INLS 500 - Human Information Interaction

Alternative Assignment 2 - Incidental Information Acquisition

Choose a product, service, or company that you feel has engaged in a particularly successful advertising campaign. This should represent something that grabbed your attention, or taught you something you did not know, or inspired you to try something you would not have tried. Your task is to analyze the campaign and describe what made (or makes) it so successful. You should support your claims with facts if you can find them. For example, if the campaign was designed to appeal to your age group, it would be helpful (but not required) to find sales figures (or attendance, Nielsen ratings, box office sales, etc.) to support this.

You should not assume that the popularity of a campaign alone will make a difference. Some of my favorite commercials promote products that I have never tried. It may even have a negative effect - I avoid Eveready batteries when other options are available because of the pink rabbit. On the other hand, a slogan, a catchy tune, or a funny presentation may occasionally do what it was designed to do and entice a person to watch a show, employ a service, or purchase a product (maybe you, too, have a Swiffer). In fact, advertising has become so much a part of American life, that we are targeted increasingly in more subtle ways. [A TV character in a popular show may be seen to don a pair of Nikes for a run, sip on a Dasani, or work on her Dell computer - brands visible in this way indicate sponsorship by the company.]

For this assignment, analyze in a 3-5 page paper the media used to convey the message (print, audio, video, etc.), the targeted audience, the features of the ad that make it unique or attractive, and why it was successful for you.