IHop, 2012, http://www.brandeating.com/2012_12_01_archive.html
So when I first look at this advertisement, the stacked pancakes dripping with syrup catches my attention almost immediately (though, that shouldn't have been a big surprise- pancakes should catch everyone's attention). The photo is closely zoomed in on the pancakes, allowing the photo of the breakfast meal to be the primary focus of the advertisement. Unsurprisingly, the phrase in large, blue letters, "Slather. Pour. Eat. Repeat" is placed before the image of the pancakes, and above the eye-catching phrase, the words, "All you can eat pancakes are back!" completely pulls me in. The heart placed at the bottom of the ad signifies the importance of breakfast, but most importantly, the importance of eating breakfast at IHOP.
Is this really an all you can eat buffet?
As I look deeper into this advertisement, I find many representations of the sin gluttony. The first representation that stands out the most, is the phrase, "Slather. Pour. Eat. Repeat." This phrase is essentially compelling it's audience of working, low to middle class families to continuously eat the pancakes at IHOP. Since the pancakes are "all you can eat," it is easy for the audience to be persuaded into overeating the pancakes because it seems like the pancakes are endless. However, that is not the case. Another representation of gluttony is the zoomed-in emphasis of the pancakes slathered in syrup in the background. The pancakes are stacked upon each other and the photo takes up a majority of the advertisement, making the pancakes a center focus in the ad. This extreme emphasis on the pancakes is another example of the gluttony presented in the advertisement.
"All you can eat" is a common phrase used in food advertisements; this phrase is especially used by fast food restaurants and buffets. In order to grab the attention of their intended audience of working low to middle class families, a simple phrase such as "all you can eat" must be presented in order to persuade the audience to eat at the restaurant. "All you can eat" symbolizes how simple it is to eat fast food rather than preparing a home-cooked meal. At fast food restaurants, the low to middle class audience can easily and quickly order their dinner after a long, tiring day at work. The low to middle class audience may not be the most educated about health, or, since most families in lower classes work minimum wage jobs, they might not want to buy healthy food at the grocery store because it is much more expensive compared to fast food. Furthermore, the use of language such as the "all you can eat" phrase is a tool that is used to persuade low to middle class families to continuously eat unhealthy at fast food restaurants.
I really like the way your analysis flows, it's easy to follow and your thought process is clear. You could expand more into the sin of gluttony in relation to the advertisement, as in why the sin is included and why it is not viewed as such (a sin.) You mentioned it in the last paragraph but I just think they should be linked. You could also examine the ad through other aspects of it, so not just the audience it is aiming at - you missed out on writing about fast food industry in the US!
ReplyDeleteOtherwise I think you did a good job with everything :)
This analysis was very focused. I like how you identify exactly the purpose of the advertisement and support it with a thorough break down of the image. Something I thought was interesting about the ad is how "available for a limited time only" is in very small letters in the top left. It's like they're trying to tell us to go crazy and eat pancakes (WOO pancake party!!)... but we can't satiate our gluttonous desires unless it's during IHOP's promo period . That's bogus IHOP. It's not really about the pancakes, it's about how much money can be made. These kinds of limited time promotions makes us feel an urgency to get pancakes before they're gone. It definitely appeals to gluttony because I probably wouldn't be interested in this absurd amount of pancakes if it wasn't "all you can eat for a limited time only". Do you neeeeed it or do you just want it?
ReplyDeleteI thought both your connotative and denotative analysis were very well written. Also, I liked how you chose an advertisement with gluttony represented as a sin because most of the advertisements we blogged about were mostly associating with lust.
ReplyDeleteYour thought process was very clear and and concise. You did a really good job identifying the sin which are based on archaic thinking and then connecting it back to something that is actually a problem in our societey, fast food/unhealthy restaurants inciting middle to lower class families.
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