Blog 1- Image Analysis

This advertisement achieves its purpose of making a Hoover vacuum appear to be the perfect Christmas gift for a wife through persuasive text, images, and colors. Although it would seem like women are the target audience, because it is an ad for a vacuum, and a woman is shown, the text makes it clear that it is targeted to married men. In addition to the main body copy, which is a statement speaking directly to the husband, the smaller text says, “P.S. to husbands…,” making it very clear. This smaller text is also included to emphasize to the audience that this product is intended as a gift to their wives. This text is small and located at the bottom, because it is portrayed as a “secret message” to husbands, causing them to feel as if they have been let in on the secret to a perfect Christmas gift. This is an emotional appeal, intended to draw in the audience so that they will read the extra text.

The style of this ad appears to be something that was popular in the 1950’s. Clues to the time period include the woman’s dress, hairstyle, and the old-fashioned vacuum itself.  The target audience of married men and the product being advertised are additional factors that support the time-period. In the fifties, men were the primary workers in a household, while women tended to stay at home and focus on the household.

This advertisement uses several tactics to sell the product. The text is straightforward, because men want to please their wives, but often have trouble finding good presents for them. A rhetorical question that appeals to emotion is used to encourage the audience to consider buying this product. The main text, “Christmas morning (and forever after) she’ll be happier with a Hoover,” implies that getting a Hoover vacuum for your wife is the best way to make her happy, not just on Christmas day, but for the rest of her life. This seems like the ultimate goal for a husband when he is buying a gift for his wife, which makes this message very persuasive. The text is large, red, and in a scripted font, which not only brings attention to it, but the script makes it more personal. The “(and forever after)” is included in a smaller size, which helps contribute to the feeling of being let in on a secret. Above these words is the Hoover logo and tag line, which says, “Give her a Hoover and you give her the best.” These words further give the audience the message that no other gift will suffice but a Hoover vacuum.

All of the text included in this ad works with the images to achieve the ad’s purpose. The colors in the ad follow the Christmas theme, with red and green dominating. White, black, and a bit of peach for the skin of the woman are used sparingly. Red and green are used for the logo, most of the text, the woman’s dress, packages and ribbons, and the vacuum. For example, the Hoover logo has a red bow hanging off of it, the vacuum has a green bow, the woman is in a festive green dress with a ribbon, and there are wrapped boxes next to the vacuum. These colors and decorations, along with the image of the woman laying on the floor, reading a card attached to the vacuum, all give the impression that it is Christmas morning. However, the woman seems to be ignoring the other gifts, which appear small and insignificant compared to the Hoover vacuum. She is smiling, and has her hand lovingly resting on the vacuum. This woman is portrayed as young and beautiful, seeming to really care about how she and her house appear. This woman represents the wives of the potential buyers for this product. The image of her sends the message to the viewer that if she is so happy with this gift, then their wives will be, too. The subliminal messages given by the images used work together with the implication of the text to persuade husbands that the Hoover vacuum is the perfect gift to make their wives happy forever.