Propaganda Techniques (Deconstructing Ads)

Ad number 1

Ad number 2
Ad number 3
Ad number4

Almaza Beer 2009 Ads.

The message of the Ad:

Background: The ads appeared on the Lebanese Highways Billboards since March 2009 , it’s a series of 4 ads 3 by 7 meters wide , selling the First Lebanese Beer Brand “ Almaza Pilsner Beer”

Target audience: This advertisement is intended for the Lebanese beer drinkers in first place usually those above 18 years old but in Lebanon its different and also these ads are targeting the Lebanese electors prior to the upcoming elections.

Hook and Story: The main story is that Almaza took four different expressions used in the Lebanese elections vocabulary, and gave each expression its representation using the beer bottles and the cup, to show that Almaza is closely connected to the Lebanese society and specially in the Lebanese upcoming elections even the ads colors refer to the Lebanese flag specially the Red, Green and Blue.

Informational message: The primary message is to show the Lebanese people that Almaza is involved in the social interaction with the Lebanese Society and to show the Community that the national beer brand is concerned by the elections and is expressing this concern in its special way, by relating Elections words to beer bottles and so these words can be explained thrue these bottles formations.

Advertising claims: the Ads are trying to associate language to the visuals or vice versa . and using Lebanese Electoral vocabulary and associate it to the visuals. So in the first Ad “kitla wasatiya” or in English “the middle mass” and representing two bottles on the sides and a third in the middle representing the group of people unrelated to any of the two other sides batteling in the elections but who are forming a group on between.
The third Ad says:”Mahdala intikhabiyya” meaning “an electoral steamroller” which represent large political movements who have a big influence and power in the elections and shows two bottles on the side rolling like the steamroller.

2. Composition of Pictorial and Ad Copy.

Characters: In the first, second and third Ad they used only Green beer bottles in different positions and in the fourth Ad they used a large cup of beer.

Setting: The Ad is marked by a rounded corners rectangle, filled with red, some texture and underneath it we see a yellow streak .

Copy: Almaza used its logo which represent a Diamond which always is prominent and facing the viewer.
The slogan is “hayda jawna , hayda nehna” or “this is our atmosphere, this is us” always present on the bottom middle of the Ads. In all four Ads the bottles and cup take ¾ of the ad size same for the slogan and logo which appear boldly in all the billboards.

Visual: The bottles and the cup are dominant and emphasized, In the first Ad the bottles are in the middle slightly to the right and the text is within the bottles. One word to the right the other to the left.
In the second, the bottles in the middle slightly to the bottom with the text above. Same for the third one. And finally in the fourth one the cup to the left and the text to the right, And so the combination image /text form the foreground and the background is a textured velvet red and bright spots.

Color and lighting: there’s four main colors : dark red, bright green, yellow and white and a little of blue, In all, colors are bright, cheerful and comforting .
In general the lighting is a combination between top and side light giving a bright smooth effect on the bottles.

Point of view: In these Ads they used Close-ups and eye level shots which were the main point of views.

3. Summary Observations:

Intended and Unintended effects: The effects and meanings of this ad are intended, for exemple in the 2^nd Ad that say “Tayyar al arbaa w echrin” or “the movement of 24” . In reality, In politics theres different movements with different names like the movement of 14 of March or 8 of March. Here Almaza its own movement . We see 24 bottles which are the number of bottles in a box. So this effect present this similarity that Almaza make between the reality and fiction (the commercial).

So in this way I’ve deconstructed these four Ads so we can better understand them and discover the different elements that construct an Advertisement . Posted by (E.T.)