Tide

Question 1

Tide product context

Answer 1

• Launched by Procter and Gamble in 1946, quickly becoming a brand leader in the USA
• Print and radio advertising used the housewife character and the ideology that consumers loved and adored the product
• The rapid technological boom after WWII increased the demand for domestic appliances

Question 2

Composition

Answer 2

The Z formation or rule of thirds can be applied to this advert.
This creates an enigma code. The audience must look at the advert to determine the unique selling point.

Question 3

Colour

Answer 3

Bright colours create a positive brand identity.
The colour red emphasises the passion consumers feel towards the product and how useful it is in their everyday life.

Question 4

Text and font

Answer 4

Sans serif font connotes an informal mode of address. This can link to how Tide is a part of every household
The bullet points are written in a serif font to convey more serious practical information about the product

Question 5

Barthes’ semantic code

Answer 5

Suspense is created through the enigma “what women want”
The cartoon hearts connote love and a relationship with the product.
Hyperboles and superlatives emphasise the superior cleaning power of Tide.
This allowed P&G to quickly overtake their competitors

Question 6

Target audience

Answer 6

Whilst men were being targeted for the post war boom in America’s car industry, women were being targeted for innovative domestic technologies.
Affluent lower middle class women.

Stereotypical representations of housewives and domestic servitude became linked to a more modern need for a better standard of living.

Question 7

Dress codes and representation of gender

Answer 7

Short hair was fashionable for women during the war, as it was hazardous when working with machinery. The headband suggests she is focused on her work.
However, this is opposed by the makeup, suggesting women need to look attractive even when working.

Question 8

Gauntlet’s theories of identity

Answer 8

Women in the advert are represented as role models of domestic perfection. Women should construct their identities based on this.

Question 9

Uses and gratifications theory

Answer 9

The adverts demographic is constructed through the use of women the audience may identify with. For example, the washing line with men’s and children’s clothes may appeal to newly wed young women looking to start families.

Question 10

Stuart Halls reception theory

Answer 10

The preferred reading is that despite being a new product, Tide provides solutions to the audiences domestic needs
The dominant hegemonic encoding of the advert is that a woman’s relationship with the product is of prime importance

Question 11

Direct address

Answer 11

Puts an emphasis on the personal aspect of the product, as an important part of domestic life

Question 12

Gerbner’s cultivation theory

Answer 12

The advert cultivates the idea that Tide is the brand dealer. This product works better than any alternative.
The endorsement from good housekeeping emphasises this.
The repetition of these key messages influences the audience to take up the ideology that this is the most innovative product on the market