Advertisement Critique

Today’s society is very much influenced by the food advertisements we see on televisions, billboards, and packaging. Advertisers use different methods to entice people to buy their food or to visit their restaurant. Advertisements are directed at groups of people for different reason: socioeconomic class, vegetarianism, organic lover, and so on. In order to appeal to these certain groups, companies focus on their overall message, color, word choice, and visuals when making their advertisements.

Subway commercials have always stood out to me; it might be their catchy slogan, “$5 footlong,” or the fact that they appear on the television more than other fast food restaurants. I analyzed two different subway commercials; even though they are for the same fast-food restaurant I found many differences involving who they are appealing to, their design, and their overall message.  

Choosing an audience is the first step in making an advertisement; audiences are extremely important since they are the ones who ultimately buy the product. In relation to food, audiences differ among their income level, health-food liking, or type of convenience they want—fast-food restaurant versus sit down. Advertisers need to designate what the overall message is to the chosen audience. When the purpose of the ad has been found out word choice, visuals, and colors need to be decided. Different styles can send different messages: bold versus light colors and smaller versus larger words. All of these tools are used to create the ideal advertisement; the different methods for different audiences can be seen through the two Subway advertisements I analyzed.

The first subway commercial I analyzed focuses on nutrition while appealing towards the health-friendly individuals. Their overall message—“eat fresh”—is displayed at the center of the ad below the name Subway. By placing this slogan at the center, with the different choices of subs around the sides, all attention is immediately directed at “eat fresh.” Other attempts to display nutrition are in the subs themselves; they are all filled with fresh vegetables and even one sub choice is called Veggie Delite. Besides the words “Subway eat fresh” at the center, each sub surrounding is given a name; this gives the observer a complete list of the choices Subway offers. The entire background on this advertisement is white which allows the subs and slogans to stand out. Many more colors are used in the subs themselves, giving a fresh, healthy lift to this ad.

                                                           

The second subway commercial I analyzed was directed towards the lower socioeconomic class. Subway is promoting their new deal of five dollars for a foot-long sub. The words on this advertisement tell the reader this offer can be obtained everyday for over eight sub choices. To appeal to their designated audience the most important message—“$5 Footlongs”—needs to be clearly displayed. These words are the largest and displayed directly in the center of the ad. The characteristic five-finger hand is in the background of the $5; this symbol, attached with $5, is known to the reader even before they read the Subway sign. Subway uses only four different colors in this advertisement: orange as the background, yellow to display the “new” sign, and words in green and white.  The background orange is shaded so the center of the advertisement is the lightest which emphasizes the words. The words are outlined in green making them stand out more. By using large words, simple colors, and the hand symbol, Subway is able to appeal to the lower socioeconomic class arguing that they have the best deal for their money.

      

A theme prevalent in both of the Subway advertisements is simplicity. Whether it is a few words, simple colors, or limited visuals, these ads are directly to the point. This is again directly related towards the chosen audience. With less money to spend, the lower socioeconomic class is only looking for food that would be light on their wallet. Displaying the company’s slogan gets the point across to the viewer that they are able to get a deal for their money if they come to Subway. For health-friendly individuals, the bright colors give a fresh feeling. The simple slogan “eat fresh” tells the observer directly that there are healthy options at their stores. Subway targets their designated audience for both advertisements very methodically through the simplicity in the ads.

Color, word choice, and design are carefully thought out in both ads, but there are also many limitations that I came across analyzing the ads. Both ads mentioned the eight choices of subs that one can find in a Subway, but neither of them mentioned some other options they sell such as breakfast food. These ads got their point across, but if an individual is unfamiliar with this fast-food restaurant they would only know that there are eight choices of subs. Including other (not-as-important) items in the background will clarify what Subway offers to the audience.


Based on these two advertisements, consumers value nutrition and the best deal they can get for their money. In relation to cheaper food, our society has changed to the fast-food route. Consumers are constantly looking for the quick option that is the best deal for their buck. Still in society, in relation to the first advertisement, healthy options are as ever important. These two advertisements focus in on a specific audience and alter the words, colors, and display of visuals in the ads to grab the audience’s attention. Based on these two ads Subway targets multiple audiences trying to generate as much income as possible. Advertisements may look simple on the outside, but the meaning hidden inside is thought out with intricate detail.