ADVT7508: Fundamentals of Advertising 1
ADVT7508 Semester 2, 2023:
Ad Critiques 1 and 2
Guidelines
ADVT7508: Fundamentals of Advertising 2
ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
Ad Critiques 1 and 2 (25% each)
The purpose of these assessments are to determine the effectiveness of
selected ads based on criteria determined from course learning.
This assessment involves the critique of TWO (2) ads—the first is due on 31
August and the second on 3 October. Ad Critique 1 is worth 25% and
Ad Critique 2 is worth 25%. The ad critiques should be submitted
to Blackboard—through both the Blackboard AND Turnitin links.
Requirements and guidance for ad selection:
• You MUST use two different ads (for two different brands) for the cri-
tiques. The brand cannot be Airbnb or an ad analysed in the lecture or
tutorial.
• You can choose your ads from digital or traditional media. They can be
video ads, print ads, outdoor ads—the media does not matter. However,
the chosen ads for the two critiques MUST come from different media.
For example, one YouTube ad and one Billboard ad is permissible. On
the other hand, one Facebook ad and one Instagram ad is not allowed
as these are both social media ads. Please ensure that the ad is the ap-
pendix of your submission.
• Ads MUST be from the last six months, in English language (not English
subtitles), and targeted at an Australian audience. The critique of a non
-English ad will receive a grade of zero. Ads older than 6 months or
those not targeting Australia will receive a 50% penalty.
• The ads you choose can be ads you like or think are effective, or ones
you do not like or think are ineffective.
ADVT7508: Fundamentals of Advertising 3
ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
Ad Critique Requirements [For Both Critiques 1 & 2]
Formatting: 3 A4 pages (does not include +/- 10%), 12pt font, 1.5 line spacing,
2.54cm margins.
Section 1. Overview of the chosen ad (5 marks)
In this section you should:
a) Identify the client i.e. who is advertising (the brand or the company) and
the product/service that is being advertised in the ad.
b) Provide a brief overview of the ad using the CLAMP framework.*
c) Looking at the ad, identify its purpose?** i.e. what is the advertiser’s goal?
d) Explain why you think this is the purpose.
e) Briefly describe the media used (for critique 2, please also specify the me-
dium and vehicle).
* This section should be able to explain the ad to someone who has not seen it.
** Does not require desktop research. This should come from the ad itself.
Section 2. Target audience (5 marks)
In this section you should:
a) Looking at the ad, identify the key target audience of the ad* i.e. who are
the intended customers? (Description should include different segmenta-
tion dimensions i.e. demographic, geographic, psychographic and behav-
ioural).
b) Explain why you think this is the target audience.
c) Provide key consumer insights** relating to the identified audience, in par-
ticular consumer behaviour and media habits.
* Does not require desktop research. This should come from the ad itself.
** Brief research will need to be done here. Ensure you reference your sources.
ADVT7508: Fundamentals of Advertising 4
ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
Ad Critique Requirements [Continued]
Section 3. Creative Strategy (5 marks)
In this section you should:
a) Briefly discuss the message strategy. You may choose to apply the mes-
sage strategy statement discussed in the course.
b) Identify the type of message strategy using one or more of the 8 types
discussed in the course. Justify your selection.
c) Identify the appeal used and execution techniques. Justify your selec-
tion.
Section 4. Effectiveness* (8 marks)
In this section you should:
a) Provide a clear statement of whether you think the ad strategy was
effective or not i.e. ‘good’ or ‘not good’
b) Justify your answer by discussing the following:
• Does the ad achieve the purpose you identified in section 1?
• Does the ad appropriately consider the target audience you de-
scribed in section 2?
• How appropriate was the creative strategy?**
• For critique 2 only: How appropriate was the media strategy?**
c) Discuss any changes you would make to improve the ad’s effective-
ness. Recommend at least one change and justify.
* Ensure you are applying course learning, theory and terminology in this section, ra-
ther than providing an opinion piece. Remember, this section is worth the most
marks, so ensure you give it the right focus.
** A more detailed creative strategy evaluation is expected for critique 1. For critique 2,
there should be less detail for the creative strategy evaluation, as you will need to in-
clude a media strategy evaluation within the same word limit.
ADVT7508: Fundamentals of Advertising 5
ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
Ad Critique Requirements [Continued]
Presentation, referencing and structure (2 marks)
The critique needs to follow presentation, structure and referencing
standards. Sub-headings are not a requirement but are recommended
to improve clarity.
You must include a screenshot of the ad in the appendix. For videos,
provide a link. No other appendices should be included.
Select your preferred academic style for referencing (APA, Harvard
etc.), ensuring consistency of application throughout.
The references list, appendix and title page are NOT included in the 3–
page count.
Why do two ad critiques?
The idea behind doing two ad critiques is that you can use the feedback
you receive from Ad Critique 1, as well as your own learning and reflec-
tion, and apply it to Ad Critique 2. After all, learning comes from prac-
tice!
You are also gaining experience in evaluating different types of ads, as
they will be chosen from different media.
Lastly, by critique 2, you would have covered more of the course and
can have a different perspective for Section 4: Effectiveness. For exam-
ple, by critique 2, you would have learnt about media planning and se-
lection in more depth, and can include an evaluation of the media
strategy to answer section 4.