Sociological Ad Analysis, 3-4 pages single space + references
-Make sure it has good grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and is well organized.

This assignment will assess student's understanding of basic concepts as applied to the portrayal of social relationships in advertising campaigns.

To do this, students must make use of the terms and concepts covered in the course thus far with emphasis on socio-economic class, gender, sexuality, and racialization (age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, family role, ethnicity, education, occupation...). Your analysis should demonstrate your understanding of the concepts and your ability to apply them to your example.

Students must choose an ad campaign from the list of ad campaigns. You may discuss an individual ad that you feel represents the campaign, or you may discuss the campaign as a whole and how it makes use of a series of ads to create a branding message.

Use specific examples of the issues and topics discussed in the course. The sociological ad analysis is meant to assess your understanding of sociological concepts as well as your ability to make connections between the course material and popular media. The goal of this assignment is to explain how specific sociological concepts are presented in the ad. This is NOT simply a description of the ad!! A brief overall description of the ad may be included in the introductory paragraph, but that's it. After that you must pull specific examples from the content and relate them directly to the course material in order to make your main points.

The topics discussed in class and in the required readings are found in everyday culture, including advertisements (print ads and commercials). Ads can tell us a lot about how contemporary society views itself and can be referred to as "cultural artifacts." An ad analysis provides an excellent vehicle to demonstrate the topics, concepts, and theories discussed in this course with emphasis on social class, gender, sexuality, and racialization.

Writing requirement:

1. For your chosen ad campaign, you will analyze the content of the ad from a sociological perspective:

- What does the ad tell us about the relationships between people?

- How does the ad portray interactions between people?

- What statuses are portrayed? How does the ad indicate status value or social prestige?

- How does the ad portray its brand?

- Who is the target audience? What does the ad tell us about the target audience?

- What kinds of social wants/needs does the ad communicate? What do these wants/needs tell us about broader social norms and expectations?

2. Identify sociological themes in the ad:

Think about what theme(s) do we find in the ad? What is it about? For example, the plot of an ad may involve a man and a woman drinking, but the theme may vary - jealousy, anger, celebration, love, ambition, sex, etc.

Also, ask yourself in what ways the ad reflects the social reality of its time and in what ways it distorts them. Ask if the ad reflects on universal human concerns and problems and, if so, how. Ask how well the ad fit into sociological concepts, or if it contradicts them. Decide what it has to say, if anything, on the relationship between the individual, society, and even the flow of history. Jot down some notes.

3. Develop a sociological argument.

State what you believe the ad has to say sociologically, using evidence from the ad. Include action, descriptions of important elements, or briefly quote from character dialogue (keep direct quotes short!) to make your point. Focus on the parts of the ad that are most important to your argument. For example, what action is taking place in the ad and what significance does it have (the ad's "plot")?

For example, an ad may be about a pair of jeans but it might, indirectly, reflect such broader social issues as sexism, alienation, stereotypes, conformism, generational conflict, loneliness, elitism, and so on.

Writing structure:

Write an introduction (½ page).

The introduction should provide a hook to bring the reader in and address the main points of the ad analysis. Start by asking a question, sharing a one-liner quote from the ad, or using another technique to get the reader to think about what issue your essay is addressing. You may want to say a few words about the company putting out the ad and what their intention was in the creative process. Then, narrow down your introduction in a few sentences until you present the main points discussed in your analysis (this is your thesis statement).

Write a body (2-3 page)

Write a conclusion (½ page).

The conclusion should restate your main point and showing how it relates to a broader sociological perspective. You may wish to reflect on the ad's continued relevance to current times, or, if it is no longer relevant to our culture, discuss what has changed. You may also want to reflect on the success of the ad campaign.

A good example of a thesis statement might be - "The "Do You Have Any Grey Poupon?" ad campaign for Grey Poupon mustard represents a clear analysis of social class with the product as status symbol, with an emphasis on economic wealth as desired and culturally superior." This thesis tells the reader that the student will be discussing social class, socioeconomic status, and social inequality, as well as the projection of social class through status symbols.

Use in-text citations for all sources and include a reference page.

Use citations for any books or articles you consulted (use APA referencing format).