The piece shown is an ad for Campbell's soup created by Campbell, during a war. Its purpose is to persuade women who need to provide for their families to buy their vegetable soup. The piece features a woman in a kitchen with a bowl of soup next to the text "So rich and hearty, [it is] far better than my own!" There is also a small blurb of text below talking more about the soup and briefly explaining that all of Campbell's soups have a new and improved recipe. Above the picture of the woman, there is some text, reading "A soup full of flavour and food value for these strenuous war days!" next to a can of the product.
The piece is attempting to persuade married women to buy Campbell's vegetable soup. The persuasion is evident in many parts of the piece. For example, in the text below the woman, when it says "Why not try the new, improved Campbell's Vegetable Soup tomorrow?" This part of the text urges viewers to try the new soup as soon as they can. In addition, it attempts to sell the soup as 'new' and 'improved' in attempts to make more people interested in the product. When people see the word 'new,' their mind often becomes more intrigued, which could result in them buying the product at least once. The word 'improved' means that it is better, and during the wartime, people want what is best for them and their family. The word 'improve' indicates that they will be getting what is best. Furthermore, the persuasion is shown through the text next to the woman. At the time this piece was created, women were in charge of cooking and were expected to cook good food. Seeing another woman stating that the soup was better than her own and complimenting it so much would make one believe in what she was saying. Hearing something from someone who does the same thing as you makes it more believable, in comparison to someone who doesn't.
It is evident that the ad was targeted towards women for two reasons. Firstly, the ad's focal point is a woman. If one sees someone like oneself on an ad, one is more likely to stop and examine it. Having an image of the target audience on the ad makes it more likely that the target audience will view it. Secondly, in the textbox below the woman, it mentions the impact the soup has on women, stating "The women who have come to think of this soup as 'almost a meal in itself' will find the new, improved Campell's Vegetable Soup a tremendous help in fixing tempting, nutritious meals these busy war days." During the time the ad was created, women were in charge of the housework while the men helped with the war; because of that, they did not have much time to cook, an issue which the ad is using to attempt and provide the soup as a solution. The ad constantly mentions and features women which shows that women are the target audience.
The ad uses a number of ways to promote the soup. Firstly, it uses the words "A soup full of flavour and food value for these strenuous war days!" During the war, it was difficult to get good tasting, healthy food for a reasonable price. The ad uses that fact to its advantage by boasting about how flavourful and delicious the soup is and how it has a high food value - meaning that it's healthy as well. It also uses a small section to talk about what 'new' and 'improved' mean exactly, stating that it means the soup has "more ingredients, [it is] more delicious [and is] more nourishing." Stating the positive changes that have been made to the soup makes it more appealing to people to try, as they recognise the need for these things in their food lives. Finally, the ad has a section where it discusses many things, not limited to some details about the soup's ingredients, the response by homecooks and women to soup and the reasoning behind the price increase of the soup. All of these things are very effective in persuading the audience to buy the soup. For example, discussing the soup's usage of 15+ vegetables shows women that it is extremely healthy and such a quantity of vegetables is necessary in a meal. Next, the positive response of people to the soup results in people viewing the soup in a more positive light and truly believing that it tastes good. Finally, humans often believe that the more expensive something is, the better it will be. Campbell mentioned that the price had gone up due to the increase in food value and nutrition in the soup. This paired up with the ideology humans normally have make the soup seem healthier, which will persuade people to buy it.
There are many textual features that the ad incorporates. Firstly, the use of colour is very significant. Blue is the most prominent colour which is important for two reasons; it makes the focal point pop more and when one sees it, is reminded of calmness and comfort, which makes the soup seem more homey and something you want to buy. The colours used in the picture are also used to further create the homey feeling; the white dishes, pink cheeks of the woman, bright teeth, all are used to help the mind associate the soup with 'home.' Next, there are two prominent texts: what the woman is saying and the text at the top of the page. It is crucial for both texts to be prominent as both texts are short, yet efficient ways to persuade the audience to buy the soup. Both texts' colour pops as well to further ensure that it is prominent. Alongside, both texts' colours are connected - with the font and background colour alternating.
The layout of the entire advertisement was also decided in an extremely strategic way. The woman is in the middle of the page and is the biggest characteristic in the ad, resulting in her becoming the focal point. Then one's eyes will shift to the writing on her right and read how much better it is than her own. The item she is talking about is not directly mentioned which causes viewers to continue reading the article. The can of soup is directly above the text causing viewers' eyes to travel upwards to see the can of soup that has "new and improved recipe" stamped onto it. To the left of the can, another text in a big font is written, which discusses the high food value and excellent flavour of the soup. The two remaining texts are not as important, as the message gets across to the audience in the first two, hence why they are smaller in font and towards the bottom of the advertisement. However, they are still inviting to the eye with their completely capitalised words and "think about it!" statements.
In conclusion, this advertisement did a wondrous job at persuading women to buy their new and improved vegetable soup. The usage of colour, focal point, text and layout really helped capture the attention of women who need to cook and work while their husbands are fighting in the war.
