Summaries of multimodal texts

Equal Exchange advertisement

Summary of a multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

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The Equal Exchange advertisement is selling the message that together farmers and consumers hold the future of the planet in their hands. At the center of the ad is a farmer whose outstretched hands, full of red coffee beans, offer the fruit of her labor and a partnership with consumers. The ad suggests that in a global world both producers and consumers are bound together. A cup of coffee is more than just a morning ritual; a cup of coffee is part of an equal exchange that empowers farmers to stay on their land and empowers consumers to do the right thing. The ad attempts to work on an emotional level to persuade consumers to identify with a farmer whose heart-shaped hands hold their collective future. On a logical level, though, the ad raises questions about empowerment, a good concept to choose, but not one easily or equally exchanged.

—Ren Yoshida, student

Annotated multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

McDonald's advertisement

An advertisement for McDonald’s in the July–August 2004 issue of Men’s Health magazine represents an attempt by the restaurant chain to remake its image. The implicit reason for the ad is that McDonald’s world-famous fast food has come under increasingly harsh attack for unhealthful processing and preparation. The fresh, spring-green lettuce that dominates this ad is a signal to customers that McDonald’s has changed its menu and now offers food as fresh and healthful as any found in a supermarket. By publicizing this new direction, McDonald’s clearly hopes to attract health-conscious customers. Moreover, by framing this advertisement as a response to an individual customer’s question, McDonald’s attempts to show that the vast size of the chain does not prevent it from tending personally to its customers’ concerns.

—Albert Lee, student

Annotated multimodal text (McDonald's advertisement)