Paper 1 Sample Response (Bulova Accutron Watch Advertisement)

           Bulova is an American watch company and in 1973 they advertised their Accutron model in magazines all across the nation. This model was targeted at middle to upper class men with white collar jobs, specifically those who worked in the city, but lived in the suburbs. The advertisement aims to sell this model to these commuters highlighting its necessity to them. The company uses text to describe other watches and the commuters in a way that they can identify with ultimately forming a relationship between the Accutron model and their targeted customers. The company uses image to support the text by providing a visual representation allowing the public to realise the situation the advertisement has created.

            Firstly, Bulova uses text to describe the watch in order to sell it to these men. “A bad watch can kill a good day” is written in the foreground of the image, providing context to the image and describing other watches. In this description, Bulova chooses to juxtapose the adjectives “bad” and “good.”  Upon reading this, a potential customer realizes the truth behind this statement, forming a relationship between a watch and the outcome of their day. Reflecting upon this, the reader will come to the conclusion that they need a good watch to have a good day. This is what Bulova aims to do.  Bulova has triggered their readers to want a watch and they are offering their potential customers exactly what they need to satisfy this want. This is emphasized when Bulova personifies other watches with the use of the word “kill.” This further highlights the correlation between a watch and the outcome of a person’s day but dramatizes it. The sense of certainty and finality created by the word “kill” causes readers to accept this circumstance and prompts them to be further engrossed with what they are being sold.

            Following on from this, Bulova sets up a narrative in which they provide a greater description of other watches. They continue to personify watches, contrasting how they “lie” as opposed to their watch who will “tell” the “truth.”  This creates a conflict between the two watches, putting them in competition with one another. However, is there any competition at all? Between the degrading description of other watches that “lie” and the uplifting one that positions Bulova’s as truthful, the Accutron model will always be the number one choice.  This, one again achieves Bulova’s goal as their watch is now the one that customers should undoubtedly buy. The company, once again, uses exaggeration and hyperbole in this longer text to influence readers’ opinions. In the narrative, the reader is told about a “nice, fat” raise. This pleasant description also highlight the size of the “raise” they can receive. This immediately triggers a sense of gratification, even more so in the US, a capitalist society where citizens associate self-worth and success with money. This, all the more, entices the public to buy the watch.  Bulova also creates this narrative with the reader as the main character. This already assigns readers a sense of importance, playing at their egos and gives them a sense of hope of who they can become (only after they buy this watch).

            Finally, all this is supported by the image which takes up half of the advertisement. In the image, a train is seen departing with a man watching as it leaves. The man is standing in his suit, with his briefcase, ready for work. He has his hands on his hips, frustrated that he has missed the train. Bulova, very intentionally, hides this man’s face away from view. This is because they want the reader to imagine that this man is them. Without their watch, this is what a person’s life looks like: disappointing. Below, a picture of the Bulova Accturon watches are present and as the reader’s eye flit from one image to the next, they have a choice to make: be the man who missed his train, doesn’t get to work, doesn’t get the gratification of compensation or be a successful businessman because of this watch. Bulova starts with a condition “if.”  This allows readers imagination to take over, using emotions to dictate their thought as opposed to logic. They imagine this beautiful future thanks to Bulova’s watch. Then, Bulova rips it way all in one word: “but.”  From euphoria to despair, readers realize that their imagined future is exactly that, imagined, unless they have the watch. Bulova also presents this consequence so nonchalantly through the word “So” making readers panic and feel unworthy. Throughout the entire paragraph, Bulova uses the pronoun “you” referring directly to the readers. So, when the readers see this imagined future they feel personally attacked because although the future didn’t exist yet, it could. And that is what makes them consider buying this watch.

            Bulova’s words, and even in the simplicity of their image, is overwhelming. They manage to convince someone that on their way to making money the need to spend it and that makes it persuasive.

Word count: 836