Conventions of Adverts

Conventions of print adverts

Print adverts are usually made up of the following key features, known as conventions. These are the things that make it recognisable as an advert ‑ the logo, slogan, brand name etc. Not all adverts feature all these conventions all of the time, but they are considered to be the ‘norm'.

Product or Service   
            This is what is being advertised ‑ coffee, mascara and baby food are all

            products, banking, insurance, gas supplies are all services. Some

            adverts promote an overall company (or brand) as opposed to a

            specific product made by that company. Fashion, sportswear and

            technology adverts are often like this.

Brand    This is the ‘idea’ of the product and is often the same as the company who 
               manufacture the product or provide the service.

Image           
            The central or key picture that encourages us to look at the advert.

            This can be analysed by looking at its technical features (lighting,

            camera position etc). These are called technical codes. Also you would

            explore its visual codes. This refers to the content of the picture (who

            or what is the picture of, their position, clothing, d6cor etc).

Copy    This is the written explanation of the product on the advert.

Slogan    This is the catchy phrase about the brand or the product that is

                supposed to stick in our minds.

Brand logo   This is the small graphic used to represent the brand.

The copy, slogan and brand logo all act as anchorage on a print advert.