Advertisement Visual Analysis

In the Starbucks ad, it is illustrating how Starbucks coffee can make staying awake comfortable. The picture itself is a big brown eye zoomed in immensely with a piece of tape stuck to the eyebrow holding the eyelid open. The lighting is focused on the centre of the eye that makes it stand out more. It is obvious that the message they are trying to get across
is how painful staying awake is. Nowadays people do ridiculous things just to try to stay awake. Most of this things are harmful to oneself, for example, use of energy drinks, smoking and drinking excessively as well as taping their eyelids as showed by the ad. The caption at the bottom states in white letters, “Staying awake will never be this painful anymore.” Beneath that, there is another caption that says “It’s not just coffee. It’s Starbucks.” That sentence is in dark green letters which kind of blends in with the picture. The infamous Starbucks logo is in the bottom right corner and is relatively significant compared to how zoomed in the image is. The image is using the tape in order show how tired this person is that they can’t keep their eyes open, but Starbucks can solve that problem for them by buying their products.
The target audience for Starbucks ad is mostly adults who, in this case, could be our professor. From the ad, it is clear that the person’s eye is an adult, and this indicates the audience targeted. Adults tend to spend their money on pricier, and fancy drinks and Starbucks coffee is one of them. The ad establishes credibility by stating “it’s not just coffee. It’s Starbucks”. It shows that Starbucks is a well-known name brand, and the public can see that it is superior to other coffee companies. Starbucks targeted audience enjoys not only a cup of coffee but also the environment that is experienced in a Starbucks café. In today’s generation adults are also catching up with the new trends whereby, in this case, it is coffee.
The idea behind this ad is to present a humorous suggestion to the audience. The ad achieves a persuasive technique that makes the receptors laugh and often gives them little attention on the information about the product. In this case, the logo is at the bottom right corner, and it has bright colours making it less visible on a bright background. To add to that there is less information about the product making the consumer more curious about it. The ad is also persuasive as it plays as an alternate to use tape to keep the user awake and hence making them curious to try the product. Also, the ad convinces the consumer to try the product as an alternate to not only taping the eye but also, to other painful processes done so as to stay awake.
The ad is effective in that it catches the audience eye in a humorous manner that is not usual making them remember it often. The advertisement is creative and visual, and this helps in attracting new customers to try Starbucks coffee. One would be interested in trying out whether the suggested solution to having pain while wake will work. The statement, “It’s not just coffee. It’s Starbucks.” indulges the customer to think if there is more to it than just normal coffee that can be purchased from elsewhere.
The ineffective part of this ad is that the absurd alternative is presented in a seemingly earnest manner that is demonstrated in the advert’s statement ‘staying awake will never be this painful anymore’. The declaration insists on the idea that this is a practice alternative and the unrealism of the option is visible to the consumer. Making the choice seemingly real weakens the ad. Also, the skin tone of the person brightens the background making it difficult to read the name Starbucks.
In the Dunkin Donuts ad, there is a hand wrapped around a Dunkin Donuts cup with black duct tape stating the crucial need for coffee. The caption is “FINALS WEEK” in bulky orange letters. The caption stands out entirely about the hand. The image is saying how during finals week coffee is a must, and Dunkin Donuts is a reliable source. At the bottom of the picture, there are four small icons of a graduation cap, a pulse rate, the word “on,” and the DD logo from Dunkin Donuts. Beneath that there is a small caption stating “AMERICA RUNS ON DUNKIN."
The target audience is the students. The captions at the bottom illustrate this especially the graduation cap, and it is reinforced by the caption finals week. Finals week is written in caps indicating that the audience targeted is about to do their exams and to concentrate a mug of coffee from Dunkin Donuts will be effective. Students often do add in some effort just before exams and hence always require much concentration. Coffee is a stimulant making it effective for one to concentrate. The ad also tries to attract its audience by creating a notion that all Americans consume its product. Students often prefer being associated with the most known and flashy products.
Dunkin Donuts ad focuses more on its colors and its creativeness. The fact that there is a hand wrapped with duct tape holding a cup makes it appealing and quickly attracts a consumer, because of its uniqueness. The colors white, orange and black complements each other making the ad visible. The background has an orange colour, which creates an illustrious and joyful moment to the advertisement. Also, the ad also focuses on the words “finals week” to imply it’s time to focus and taking Dunkin Donuts coffee will help. In this case, colour has been used to catch the consumer’s eye and allow for a focal point.
The ad is active in that, the caption and block font contrast making the ad interesting. The block font chosen by the ad creators is appealing, which reinforces the target audience of the ad who are the students. In sticking to only a few colours and one font, the ad is not confusing and at the same time it is consistent, and the viewer can follow what is going on. Finally, the image adds interest and create a focal point in the advertisement. The picture of a hand wrapped with duct tape holding a mug gives a picture to the product and perpetuates the edgy nature of the ad. Overall, this ad utilizes all of those techniques to create an efficient campaign for marketing a Dunkin Donuts product.