2) Telecommunications

1.Which of the nine (9) types of advertising does the ad belong to?
- This ad is brand advertising, as it aims to convince the audience that their services stands to offer certain
  benefits. In the ad above, Maxis being the company is promoting hotlink as the preferred brand for
  telecommunication services - establishing a brand image.

2.The four (4) roles of advertising. Which are relevant for this ad?
- This ad is involved in the marketing role, as it pertains to the service satisfying a need that is held by the general public - saving money, affordability.

3.What does the ad. want the audience to do or not do?
- The ad wants the audience to have the desire to associate hotlink as the brand of choice when choosing a telecommunications service.

4.Who is the target audience?
- The general public. More specifically, people who may have a tight budget due to financial constraints - students, etc.

5.What are the target audience’s needs, concerns and interests?
- The audience wish to be able to allocate sufficient funds to indulge in other things, in other words, saving money one place to spend or invest in another.

6.What is the message?
- Choose Hotlink, it is affordable and it saves you money.

7.Discuss the message being conveyed.
- Save, by choosing Hotlink, and be able to afford other things without going to extreme measures, as portrayed by the ad - cheating to go in a cinema in order to watch a movie.

8.Who does the message appeal to?
- People with tight budgets/ people who wish to spend more on other products or services other than telecommunication services.

9.What is the desired communication outcome?
- People will associate 'lower rates', 'cheaper', 'affordable', when choosing Hotlink.

10.What other communication channel is most effective?
- Internet ads, as nowadays people surf the internet often and browse sites. Placing an ad on the internet around certain services relating to communication and social networking is a good way to remind the audience that having an affordable telecommunication service is a 'social imperative'. Also with the increasing usage rate of mobile internet services, this channel also serves another avenue for future plans of advertising.

11.Identify the ad and specific product being advertised and describe the ad.
- The ad is advertising a service (telecommunication). Using a comedic theme, the ad it shows a couple of people using desperate measures to cheat their way into going in the cinema without having to pay the appropriate amount. At the end of the ad, the words 'hotlink' and 'enjoy lower rates' is displayed before ending.

12.What does the ad show, people, products, scenery, etc?
- The people involved are the average Malaysians, where the setting is persumably is a cinema inside a shopping mall. There are no obvious products involved other than the service tag 'Hotlink'.

13.What is not discussed about the product?
- The other services that were currently offered at the time by hotlink. The quality of the service.

14.What image is portrayed?
- Not everything is affordable, but with hotlink, some things do become affordable.

15.Is it true to life or puffery?
- Puffery. It is apparent that most people do not go to such extreme measures to watch a movie in a cinema. However, affordability is something that concerns many people.

16.Is the ad a slice-of-life, fear, humor, sex, or other type of ad?
- The ads inculcates humor as a main theme, allowing the audience to relate to the struggles as portrayed by the actors in the ad through comedy. It is comedic simply because of the exaggeration of the circumstances.

17.Who is in the ad, if a star, what image does he or she portray?
- There are no apparent stars, just a couple of normal guy.

18.What is the mood of the ad, colors used, music played?
- Comedic, mischievous, and a 'happy-go-lucky' atmosphere.

19.Is the ad memorable?
- Yes, it is very funny, and the message is well delivered.

20.Would you buy the product being advertised, why or why not?
- Yes, for a few reasons. 1)I assume that much effort was put into planning the ad. 2) the message was delivered very well (saving money). 3) I am already a subscriber of hotlink.

21.Be sure to include your opinion (have a specific point of view, love it or hate it) about why you would deem this advertisement a success.
- I love the fact that the ad is funny and should be appealing to most people. The ad does not stress too much on the fact that one could save more money by getting lower rates, it uses comedy to make it memorable. Which is a contributing reason why i think the ad is successful. As most people may have a skeptical mood when being presented with a serious advertisement constantly stressing on what the product/service provides to the customer. This ad however, differs from the aspect of the angle it takes to convince us (the audience) why hotlink offers what it offers.