to the drink. An excellent example of this is the shots with the skateboard; one a close up on its own snapped in half, and another with the skateboard flipping across the ground of a skate park without any owner. The line of 'darkness and suffering' runs parallel to a number of shots with a skateboarder involved in nasty falls which is a good link between the two as they are obviously suffering. The editing pace then picks up much faster about half way through, with the soundtrack, and action in every shot, being faster. This is a clear implementation of the release of energy due to the consumation of the drink. At 0:29 there is a brief flash which then changes the editing pace, slowing it down, background with blue skies, and longer shots - this could be when the drink is being finished - until 0:38 when the editing pace picks up and the skateboard etc. are together with their owner, and moving swiftly. Every character involved in the build up to the advert - dirtbike driver, skateboarder, surfer, bongo player etc. - is now with their sporting equipment and in action of performing their sports to a high standard. They have found the energy from somewhere, which is obviously connoting the importance of the drink Relentless.

The mise-en-scene demonstrates an urban style to the advert, which will appeal to their target audience quite effectively. The use of a hoody represents youth which will be their main target audience. The use of the monster mask in some shots gives a sense of power to whoever drinks the drink. It is a make believe shot which will appeal to the audience, and result in an effective selling technique.

The action shots of the harder skills in each of the urban sports is a great way to advertise due to people aspiring to be exactly like them and perform the tricks themselves. They aren't the most popular sports, however they are probably the sports which everyone would love to try out, but can't due to reasons such as accessibility (snowboarding - snow), time, and transport.

The use of camera is very varied in this advert. There are inclusions of high angled shots, low angled shots, close ups, medium close ups, wide shots, and long shots, as well as still shots and hand held shots. The range of camera angles fits in well with the variety of sports demonstrated. They are all used to great effect, with long shots of the snowboarder performing tricks in the air, to create a sense of calm with the blue skies, and the hand held camera underneath the dirtbike creating a shaking effect for the audience to relate to.

With 4 seconds to go, the title, slogan, and website are brought in one-by-one, and finally the backdrop fades out, leaving just the text on screen.

This is more of an advert I can look at in terms of what I am looking to achieve in my adverts. The realism in it is 100% with no trick photography minus the mask worn, and I really like the idea of starting off weak and then suddenly improving due to the energy of the drink. The narrative however is something which I will probably not include at first. I may decide that I would benefit with a short narrative in the latter stages.

This is an advert for the popular sports drink "Powerade". The advert is based in a gymnasium, on a full sized basketball court in a stadium-like venue with seats. It is based here as a top athlete should be playing/practicing in a top venue, and therefore the makers of the advert are trying to make this as realistic as they can. The intended audience is probably around the 16-25 range. It is also aimed at people who play sports, at any level, and not only basketball. It shows LeBron James, a famous basketballer, throwing balls consecutively into the hoop from almost a full courts distance. I was incredibly shocked at this when I first saw it, as 99% of people probably would, however it is edited and therefore did not happen as the smallprint at the bottom which I noticed after about 6 times of watching states 'Powerade does not increase strength. It provides carbohydrate fuel'. When watching at home and not closely analysing, I don't think many people would know for real whether the advert was true or edited, however most people would have their doubts. The impression that Powerade gives you special ability to do stuff like this will inspire people to buy the product. The news reader is a good effect which they have included, as it is almost saying to them 'if you drink Powerade, this is what you can do!' The way that the news reporter is streaming live connotes that he is making the shots completely live, with no problems. A good technique they have used is that they have kept the camera distance from the basketball hoop the furthest they can. This adds to the confusion of the audience, wondering whether it is real or not, as the ball disappears from the shot for a split second. The diegetic sound of the crowd cheering and 'wow'ing also give an indication that he is actually making the shots. I cannot think of many techniques used here which I can use to my advantage, as the trick photography and unrealistic events are very difficult to edit. The diegetic sound however is something I will probably look into including in my advertisement.




This is an advert for the popular sports drink Lucozade. The ad appears on a football field, quite a scruffy football field, with oldish players playing against a younger team in a Sunday league match. It is based here to emphasise the standard which the players are competing in. The intended audience is probably around the 14-25 range, however it shows the older people becoming more athletic which may inspire the older generation to purchase the product. It is also aimed at people who play sports, at any level, and not only football. The target audience is shown by the younger team losing to the older team due to the oldies drinking Lucozade. Consequently this shows that the younger team should be determined to step it up and drink Lucozade in order to at least compete with the older side. All of the advertisement is used in the graphic mode of 'live action' however it has obviously been edited. It shows the older team pulling off a lot of skills to humiliate the opposition, implying to the audience that the older team have been drinking Lucozade before the match, and therefore, the energy drink has given them a massive amount of energy to be able to beat the younger team with ease. They try to exagerate the amount of energy which the drink gives them, and it will 'wow' the audience, resulting in more people purchasing the product. Most of the shots are l0ng shots, however close enough to see the skills. This is because at a football game, usually when shown on TV, the shots mostly shown are wide long shots, so all of the action can be seen. These shots however are slightly closer, in order for the audience to see the 'skills' that the older players are producing. If the shots were any closer, it would be too easy for the audience to realise straight away how fake it actually was. I cannot think of many techniques used here which I can use to my advantage, as the trick photography and unrealistic events are very difficult to edit. The logo of the product is a sea shade of blue, which connotes the colour of water and hydration. It is probably the best colour which could be represented for a carbohydrate fueled drink. The sound that is included in the advert, is mainly just basic cheering. However once the first goal is scored, non-diegetic sound, in an upbeat carnival song, is brought into the scene. This goes well with the purpose of the advert, becoming more energetic. The song that the older team sing at the end of the match, in a group hug, is the 'Okie-Cokie'. This could be seen as quite immature, bringing out their youthful side, and also it connotes that the old men still have enough energy to celebrate at the end of the match. The thing which I do like about this advert and may look further into, is the way that many events happen, with different players, producing different tricks.