Writing a Critical Review
Advertising Techniques
In
this unit, we will present the basics of writing a critical review.
Through various activities we will address the process step by step. The
end product of this unit will be a critical review of an advertisement of
your choice.
Objectives of the Unit:
1. To identify and discuss issues with regard to the design and use of Web pages.
2. To learn the process of writing a critical review.
3. To provide input for the subject matter and the writing style through various mediums.
4. To produce a critical review of an advertisement.
DAY
1: INTRODUCING THE TOPIC; KNOWING THE TARGET AUDIENCE
Activity A: Web Surfing (45 minutes)
In the Computer Lab, search for some really good Web pages. The only requirement is that they should be selling something (actual items, service, etc.). This does not mean to use an Internet shopping mall. This Web page should be from a producer of the goods (i.e., Coca-Cola, Nike, etc.). Prepare a list of your 5 favorites with the name of the company, the URL, and a brief description of the purpose of the Web site. Post this list to the class discussion board in this format: Name: your name, E-mail: your e-mail, Subject: Website Recommendations, Website: none. In the body of the message write the information described above.
Activity B: Unit Overview (10 minutes)
Your teacher will highlight the goals, related activities, and procedures leading to the end product of this unit—a critical review.
Activity C : Freewrite (5 minutes)
On a separate piece of paper write down what you think about Web pages in general (not specifically about the ones you wrote about). This could be an sort of Web pages you choose, in any language.
Activity D: Whole Class Discussion (10 minutes)
As a class discuss issues addressed in the freewrite exercise.
Activity E: Web Pages (15 minutes)
Now that you have looked
critically at a few Web pages, read these guidelines,
which deals specifically with Web page design. There are also two related
pages, the first was published in 1996
and the second in 1999.
Obviously the most recent publication is the best to use.
Top Ten Mistakes http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html
Top Ten Mistakes - Revisited http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990502.html
National Cancer Institute Website Design and Usability Guidelines http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/usability/
Activity F: Small Group Work (15 minutes)
Get into 5 groups of about 4 people each. Discuss the readings and relate them to the Web pages that you found.
Group 1: Defining you
audience - Pick one of the websites that you looked at and discuss
who you think the audience is for that Web page.
Group 2: Site Design - Discuss the issues brought up in the article
and relate those issues to the Web pages that you looked at for today.
Group 3: Page Design - Discuss the issues brought up in the article
and relate those issues to the Web pages that you looked at for today.
Group 4: Top Ten... - Discuss the issues brought up in the article and
relate those issues to the Web pages that you looked at for today.
Activity G: Re-Grouping Discussion (15 minutes)
Now get into groups of about 5. You should have at least 1 person from each of the 4 groups above. Present your findings to your new group.
Activity H: Class Presentations (15 minutes)
A Representative from each group will present the group's findings to the class.
Homework:
1. Carefully read the sample critical review entitled " Evaluation of James Wood’s ‘Merits of Advertising’."
Rosen, L. (1995). Evaluation of James Wood's 'Merits of advertising'. In L. Rosen. Discovery and commitment: A guide for college writers (pp. 96-98). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
DAY 2: THE FORMAT AND FUNCTION OF A CRITICAL REVIEW
Activity A: Guide for Writing a Critical Review (15 minutes)
Study the following Guide, then we'll discuss it as a class.
Writing a Critical Review
The critical reviews that are usually required to be written at university are mainly of two types - article reviews and book reviews.
In a critical review, you are expected to do a careful reading of the article/book you are going to review, say what you feel about it and support your response by giving valid reasons.
This is necessary because one important purpose of a critical review is to help readers decide whether they wish to read the material that has been reviewed.
So, when writing a critical review, it is important to give readers adequate information to make this choice. Arnaudet and Barrett (1984) point out that in order to give all the necessary information the critical review could be organised into the following sections:
Usually these sections do not have separate headings.
This document provides general guidelines on the writing of critical reviews. If after carefully reading it you want further advice, contact the Learning Development Centre (LDC). If your lecturer has given you advice on how to write a critical review, follow that advice. If not, the following information will help you write your review.
NB: In an article review, the introduction is usually confined to a single paragraph. In a book review, however, the introduction may run to two or three paragraphs.
It is important to remember that your reader may not have read the work you have reviewed. So, the main purpose of the summary is to provide the reader with adequate information necessary to understand the critical commentary that follows.
It is also important to remember that the summary should be objective and should not include any personal interpretation or discussion.
Article Reviews: In a research-based article, summarise each section of the article i.e.
In other types of article reviews, the summary should include:
Book Reviews: It is obviously not possible to summarise the entire book. So, summarise the following:
N.B. The length of the summary can vary from perhaps one paragraph for a short article to two to three paragraphs for a longer article or book.
The purpose of the critique is to express your judgements and comments about the piece of writing you are reviewing. In fact, the purpose of this section is to support the personal opinion you have already expressed briefly in the Introduction, about the book/article being reviewed. As the critique consists of personal judgements, comments and opinions, it turns out to be subjective, unlike the preceding summary section which has objectivity as a predominant quality.
Article Reviews: If you are critiquing a research-based article, try to express your opinion about the following:
If the article is not reporting research, what needs to be commented on, in addition to subject matter and length, is how well the writer supports his/her thesis. In other words, a critical evaluation of the evidence the writer presents to back up his/her argument is necessary in the critique of such an article.
Whether the article is research based or not, write a critique of two or three paragraphs, if the article is not long or complex. If you feel positively about the article, give a detailed commentary on the positive aspects, and vice versa if your response is negative. However, if your reaction is a mixed one, start with the negative aspects and finish off with the positive aspects for a stronger positive opinion, and vice versa for a stronger negative opinion.
Book Reviews: Just as in the article review, it may be easier to handle the critique in a book review if you examine the different aspects of the book you are reviewing and pass your judgement on each aspect respectively. Your critical commentary should mainly focus on the following aspects:
To comment on subject matter:
To comment on style:
To comment on layout, express your opinion about the adequacy, suitability and usefulness of the following:
When you express your opinion about the different aspects of the book, make sure that you present valid reasons for your own judgement each time.
The conclusion relates to both your Introduction and Critique because it re-states the most important comments from the Introduction and sums up the main critical points from your Critique. In the conclusion, you need to:
Arnaudet, M.L. & Barrett, M.E. (1984) Approaches to Academic Reading and Writing.New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Activity B: Discussion of Guidelines (10 minutes)
As a class, discuss any questions you have after reading these guidelines.
Activity C : Group Discussion of "Evaluation of James Wood’s ‘Merits of Advertising’" Essay (25 minutes)
In groups of 3 or 4, answer the following questions (designed based on information from a relevant web site) about the "Evaluation of James Wood’s ‘Merits of Advertising’" essay:
Guiding Questions for the Discussion about Model Critical Review
1.
What is the purpose of this essay?
2.
How is this essay organized?
3.
What is the purpose of each paragraph? How can you tell?
4.
Name several transitional devices used in the essay (both inter- and intra-paragraph).
What are their functions?
5.
What kind of support does the author use to back his arguments?
6. What is the general tone of the critical review (positive, negative, neutral)? Why do you say this?
Activity C: Whole Class Discussion of Sample Essay (15 minutes)
As a class, discuss the answers to the questions. Ask any questions that you were not able to answer as a group.
Activity D: Correcting a Poorly Written Critical Review (20 minutes)
Part 1 (20 min.): In small groups (introduction, summary, critique, conclusion), focus on correcting your assigned section of the poorly-written student sample essay. Consult the guiding questions to help you.
In the 16th century, men and women were powdered
from head to toe. Nowadays, women dispose of a wide range of products from
creams to eyeliners. The cosmetics industry remains wealthy and competitive
constantly creating new products. Cosmetics advertisements are commonly centered
on the same classical basis: a pretty woman using the product. Cosmetics
advertisements are numerous on television and above all in magazines. The
famous brand Max Factor printed an advertisement for its touchproof foundation
in "Premiere", a movie magazine. This advertisement appeals to people's psychological
attraction toward beauty and glamour, but can be improved through the use
of a celebrity face and giving more information about the product.
This advertisement shows the face of a pretty woman with
long brown hair and blue eyes. She leans her chin on her hand in a white
glove. The foundation tube is situated just below the woman's face at the
bottom of the right corner. On the bottom of the left side is situated the
testimony of a professional make-up artist of the movie Titanic, Tina Earnshaw.
A bold, large font heading, a small photo of the artist, a small paragraph
and her signature, composes the testimony. The brand name "Max Factor" is
written in large capitalized letters at the bottom of the page. Finally,
just above the brand name are printed 3 informative lines in a small font.
Cosmetics advertisements usually use the image of
a pretty woman to reach the same goal: selling the product to women who use
make-up. This advertisement brags a touchproof foundation by Max Factor.
The success of this advertisement lies in the fact that it creates a strong
psychological appeal. Visually, the attractive woman shown on this advertisement
has a strong attractive power so that the reader's eyes pay attention to
her. This technique is the peripheral persuasion: an attractive woman grasps
the reader's attention because she is pretty and she looks straight in the
eyes. Then the reader's attention focuses on the product below her. The link
between the product and the pretty woman is automatically established. For
the reader, this model promises the positive efficient results of the product.
This link makes the reader think that if she uses this foundation, she will
look as attractive as the model. The advertisement causes the reader to loose
reason and only feels an emotional appeal. She hopes she will look like her
by using the product.
Once the reader's attention is strongly grasped, the reader
stops and considers the advertisement more in details (Antin, 1993). The
reader tries to find more about the advertisement and is attracted by the
testimony, which accentuates the psychological appeal. First, the testimony
is given by a professional who worked for the movie Titanic. The only word
"Titanic" produces a strong attractive impact on the reader. Most women are
sensitive to the most Oscar awarded movie and its worldwide success. Second,
the psychological appeal is realized by the content of the testimony. As
a professional, she knows what is efficient and which product is valuable.
She insists on the touchproof quality of the foundation by repeating the
word "touchproof" four times and by implying she has used it by saying "I've
seen the proof".
Finally, the reader is psychologically attracted by the famous brand name,
which evokes prestige. Max Factor is the make-up artist of stars. This idea
is highlighted by the star, similar to the stars on Hollywood Boulevard in
Los Angeles, at the left bottom of the page.
Although this advertisement has a strong emotional appeal,
there is more that the advertisers could do to make it even more attractive
to women. First, the woman ës face is nice and allows the reader to dream
and hope about the promising effects of the foundation. But her beauty is
average and she is not famous. Using a celebrity as an image of a product
has more impact on women who use make-up. For instance, Revlon uses Cindy
Crawford, LíOreal uses Heather Locklear. Maybe the selling of Max Factor
foundation would be better if a celebrity embodies the brand. Then,
in the testimony, Titanic make-up artist only insists on one aspect of the
product: it is touchproof. The reader can wonder whether it is worth buying
this foundation if the only advantage is its touchproof quality. Finally,
this advertisement misses information about the product. The informative
text is not sufficient enough and it is written in too small font size. Only
information about the number of colors, the fragrance, the type of skin and
the easy removal are given. The purchase of a foundation has a high involvement
importance. It contains a social risk so it requires more information. The
readers need to know how the quality of the foundation is, how the complexion
will look and how it will fit.
Emotionally, this advertisement is successful. It creates
an important appeal thanks to the techniques used such as a nice women's
face and the testimony of a professional make-up artist. Even if the advertisers
could have used a celebrity face instead of an unknown woman and they could
have provide more information, the positive points overwhelm the negative
side of the advertisement. The reader will easily buy the foundation.
Reference:
Antin, T. (1993). Great print advertising: Creative approaches, strategies, and tactics. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Analysis of the Advertisement on "Virginia Slims"
The most important purpose of product advertisement
is to sell the product as much as possible. According to Dr. William Winn,
a Boston psychologist, advertising industries are paid "to sell you on a
product whether it is good for you or not, and every year they are becoming
more competent." (Freedman, 1988). A Magazine advertisement which is evaluated
in this paper is also aimed at a cigarette, called "Virginia Slims" It is
widely known that smoking cigarettes is not good for our health and is socially
tabooed for women. But it does not come as something of surprise, when this
advertisement can be successful in appealing to consumers by combining the
image of a idealized woman with the cigarette against the traditional concept
of women's smoking, even though they admit that it might be bad for health.
This advertisement about "Virginia Slims" is enclosed
in the magazine of "US" in November, 1998. It occupies the whole one page
of the magazine and is divided into two parts. One half part on the left
is for the picture of a pretty young woman who has a journal and a pen in
her hands. She is looking out of corner of her eyes. In the background, there
is a guy who is looking gloomy. This unhappy guy constrasts with the girl
who looks very confident. At the bottom of the picture, there is a white
box: "SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious
Risks to Your Health" On the top of the other right half, there is slogan
saying "Never come between a woman and her journal. Unless you want to be
tomorrow's topic. "Under the slogan, just right below the middle, we can
see a picture of a cigarrete lying on its case with headline saying "VIRGINIA
SLIMS It's a woman thing." It is obvious that this advertisement
is targeted to woman, probably young woman not only because the main character
of picture is a young woman, but also because in text it is emphasized that
this is for woman.
This advertisement can be regarded
successful in appealing to woman by making use of the contradictory aspects
of ideal women in modern society. On the one hand, it suggests implicitly
that smoking woman can be as powerful as or more powerful than man, contrasting
a woman with a man. The woman looks very sophisticated, self-assured, and
well-educated. The man behind her seems to be searching for the way he can
get attention from her. It makes her look superior to the man. This is revealed
because the man's picture is hazy in the background, while the girl is salient
to readers. In other words, this advertisement depends on the image of powerful
woman against the traditional view of women. On the other hand, this also
relates smoking to the traditional beauty of women. First, the girl in the
picture is pretty and sexually attractive. And it appears that the guy in
the background is interested in her and is thinking about approaching her.
So the man is another way of saying that smoking women might be appealing
to men. And, "Slims" in the name of the product inherently reminds us of
a slim charming woman. In summary, it seems that this advertisement can mislead
people to believe that women who smoke "Virginia Slim" can look both intelligent
and sexually appealing.
This advertisement persuades readers to buy the product
using a peripheral route relying on a beautiful woman who also looks intelligent.
The method of using not detailed information, but a rough image to get target's
attraction is called "peripheral persuasion" (Azua, 1998. According to Azua
(1998), this way of persuasion is usually used for the "low-involvement"
goods which are less expensive to buy. That is also the case for this advertisement.
Buying cigarette is not such a big deal and therefore people may not need
a lot of information to consider seriously before deciding to get it. This
advertisement takes advantage of this nature of the cigarette and gives readers
the biased message that "Virginia Slims" accompanies beautiful and smart
women. It also makes them overlook the likelihood that smoking might result
in some potential health problems even though there is a warning in the advertisement.
In conclusion, this "Virginia Slims" advertisement objectified
women in order to stick in memory the image of the cigarette associated with
attractive women. Considering the main goal of this advertisement, selling
"Virginia Slims" a lot, this can be considered to be really effective in
attracting attention from consumers. But it provides readers with a false
image that "Virginia Slims" is a sufficient condition for a woman to be powerful
and sexually appealing at the same time.
References:
Freedman, D. (1988), Why you watch commercials - whether you
mean to or not. TV guide,
February 20.
Azua D. (1998, November), Addrss, Speech presented to students
on critique on the
current advertisement, Urbana, IL.
Guiding
Questions for Analysis of the Poor Essay
INTRODUCTION
1. Does the introduction make clear the exact topic that will be addressed in the essay?
2.
Is there a clear thesis statement? If so, what is it? If not,
how would you re-write it? (Remember that this is supposed to be a
critical review of the advertisement, not of the product itself.)
SUMMARY
1. Is the summary written such that a person who has never seen the advertisement could fully understand what it’s about?
2. Is the summary purely objective? (Remember that a summary should contain no personal opinion.)
3. An adequate summary of an advertisement should contain the following criteria:
a description of the advertisement
a description of the product
a description of the intended
benefits/attributes of the product
a mention of the commercial’s
intended audience
Does
the summary contain all of these criteria?
CRITIQUE
1. What criticisms does the writer address?
a) Is there sufficient and appropriate support for these arguments?
b) Is the quality of
the support appropriate? (i.e. Has the writer chosen the strongest
possible support?)
2. How does the writer praise the advertisement? (i.e. How does it successfully persuade the consumer?)
a) Is there sufficient and appropriate support for these arguments?
b)
Is the quality of the support appropriate? (i.e. Has the writer chosen
the strongest possible support?)
c) Is the support consistently on
topic? (i.e. Does the support address the advertisement of the product
rather than the product itself?)
CONCLUSION
1. A conclusion of a critical review of an advertisement should contain the following criteria:
a re-statement of the purpose of the advertisement
an overall
judgment of the advertisement based on your critique
a re-statement of the thesis
Base
on these criteria, re-write the conclusion.
OVERALL QUESTIONS
1. Is the tone of the essay appropriate for academic writing?
2. Is the essay well organized?
3. Are transitions between paragraphs smooth?
Activity E: Group Presentations of Revised Essays (20 minutes)
Using the transparency your teacher has made of your revised essay, present your principle revisions to the class. Note: Please give only 5 minute presentations.
Homework:
1. If you would like further explanation of the form and function of a critical review, consult the following web sources:
*Look above for the University of Western Sydney Critical Review Guide - http://www.macarthur.uws.edu.au/ssd/LC/Unilearning_Resources/crit_rev.html
2. Take a look at the critical review page on the University of Wisconsin's online writing handbook -
DAY 3: INPUT FOR FINAL CRITICAL REVIEW
Activity A: Make up for Overflow from Previous Days
Activity A: Writing an Outline (Class)
Write an outline for the critical review of a Web page of your choice. Remember that it should (1) include an introduction, summary, critique, and conclusion, (2) be 3-4 pages long, and (3) be on any Web page of your choice (preferably ones that you've discussed already).
Activity B : Writing the Rough Draft (Class)
Based on your outline and notes from all of the previous activities in this unit, begin writing the rough draft of your critical review. Remember that the essay is supposed to be 3-4 pages long. You may consult the following websites on critical reviews and advertising techniques to help you.
Critical review web sources:
http://www.macarthur.uws.edu.au/ssd/ldc/crit_rev.html
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/CriNonfiction.html
Advertising technique web sources:
http://www.entrenet.com/~groedmed/namedu/adtech.htm
http://www.criticalviewing.com/assets/duplicate1/todo7.htm
Homework:
1. Bring rough drafts to class next time. We will be doing peer editing.
DAY 4: PEER-EDITING
Activity A: Peer-Editing (class)
In
groups of 3, peer edit each other's essays. Carefully read what your
partner has written. Fill-out your peer review sheets for each essay.
Homework:
Type and revise your essay. Please hand in one copy of your final draft next class.