Print Advertisement Deconstruction

For this assignment I chose to deconstruct the first advertisement I saw in the most recent issue of Times Magazine. I opened to the last page of the magazine and was bombarded by a colorful image of excited people of all ages, races and  a sexes . The five adjectives that came to mind were: fun, colorful, excitement, celebration and shiny. The two dozen or so people in this ad were mostly young adults but I did point out a few older looking adults. Everyone is gathered around the car which is at the center of the photograph. The photo appears to be taken at eye level and is close to the subject (car). Some people are out of frame or can not be seen behind the car and other individuals. Everyone is wearing single colored outfits that are of bright and neon. The words at the top are large, bold and all CAPS. The bottom has smaller print and a different font. All the wording is in white and reads from top to bottom: "THE ALL-NEW 2014 COROLLA- (in smaller print) WE TURNED UP EVERYTHING - Elevate your style with the 2014 Corolla. Bold, aggressive lines, cutting edge design and advanced technology will take your game to the next level. Learn more at Toyota.com/corolla- TOYOTA- Let's Go Places"

This is obviously an advertisement for a new car. The subject is very appealing because it makes the car seem hip and fun. Everyone appears excited about the car and it seems like they are celebrating with confetti in the air and posed while jumping and laughing. The car itself looks shiny, sleek and modern. I believe the target for this ad is young adults although there are people of all ages. The advertisement made me excited about the car and appealed to me because it seemed fun, energetic and cool.

The advertisement assumes that all genders and races will love this car. All the people are dressed in casual clothing and the picture appears to be taken outdoors in a middle class neighborhood. I assume that the advertisement wants us to believe that this is a car for the masses and that everyone will enjoy it.

As far as advertisements go, I believe this was pretty tame and appeals to a wide range of people. I think the only expectation is that if you buy this car you will have fun and want to celebrate. I don't think I would go dancing in the streets on account of this car but it may be nice to have a new car. I don't believe that this advertisement is trying to say anything about social change. If anything it is inclusive and may counter social change. I think this ad would prove to be socially responsible if it said something about fuel economy but it does not. As I look at this ad I am not considering citizenship. This is a purely consumer driven advertisement. It may be possible to be both a citizen and consumer. Lately, I have been making conscious efforts to buy from companies that attempt to be socially responsible in terms of how they treat employees and materials used.