Green Ad Analysis- Target

The ad I chose was a Target ad that I found in the April 18th, 2010 issue of the Star Tribune news paper. The ad was an eight page insert to Target’s normal Sunday ad that is found in all Sunday papers. The ad insert focused on sales Target was having on “green” products. The paragraphs that follow is my analysis of the ad insert.

The main target of the ad I felt was mainly adults. I think that because the products the ad features are products for adults. The products are like laundry detergent and light bulbs. These products are mostly bought and used by adults and less so then by children. There is however a picture of a little girl smiling while holding a plant in the middle of the ad which I think was more geared towards children trying to say kids can help with the environment too. Besides that picture though I think the ad was definitely more for adults. I felt that the mood the article created was a happy one. The article used light and warm colors and the wording at the top that said “ Celebrate Earth Week & Save” gave me the impression that they were saying come buy Eco- friendly products and help save the environment and your money. I think they were trying to create a mood were people could do something good ( helping save the environment) while do something they love (shop).

The design of the ad is quite simple. It is eight pages long. On the front it has a picture of a big green reusable shopping bag and a picture of laundry detergent. On the next two pages there are pictures of products that were on sale last week. The fourth and fifth pages talk about a project that Target did about sending in plastic bags to receive a discount on a re use able bag. The sixth page gives tips on how Target is reducing waste, and the seventh page tells how Target is minimizing their carbon footprint and conserving water. The last page features more product sold at Target. On the pages were product is featured there is a picture of the product along with how much it costs and what makes it “green”. I think the words by the product help enhance the picture. I think this was done too allow the reader of the ad to see the product and know how it was green in an effort to persuade people to buy it. As I have mentioned before the ad was an eight page insert. Every page is either filled with product or Target’s “green” facts. They fit as much as they could into the pages and there was no “white space”. I think they did a good job filling the ad. There are two figures of people in this ad. One is a black women with curly hair and one is a little white girl with straight hair. I think this was done to appeal to black women and little children. The women is shown pouring water and smiling. I think this was done to say that helping the environment makes people feel good. The little girl is shown holding a plant and she is also smiling. I think this was done to show hoe little kids can also make a difference in the environment. The background of the ad is a light blue sky color. Also in the background are on some of the pages there are little birds, trees, clouds, windmills and on one page there is a sun. This background I think creates a warm feeling and helps further show that this ad is about the environment and environmental friendly products.

The main theme of the advertisement seems to be buy Eco- friendly products and help save the environment. All the products in the ad are all products that can be considered “green”. The language that is used goes along with the theme of the add. Some of the language includes “Celebrate Earth Week and Save”, “Eco- smart choices for your family and your budget”, and “Good for you: Organics and more”. These phrases clearly relate to the buy Eco products, save the environment. The wording is in bold writing and either at the top of the page or in the middle. I think this was done so it would be hard for the reader to miss these words. The items being advertise very. They range from laundry detergent to food. The one thing all the products in the ad have in common is that they are used everyday. I think this is important because if people use items that they use everyday and they are Eco-friendly then it would go along ways to helping the environment.

In my opinion Target did a good job with this ad. I think they did a good job with there pictures and words. Having the products and how they were “green” gives the reader a chance to see and know what they are buying before they buy it. Also I like the fact that they put the things Target is doing to be more “green”. That way you can see that Target really is trying to make a difference not just trying to make money by selling Eco- friendly products. Also the wording they used and where they put the words work and can catch the readers attention. Overall I think Target achieved what they were trying to do with this ad.