SWA #5: Advertisement Analysis

The advertisement I chose to analyze for this assignment is a commercial for Nationwide Insurance. It features a little boy at a bank, because it is “Bring you kid to work day”, and he sees the teller place the tube in the vacuum to send to the customer. As the next car pulls up, the boy decides to send a coffee mug filled with pencils and pens through the vacuum and they go through the car and some go through the window and others get caught in the headrest. He then decides to send rolls of quarters through the vacuum tube, which pierce the side of the car. Before the commercial is over, he has sent many objects through the vacuum tube, and all of them hit the car on the other end of the tube.

This commercial provides the consumer with a scenario that, though very unlikely, could happen to someone. By doing this, the advertiser creates a need for the consumer so they come to believe that they need this particular insurance because it will insure them if this ever happens. It also shows the consumer that anything can happen, whether it is very likely or unlikely. This leads to the consumer wanting to insure their car with Nationwide because they believe they will cover everything. After all, Nationwide’s motto is “Life comes at you fast,” showing that anything can happen and whatever does happen, you want to be covered with Nationwide Insurance.

There are also signs in this commercial that are very relevant to the product or service being sold. In this commercial, the guy in the car that is being attacked with flying objects immediately calls his Nationwide representative, who assures him that he is covered in this particular instance. This exemplifies Nationwide’s policy that a claims representative is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The narrator of the commercial also repeatedly states that a person that switches can save up to $523. This sign appeals to the consumer wanting to save money on auto insurance while still getting excellent coverage. This Nationwide commercial does an excellent job of creating a need and want for the consumer by showing the consumer that just about anything is possible, and they should always be covered by the best, and the best is Nationwide.

SWA #3/4 Facebook Analysis

Facebook is a social networking site that has become very popular in the last few years. People use the site to post information and all kinds of pictures about themselves. They can also look at other people’s profiles and stay current with what other people are doing. What people put on their own profiles can say many things about them. For the person whose profile I chose, there are three signs that stand out in explaining that person. These signs are the number of applications in the profile, the total number of friends, and the “looking for” section in the profile.

Within the last year or two, Facebook changed and allowed people to create applications and other people can add them to their profile to personalize it and make it their own. I have noticed in other profiles that people usually add some, maybe around twenty at the most. The profile I am studying for this assignment has four hundred twenty applications. This is the first thing anyone visiting this page will notice, including the very long load time the page takes. These really do personalize his profile, and they function as a way for him to express himself in many ways. I believe this sign is there so that others will think that he is cool. I also believe that this person wants other people to think that he is cool because he has added all of these “cool” applications. However, this particular feature of the profile, or sign, gives the impression that he may be trying too hard to seem cool and that others may think that he is strange for having so many applications.

The next major sign in his profile is his number of friends on Facebook. In his high school network, he has 597 friends. In all networks, his total number of friends, as of this assignment, is 1393 friends. This person wants this sign to function so that he seems like he is friends with many people and is liked by everyone. This is also what others are supposed to think. I do believe he knows most of the people he is friends with, but may not be actual friends with most of them. This sign actually functions in making people ask why he has so many friends and why anyone would want that. The logical explanation is that he wants to seem very popular by being “friends” with so many people. This sign can say a lot about a person and how they see themselves.

The last major sign I noticed on this profile is the “looking for” section at the top of the page. This person checked off the “whatever I can get” option. The “looking for” section can say a lot about people. In this particular profile, it gives off the impression that he wants whatever he can get, no matter what it is. It could be a relationship, networking, friends, random play, or just about anything. The creator of the profile put this there so that people will possibly become friends with him and get to know him. I believe this particular sign functions so that other people think that he may be crazy by checking that selection or that he is really easy to get along with. In contrast, it could also give the impression to others that he may be really hard to get along with and the only way he can meet people is online, hence the “whatever I can get.”

Signs play an important part in everyday life. Since social networking sites have become exponentially popular in the last five years, signs play a huge role in how these sites are used. People have the ability to post anything about themselves whether it is fact or fiction. The signs in the profile say a great deal about the creator of each one.