Dissecting Olympic Game Advertisements: BBC vs Channel 4

Advertisement Comparison

Advertising is the promotional publication of products and ideas, which utilise inducing methods to appeal to a specified demographic. In recent years, this commercial practice has revolutionised in correspondence to the innovative advancements in our technological world; where the development of media platforms such as online streaming, has shifted the global view of digital entertainment. Being the largest sporting spectacle in the world, The Olympic Games is unquestionably a dominant fragment within the advertising industry due to its worldwide audience that surpasses millions. Two advertisements that are prevalent to this are BBC’s coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games (Text One) and Channel 4’s depiction of

This was predominant in Channel 4’s Paralympics commercial as the contemporary soundtrack ‘Harder Than You Think’ by Public Enemy, was synchronised with the visual text to entice the audience. The trailer’s motivational influence was further enhanced through its lyrical verses, ‘Get up, Just Like That’ in addition to subtexts such as “It’s Time to do Battle” to invigorate the audience. Disparately, BBC has deliberately minimised the use of lyrical conventions and has instead employed a harmonious melody that intensified in a gradual manner. This technique heightened the audience’s engagement with the visual text, allowing them to deeply analyse the major elements of the advertisement. Essentially, the implication and exclusion of conventional language features have been utilised to deepen the audiences’ captivation of the

This was present in both commercials, as they utilise visual triggers to encourage the sense of nationalism to the residence of the United Kingdom. In Text One, this was evidently shown by the prominent key landmarks, as athletes are surrounded by the traditional, vintage-styled cities of Britain and renowned architecture including the Big Ben and London Eye. Patriotism has similarly been embedded within Channel 4’s commercial through the continual presentation of The Union Jack and its national colours (red, blue and white). These iconic symbols and colours schemes have been worn repetitively by athletes, patronising the audience to support their fellow representatives. Overall, the patriotic iconography and national symbols have been embedded to isolate a particular target audience.

With liaison of techniques highlighted above, both BBC and Channel 4 have objectified the audiences’ national pride through triumphalism and valour. Congruently enticing the viewers to promote their respective broadcasts, which further results to fluctuate product sales and buisness opportunities. Write