




The entire purpose of an advertisement is to persuade an audience to buy a product or service. The goal is monetary, therefore companies will utilize all sorts of non-discreet, sly means of appeal to influence the audience. Commonalities we see in many product-oriented ads include clever use of color dynamics, manipulation of secondary subjects, and intriguing cinematic shots. A combination of all the aforementioned aspects and more make Apple’s “Introducing Series 2” commercial for the new Apple Watch successful in its pursuit of consumer business.

Colors are incredibly influential when it comes to visual texts. As humans we identify specific colors with certain feelings or ideas, so the choice of colors in an advertisement must reflect how the sales team want the audience to feel. In the Apple Watch commercial, we see colors used in a multitude of ways, the first is the use of monotonous blacks and whites which dominate the background and unassociated attire. As viewers we already think of the black and white color scheme as representative of something normal or usual. Black and white are also seen as the most basic colors, this causes any other colors to stand out when placed in the same frame. Different color Apple Watches are shown throughout the ad to connect with a variety of people. We see a yellow banded watch on a tennis player, a brown watch on a basketball player, and a blue watch on a swimmer. Those are all colors that coordinate with the associated action depicted in the advertisement. This reaches an audience that can relate to any of those activities and helps the viewer to imagine themselves wearing the Apple Watch. Without use of appropriate colors, the advertisements risk losing that connection with the audience. Imagining a red watch on a swimmer in the water or a purple watch on a basketball player seems almost goofy, that is why the watch colors are so crucial.

Another important visual aspect to the Apple Watch ad is the use of subjects which are secondary to the watch itself, which is the main focus of the video. The actors who wear the watch throughout the visual text are just as significant as the watch itself. When you pay attention to the ad, you will notice that we never make direct eye contact with any of the people wearing the watch. We hardly even see the eyes of any of the actors, instead the user’s eyes are cut off in the shot, they are facing away from the camera, or the user is wearing goggles or diverting his or her eyes. This is a purposeful choice of framing, as Apple wants the viewer to envision themselves wearing the watch and performing all of the actions seen throughout the commercial. If we were to see one of the actor’s eyes directly, we would instantly recognize them as an individual wearing the watch and not ourselves, causing the advertisement as a whole to be less effective.

Visual texts rely heavily on the cinematography of different shots to intrigue the audience. There is a reason huge, box-office films depend so heavily on cinematographers. Aside from the fact that movies are based on smooth cinematography, standing out while still being efficient with camera shots is what makes some movies so popular. When you see a good variety of quality cinematic shots, you are likely to find the product appealing. Stationary, straight-on pictures or videos are very plain and will not catch the attention of the prospective consumer. There is a reason that advertisements in places like malls are now evolving more into motion screens from the basic poster that is hung on a wall or window. Close up shots with rotating subjects or dynamic angles have greater appeal to the audience. We see complex shots like those in the “Introducing Series 2” video, there are a few shots where the Apple Watch is spinning or rotating to show different angles of the timepiece. We get different views of the screen and band while the watch seemingly floats in the air or is on the wrist of different actors. All of these unconventional cinematic shots add to the appeal of the watch and to the effectiveness of the advertisement as a whole.

Advertisements are meant to convince the viewer to buy into a product, service, or idea. These advertisements can only be effective in persuading the audience if they can stand out from other commercials and appeal to the viewers. Apple’s “Introducing Series 2” commercial for the new Apple Watch is effective at appealing to its viewers by using our own perceptions of colors against us, showing off the product with clean cinematic shots of the watch, and by forcing the viewer to imagine themselves wearing the watch due to the lack of personality and individualism in the actors represented. All of these components make up a visual text that achieves its purpose. 



