Ad #5: Campbell's Soup

Critical Analysis:

The target audience of this advertisement is athletic men ages 16-28. The writing of the advertisement as well as the photograph appeal to men in this market segment. In the picture, the man is wearing dirty football gear and looks very manly. The words "hungry man" also have a manly connotation. I believe athletic men in this age group would see themselves in the photograph and want to buy Campbell's soup. The bright colors + the vivid image make this advertisement an effective form of persuasion. The colors instantly grab the readers attention. The fact that the image of the football player is sandwiched between two bright orange rectangles brings the readers attention to the image. The image the advertisers chose to advertise Campbell's soup is a very powerful one. The man looks dirty, exhausted, and famished from his game, and is choosing to eat Campbell's soup to fill him. This advertisement utilized pop culture because it is selling a canned good. Throughout this time period, the switch from strictly home-cooked meals to ready-made meals continued. The wife/mother of the family had other priorities, and couldn't always prepare dinner or snacks for her family. Canned, processed, and frozen meals became very popular for their convenience. Also, in the year this ad was published, the New York Jets won the Superbowl. This event of pop culture influenced which celebrity Campbell's chose to endorse their product. 

Comprehensive Analysis: 

This advertisement is selling Campbell's Soup, particularly Campbell's Vegetable Beef. This advertisement was run in the 1960s. One of the advertising methods used in the ad is celebrity appeal.  The athlete shown in the advertisement is Gerry Philbin, a New York Jets Defensive End. He is eating the soup, and anyone who knew who he was would want to buy Campbell's soup after seeing them eating it. This advertisement also exemplifies the look of the ad. The ad makers used bold headlines as well as photographs and an interesting layout to sell the product. The advertisement is immediately attention grabbing, and would have the same effect on the viewer no matter where it's placed in a magazine or a newspaper. They also used more of a soft-sell method. The advertisement appeals more to the thoughts and emotions of the viewer than to logic and reasoning. The ad doesn't give much factual information about the product, other than suggesting that it is hearty and filling (from the headline). This product would be important to someone during this time period because it helped make life easier. Canned goods made the wife/mother's job easier because it freed up time for them to do other things. It also made the man's life easier because if he was hungry, he could pop open a can of soup instead of waiting on a woman to prepare him a meal. There are no stereotypes demonstrated in this advertisement.