Advert Analysis 1 - Birds eye fish fingers

Advert style - this ad is a mix of genre's of advert, there are features of many. It could be seen as a comparison ad, in which the BirdsEye fish fingers are shown to be the better brand over the cheaper special offer fish fingers, highlighting the attributes of the product. However, it also has elements of a testimonial style, in which the polar bear is the knowledgeable person, telling Fiona about the benefits of BirdsEye's product, over the cheaper brand - this is usually a fairly uninteresting advertising method, but here it is given a twist with a bit of humour, and is still quite quick and snappy. It also has an ongoing character, so fits into this category, as the polar bear is featured in a series of adverts, this is building a brand identity, as the polar bear becomes a symbol of the brand, and can be used to sell the brand. Birdseye are now offering free polar bear toys from coupons on the back of packs, this is continuing with the popular character and will help audiences to connect with it.


 Camera, Sound, Mise en Scene and editing analysis -


- opens with  a medium to long shot of the ktichen, establishing the setting - a middle class, fairly standard looking kitchen, homely, slightly cluttered with family photo's on the wall, this is suggesting it is a homely family environment, she is setting out multiple plates for the family too.
- There is no diegetic sound, or even ambient sound, it is very quiet.
- straight cuts are used between shots - standard for an advert as pace must be kept quick.
- As she opens the fridge there is a close up, eye level shot reverse shot between the two characters, showing their reactions, as they are contrasted, she is shocked, while he has been expecting her.
- Everything behind her is in soft focus, so the audience attention is kept on her, her body language and expression, which says alot about her reaction to the situation. whilst his surroundings are in focus with him, as the contents of the fridge and his habitat are important.
- a two shot shows the two characters interacting, her body language remaining very rigid, while he seems relaxed
-  the line of the fridge door seperates the two chracters in the frame, showing their differences and that they are from different backgrounds.
- their are many over the shoulder shos, so while the bear speak we can still see her remaining still and upright, very rigid.
- as he points to the generic brand fish fingers, one of the packets is to his left, and the birdseye packet is to his right, seperated, like good and evil.
- the editing is fast, flicking between CU's of each characters reactions
- he is much more central in the frame than she is, suggesting dominance
-  a close up of the products packaging shows the brand logo, its colourful packaging and the products attributes again , the omega 3 and 100% fillet,
- over the shoulder mid shot of the bear, pointing at Fiona, claiming he is "watching her", a comic way of being persuasive.
- a close up zoom of the product, shows its fluffy 100% fillet middle, the subject of the advert, so the viewers can see for themselves what the product is like.
- the peas on the plate help the viewer associate the product with Birds Eye, as they have become slightly symbolic of the brand
- a non diegetic voiceover repeats the subject of the advert - the 100% and omega 3, this is giving repetition.
- lastly, an end title with a slogan " we're only content with 100%", this ends the advert nicely, the slogan is rhyming and catchy, and put next to the birdseye logo, so the sogan is associated with the logo, building the brand identity.



what is being advertised? -
Birdseye 100%filled fish fingers - more ematy than cheaper brands

where and when did the ad appear?
telelvision, major channels such as bbc and itv, may 2010

why did it appear there?
it was a sequence of adverts after christmas, to push the quality of birdseye food, in a downturn in the economy where ceaper brands may be chosen, birdseyes were pushing people to pay more for better quality BirdEye food. Cost them 9 million to produce such a large scale ad campaign, but BirdsEye have a large budget for advertising.

what is the intended audience?
middle aged audience i would think, each advert in the series features middle age, middle income, average looking people, representing the majority of society, they are appelaing and releatable to the audience, seeming very family orientated. As this is Birdseyes mian consumer base, it is not a niche product, but a mass, everyday one, so is appealing to a mass audience.

what graphic mode is used?
this is a live action advert, but the bear is a puppet, giving it life like movement, making it feel quite realistic.

where is it set in space and time?
it is modern, set in the present, in a family home - this is keeping it up to date and staying relateable and appealing to the mass. Home is distinctly average and standard.

who are the participants?
Fiona, the femal character, and the Birdseye bear, she is confused while he lectures here on the benefits of birdseye fish fingers. The bear is almost mocking her, and she become quite childlike, vulnerable. I think this is making a joke out of the typical advert - that commands an audience to buy osmeting - slightly ironic and jokey. The bear dominates the advert, as they juxtapose the cute cuddly puppet with a serious voice and some chilling words, he has power over fiona entirely.

what are the key objects?
key objects are the firdge, where the bear sits, as he is enclosed, so she gets a shock when she opens it, this is important as she is not expecting him to be there, and neither are the audience, creates some interest for the audience, who are expecting another standard food advert. The fish finger packets are important, both Birdseye and the alternative brand, this is bringing in the style of advert known as "comparison", which highlights the products comptitive advantage, the comparison between the two fish fingers packets is important. Lastly, one of the important objects is the zoom onto the actual product, cut open, hihglighting the products attributes, its fluffy fillign and crispy coating.

what part is played by words?
the first dialogue is spoken by the bear, who says "Hi Fiona", this is an important feature, as fiona is confused that there is a bear in her fridge, but even more confused that he knows her name, this is chilling and a bit strange, and she replies with a smiple "hi" as she doesnt know who he is, or what he is doing there. His speech is very clear and dominant, while she is quiet, hesistant and stumbling, and only uses words or short sentences, she is relatively mute, in shock and slightly nervous. There is another moment created by the speech in which he audience can relae, the bear wants an answer to why she would buy a cheap brand, and she hesitates and stumbles to give an excuse, this is relateable as she is becoming weaker as she interrogates her, and he audience will understand what it feels like when you know you have done someting wrong, and are trying to explain it to someone who is angry. The bear is fairly belittling, he speaks to her as though she is very young and doesnt understand, while he explains the products ebnefits, it is a clever way to advertise while keeping it snappy. when he says "huh" he is also treatig her like she is quite young and inferior, but in a humerous way.

what part is played by the use of sound or light?
The advert has no ambient sound or score until fiona opens the fridge, when a slightly tense soundtrack plays, it has slightly eerie but still light and playful, not too in your face or overpowering. because the music plays as she opens the fridge, it signifies something is about to happen, and seperates the advert, from the normality of her kitchen, to the strange happenings in the fridge. This is also reflected in the lighting, it is lighter and airier in the kitchen, with a feeling of space, and in the fridge it is darker, gloomier and has a more restrictive feel.


with what is the product associated?
The creation of the popular character, the BirdsEye bear, will associate the product with the popular bear, giving Birdseye a good brand image. The ad also associates the product with fairly middle class, slightly wealthier people, the ad features a large pristine kitchen, with expensive appliances. This is giving the product a higher brand image too, if it were a dirty small cheap kitchen, the product wouldn't be seen as so quality.


what does the ad suggest abut gender roles, class, age, ethnicity or self identity?
The ad features a woman in her kitchen, she also mentions that the other fish fingers were special offer, so she must have done the shopping, this is portraying her in a conventional gender role, being the housewife, she is also quite weak in the advert, dominated by the male character of the polar bear, this is also conventional gender roles, in which the woman is being told what to do.  Class is also represented in the text, as the woman seems to be of fairly middle class, so she is relateable, but she is buying on special, suggesting that she is more concerned about price than product.


what use is made of humour, and to what effect?
The ad uses subtle humour, to keep it snappy, and stop it from being a simple "tell you about the product" kind of ad. It is cleverly used, mostly by the way they juxtapose the cute cuddly bear with the threatening tone, the way they use the cuddly bear as the antagonist, and a middle aged woman as the protagonist is humerous, as normal roles are subverted, and this is slightly unrealistic. The audience will connect with it because of the humour, which masks that there is actually an awful lot of hard-selling in the advert, with a lot of repetition.

what is the most likely interpretation?
The ad is pretty straightforward, it looks as though the woman is setting the table for a family dinner, she reaches in the freezer to grab something, and finds the polar bear, who asks why she would have bought cheap fish fingers,  she is extremely shocked, is given the BirdsEye fingers instead, and closes the bear back in the fridge to continue her meal. She seems like a fairly weak woman, and is in a conventional role as the housewife, in her fairly large, wealthy home

what scope is there for alternative interpretations?
There is little scope, as the ad is very straightforward, layed out for the viewer, so they dont have to make too many assumptions, the fridge scene is fairly straightforward, however before fiona opens the fridge, she is laying out plates, her marital status and if she has an children is unknown, and i think most likely the audience will assume she is a typical housewife with children, setting up a family meal, whoever this could be interpreted differently, she could in fact be making a meal for anyone, friends, relatives, this could change how the audience see the advert, and also how they perceive the female character.