AO - Deconstructing an advertisement

Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare

Genre
• How is the genre of the track/artist evident? The genre of the artist is alternative rock; this is shown through the design of the advert, as it is quite weird and the concept of the advert is disjuncture to the band. The image of the lion/woman is very eye catching, and is bizarre as the figure, as it has the head of a lion and the body of a woman.

Media language
• What visual techniques are used? The use of anchoring is a visual technique that is used, and the juxtaposition between the image and the text creates this. As the first thing you see when you look at the advert is the lion’s head, which you then follow down the body and the tail, which leads to the text.
• How is meaning generated through these techniques? The fact that they have put a lion’s head on a woman body shows that this print text is a parody. Which gives the idea that the band do not take themselves very seriously and are ‘having a laugh’ while producing these print texts.
• What linguistic devices have been used? The connotations of the album name is suggests that the album could be depressing, as it talks about worst nightmares. However the word favourite contradicts that, and so does the font of the text- which looks quite happy/joyful and so do the background colours in the image.
• Is there any intertextuality/references to popular culture? I don’t think that there is any intertextuality or references to popular culture within the advert for this album. However it could be referenced to a postmodern view, as the advert is a parody, and the band are seen to be making fun of themselves.

Representation
• How are the band/artist represented? The band isn’t really represented strongly through this advert, as they are not featured in it. However they can be represented as not really taking themselves very seriously, as the advert is an example of a parody style.

Institution and audience
• How might this print text be consumed? I think that the advert would be consumed in a focused way, as when the person first glances at the advert they will be confused by the figure with a lion’s head, and a woman’s body, which will mean they will look at it twice.