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Content, Categorical, and Contextual Analysis: making the arguments 

Housekeeping:

• Remember - official due dates for all projects are located on the Assignments  page (which you can access through your sidebar).

Agenda:

• Making contextual, categorical, and content analyses.
• how to construct the argument
• where to find the information 

Contextual Analysis:

What is it? 

• A contextual analysis explores and ad (or advertising campaign) in CONTEXT. For example, it might explore a controversy around an ad campaign or it might analyze an ad as an artifact that belongs to a particular time, place, and audience. 
• EXAMPLE: Let's do a contextual analysis of SINGER sewing machines throughout time. 
• Singer Sewing Machine Ad Images  

Where do you find the information to make a contextual analysis?

• We're going to begin our contextual analysis of singer sewing machines by visiting the SINGER company website.  
• We're going to support the context provided by the SINGER company website with other historical research.  
• SINGER Sewing Machine Company Website: http://www.singerco.com/ 

How do you construct a contextual analysis?  

• We're going to construct our contextual analysis CHRONOLOGICALLY to demonstrate the gradually shifting advertising rhetoric 

Finished example of a contextual analysis of SINGER sewing machine ads: Heiniger P1 Final Paper

What are some other products you could do a contextual analysis for - Ford, GM, Sears, Macy's... companies that still exist and have a collected history of advertisements (companies with websites that contain company histories and past ads).

• http://www.ford.com/
• http://www.macys.com
• http://www.macysjobs.com/about/  

What are some of the dangers of relying on company websites and company histories? How could you deal with (counter-balance) the possibly biased company histories (could you use the articles we read on advertising to help you take a critical look at company histories?)? 

Group Project:

In small groups, construct a rough outline for a contextual analysis of SINGER sewing machine ads. Your outlines should include 1) a thesis statement, 2) a topic phrase/sentence for three (or so) body paragraphs, and 3) a conclusion sentence/phrase.

Each group should write a single outline in the comment box below (include the names of all group members in the box).

Categorical Analysis:

What is it?

• A categorical analysis compares an ad/ad campaign to similar ads/ad campaigns. 
• For example, we could do a categorical analysis of housewives in turn-of-the-century advertisements. We could compare the women (wives) in the SINGER ads with the wives featured in turn-of-the-century baking advertisements.

Where do we find the information to make a categorical analysis?

• Finding information for a categorical analysis can be as simple as doing a Google image search (once you have an idea what sort of "category" you want to research.  
• The images (ads) we're using were found in several places: the SINGER company website, a thrift store in Louisville, Kentucky... but looking on company websites is a good place to start to get accurate (and iconic) historical ads.
• Finally, you'll need a little historical research to back up any claims you make about these ads - a good place to start is the LIBRARY RESOURCE PAGE for English 1020 (there is a link in the Course Materials page).  

How do you construct a categorical analysis?

• Your THESIS should guide your categorical analysis (and LIMIT YOUR VARIABLES). For example, you CANNOT compare ALL turn-of-the-century ads that use wives to promote their products. YOU NEED TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT YOUR PARAMETERS:
• THREE turn-of-the-century ads from magazines and newspapers that use IMAGES of women and the testimonials of WIVES to promote their products.   

Content Analysis:

What is it?

• A content analysis does a close reading of a single ad or a set of related ads.  The analysis is based primarily on the CONTENT (visual, verbal, audible...) of the advertisement(s). A good content analysis depends upon a rhetorically rich ad (an ad with a lot of content to analyze).
• For example, although we could do a content analysis of some of the later Singer ads (because they have a range of good content), the Chrysler Superbowl commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SKL254Y_jtc is even better suited to a content analysis.

Where do we find the information to make a categorical analysis?

• The primary information needed for a content analysis is IN the advertisement.  
• You'll also need research to explain the SIGNIFICANCE of the content. The articles we read for this class are a good way to start. However, you may need additional research. 
• For example, if you are looking at the power of celebrity appeal or the use of humor in advertising it may be helpful to find a source to back up your claims (and also provide you with the language to discuss your observations).  
• Article on Humor in Advertising: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1250353
• Resource for Celebrity Appeal (and other Rhetorical Strategies): http://www.fallacyfiles.org/apcelebs.html

How do you construct a categorical analysis?

• Your THESIS should guide your content analysis (and LIMIT YOUR VARIABLES). For example, you CANNOT analyze the significance of EVERY SINGLE IMAGE in an ad. YOU NEED TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT YOUR PARAMETERS:
• The language, the images, and the celebrity of Eminem all generate a powerful underdog appeal for the Chrysler 200 in the Superbowl Commercial aired in 2011.