Media Analysis Print Ads and the SEEP Exam for ENG 4U

Ideology

Ideology is a term used to discuss the fundamental values and

beliefs of a group, society, or culture. These beliefs are widely

accepted views about the roles of men and women, good and

bad, the nature of the “good life”, etc. Ideologies are reinforced

by the dominant institutions in society through constructed

representations of the world, and symbol systems which often

justify the current social structure or ways of living.

Ideology

Mass media plays a significant role in conveying these “broadly

held” views and how the world 'really' works and should work.

These ideas can create audiences who just accept current

practices and their roles in society as “normal. The broadly held

views become the dominant ideologies of a society or culture.

Ideology

In advertising, ideologies are conveyed through a specific

process where meaning is transferred; that is, an abstract idea,

belief, or value becomes represented in a product or service.

Often a form of shorthand takes place and stereotypes are used

to convey the message.

Transfer of meaning

How is meaning transferred? Most advertising is about linking

a particular product or brand to a particular set of qualities or

beliefs in the consumer's mind. This linkage is often achieved

through juxtaposition — the simple imposition of the qualities on

the product, in the hope that the consumer will make that

connection themselves. The product is then linked with ideology.

Ideological Analysis

Ideological Analysis: Some Questions to ask of the Advertisement

What people, classes, areas of life, experiences, are 'left out', or

silenced?

What cultural assumptions and what 'myths' are represented? What is

mystified or mythologized? (e.g. a natural setting for cigarette

smokers, a gentle rocking chair in a white room for motherhood)

Ideological AnalysisLook for binaries, or oppositions (good/evil, natural/unnatural,

tame/wild, young/old). Which aspect of the binary is privileged?

What people, classes, areas of life, experiences, are 'left out', or

silenced?

What cultural assumptions and what 'myths' are represented? What

is mystified or mythologized? (e.g. a natural setting for cigarette

smokers, a gentle rocking chair in a white room for motherhood)

Example

What ideologies is this

ad for a fragrance attempting

to associate itself with?

Example

What about this one?

Text: “He made it in the kitchen and ate it in the dining

room. With Swiffer Wet Jet,both floors were clean before

he was.

Example

What about this one?

Analysis Framework

According to media theorists, there are three possible ways to look at

a media product to produce ‘meaning’ (other than to determine its

intended purpose):

Dominant Position

Oppositional Position

Negotiated Position

Dominant Position

Readers of the advertisement interpret the ideology directly,

and decode it exactly the way it was encoded.

“The consumer is located within the dominant point of view,

and is fully sharing the texts codes and accepts and

reproduces the intended meaning.”

Often readers identify with the cultural beliefs and biases as

they are represented in the text.

Oppositional Position

Readers understand the literal meaning, but form their own

ideological interpretations.

The readers’ beliefs are directly oppositional in relation to the

dominant code, and although they understand the intended

meaning, they do not share the text's ideology.

Often readers are not part of the cultural beliefs and biases

represented in the text.

Negotiated Position

This position is a mixture of accepting and rejecting ideologies

in the text.

Readers identify the dominant ideology, but are not willing to

completely accept it the way the encoder has intended

Readers raise potentially unintended meanings, supported

through the identification of codes and conventions.

Media Analysis

What are the Dominant

Oppositional

and Negotiated

meanings for

this ad for tampons?

Terms

Important terms:

Anchorage - the concept of anchorage is the process of fixing

meaning of a sign. For example, the caption under a photograph

(a text that is open to multiple interpretations) fixed or anchors

the meaning and guides the reader to understand a more closed

message.

Terms

Important terms:

Intertextuality in media studies is the concept that each media

text is reliant upon and often makes use of similar signs, or

codes and conventions to communicate its message.

Example

Text: “The Volvo __ with seven seats. Sorry.”

How does this example of intertextuality create meaning?