We are constantly being fed information. Everything and everyone we come into contact with may somehow make a new impression on us, whether we are aware of it or not. One of the ways that people in today?s society in Sweden are being given information is via different types of media, for example through commercials. Whether it?s a video clip or a still-frame picture, a commercial is an effective way for a company to reach out to potential customers.However, it is not only the messages or signals that may appear obvious that these companies send out when advertising with commercials.

This thesis is a qualitative study in which 12 award-winning printed adverts, awarded with either a Swedish ?Guldägg? or an international Clio Award, have been analyzed from a rhetorical perspective. Visual rhetorics were used to analyze the adverts in order to expose the rhetorical concepts and to find out whether the rhetorical concepts represented in the Swedish adverts are the same concepts represented in the international adverts. One of the conclusions drawn is that pathos-arguments, a rhetorical concept where the senders allude to the emotions of the receivers, are the most prominent in both Swedish and international adverts, but are used in different ways. Another conclusion drawn is that the adverts are overall characterized by their messages not being explicit.

The purpose of this study is to investigate if and how children acknowledge TV-commercials, and if that is the case, are their preferences in products a result of it? The study also investigates which TV-commercials that are broadcasted together with children?s programs and if and how the children acknowledge these. The studies are based on interviews and an exercise with pictures that was carried out with two groups containing four children each. One group contained four children in the age of 6, and the other four children in the age of 7. The children are situated in a school in the Swedish countryside.

The interest for food and cooking has probably never engaged the people of Sweden as much as it does today. Especially cookbooks are selling better than ever which has been a quite constant trend since the mid 90's. This study explores the connection between visual communication in Swedish cookbooks and the post-modern values which have influenced the market climate and the visual culture. I have used a theoretical framework as reference consisting of theories of semiotics, visual rhetoric, marketing communications and postmodernism. I have been studying six cookbooks, three from the late 00's and three from the early 90's, from the two separate angles of their graphic design and photographic material.

The purpose of this study is to examine the teachings of rhetoric?s in schools, more specifically within the Swedish subject; furthermore it examines how Swedish teachers work with rhetoric in the Swedish subject on a practical basis. The study also highlights teachers' approaches to the curriculum for high school. The method I have used to conduct this study, have been to use interviews and inductive ethnography. The teachers whom have been interviewed in my study have similar understandings of what oral presentations actually are, but their idea of what the term rhetoric stands for however differs. Teachers have received similar training in rhetoric; however, they have different experiences within it.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze DVD covers for the genre romantic comedy from the 2000s as a way to obtain patterns and codes provided by the genre. The theoretical framework consists of previous research that analyzed various posters, theories about semiotics, genre, and visual rhetoric.  These theories will help answer the main question and help with the analysis.The objects for observation are ten DVD covers from the genre romantic comedy and a qualitative content analysis is used for this thesis. The movies are from the US and they are all high in Box Office. Box Office stands for how many tickets were sold and how much money a film has earned.

A rhetorical analysis of the educational interactive film ?Riskprofilen?, produced by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (Swedish: Myndigheten för Samhällsskydd och Beredskap). This essay uses the theories and methods of Procedural Rhetoric, as described by Professor Ian Bogost, and Visual Rhetoric, as described by Professor Brigitte Mral to analyse the interactive and visual component parts of the artefact, and compares them to the intended purposes of the artefact as stated by documents pertaining to its creation, found to be those of educating the public; marketing the agency; and driving traffic to its webpage. The artefact is through analysis found to fulfil the purposes of marketing the Agency and of likely increasing traffic to the website upon which it is hosted. Regarding the primary, educational purpose this analysis finds that the artefact does not teach a user the accident-avoidance strategies it claims to do, but is dependent upon further materials..

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship between brands and music in TV-commercials. We investigated why companies use music in TV-commercials to affect their brands and how music affects the brand?s image. We also investigated how companies choose music genres for their TV- commercials. A case study based on interviews was conducted with four informants from SAAB, Lowe Brindfors, Riviera and Catt & Co.

The Sweden democrats are a political party that has had a time of success duringthe last year. However many people believe them to be a racist party, in contrastto how they view themselves and their political message. How is it possible thatthe views of the same party differ to this extent, it seems to be a large ambiguityin their message. Rhetoric is a tool that everybody uses in some way or anotherand can be crucial to how a political party is perceived by people. Can thereforethe use of rhetoric be a factor that has contributed to the different perception of theparty and if so, in which way?With the help of theories such as semiotics, classical rhetoric and antiestablishmentstrategy, different texts, such as motions, and pictures published bythe Sweden democrats can be analyzed to find ways they use rhetoric.In the analysis it was obvious that they used rhetoric, even though therhetorical quality differed between the leading persons in the party and the peoplewho represented the Sweden democrats in the local government.

The purpose of this study is to investigate and increase the understanding of how the two commercial companies IKEA and SAS and the two aid organizations/nonprofit organizations UNICEF and Save the Children use perceptions of Christmas to produce messages in their Christmas advertising/commercial film. The study also discusses if there may be communicative and pictorial similarities and differences in how these brands constructs messages in commercials, and why it may be that the brands choose to use these messages in commercials based on the recipient possible interpretations. The theories used in this study are promotional culture, framing theory, preferred meaning, semiotics (denotation and connotation), myth and rhetoric (ethos, pathos and logos). The method used to answer the purpose and issues are the qualitative method that uses the theories semiotic and rhetoric to analyze the material. The study's results derived from the qualitative content analyzes of the material (the brands IKEA, SAS, UNICEF and Save the Children Christmas advertising films) show that IKEA message might want to show that they want to help the customer and that they pay attention to the customer needs.

For the sender of television advertising, it is important to utilize content that gives effect, especially to get the receiver?s attention and then maintain it (Hägg, 1998). What is the content of a commercial that creates effect? Previous research focused on the impact that commercials have on the receivers. A discussion of which content that produced effect in commercials does not occur.

ABSTRACTTitle: Cultural dimensions? and their relevance in the interpretation of TV commercialsThe purpose of this study has been to explain the cultural dimensions masculinity versus femininityand individualism versus collectivism and see what their impacts on interpreting commercials are.We also wanted to see if there are any other important aspects to consider when looking at theinterpretation of TV-commercials. To fulfill this purpose we also used this research question:?How are the cultural dimensions relevant when it comes to interpreting TV-commercials?We used a qualitative approach when conducting this study. We found that the dimensionindividualism versus collectivism seemed the most applicable, while the respondents? answers fittedthe best to the highlighted theories.

ABSTRACTTitle: ?Lifestyles come and go but your choices remain?? (?Livsstilar kommer och går, men valen består...?)Number of Pages: 42 (45 including enclosures)Author: Jenny RydqvistTutor: Göran SvenssonCourse: Media- and Communication Studies CPeriod: Autumn term 2007University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala UniversityPurpose/Aim: The aim of this essay is to make a study of how young adults between 19-25 years are influenced by commercials.Key Questions: How are students in Uppsala influenced by commercials? Do the commercials influence the consumptionbehaviour? Do the commercials influence the lifestyle? Do the influences of the commercial construct the individual lifestyle? In which extent is it social related?Material/Method: Together with literature studies, a qualitative method has been used with 5 interviews with young adults in the age of 19-25 in Uppsala. I have compared these five interviews with earlier results and research.Main Results: I have found out that these young adults don?t want to admit being influenced by commercials even if they know they are. These young adults have also formed consumptionbehaviour after the commercials, which they show in for example their way of shopping and their way of acting afterwards.

The aim of this essay is to find some of the main developing tendencies in the advertisement genre during the period of 1930-2000. The analysis is based on three examples of Gevalia cinema and TV-advertisement. Research findings are the result of using theories from different but relevant sciences, which are media, linguistics and rhetoric. Media studies help to explain the influence of the society and technology development on the advertising business. Linguistics and rhetoric give the main methods and terminology for the basic as well as comparing analyses of the three advertisements in question.

The purpose of this study is to investigate and increase the understanding of how the two commercial companies IKEA and SAS and the two aid organizations/nonprofit organizations UNICEF and Save the Children use perceptions of Christmas to produce messages in their Christmas advertising/commercial film. The study also discusses if there may be communicative and pictorial similarities and differences in how these brands constructs messages in commercials, and why it may be that the brands choose to use these messages in commercials based on the recipient possible interpretations. The theories used in this study are promotional culture, framing theory, preferred meaning, semiotics (denotation and connotation), myth and rhetoric (ethos, pathos and logos). The method used to answer the purpose and issues are the qualitative method that uses the theories semiotic and rhetoric to analyze the material. The study's results derived from the qualitative content analyzes of the material (the brands IKEA, SAS, UNICEF and Save the Children Christmas advertising films) show that IKEA message might want to show that they want to help the customer and that they pay attention to the customer needs.