Codes and Conventions in advertisement can be split into 3 different groups, these include:
- Technical (camera techniques and shots)
- Symbolic (clothing and colour)
- Written and Audio (music)
All of these are vital when creating and advert, they can make or break and advert. They need to be persuasive, appealing and memorable in order for the advert to be successful. Although using these techniques can be difficult, if it is aimed at the right target audience then they can be persuasive, for example the Go Compare advert is aimed at adults but uses a catchy jingle that is memorable as well as using adult humor. In the ad there is a man singing some form of opera describing Go Compare, and at the end one of the men sat drinking coffee says 'he's only a tenner' this is humor that is aimed at adults.
Iconography
Iconography is when either an icon character or song is used in an advert, so whenever we see a certain advert we expect to see that song or character, Iconograpghy can be very effective as he creates an image for a product and it sticks in your head, especially with a song as people may start to sing along everytime they see an advert even when they don’t realise they are. For example the Compare the Market advert uses Aleksandr the meerkat which is known by almost everyone, as soon as you see the meerkat you know it’s for Compare the Market. The Go compare adverts are aimed at adults, the advert tries to get all the information they think the viewers will need into a catchy advert.
As well as Iconic characters, songs and jingles are used, for example the We Buy Any Car.com advert has one of the catches jingles at the moment, most people will sing along when it comes on and know exactly what is being advertised.
Special Effects & CGI
Special effect and CGI are also used in adverts, they can create effects and different visions that cannot be made from a normal set, and they can intensify and make an advert more appealing. They can be aimed at a wide variety of audiences. An example of an advert that uses CGI and special effects is the Guinness advert, the three men start to drink and then time rewinds and they go back through all the stages in history like the stone age, ice age and prehistoric era, CGI and special effects are used throughout this advert. This can impress an audience and makes the advert memorable.
