Sharing an analysis of three adverstisements on Singapore Navy recruitment in year 1983.

Source:  30^th Anniversary, Navy News Special Edition, Onwards and Upwards With the Compliments of the Republic of Singapore Navy   (printed in black and white)

The three advertisements shown, had been used during the Singapore Navy recruitment exercise in 1983. An analysis of these advertisements will done based on theories put forth by Cheong (2004) to identify the ideologies embedded in these advertisements and strategies used to entice school leavers into joining the working force as a Naval officer.

In advertisements 1 and 2, the primary announcement is displayed in Arial Font and capital letters on a darker background, contained in a rectangular box. This is to foreground an important message to viewers before they proceed to other parts of the advertisement. Its importance is further stressed with the presence of a thick line below the box. This similar line can also be seen below the emblem ‘ Navy. Be a part of a vital force’. This particular feature is also present in Advertisement 3.

The fact that the announcement is  located at the upper left corner of the advertisement is meant to be directive and it provides a sort of reading path for viewers. The message embedded co-contextualises with the biggest picture placed at the  centre of the advertisements.

For   A1, the message

//At sixteen, we think you’re ready to handle more than a pen.//

  Theme          Rheme

co-contextualises with a massive picture of a ‘warpoon missile’ which holds the shape of a pen.

For A2, the message

 //If you’re an average school leaver//, //do not attempt any of this.//

   Theme                                                                  Rheme

 co-contextualises with a picture of a naval driver just emerging from the water, holding a weapon.

Both messages and pictures ideationally cohere one another and carry some challenging connotations. The messages, for instance, have  themes directed to school leavers aged 16 and rhemes which construe ideas that challenge the viewers to measure their capability in terms of age and the real world experienced by a naval officer. In other words, if they are sixteen and if they dare to handle more dangerous items, they could then consider applying for the job. And, if they are just average school leavers who do not fit the physical and mental requirement of a naval officer as pictured, they should back off.

Unlike in A1 and A2, A3  has a primary announcement which covers more than half the size of the  advertisement. It does not explicitly co-contextualise with the pictures below it. However the size of the print itself foregrounds the message that tells about the depth of the sea that a navy has to undertake. The primary announcement also presented in Arial Font and capital letters, carries two messages;

//Forget what you learnt in Physics.// and

//The pressure is always greatest at sea level.//

 The first message is made of an imperative clause and it is telling the viewers that learning physics is theoretically nothing compared to the practical nature of a navy’s life. ‘Real’ physics can only be learnt in Navy. The word ‘pressure’ can assume different meaning. It may refer to the stress and high expectation of a naval officer, other than the intensity of the deep sea. This announcement is given a linear presentation from top to bottom, which is unlike the ones in  A1 and A2.

The main motif foregrounded in the themes embedded in the messages found in the three advertisements is interpersonal, rather than ideational as the texts engage ‘you’ the viewers to consider the challenges put forth in the life of a naval officer.