The advert I chose to analyse is Virgin Media's 'Bolt vs Blot' starring Usain Bolt.



Who created this message?
The message was created by Virgin and the advert was filmed by a separate filming agency called Blink.

What creative techniques are used to get my attention?
The main focus of this advert is Usain Bolt, pretty much everyone knows who he is and he is synonymous with being the fastest in the world. This grabs my attention because it is interesting to see celebrities in commercials especially one such as Bolt who is known for his extravagant personality. The fact that Bolt is running against a short, fat man, grabs our attention because it isn't a usual race that he would be running in which makes us curious about the advert, it also can be funny to see the comparison of Bolt and the man he is racing because they are so different and we know that Bolt will win.
The used music is a slow, simple tune which makes the advert seem more calm. Also the voice over is calm and he sounds like what he is commentating on isn't very exciting or challenging. Language techniques grab our attention for example when the voice over says 'Richard's turned up' it makes the advert seem relaxed because Richard Branson is the owner of the company which is a formal role so if the advert was more formal then he wouldn't just 'turn up'. These techniques give us the impression that the whole event is nothing to make a fuss about because Bolt can easily win the race. Which can be reflected in the message that the advert is giving, Virgin Media is easily faster than any other broadband and they are not really worried about the competition.
Sarcastic jokes are used a lot in this advert for example, when the voice over says 'Let's see which broadband is quicker, I wonder' this tells us that Virgin Media is easily superior to other broad bands.

How might different people understand this message differently to me?
People who don't know who Usain Bolt is may not understand the message because without knowing that he is the fastest in the world, they might not understand that the advert is saying that Virgin Media has the fastest broadband, although it is pretty clear.
Some people may find the advert to discriminate against short and obese people because it is basically saying that like short, fat people, other broad bands are a waste of time and effort and you should only bother with Virgin Media or tall and fit people.

What lifestyles and points of view are represented or omitted from this message?
The people in the advert who are using Virgin Media's broadband are a happy couple who are watching a film on the sofa together, which gives the impression that Virgin Media makes peoples lives more enjoyable. Whilst the teenage boy sitting on his bed using regular broadband looks bored and fed up with waiting for his internet to load, which tells us, if you're not with Virgin Media then your internet experience will be boring and dull.
The advert is aimed at people who have access to the internet and are fed up with their internet being slow so the makers of the advert wouldn't worry about appealing to people who don't use the internet.

Why is this message being sent?
The message is being sent to inform people that Virgin Media's fibre optic broadband is faster than any other regular broadband, which should encourage people to switch to using it instead of their current broadband.