FWS: Manufacturing Need: Writing About the Power of Advertising

Catalog description

From Dove soap ads to Budweiser's famous Super Bowl commercials, companies vie for our attention in order to persuade us to buy their products. But what exactly are they selling us? This course will explore the ways in which print and video advertisements craft stories that capitalize on our best intentions and deepest anxieties. By identifying design elements such as use of color, lighting, spatial arrangement, music, and dialogue, students will assess and critique how visual ads make persuasive arguments that often work against our better judgment. We will then consider ads that harness this power to deliver positive messages through PSAs and advocacy advertising. Assignments will include rhetorical and critical analysis papers, creative briefs for a mock marketing campaign, and a video essay.