This print ad is linked to the one you analysed in the previous post: the one advertising the Economist.
This time the Guardian is advertised. It is a widely-read British newspaper. Surf the net and try to find out who it is mainly read by. Try to find the identikit of the "ideal" reader of this newspaper and see in what way the print ad matches the identikit.
If you cannot find the right info, then proceed in this other way: observe the ad attentively and think of the "ideal" reader the Guardian is appealing to.
Now think of an Italian newspaper or magazine. In what way is it advertised? Are newspapers or magazines advertised in Italy? If not, why?
If you cannot find any examples, think of the way you would advertise a newspaper or magazine. I want you to mention the "title" and the reasons why you decided to advertise it in that way.
Lastly, compare, if possible, the differences and similarities in advertising newspapers/magazines in Italy and the UK.
Enjoy the activity! 
Actually I haven’t found out the identikit of the tipical reader of the Guardian,but surfing the net I bumped into the web-site of the magazine; I suppose they have a large amount of readers,expecially young and hip people but at the same time it is a very approachable newspaper. The advertisment is sent to everybody because there are listed a lot of actions that involves different types of personality. As we can read on the ad "Having a hangover","Being skint","Starting at university","Sleeping through lectures" are collected to the youth,but not to regular people but to those who like having fun,parties and living an unconventional life.It depicts the routine of a university student .In Italy magazines are not advertised,but we can see spot on TV for example or a page on another magazine about the launch of a newspaper and maybe the editor is the same,but it is very rare. I don’t want to be too subversive but we can find the reason in the fact that our TVs and consequently spots are handled by few tycoons because they have the monopoly (think about Canale 5). Another reason can be that our newspaper don’t need to be advertised because the italian civilation reads a lot! I really don’t have an answer. Last month I bought the UK version of "Cosmopolitan" and I am chain-reader of the italian version of it;I noticed that their ads are more adapt the the tone of the newspaper,in this case a lot of beauty-products ads,or clothes and make-up ads. In Italy we have all types of advertising on everykind of newspaper,editors don’t make differences between the reader of their magazine,they aim to everybody. If I have to create a possible magazine it would be titled "Smile" and it would be as colourful as possible;it would deal with high fashion and music,with a lot of inteeviews,and the reader would probably be females. The ad of my magazine would be outlandish,and it would catch everybody’s attentions.
Valentina
Surfing the net I found lots of information about “The Guardian”.First of all it was founde in 1821 by a foundation the “Guardian Media Group”, composed by textile traders and merchants.We can immediately undertand its political stance to the middle class and not to Conservative Party.I found then a significant statement by Max Hastings , an ex journalist of the guardian ,that said “ Guardian it is read by the new establishment".
The readers of The Guardian belong to “The Labour Party” a democratic socialist party
and also Third Way (Centralism) and I found an extract of the party electoral manifestos that contains the political ideology of the labour party: "The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect."In my opinion the ad reflects the main theme of the labour party first because it refears to common people and it gives suggestions to improve life and underlines the sharin ‘s party to the problems ‘s people.
Unfortunatelly it does not happend in Italy,where the only commercials for a newspaper refear to “gossip and mode”.Politics is not more an ideology but an interest.I live in a country where money makes the difference, and money can buy truth ,freedom and dreams.
And so we can find informations about Italy only in the foreign newspapers where we discover reality,nevertheless the italian people prefer live in a dream that know the real problems of our country.
Nazzarena
Surfing the Net, I bumped into the website of The Guardian and I immediately saw these words: CONSCIENCE ,NURTURED BY TRUTH. In very few words there is the description of the magazine. I think it cannot be a superficial magazine. In my opinion, its reader must have some culture and information about what the Guardian tells you. I mean , if I want to read it, I have to prove my knowledge and my studies. Then , looking at the print ad, I say that The Guardian is appealing to young people. In fact, dirty dishes… and information putting in a mess are something linked to boys and girls who want to “escape and evade ” from a society which tries to stop them and their desires. So, the magazine is for Original people, for people who cannot be satisfied without a Truth.
In Italy, newspapers are advertised only when there is a present, or a gift buying it. This could be a book, a dictionary, a DVDs, fortunately always linked with culture and “mind training”.
Then , there are the magazines. If they are for men, they are advertised with a calendar of a beautiful girl or something else always linked with sensual female images; if they are for women they are advertised with something stupid, as for example a beach towel, or a pair of slipper. They are rich of fashion and gossip, made from Paparazzi , who live thanks to the poor women who believed everything the magazine says. The information seems to be sacred and holy.
“OPEN YOUR EYES”/ this could be the title of my newspaper.
For a commercial on television, I would put a whole black screen, then, with low voice I would whisper to the spectator the slogan, the title… and a huge ray of sunshine will hit the spectator, leaving it shocked!
I think the main difference between Italy and UK is simply. Elsewhere, culture has a bigger consideration than in Italy and people are more conscious of what really happens around them.
Jessica
i am surfing the net and exploring the official webpage of the Guardian i saw that the main links are : news, sport,comment, culture, einvorment,TV and jobs.. there aren’t lots of articles centred on fashion or music… I supposed the target is not too narrow so it is maybe directed to a middle class from adolescents to middle-aged people.By reading some informations on guardian’s history i found out that the typical readers are part of the labourist party which has got a socialist background.
but even by examining the ad I imagine a possibly identikit: the dirty pile of crockerys could draw in a playful way the disordered life style of british people and at the same it gives an adives to improve their life.
In Italy magazine and newspaper ‘s advetising is different, the main issues they advertise are just about gossip, fashion and chronicle… the majority of the readers are interested on these banal issues because also TV programs broadcast these topics and readers really appreciate them.Then in Italy information is monopolized by politics so we can understand the matter..
if i had to advertise a magazine the articles would deal with modern literature, music, young people life and the title may be "deep voice".
Elisa
I surfed the net and I found information about the “Guardian” and its readers. The Guardian was founded by textile traders and merchants; it is an organ of the middle class.
The Guardian reader is typically young, well educated, upmarket and professional. Guardian
readers enjoy a cosmopolitan lifestyle. They like Guardian’s for its modernity, fairness, entertainment. Guardian readers are successful and ambitious, are likely to view their employment as a career rather than just a job.
Those in the urban category are typically young professionals living in Metropolitan areas.
Guardian readers like to read about personal finance and investment.
Guardian readers appreciate style, innovation and quality, they are sporting and outgoing, enjoying a range of activities from the arts to hill walking and football to business news.
The print matches the identikit because it is a list of some actions that everybody, young and adult, do but the ad it is not written in a “poor” language typical of the lower class, and it isn’t a difficult language.
But I think even the image of dirty dishes is important because it symbolise a routine, the routine of the middle class.
In Italy magazines are not advertised. I think because lot of Italians prefer to watch news on TV, and maybe because magazine’s editors think that their newspapers are sufficiently known in Italy so they don’t advertise it.
I think that in Italy people are more superficial than in the UK where are, in my opinion, more sensitive and cultured. So the newspapers are suited to the reader.
Arianna
I admit this ad is quite original and colourful. You don’t understand that it regards the Guardian until you read the name in the corner. This is a British daily newspaper and was founded in 1821, so it is quite old. The Guardian is politically lined up with the Labour party (left). I also found out that it is one of the most English-language news websites read. Its readers are not only British but also American and of all over the world. In my opinion their ideal reader has no face, no name, no age. As it is shown in the ad, they refer to everyone, from the boy who wears “shrinking clothes” to the grandfather who likes “eating beans” ( could somebody explain to me the reason why they think eating beans is so fundamental?! ). Anyway they are probably mostly directed towards young and middle-aged people, because of the mess and dirtiness of the dishes, cutlery, pots in the photo, unclean and all put together in a pile. They seem words without a sense, but they all refer to a messy lifestyle, not rational nor healthy (“using the same knife and fork over and over and over again”, even if I think there is another meaning behind). In my mind I have no example of a newspaper advertised in this way in Italy. Unfortunately the Italian press is coming through a bad period and it is always getting worse: free press seems to be an utopian condition and all the news, both on television and in newspapers, are controlled and manipulated by a few powerful people. If I could have a newspaper, I would probably talk about everything, from politics to sports to people all around the world to climate changing, and I would not be the only manageress! I am not sure of the title I would give to it… Maybe something like “The stranger”.
Erica
I search something on the net, but I have not found nothing interesting, but I think there is no ideal reader for every newspaper or magazine.
But maybe the ideal reader of Guardian may be young people or someone who has to do thousand of different things at the same time! So the Guardian can be a pleasant break to stressful life of everyday.
Here in Italy we have a famous magazine that is quite advertises, Panorama, that is a famous Italian magazine; in Italy unfortunately, lots of people are not interested in reading newspapers or magazines or they do not have enough time to read it.
Panorama is advertise on TV, but to induce people to buy it, they sell the magazine with the brand new DVDS, so people will buy the DVD but also magazine!
Chiara F.
I found this identikit of the "ideal" Guardian reader: Guardian readers are affluent, young professionals, they travel widely for both business and pleasure; they are discerning drink and food consumers; they enjoy shopping for the latest fashion, they are fitness enthusiasts and fans of many different sports; they enjoy keeping up with developments in technology and they have a great love of the arts in all their forms.
This advertisement is representative of a student’s lifestyle and a student could be a potential Guardian reader: flat sharing and the endless stack of dirty dishes. The bodycopy is wedged in between the plates and crockery representing many of the topics of modern day students: ”having a hangover” or “eating beans” (in a ironic way?). It catches the attention of a student who finds himself or some aspects of his life into an ad, which implies through Guardian pages. This ad underlines the importance of being understood: the student who reads the Guardian feels at home, feels sure and probably free!
In Italy some magazines are (enough) advertised, but we cannot say the same for newspapers, even though I clearly remember a Tv spot of Corriere Della Sera: I saw it two or three times in 2009 on Canale5, but soon it disappered. I was not surprised; for a moment I deceived myself: too good to be true! We will not see a permanent ad like this in our country until someone will stop to think about power of money instead of power of reason. Unfortunately, it will take a long, long, long time (eternity?).
I would advertise a newspaper or a magazine handing out leaflets in public places; I am referring to movie theatres, theatres, schools, universities and I would make also advertising through radio (but not Tv), because I think some people who are interested in specific activities would read with pleasure articles linked with what they do and what they like to do . My magazine, "Press(ure)", would deal with general knowledge focusing attention both on scientific and humanistic areas.
I would like to compare the similarities in advertising newspapers/magazines in Italy and U.K., but I am able to find only a really big difference: here there is not a serious advertising campaign in favour of the press (where is our freedom of the press?). A famous quote from the film "Deadline – U.S.A." is "That’s the press, baby, the press. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing.". In Italy it could work if we change it in this way: "That’s the press, baby, the press. And there IS something you can do about it!"
Tiziana
I ‘d like to write another consideration about italian magazine and tv…. ( I state in advance this is really pessimistic or realistic according to the different points of view).
A few days ago I watched a video about political programs ( for example ballarò, anno zero and porta a porta) broadcasted on rai channels….they said that "rai supervision commission" voted to suppress these programs to abolish political debates during electoral campaign
Starting from this point I thought about tv programs on mediaset channel and magazine in Italy which report news just about GF or private life of vip…are they give us this stuff to keep us in "illusory world" where the real problems of our country don’t exist? yes…they are doing it intentionaly…
at this point ….IS THIS DEMOCRACY OR ALMOST DICTATORSHIP? …
Elisa
The Guardian was born in 1821 in Manchester, it is known for its left of center political stance. Reading some of the articles posted on the web page of the Guardian, I’ve been thinking about the ideal reader of this newspaper: it seems to be read by a large amount of people, young but even grown ups. In Italy we tend to advertise magazines instead of newspapers. This is maybe because, as Arianna said, and I totally agree with that, we prefer to watch news on TV or by surfing the net.
It is also true that in UK people read much more than in Italy, I remember that when we were in London, newspapers were everywhere and Londoners read more than we do.
I should also say that the Italian press it is monopolized by politicians, so we do not have a clear point of view of things. Me personally I tend not to read Italian newspapers because in each one you find the same things wrote in different ways and sometimes I do not even understand what is the real opinion of the writer. I think that if I would have a newspaper I would write lots of news about everything, writing about common things but even politic, wars, economy and global warming (for example). I would try to be impartial as much as I can, even if I think that it would be difficult.
Sara M.
I surfed the net but I don’t found the typical reader of the Guardian but I read its web page and I think that is directed to everybody because there are several articles that deal with both popular and complex issues.
I think that this ad appeals to young people because of sentences written through dishes for example "Starting at university", "Sleeping through lectures"…
In Italy there are no ad of newspaper…only a few types of magazine and mainly gossip one are advertising on Tv! I can’t understand the reasons why…maybe because of political reasons!
If I were an editor I would title my magazine “Be brilliant”. It will deals with jewellery: a sort of catalogue with new jewells-collections, news, helpful advice for your purchase, setting of the most important jewells-conventions and there will be certainly lots of space to advertise young jeweller’s products…but… How can I advertise my magazine? I don’ t found yet any original ideas…
CHIARA B.
I surfed the net and I found information about the “Guardian” .
It was founded by an organ of the middle class in 1821. The Guardian has a political orientation it belong to “The Labour Party” the democratic socialist party. And I think this information is important because in that period it was growing a new social class, the working class, and this newspaper wanted to involve and to interest to the majority of population. It referred to common people and it gave suggestions to improve their life.
Nowadays The Guardian reader is a typical young professional, well educated, that enjoy a cosmopolitan lifestyle but also his business. The Guardian reader want to be informed about his personal finance and investment, about innovations and news, about his interests and his free time. This ad symbolises a student routine. Always he is bombarded with news, informations, concepts, ideas, words and words. But the only important thing is improve knowledge.
I think that it is nice advertising a magazine, because it stresses the important role of reading and at the same time the news of the magazine.
We know that Italians prefer live in a dream that know the real problems of their country. In Italy the only thing that interests anybody is gossip and for this reasons, I think, that italian newspapers aren’t advertised.
Sabrina
I’ve surfed the net, looking for the identikit of the ideal reader of "The Guardian", and I’ve discovered the main features he should have: he should be an affluent, young professional, cash-rich and poor-time individual who is keen to find out new investiment opportunities. Moreover, a Guardian reader should enjoy shopping and practise sport; he should be interested in developments in technology and also interested in all forms of art. On top of that, he should be a loyal raeder. The Guardian Magazine is adressed to the middle-class of young people. I think that the ad proposed here above, advertise this magazine in a very creative way. It releases a wide range of colours, that catch immediately the viewers attention, who doesn’t imagine that it is an ad of a famous magazine as The Guardian is.
In Italy newspapers and magazines are not well advertised: I think that since they are poor in informations and reliability, there is no good way to advertise them. Here in Italy everything is left wanting: from the public television with its huge amount of meaningless and no content programms, to magazines and newspapers that report only the vision of one or another political party. Since then dictatorship will survive in our country, there are few ways to overcome the lack of informations: for example we could surf the net or buy foreign magazines. There is just one good magazine that goes through articles from all the countries of the world: " L’Internazionale".
Personaly speaking, before advertising any kind of newspaper, I would create a serious one, wich reports real and found informations, taking in consideration different points of view. I would entitle it "Brightness", and I would advertise it with a huge amount of flags (in order to highlight its internationality) and letters. Over the flags I would draw two kids, that fly through the flags, while they are trying to catch the letters, that symbolise informations!!!! =) Jiulia B.
The “Guardian” is a centre-left newspaper and, since it was founded by merchants and traders in the IX century, it has always represented the voice of the bourgeois and still nowadays it establishes itself as an organ of the middle class. As a matter of fact the phrase “Guardian reader” is widely used to indicate a person with left-wing opinions and, for this reason, a likely supporter of the Guardian. Moreover this specific ad invites to read “The Fresher”, a supplement-guide addressing first-year- students at university. Surfing in Facebook is available also a student group, “Coalition of the Bean-free Freshers”, promoting a bizarre uni life style that absolutely avoids eating beans! that’s why in the ad “eating beans” is repeated 4 times! Pretty strange but I think it is a way to break free from British traditions and beliefs and to challenge authority. In this view once more the “Guardian” shows its alternative feature and therefore target.
What about our dear Italy? Well, I have to say that recently I have been seeing many newspaper ads hanging around and I think this was brought about by the many scandals and protests about our freedom and transparency in information. In Italy anyway, reigns what we can call “a peculiar relationship” between information and politicians, so that newspapers don’t really inform people but tell them what the ruling class or the opposition want them to know, sounds like the proverb “out of the sight, out of the mind”! I don’t want to digress on this issue now, but it is not a secret that we have several problems and we suffer many differences from the politics of other European countries…:-(
However I think our newspapers lack in originality and they are often bound to crime news and political conflicts, thus leaving apart those supplements that can appeal people and need to be advertised!
Gloria
Surfing the net I found lots of information about “The Guardian”. First of all “The Guardian “ is a British national daily newspaper launched in Manchester in 1882 by the foundation "Guardian Media Group". It is known for its left of centre political stance. Reading some articles posted on the web page of the Guardian, I’ve been thinking about the ideal reader of this newspaper: I supped that the Guardian have a large amount of readers, old people but in paticular young, prfessional and well-educated people.
The Guardian reader want to be informed about his personal finance and investment and about innovations and news.
I think that in UK people read much more than in Italy.
In fact in Italy newspapers are seldom advertise. Usually the newpapers are advertised to divulge enclosed or supplement , to spread exceptional informations and news and also to suggest unknow gossip. For example, with the megazine "Panorama" there was a collection of dvds and with the newspaper "Il Giornale" there was advertised an encyclopedia. If you want by it you have to buy also the newsspaper and it is an indirect way to increase the sale of the newpapers itself. I think that the main difference between Italy and UK is simply. In UK culture has a bigger consideration than in Italy and people are more conscious of what really happens in the world.
Anika
An ideal Guardian reader is an affluent, young urban consumer that is interested in trying new products and experiences. He has varied interests: for example he keeps up with sports, has lots of hobbies and likes travelling around the world.
Usually he saves money carefully but also likes spending money in activities and items that he needs or likes: he loves eating, because he thinks it is a part of a social activity, does not refuse other eating styles.
An ideal Guardian reader spends also money on clothes and enjoys shopping for the latest fashions in clothes, shoes and accessories, but he is not interested only in “venial” things or issues: he has a great love of arts in all their forms; he likes also reading and listening to music…he loves being informed and get to know different aspects of the same issue and this is why he is so loyal to the Guardian: and this is the aim of this magazine!
To me, with that ad, the Guardian is trying to catch new readers, to forge them and to make them a sort of model: the repetition of “eating beans” (this expression is repeated four times) is linked to the attitude of trying different eating styles, as, for example, Chinese, Italian, Spanish food. There is also a link to finance: “being skint, using the same knife and fork over and over and over again” are sentences that do not correspond with the ideal reader of the Guardian.
We could analyze more this ad and discover in how many ways it wanders off the identikit but what is important to notice, is the fact that the Guardian tries to “make up” responsible and cultured people, who will be the future of the Nation; moreover, to me this ad wants also to highlight the condition of some people living in the UK: the sentence “having an hangover” is linked to getting drunk and also all the sentences could be correlated to this, because if you do not save money and you spend all in alcohol you cannot possibly have the money to eat something different from beans.
Here in Italy cultural magazines are not advertised in a peculiar way, and to me this is not a good thing because there is a tendency to be uninformed and the majority of us does not like read… gossip magazines are the ones that most Italians read and it is not so difficult to understand why we can see people thinking that L’ondon is the capital of England and saying other things like this at the Big Brother “auditions”…maybe this happens because there is not an interest for culture from our politics…I think that is simpler for them if people do not understand what really happens in its own country…and as Elisa pointed out: this is not democracy!!!
Stefania
Valentina, your idea of reading Cosmopolitan in Italian and in English is just great. This is the only way you can see what issues are covered in one rather than another (and the issues are certainly influenced by the mindset and cultural background of the readers, aren’t they?) and also, as you point out, the ads present in the Italian and English issue.
One point I feel the urge to make clear. You seem to state that Italian newspapers or magazine do not advertise themselves. Well, I would say quite the contrary. Unlike the example you analyzed (The Guardian advertising itself), Italian newspaper have developed a subtler way of advertising their headline. They compete with one another through different gadgets (CDs, DVDs, and so on) or special magazines attached to the newspaper on a specific weekday. Think of “Venerdì “ (Repubblica). Once a publisher introduced it, all the others followed suit.
Nazzarena, you seem to have gathered interesting information about The Guardian. You understood who it is mainly addressed to. You are making a strong point by underlining some differences between the Italian press and the foreign press. I would not go to the extremes, though. There are some journalists in Italy who are really keen on revealing the “truth” or better “their” truth of certain facts/events. They are so dedicated to their job that they sometimes find it difficult to survive. Italian newspapers are all “representative” of a given party and this is what makes some of them not totally reliable. However, the point you made is relevant: we cannot limit ourselves to reading Italian newspapers when we want to investigate an important piece of news. We need to read even the foreign press. This is what makes your schooling so important: you can read in three different languages, isn’t that great?
Jessica, you are highlighting how certain magazines reinforce certain stereotypical images: men buy a specific magazine because there is the calendar of half-naked stunning women; women buy a specific magazine because there is a free lipstick or a free bag. It’s pretty sad, isn’t it?
All in all I would not idealize the foreign press, though. When the Guardian uses words such as “conscience, nurtured by truth”, aren’t they trying to sell their product? “Conscience” and “truth” are overly abused terms, so I would take them with a pinch of salt when they are so blatantly advertised on the webpage of a newspaper! J
Elisa I love the headline of your ideal newspaper Deep Voice. I would certainly read it. Since you are so much interested in writing about literature, music and other high-brow stuff, why don’t your write an article for Grigolegge, now and then? Why don’t your write to the Editor of a newspaper (either on paper or on line) and express your disappointment or anger?
Arianna you point out that Italians do not read as much as the British. I would love to know your reasons for it.
Erica, the idea of founding a newspaper with other managers is really democratic, in the sense that it gives more guarantee as to “free” expression of ideas or “objectivity” (though we know it does not exist!). Beans refer to a typical dish most British people eat (canned beans). It does not refer to elderly people only! As to the messy dishes, they are certainly more linked to young people, who spend their time partying or studying and so they do not have the time to do the dishes or the housework.
Chiara, do you really think Italians do not read because of lack of time? If it were so, why do they watch tv for so many hours a day?
Tiziana, the title of your ideal newspaper is really ingenious. I think somebody may “steal” the title from you and found the newspaper somewhere in an English-speaking country. Lovely title.
You seem a bit dejected when you refer to the absence of freedom of press in Italy. You can make a difference. Do not “sound” so pessimistic. There are lots of young talented people in Italy, people who know what they want and what they do not like. They will certainly find a way to better things in our country. Running away is not going to help those who cannot possibly leave the country. We should start caring for our country and fight for our ideals. Pooling ideas and positive constructive energies would certainly represent a good starting point, wouldn’t it?
Sara I think that not reading newspapers does not improve things. Quite the contrary. If you think that a newspaper is not doing a good job, is somehow trying to “condition” people, well, shouldn’t we help those who do not have the right means to defend themselves? So, why not writing to blogs, forums, newspaper editors to express our ideas, disappointments, etc.?
Sabrina, I think that generalizing does not good to anybody. I am Italian and I do not fit the identikit you are drawing of the Italian reader. I think that sometimes using generalisations or negative expressions towards Italy or Italians is just a way of not facing certain problems and taking some kind of action. Why are we so good at complaining and so bad at taking action? If we do not do anything to change the things we do not like or approve of, who will do it for us?
Gloria, thanks for the information you found on Facebook. Quite interesting.
Stefania, the expression “hangover” refers to the fact that lots of young people on Friday evenings tend to drink a lot and the day after they have a hangover. It happens quite often among university students.
See you.
Unfortunately I only found that “The Guardian” is mainly read by left-wing people. From the quotes that we can read through the dishes, we may guess that an ideal reader of this newspaper has different hobbies, different interests, comes in touch with new and various stuff, probably is absent-minded, in fact there are words such as “shrinking clothes”, “forget to hand in an essay” and “sleeping through lectures”, which could hint us an example of his daily routine… The expression “eating beans” recurs four times, and I think it might be linked to experience new things, new food, new cultures and meet new people. As a matters of fact, there is another statement, “find a more imaginative approach to starting university”, which perhaps can support the theory of a curious, involved and quite peculiar ideal reader of the “Guardian “. What about Italy? I think we all know that in our country we have to face quite a big problem as far as newspapers are concerned. Most, or all Italian newspapers belong to a specific political wing and the main matter of the journalists is to set up or consolidate the readers’ political view. Actually I cannot think of any Italian newspaper’s advertisement; but it is quite often watching on tv, commercials selling inserts of a specific journal, rather than the newspaper itself. Anyway, I guess in Italy this kind of advertising is not necessary because of our stereotype of the newspaper, the representation of a non objective political view, (and moreover with lot of censorship), so citizens already know which newspaper correspond to their political idea and buy it, not bearing in mind the possibility to consider different point of views.
Sara T
I’m not in touch with newspaper, I know that the Guardian’s target are young people, maybe attending college, who are looking for an independent life. What’s written in between the dishes is clearly for the Guardian’s average reader, it deals with study, living alone, being nervous, attending boring lessons and so on, in the image we see that those quotations are in a pile of dirt dishes, those stand for the student’s stereotype: a young guy, living alone or with friends, feeling free from parental control, enjoying parties, deciding how to spend his time, free to manage his life at best, and detaching from his parents’ lifestyle: in this case, washing dishes and trying to make order. In Italy newspapers aren’t often advertised, and if so, they’re advertised on tv and never in a clever and remarkable way like this one!
Davide
I mean, that the only magazines advertised are about gossip, for example, I see on tv advertising of Donna moderna or tv canzoni e sorrisi, and this genre of newspapers. I think that is more interest know what happen in the Big Brother's House, or who is the new contestant of Amici, or if an actor can survive on an island than advertise science magazines. I know that in some newspapers there are advertise specific business or science press but they aren't advertised like the others, or like in the UK.
I mean, that the only magazines advertised are about gossip, for example, I see on tv advertising of Donna moderna or tv canzoni e sorrisi, and this genre of newspapers. I think that is more interest know what happen in the Big Brother's House, or who is the new contestant of Amici, or if an actor can survive on an island than advertise science magazines. I know that in some newspapers there are advertise specific business or science press but they aren't advertised like the others, or like in the UK.
Sabrina
I found in Wikipedia that the Guardian wasestablished in Manchester in 1821. It is a quite old newspaper, that represented (and still now represents) the voters of the left wing, the labour party. Still nowadays its articles contain ideas fostered by the labour party. Here in Italy there are also newspapers of the same kind (L’unità, La Repubblica), gathering readers with the same political vision. The newspaper is smartly advertised by a list of eccentric an degrading habits: “using the same knife and fork over and over and over again”, “eating beans”, “to eat more beans”, and so on. Perhaps these actions are linked to the stereotypes through which the middle class (the labour party) is characterised, I have not found out information about it. I think the “ideal” reader of the Guardian is a person who is interested in politics, and wants to have the “right” knowledge, who wants to be aware of the facts happening around him, in his country and all over the world. It is a person who is able to deride himself (see the statements in the ad) and is clever enough to accept and respect other ideas. Newspapers and magazines in Italy are also advertised through ads and commercials. In promoting newspapers the companies underlines the importance of real and correct information.
Alice
Surfing the net I found some information about Guardian's readers, thet are young, well educated, professional, they enjoy shopping,modernity and technology, they love arts in every forms, they are fans of fitness, maybe they are students.
In Italy some magazines are advertised (think of Focus or Panorama), newspapers are advertised only when they have annex a gadjet ( a book, a pen, icons, etc..) but these ads are very rare and I think because people are not interested in these products, they are more attract in non useful things like songs for mobiles or toys.
The big difference between Italy and UK is that people, in UK, read a lot newspapers and serious magazines, in Italy we watch news on tv and we read stupid magazines about gossip…this is a big problem because, in my opinion, newspapers are more free and true than tv news so people can know only what someone decides to let us know…
Lory
I should protect "my" title through Copyright 🙂
I did not mean in Italy there are not talented people or people with idea(l)s, dreams and goals to reach. But if only they had the possibility to express themselves they could show us what they are able to do and be an excellent part of the society with their contribution. In our country we have a tendency to promote false and wrong people without any kind of talent. That is the problem.
Tiziana