Poster Analysis

Colour code key:

Red – In what way is the information conveyed?

Orange – Colours used and why

Green – Intended audience of the poster

Purple – what is promised in the poster?

Blue – How does the poster gain attention?

Yellow – Symbols in the poster 

This is a poster is advertising the British soap opera Hollyoaks.
Information on this poster is mainly conveyed visually, although what is shown through pictures, would not make sense at all without the words on the poster. Therefore, this poster requires both visual and verbal to get their point across. 
They have followed conventions of soap opera posters by having the name of the soap, when and what time it is on, and the channel clearly displayed, so no questions are left unanswered when it comes to the key facts. 
This poster also has a large verbal caption attached to it, this states a point, and what the poster is mainly centred around 'Rub some Hollyoaks on it'. This sentence is the subject of the poster, and the pictures back this up. 
This leads onto what is promised by the poster, and this poster promises a great deal. It essentially tells the audience that if they were to watch Hollyoaks they could potentially look like the people on the right, as opposed to those on the left hand side of the poster. The poster displays the same picture but in two different scenarios, and although it is quite obvious that by watching the soap your life won't won't turn around that drastically, it is a good and comical twist on the normal soap opera advertisements. 
The poster does promise things that are probably never going to happen, but it does get their selling point across in an effective way, that as a soap opera, it promises more than any others. It makes the soap stand out amongst others, and makes us think it is a modern and stylish soap. It also hints at the fact that Hollyoaks is not as strict when it comes to verisimilitude as other soaps, whereas if another soap such as Eastenders were to make a poster like this one, it would seem very strange, once again showing how unique and up to date Hollyoaks is.
This poster is not advertising a specific episode of the soap, it is advertising the soap opera as a whole, meaning this poster is aimed at those who probably wouldn't already watch the soap. 
I think this poster would achieve its aim of gaining higher audience numbers for the show, as the tag line and pictures make the soap seem very appealing. It could even make people want to watch the soap to see if it would benefit their lives. 
The target age range for the poster, would be the target audience of the soap itself, late teens and young adults. From the picture on the right, I think this poster would be effective at gaining that age range, as it shows a setting of a modern bar, and the characters in the picture are young and glamorous, it seems fresh and up market. This is the sort of life people of the target age range would probably like to aspire to, relating back to the uses and gratification audience theory.
Colours play a big part in the effectivness of this poster, colours display the clear difference between the left and right half. On the left side, old, musty colours are used, this includes many shades of brown and a non attractive deep red colour. In contrast, the right side of the poster uses bright and vibrant colours, to give the audience the opposite effect to what the left side gave them. They have used colours such as blue and silver, and the attractive female in the foreground is wearing a provocative red dress, this would encourage male viewers. The bright red colour used has connotations linked to love and romance, hinting what the story lines in the soap could be about.
I think attention is gained in this poster by the tagline, you then realise that both halves of the poster are depicting the same sequence in different ways, I then found myself comparing the halves, and the poster had my full attention.
I think the symbol and message that is given to the audience is that by watching Hollyoaks, you can enhance your life.
Overall i think this exciting, detailed poster would draw people into taking a look at it, and would make many people want to watch the soap itself, as the poster promises more than just a soap opera.


This is a poster shown in Britain for the Australian soap opera, Neighbours.
This poster is different to the others I have researched into, as it is not advertising specific episodes or even trying to gain more views for the soap as a whole. This poster is used for informing purposes, telling the current audience that the soap will now be shown on a different channel.
Once again information is conveyed via text and pictures, although all the important and necessary information is displayed verbally. 
The indicating slogan used states 'Same Ramsay St - New Home'. This is very short and to the point and I think it would be quite effective at telling audiences that a big change is coming. I think it also will make the point that although it will be shown on a different channel, it will still be the same soap. 
As with any soap opera poster, it displays the soap name and channel, in this case, if people didn't realise what the caption was implying, they would now be able to understand when they link it to the fact there is a different channel to what they usually see on posters and adverts. 
The visual side of the poster displays many well-known characters, all of which are looking very happy, once again hinting at the fact that the soap will stay the same and comforting the audience by showing that the change is a good thing. It also gives the audience plenty to look at as the poster is quite busy, yet very interesting as there are many fine details that would draw an audience into watching the soap.
This poster uses many colours, but none that are too bright or overwhelming; they are all quite calm, everyday colours. Most of the characters are wearing colourful clothing connoting happiness, telling the audience that the characters are upbeat and there is a sense of equilibrium within the street. 
I think something that stands out in the poster, is the blue sky which portrays the sunny, hot weather, and as it is an Australian soap, the weather there is something that attracts many people to the country. This is also pathetic fallacy as it reflects the mood in the picture. This blue sky, greenery, flowers and parrots, could almost make people want to watch the soap to experience a piece of paradise for when it’s on.
I believe a big symbol in this poster is the kangaroo. This indicates to the audience right away that the soap is not set in the UK, whereas kangaroos are commonly linked with Australia. By having this animal in the poster, it clearing determines to the audience where the setting of the soap is.
I would say the intended audience for this poster would be frequent viewers of the soap, as they are the people that would be concerned about this change.
I think the main thing that is promised by this poster, is the fact that the soap will not be any different to how it has always been. I think it is almost trying to reassure the audience that the new channel will not affect characters and storylines. Many of the character have with them a prop that is directly linked with their character, showing the audience that they are still the same, this also gives the poster added detail and makes it more intriguing to look at.
Attention is gained in this poster by the amount of characters involved and the high key colours used. 
I think initially the audience would be drawn in by the fact that nothing dramatic is being depicted. 
Many soap opera posters tend to be advertising big storylines, so they seem to be much more dramatic. In contract, in this scene everyone is happy and has a smile; it is a nice and different twist to the usual soap opera poster.
Overall I think this poster is very effective at getting its key point across, all the information needed is displayed clearly and can be easily understood. I believe this poster is exciting and fun; it may have even drawn new viewers to watch the soap on the new channel as well as the old ones.