Thesis Statement and Outline

Persuasive Thesis Statement on Commercial advertising and the messages it conveys to viewers:

Even though advertising in its most benign forms may not be harmful, it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain.

Introductory Paragraph

Begin with an interesting quotation related to your opinion about Commercial advertising and the messages it conveys to viewers:

Commercial advertising is a dynamic and influential tool, which advertisers use to their advantage everyday when bombarding consumers with flashy graphics and attention grabbing scenarios, all in an effort to attract and entice consumers into purchasing their products...

(You will need a transition here)

- End the Intro paragraph with your thesis statement:

Even though Advertising in its most benign forms may not be harmful, it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain.

Body Paragraph #1

Topic of the body thesis: It is important to think critically and analytically about the messages and underlying subtexts advertising contains.

Scholes quote: "In the age of massive manipulation and disinformation, criticism is the only way we have of taking something seriously" (623).

Scholes asserts in our modern culture criticism is of vital importance to understanding.

Another example that shows it is important to think critically and analytically about the messages and underlying subtexts advertising contains:

Scholes quote: "we would do well to pause and consider the necessity of ideological criticism" (623).

Tie in Herbals Essences commercial and relate how its content needs to be examined critically according to Scholes.

Body Paragraph #2

An example that shows advertising can contain underlying contexts that convey messages to viewers about everything from politics to gender roles and sexuality is...

Discuss Herbal Essences Commercial and its focus on sexuality.

- Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence

Another example that shows that advertising can contain underlying contexts that convey messages to viewers about everything from politics to gender roles and sexuality is...

Scholes discussion of the gender roles as portrayed in the Budweiser commercial.

- Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence.

Body Paragraph #3

Discuss the "cultural reinforcement" Scholes refers to and how its affects make critical examination necessary (620).

Discuss Herbal Essences commercial and its relationship to "cultural reinforcement" due to the portrayal of female sexuality (620).

Body Paragraph #4

The most important reason it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain is because everyday television commercials are often meant to evoke an emotional reaction in viewers in an effort to connect those feelings to the product being sold. .

Scholes example of Budweiser commercial catering to the American Dream.

- Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence

Another example that shows that everyday television commercials are often meant to evoke an emotional reaction in viewers in an effort to connect those feelings to the product being sold is...

Herbal Essences commercial intended to shock the viewer and grab their attention with a sexy scenario.

- Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence.

Conclusion

So you can see that although Advertising in its most benign forms may not be harmful, it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain. For two main reasons: First, advertising can contain underlying contexts that convey messages to viewers about everything from politics to gender roles and sexuality. But most importantly, everyday television commercials are often meant to evoke an emotional reaction in viewers in an effort to connect those feelings to the product being sold. .

- Now you will return to your attention-getter from the introduction

- Then end your essay with a powerful "so what?" statement that shows why the reader should care about this.

Works Cited

"Herbal Essences." Commercial. Youtube. 04 September 2007 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXtXyydzPA>.

Scholes, Robert. "On Reading a Video Text." Literacies. 2^nd ed. Ed. Terence Brunk et al. New York: Norton, 2000. 619-623.

Intro Paragraph

Commercial advertising is a dynamic and influential tool, which advertisers use to their advantage everyday when bombarding consumers with flashy graphics and attention grabbing scenarios, all in an effort to attract and entice consumers into purchasing their products. Everyday television commercials are often meant to evoke an emotional reaction in viewers in an effort to connect those feelings to the product being sold. Advertising can also contain underlying contexts that convey messages to viewers about everything from politics to gender roles and sexuality. In "On Reading a Video Text," author Robert Scholes lays out his theories regarding commercial advertising and the underlying messages it sends. Some of the concepts Scholes discusses can be seen in an Herbal Essences commercial from the 1990's, which serves as a good example of ways in which advertising can convey a subtle yet powerful message regarding sexuality. Intrinsically, advertising is an exercise in coercion, a means of persuasion however subtle or overt it may be. While advertising in its most benign forms may not be harmful, it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain.

Works Cited

"Herbal Essences." Youtube. 04 September 2007 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXtXyydzPA>.

Scholes, Robert. "On Reading a Video Text." Literacies. 2^nd ed. Ed. Terence Brunk et al. New York: Norton, 2000. 619-623.

Scholes Blog

    Visual imagery can be a very persuasive tool, which advertisers use to their advantage everyday when bombarding consumers with flashy graphics and attention grabbing, perhaps even risqué scenarios. In "On Reading a Video Text," author Robert Scholes lays out his theories regarding such visual imagery and its underlying meaning. Scholes asserts that modern advertising plays a role in what he refers to as "cultural reinforcement," which he defines as "the process through which video texts confirm viewers in their ideological positions and reassure them as to their membership in a cultural body" (620). The Herbal Essences commercial I have chosen to analyze demonstrates such "cultural reinforcement" through its focus on female sexuality (620). The Herbal Essences ad centers on a female attorney who is erotically shampooed by three attractive men in the middle of a courtroom. The attorney moans suggestively throughout the scene and finally emerges from the shampoo shouting in ecstasy. Such suggestive and sexually charged commercials can be seen as the "cultural reinforcement" Scholes describes, by helping to further the stereotypical view of women as sexual objects who can easily be manipulated by men.

Works Cited

"Herbal Essences." Youtube. 04 September 2007 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXtXyydzPA>.

Scholes, Robert. "On Reading a Video Text." Literacies. 2^nd ed. Ed. Terence Brunk et al. New York: Norton, 2000. 619-623.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herbal Essences Commercial Summary

This Herbal Essences commercial takes place inside the walls of a courtroom, where an attractive female attorney suddenly gets "the urge" to shampoo her hair with Herbal Essences. To assist her in this spontaneous indulgence three sexy male models burst through the courtroom doors all brandishing bottles of shampoo and they begin to seductively shampoo the attorney's hair while singing and dancing. The hunky shampoo boys inhale the Herbal Essences fragrance deeply, relishing in its sensual and exotic scent. Meanwhile, the attorney displays blissful facial expressions and vocalizes rapturous moans of pleasure, while flinging her head back and splashing the courtroom with water. As the judge bangs her gavel, calling the chaotic courtroom to order, the attorney emerges from her shampoo in absolute ecstasy with vibrant, beautiful, healthy looking hair. As the commercial comes to a close, known sex expert Dr. Ruth turns to the camera and expresses her desire for the shampoo boys to come back and use the body wash.

Works Cited

"Herbal Essences." Youtube. 04 September 2007 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXtXyydzPA>.

 

Commercial

Herbal Essences Courtroom

Paper formatting

At this point I feel very comfortable with formatting my papers. I have used the basic MLA format for all of my classes here at IUSB. Sometimes I still have a few questions about proper citation, but I err on the side of caution if I'm not sure about something and cite it anyway.