Every day on television we see a number of programs that we like and, in the middle, the interval, a common space for ads. During that break, advertising videos of brands appear that use images and an appealing language and often public figures.
How to know what are the objectives of each content? Are they reporting or trying to sell a product or service?
Some tips can help.
It is always important to distinguish:
How to know what are the objectives of each content? Are they reporting or trying to sell a product or service?
Some tips can help.
It is always important to distinguish:
Journalistic content
|
Advertising
|
Let's see the examples:
1: Journalism
In this example, we can see a report made for the feature programme “Futuro Hoje” (“Future Today”) by the television channel SIC Notícias about an investigation that seeks to improve solar panels.
2: Advertising
This is an ad that calls for the use of renewable energy serviced by this company, appealing to consumers' environmental awareness (“Do your part. The future of the planet is in our hands”). At the end of the ad we see the reference to the brand and hear the slogan “Feel our energy”.
But there are instances, as shown in the example below when it is harder to distinguish between advertising and information (see the video on the left of the image). After all, there is an expert speaking, and providing us with information. However, we see that there is a reference to a brand that claims to have scientifically proven benefits.
But there are instances, as shown in the example below when it is harder to distinguish between advertising and information (see the video on the left of the image). After all, there is an expert speaking, and providing us with information. However, we see that there is a reference to a brand that claims to have scientifically proven benefits.
3: Comparison between advertising and journalism
Unlike what happens in a journalistic assignment, in the video advertising exemplified above we do not know to which institution the specialist belongs.
Concerning the entry under the feature “Futuro Hoje” (“Future Today”), in SIC Notícias (right picture), we can see how a journalistic work identifies the respondent as a researcher of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. We can also see that there is no presence of brands, nor opinion, because it is has a journalistic content whose primary goal is to “inform”.
Masked advertising
But nowadays, advertising is not just present during breaks, between television programmes. It is also in their entertainment content, for example, soap operas, films or youth series.
This is a technique called product placement in which, in the middle of a scene or when a character speaks, there is a reference to a brand, as we see in the following example.
Concerning the entry under the feature “Futuro Hoje” (“Future Today”), in SIC Notícias (right picture), we can see how a journalistic work identifies the respondent as a researcher of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. We can also see that there is no presence of brands, nor opinion, because it is has a journalistic content whose primary goal is to “inform”.
Masked advertising
But nowadays, advertising is not just present during breaks, between television programmes. It is also in their entertainment content, for example, soap operas, films or youth series.
This is a technique called product placement in which, in the middle of a scene or when a character speaks, there is a reference to a brand, as we see in the following example.
4: Product placement
Whoever is watching, is attentive to the story and involved, and may not realise it, but the advertising is there. It is important to know how to distinguish it and find it in order to become “smarter” and more “aware” consumers for the different contents and forms of advertising. It is necessary to understand the ambitions and limits of the advertising message.
Why is this happening and why is there so much publicity?
Currently, advertising is one of the largest sources of income for the media (television, the Internet, radio).
Why is this happening and why is there so much publicity?
Currently, advertising is one of the largest sources of income for the media (television, the Internet, radio).
Sources:
Guimarães, Sandra (2013). "A relevância do ensino de publicidade às crianças". Available: https://www.iscem.pt/fotos/editor2/2SANDRAGUIMARAES.pdf
Pereira, Francisco Costa; Verísisimo, Jorge. (2009) "O Product Placement nas novelas de ficção nacional". Available: http://conferencias.ulusofona.pt/index.php/sopcom_iberico/sopcom_iberico09/paper/viewFile/387/382
Madureira, Eduardo Jorge. (2013) "Ensinar as crianças a identificar publicidade televisiva" [opinion article]. Available: http://blogues.publico.pt/pagina23/2013/02/08/ensinar-as-criancas-a-distinguir-a-publicidade-da-informacao/
This tip was elaborated under the initiative “7 X Média” inserted in the “Operação 7 Dias com os Média” (“Operation 7 Days with the Media”), organised by the Grupo Informal sobre Literacia para os Média (GLIM-Informal Group on Literacy for the Media) of the University of Minho, and is part of a set of good practices related to the use of the media, for teachers to use in the classroom with students.
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