Textual Analysis

As Nike is a popular brand, the camera angle makes the trainers look exclusive and expensive by shooting the trainers from a lower key angle. The low angle of the camera also shows the detail in the trainers and this makes them more appealing towards the target audience,  giving the product a ‘must have’ feel and makes it look fashionable, which can even persuade less wealthy people to buy it. In the foreground, the lighting creates a shadowy effect which makes the product stand out. I believe that the day light shoot makes the trainers obvious from the background and also it makes the advert look original and realistic because it reflects everyday life. In addition, the advert has a narrow depth of field that only focuses on the tarmac at foreground.    

The body language of the runner shows action and movement. I believe that the masculine leg represents the target audience because these trainers are designed for men; the red, black and white colours connote masculinity, the design gives structure and strength, and illustrates that the trainer is designed for a health-conscious person. I believe having the masculine leg on the advert makes the trainer affordable, trendy and ordinary. Also the skin tone shows the difference between the background and the trainers which gives a 3D image.

On the advert, the rhetorical question – “Why am I worn?” corresponds to the runner as the movement in the trainers gives the visual clue what the product is designed for. Having a question makes the audience about Nike trainers and this helps to hook their interest. The title, ’Why am I worn?’ is typed from a typewriter because it has small dashes at the end of each letter which shows it from an author. Also the text might connote that the author represents the target audience because it is rhetorical question. The text has a bold font which makes the title stand out from the white/cream background. The coloured black make the text look original and formal, whereas the main text, laid out in a column, has a discoloured affect which connotes that the text is unimportant. The word ‘Equilibrium’ is highlighted in red which is usually used in warnings but I think in this case, it is irrelevant as the meaning of the word is ‘balance’ which gives a sense of calm and relaxation.

From the title, ‘Why’ and ‘I’ begins with capital letter and this shows that the speaker is directly approaching the audience. Also the movement of the jogger makes the trainer speak of itself, tying in with the ‘I’ and ‘why’ as its gives a catchy rhyme to the consumer.

Looking the advert, I can tell that the age group is between 20 to 40 years old  because the title is a serif font and this connotes that the text is old fashioned and traditional. I think this advert relates to the audience because colour choice of the trainers is simple and modern, this is reflected in the colour of the text which is plain as well.

The Nike advertisement is set outdoor in a local area, such as the park. The blurry background shows the effect of the product which makes the audience believe that the trainers can be used for athletics. Having an outdoor setting with back drop of trees, pavement etc. helps the audience to imagine wearing the trainers as this is the main location the trainers would be used. I believe that the setting complements the product because it shows the function of the trainers. The advert has two layers, these are the sky and tree and the jogger running at a steady speed. Doing this make the audience think that that the photo was taken at a sport event (promoting and linking to the Olympics 2012) and this makes it look believable.  If the photo was airbrushed, the advert would not look convincing for the target audience and so it wouldn’t complement the Nike trainers.

The advert only has one main prop which is the trainers and this can help the product to be the main focus of the audience. The runner is wearing shorts, the reason for this is because the shorts shows the style of the trainers and thus the identity of the Nike brand.  Other than this the adverts has no use of symmetry in its composition.

Also I believe that the advert puts across a sense of sexiness towards the female audiences, because most advertisements uses male model  as an temptation for women and  its make them  buy the trainers for the friend, partner and family. This can increase the popularity and sales of the Nike brand.

The Nike advert uses different techniques to give the code and convention of a promoting advert. I believe this makes a good advert because it doesn’t have any false claims but a positive reason towards a healthy life.