Especially in recent weeks, the Spanish Lottery Christmas advert has attracted a great deal of attention, including some people stating that it is much more emotional than the new John Lewis Christmas advertisement. With a lack of diegetic sound - such as dialogue - much of the mood of the advertisement is driven through the use of non-diegetic music and the cinematic use of low-key lighting to create a feeling of isolation for the main character, who is depicted as a lonely security guard.
The narrative of the advertisement is chronological and non-linear, structured primarily by the use of the guard's "daily routine" which shows the repetition of his life and how "boring" it is. This works especially well with the conclusive scene in which the man is given a winning lottery ticket, to represent the concept that the Spanish Lottery can change your life. Keeping with creating this mood, the guard is seen surrounded by a mass of people and the lighting is notably warmer, with connotations of unity, love, and the Christmas spirit of giving.
Although the preferred reading for this advertisement would be that the audience would feel happy for the guard and see that the lottery has indeed changed his life, the negotiated reading would be that the audience feels that the friendships displayed when the man wins the lottery are materialistic and "fake" and that, in fact, these people take granted of the security guard who suffers long, lonely nights for the benefit of their company.
It stands testimony that, despite being a Spanish advertisement written in the Spanish language, an audience from other non-Spanish speaking countries have been able to understand and appreciate the advertisement.
The narrative of the advertisement is chronological and non-linear, structured primarily by the use of the guard's "daily routine" which shows the repetition of his life and how "boring" it is. This works especially well with the conclusive scene in which the man is given a winning lottery ticket, to represent the concept that the Spanish Lottery can change your life. Keeping with creating this mood, the guard is seen surrounded by a mass of people and the lighting is notably warmer, with connotations of unity, love, and the Christmas spirit of giving.
Although the preferred reading for this advertisement would be that the audience would feel happy for the guard and see that the lottery has indeed changed his life, the negotiated reading would be that the audience feels that the friendships displayed when the man wins the lottery are materialistic and "fake" and that, in fact, these people take granted of the security guard who suffers long, lonely nights for the benefit of their company.
It stands testimony that, despite being a Spanish advertisement written in the Spanish language, an audience from other non-Spanish speaking countries have been able to understand and appreciate the advertisement.
The John Lewis advert of 2011 proved to be one of the most publicly adored of the Christmas season and began the trend of heart-warming John Lewis television adverts. The theme of Christmas festivities is evident throughout the advertisement - from the close-ups of advent calendars to the eventual appearance of Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree. Likewise, the theme of family is prominent with the frequent appearance of the main protagonist (the young boy)'s family; who we can assume are his mother, father, and younger brother.
The narrative of the advertisement is driven by the impatient actions of the young boy awaiting Christmas day, expressed with the use of close ups that effectively capture his facial expressions.The advert plays on the concept that the audience will already know of their brand - therefore there is not a major push on selling specific products - but also that the preferred reading will be that the gifts from John Lewis are so wonderful that you won't be able to wait to give them to people. Likewise, it manipulates the audience's emotions in showing a young, cute boy and his relationship with his parents.
The theme of Christmas is evident for a convention other than the traditional use of Christmas lights and families exchanging gifts. It is most evident for the incorporation of a classic Christmas song, "Jingle Bells".
The equal representation of age, gender, race, and ethnicity is apparent throughout the advertisement - showing people from all walks of life enjoying "The Body Shop" products with the use of humour to attract and engage the audience. The fact that so many diverse groups of society are represented within the advert links to the concept of involving oneself in the consumption of media for the purpose of personal identity; because we relate.
The concluding scene contains a call to action to buy the products shown as a portion of each sale is being promised to be donated to an advert, which may sway a member of public to buy the product - specifically through the Christmas season where consumers are looking for gifts.
