297
Instructor's Notes
To assign the questions that follow this reading, click “Browse More Resources for this Unit,” or go to the Resources panel.
Because visual images surround us, you may be asked to respond to them and to analyze them, concentrating on persuasive, cultural, historical, sociological, or other qualities. Logan Sikora analyzed a television commercial to investigate how advertisers influence our perceptions.
Logan SikoraStudent Analysis of an Advertisement
The Attention Test
1
The commercial for the 2015 Škoda Fabia has gotten a lot of media attention, including headlines like this one: “You Won’t Be Able to Take Your Eyes Off This Cheap Škoda Hatchback” (Sorokanich). Although this claim certainly is warranted, the attention viewers pay to the Škoda Fabia has little to do with the car and almost everything to do with the design and content of the commercial, an instructive example of how advertisers shape our perceptions to their advantage.
2
At the start of the commercial, the following words appear on the screen: “The Attention Test” (Škoda). We are then taken to a street scene that features an unimpressive blue hatchback parked between a scooter and a black van, with shops in the background. (The car is the Škoda Fabia, an economy car built by the Czech subsidiary of Volkswagen.) At this point the voiceover begins, and throughout it the camera never veers from the parked Fabia:
To test just how much attention the attention-stealing design of the new Škoda Fabia actually steals, we left one parked on this ordinary road in West London. We wanted to see if its sharp, crystalline shapes, bold lines, and lower, wider profile would attract the desired level of attention. Will the seventeen-inch black alloy wheels stop passers-by in their tracks? Will the angular headlights attract the attention of other road users? Will a crowd gather to check out its fresh, sporty look? Well, not quite. But did the attention-stealing design distract you from noticing that the entire street has been changing right before your very eyes? Don’t believe us? Have another look. Did you spot the van changing to a taxi? How about the scooter changing to a pair of bicycles? Or the lady holding a pig? Let alone the fact that the entire street is now completely different. Didn’t think so. So there we have it. Proof that the new Škoda Fabia is truly attention-stealing. (Škoda)
3
The narrator is right: it is likely that most viewers’ eyes will stay trained on the blue car, not noticing all the changes that take place in the background until the narrator points them out. The car remains the center of attention because it is the focal point not only of the camera but also of much of the narrator’s commentary, which refers to the Fabia’s “attention-stealing design,” “sharp, crystalline shapes,” and so on. The lesson here is that an automobile company doesn’t need a sports car to attract this kind of attention; it just needs the right kind of advertising.
298
4
Viewers’ focus on the car in the Škoda commercial is an example of selective attention, a result of the fact that we can pay attention to only so many things at the same time. As writer and psychology expert Kendra Cherry has noted, “Attention acts somewhat like a spotlight, highlighting the details that we need to focus on and casting irrelevant information to the sidelines of our perception.” Effective advertising trains that spotlight carefully, setting our visual priorities to advertisers’ advantage.
5
Another appealing aspect of the Škoda commercial is its tongue-in-cheek humor, from references to the “fresh, sporty look” of the plain-looking car to the mention of the “lady holding a pig.” The advertiser wants us to feel as if we are in on the joke, while also making a pitch for the Fabia. As noted in a blog post from Lumen, an “attention technology” company, humor is an especially effective approach for reaching Millennials, an important audience for advertisers.
6
Given its design, content, and humor, the Škoda commercial certainly is appealing; more than that, it sheds an interesting light on strategies that advertisers use to attract, and hold, our attention.
Works Cited
Cherry, Kendra.“What Is Selective Attention?” About Education, psychology.about.com/
“Marketing to Millennials: Is It a Tougher Task?” Lumen Research, 8 Apr. 2015, www.lumenresearch.com/new-blog/marketing-to-millenials.
Škoda. YouTube, 26 Feb. 2015, www.youtube.com/
Sorokanich, Bob.“Video: You Won’t Be Able to Take Your Eyes Off This Cheap Škoda Hatchback.” Car and Driver, 4 Mar. 2015, blog.caranddriver.com/
Questions to Start You Thinking
Meaning
How does the commercial keep viewers focused on the blue car?
In what way is this focus an example of selective attention?
What other strategies does the commercial use to appeal to viewers?
Writing Strategies
Where does Sikora introduce her thesis and her major supporting points?
How does Sikora ensure that readers know enough about the commercial to follow her discussion?
What different kinds of support does Sikora draw from her sources?