FREE ESSAY ON HBO ADVERTISEMENT

HBO ADVERTISEMENT

Date: September 27, 2000
Subject: HBO's new series called "KO Nation" advertisement analysis
Purpose of the advertisement:
HBO is trying to promote its new boxing show for its network by using specific techniques
of glamour and flashiness to attract its targeted audience.
Description of the Advertisement:
This particular advertisement is a large full page add with an extreme amount of bright
coloring. The entire backdrop of the add is covered with red and blue jewels that are
shiny and glimmering in the light. The walls these jewels are on have been trimmed with
sparkling gold trim. At the top there are two small boxing rings with a royal purple side
that reads in large white print the HBO logo. Between the two rings there is a D.J. who
is spinning two turntables which incidentally are gold as well. He also is wearing
hip-hop clothing with shiny gold headphones, which match his huge gold speakers on either
side of him. Below each speaker is a scantily clad woman inside another golden boxing
ring with a bright red floor. Their hair is died red and they are wearing bright blue
clothing with gold trim to match the rest of the advertisement. In between the two girls
is retired Mtv V.J. Ed Lover. He is wearing two large red boxing gloves, one of which
reads the KO Nation logo in a large black and red print. He also has got a smug look on
his face as if he actually plans to fight and knows he is going to win. The girls behind
him are waving their hands and smiling like they are having fun and have just one a fight
themselves. At the bottom of the page is the date and time of the fight that is printed
in large capitalized white lettering, except for the HBO logo, which appears in
shimmering gold.
Description of the targeted audience:
The targeted audience in this advertisement is obvious. It is trying to attract younger
aged men particularly in the 17-35 age bracket. The use of all the jewels and gold which
have become a staple of the young hip-hop community are used to attract that genre of
men. The people they are targeting are young and sports fans. It is appealing to this
group because of the use of the old Mtv VJ who has been a celebrity that this younger
generation has watched on Mtv growing up. 
Strategies used and their relationship to the audience:
The strategies used in this advertisement are three very classic techniques to attract
readers to your advertisement. The first is the use of bright shiny colors. Bright shiny
colors are very attractive to the human eye. Most people are naturally drawn to these
types of colors.
The second is the use of a celebrity in the advertisement. This celebrity is Ed Lover who
was the host of Yo Mtv Raps on Mtv in the early nineteen nineties. This attracts the
audience who were previous fans of him or his program. The third and final technique is
the use of women. Readers are naturally more interested in ads featuring attractive
members of the opposite sex. So this ad is a perfect fit for the average young male. It
gives them a few of our favorite things; sports, music, comedy, television, and scantilly
clad women.