Advertisement Analysis

Spalding NEVER FLAT™ Advertisement Analyzed “Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement” (Samuel). This quotation claims that a promise, as the soul, is an essential part of any advertisement – it means that a promise is always present in an ad. This has always been true even in a long time ago since it was written by the famous writer Johnson Samuel who lived in the 1700s (Lynch). Furthermore, even in those past years, it can be concluded that advertisements had already greatly influenced the lives of people, that this well-known writer even wrote an essay about it – the “Idler No. 040: The Art of Advertising Exemplified” where the quotation is from. Ads can be seen almost everywhere one turns his/her head on to, – TVs, radios, the internet, magazines, billboards, newspapers, posters, flyers, etc. – and it has greatly influenced people in the society by creating these imaginary ‘needs’ – things that people think they cannot live without because of the pressure advertising is tossing to the society – and setting up social standards for fashion, beauty, fitness, technology, lifestyle, and more. In the present time, the quote still holds true as observed in current advertisements – ads making large promises in order to induce its targets to buy the products they are advertising. One of these advertisements is the Ad for Spalding, a sports equipment brand, printed in the July-August 2008 issue of Hoop magazine, an official NBA (National Basketball Association) publication, which uses strong and large promises, a well-known NBA player, and repetition of words to effectively impress basketball enthusiasts and make them buy and use this product. The ad pictures on the right a serious looking Paul Pierce wearing a green, number 34 jersey with his trademark headband on, which is also in green, while holding a basketball on waist level with the brand name “SPALDING” inscribed, and facing front so it shows, and the words “NEVER FLAT” just below the brand name.

Cited: Hirschberg, Stuart. “Rhetoric and Persuasion”. Arguing Across the Disciplines: A Rhetoric and Reader. Eds. Stuart Hirschberg and Terry Hirschberg. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 3-5. Print. Hirschberg, Stuart. “The Rhetoric of Advertising”. Arguing Across the Disciplines: A Rhetoric and Reader. Eds. Stuart Hirschberg and Terry Hirschberg. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 290-294. Print. Lynch, Frank. “Brief Biography”. The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. Magloff, Lisa. “Repetition as an Advertisement Technique”. Chron. Texas: Houston Chronicles, n.p. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. McNamara, Steven Lorin. “Advertising Technique: Testimonials”. AdCracker: The World’s Favorite Digital Creative Partner. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. Samuel, Johnson. “Idler 040 [No. 40: The art of advertising exemplified]”. Read Book Online. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. Spalding. Spalding.com. Russell Brands, LLC, n.p. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. Spalding: True to the Game™. Advertisement. Hoop. July-Aug. 2008. Zillgitt, Jeff. “Pierce Takes Home NBA Finals MVP Award”. USA Today. N.p., June 18 2008. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.