TV Advert Textual Analysis 

Introduction:

The advert I have chosen is direct line Home insurance. This advert is for home owners who do not pay insurance for their homes. The advert shows that a family’s house gets on fire, and firemen shows up and put the fire down. There’s this wealthy old man dresses in a suit sends two children in a car to a hotel, the owner who’s the mum of the children shows up and asks him what the problem was and he says some technical faults. The mum asks him where the children are and he replies saying they are in a safe hotel where he sent them earlier, she’s shocked and saying that she can’t believe it. The man gets on his car and reveals the name of the company saying: “the direct line will get you an emergency hotel within an hour if you choose them as your home insurance.” The lady seems shocked and nods her head the man greets her and leaves.

This advert shows that, for not paying insurance for your house you might get in big trouble and chaos. The techniques being used in adverts are punishment and reward. Punishment starts at the start of the advert because she didn’t pay insurance her house got blown up, she now she doesn’t have anywhere to go, as the advert continues the man tells her that if she does choose them she will get an emergency hotel within an hour from the insurance company until her home is repaired.

The advert started with the “establishing shot”, where they show what’s going on and give the viewers a dramatic start showing that the house is on fire. Then they do a “two shot” where the man from the company talks to the owner of the house, while they are talking the camera changes to “over the shoulder” where the viewers see from the man’s shoulder and in a few seconds it changes to the woman’s shoulder view. After they finishes talking the man gets into his car and the camera does a “close up” shot showing the man in the car talking, and it quickly changes to a “close up” shot again to the woman. This advertise has got no music until the end where the man leaves with the car and they put a background music and the man leaves.

During the whole advert the company does not show any slogan or logos because it is a Native advertising which means it is an advert pretending to be a content. It is like a mini movie, which at the end of it reveals the actual advert. This advert reveals the name of the company and the slogan at the end of the advert with a music on the background, this catches the viewer’s attention.

I think this advert has used a persuasive method being Logos which means is a logical appeal, by putting the house on fire and the man showing up from nowhere emphases that, if you don’t pay insurance of your house the consequences are horrible.

In addition to that they also have used “reward” and “punishment. “These are two ways of advertising; Reward was at the end of the advert when the man said you’ll get an emergency hotel within an hour if you choose his company as your home insurance company. Whereas punishment was at the beginning when we spectators have seen the house get fire and the firemen arrive, and the owner couldn’t do anything or go anywhere because she didn’t choose direct line to pay her insurance.