The above advert is for Virgin games and is aimed at young adults, between the ages of 18 and 28 (approximately), with an interest in gambling/casino based games. Virgin selects their audience by using subject-specific lexis in the field of gambling. Examples of this include 'Play blackjack. Play the big spinning wheel thing.' and 'Play a pair of twos like you're holding a straight'. However, the target audience of budding gamblers is very broad and this advert caters specifically to 2 types of people that would be interested. The first audience are typical festival-goers (as this is where the text is consumed) that are down for a bit of fun and are familiar with using the internet and are comfortable exploring new things;however they aren't experienced gamblers who would be familiar with all the details or slang. The use of high frequency lexis within the lexical field of gambling, such as 'blackjack', causes the reader to gain an understanding of the types of games online and appeals to them as it isn't too specialist and comes off as a bit of 'fun'. Hedging around the term 'roulette' by saying 'Play the big spinning wheel thing' also connotes relaxed gaming with no experience needed. The second audience consists of those with prior knowledge and practice of gambling. These people are dedicated players and Virgin appeals to them through the use of low frequency lexis. 'Play a pair of twos like you're holding a straight' connotes skill and through using this phrase, Virgin is attempting to pull in experienced players.
The reason for this links back to Virgin's branding and the reputation they wish to maintain. They aim to draw in a large audience through selling the gaming site as 'fun', laid back and rewarding. The use of the imperative 'play in your pants' connotes a lazy yet relaxed gaming experience that is just for pleasure. However, Virgin are a £5.5 billion company therefore they also want to come off as classy. When most people think of gambling, the first things that come to mind are Vegas and tuxedos. Virgin plays to this by juxtaposing 'play in your pants' with 'play in your tux'. This caters to those dedicated players as they aren't likely to be interested in a gaming site full of amateurs; they'll want the best and Virgin are aiming to be the best.
Good - wedge more grammar terms in by looking at the verb choices and the pronoun to create direct address. Perceptive analysis. Try and keep it formal, academic register as "down for a bit of fun" is colloquial.
ReplyDelete