Nissan Altima Advertising: A Critique

The ad consists almost exclusively of a two-page color photograph, depicting a father sprawled on the bedroom floor showing his infant son the ownerÆs manual to a 2003 V6 Altima. While this ad has appeared in other national publications, its placement in MenÆs Health is especially interesting, as readers can be assumed to be much like the man pictured: healthy, virile, middle-to-upper class males in the prime of life, interested in the ôgood lifeö but also seeking stability and generativity.

The image is artfully professional, carefully composed but designed to look like a candid shot of a father at home, sharing a private moment with his son. The rhetorical purpose of the shot is to suggest a sincere glimpse into the true heart of the kind of individual likely to be reading such a magazine who ought to also be considering the safety, reliability, and sportiness of owning an Altima.

The design is masterful. The man is the central figure, placed just enough to the right of the shot to keep from being buried in the magazineÆs center binding. His head is well-lit from the side, but

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Some common words found in the essay are:
MenÆs Health, Reading Text, Nissan Altima, V6 Altima, , menÆs health, Health Aug, altima ad, v6 altima ad, floor infant son, 20s 30s, cover manual, owning altima, floor infant, v6 altima, infant son, center picture, baby blanket,
Approximate Word count = 870
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page)