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Allie Robinson
Mrs.Caruso
English 1101
19 7 November 2013
Whats the worst that could happen?
Every advertisement that is published is given plenty of time and in depth thoughts or
ideas to help present a message, or sell an idea. While flipping among an advertisement for being
above the influence, anyone will notice the key factor of the advertisement. The ad discourages
the use of drugs and promotes staying above the pressure.
The above the influence advertisement shows two rats passing rat-x to one another
while sitting in a dark room. The rat-x represents the companys version of a drug, using it as a
symbolizing to suggest an the pill as an influence. Majority of people will take this ad for itsThis
ad is understood for staying understanding of being above the influence by avoiding drugs. A
main visual point in the drug advertisement are the bodies sitting on the bed, though they
resemble human bodies they are actually rats in a human shape. Their physical appearance helps
the rats acquire human like qualities, connecting the viewer to real people who abuse influences.
These human qualities allow viewers to Ddecipher ring by the clothes the rats are wearing, that
the animals appear to be look fairly young giving off the idea that people as young as early teens
are influenced by these substances. Since substance abuse is such a widespread problem, the
advertisement suggests that no matter the age, all humans under the influence have a chance of
being affected by death. The above the influence logo in the bottom right corner connects the
rats action of handing the drug to one another showing the actual act of peer pressure that the
company wants people to rise above. This eye catching point is easily noticed and looked at as
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one of the most important ideas to be seen. These eye-catching parts of the picture spark first
concepts of the advertisement without digging deeper into other meanings.
The rat advertisement shows how being under the influence can be self destructing.
harmful to oneself. Since the ad shows the rat-x box as a comparison of rat-x to drugs, the
company provides the message that drugs kill humans like rat-x kills rats. The organization
wants to play the idea of rat-x as a kind of drug by showing the rats passing the pill to one
another like a blunt.The company compares the rat-x to drugs by showing the rats physically
passing the pill, givingthis gives the message that rat-x kills rats like drugs kills humans. This
could lead viewers to believe that because rats are dirty creatures and looked down upon,; doing
drugs could be considered a dirty habit making ones personal life shameful. This idea is also
portrayed in the advertisement where a crushed can lays in the middle of the street with a blurred
out city background. of the can. The can is an obvious representation of an alcoholic beverage, a
car and ones body. The can as alcohol, shows that the drink impairs ones ability to drive. By
blurring the background of the photo, it gives the viewers an idea of what driving impaired
would look like. The can as ones body and car, demonstrate the after effect of being under the
influence implying the malevolent consequences of substance abuse by the impact in the beer
can. The fact that the can is banged up helps indicate implies that a wreck has happened because
of drinking and driving, ruining the car. The dents in the can also depict the abuse that drinking
and driving will cause to a not only a users car but to their own body. users body and car,
implicating the idea to not drink and drive. The advertisements alludes the physical and
physiological impact of influences, showing how alcohol will impair vision, blurring ones sight
and how drugs can make life dreary by slowing reactions and making life empty and superficial.
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The idea that is present when comparing these advertisements is to show the full negative
influences can have on a humans mind and body and how they affect all users negatively.
There is also an obvious bias opinion in both the rat and other contrasting advertisements.
All four ads agree to the Idea of everyone no matter the age should be above any influence and
imply that lowering ones standards to take or engage with such toxins can harm, or even kill
users or effect bystanders. Each advertisement shows a central idea of if one decides to be under
the influence, it can affect them in one way or another.
The above the influence advertisement was online but could be located in a magazine
that could be picked up in the grocery store directing to audiences ages 10-50. Within a flip of
the page the ideas expressed in the advertisement are very strong without having to have a lot of
previous knowledge. Since the rat ad is straight forward, it is easy to understand the big picture
of staying clean without having any other connecting details, just like advertisements pop up in
magazines. Which is partially why the advertisements can speak in so many directions. The
organization could use this specific ad as a way to get their message across to viewers without
making them work for their logic. The pictures in the rat ad tell the story without having to add
words which makes the advertisement so affect full on its own.
Each of the ads have dark and dreary lighting but the rat advertisement portrays the in the
ad with the rats, the influence is by illuminating nated both in the box and the drug gripped in the
hand in the hand, bringing the audiences attention to the important role that the influential
substance plays. this detail of the main subjects. This ad shows similarities is parallel to the ad
about cigarettes, where the dark picture highlights the cigarette carton. The cigarette ad however,
does not show the main characters full body, wanting to place all other prejudgments aside by
only showing the character holding the carton and a second panel of the character with a mask to
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help regulate breathing. Both ads decide to make a grater attraction to the cause of the ad,
drawing eyes to look at the a certain point or in this case the influence. Some readers could see
that because the characters are holding the harmful object themselves, it is seen as something
easyly to get or obtainable le to most. The dark colors used are to portray the darkness and
harmful effects drugs can cause in to ones life. For instance, the rats room is depressing and
uncleanly dark because it implies thats how influences can affect someones outlook on life and
personal feelings confidence making them feel grungy like the rats.. This company gives this
grimy appearance off to discourage usage and keep observers clean from influences. The words
in the ad also play a large portion of to why the ads are so meaningful. Without the above the
influence logo, a viewer would have to take a moment longer to think about what the ad is really
portraying Although each ad has strong underlying messages without words, the text helps
provide the full message. The phrase whats the worst that could happen in the corner of the rat
ad leads a viewer to think the worst and wondering about all the possible effects. The ad with the
little girl blowing bubbles has the text You Smoke, She Smokes. Also leading to thoughts
about the effects of this influence and how it impacts and hurts others. The little girl in the ad
shows a loss of innocence by being affected by the cigarettes, because no little girl under the age
of 10 smokes on their own. which This loss of innocence theory also connects back to the age of
the rats in the originalthe above the influence ad showing it is used by or has an affect on the
youngthat drug usage is starting younger than we expect, causing children to grow up faster and
know more, forcing them to lose their sense of being a child. The above the influence logo also
connects to the rats action of physically handing the drug to one another, showing the actual act
of peer pressure done by the young. Though the rat ad may not suggest overcoming peer pressure
as the main idea, it is implied that being above the influence is also seen as being above giving
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into pressure. Overall, the colors and words in an ad ultimately have a say in how the outlook of
an ad is given off.
Though the above the influence advertisement can come across to multiple audiences in a
variety of ways, the main purpose is to show the negative impact of drugs in todays society.
When comparing ads, many other advertisements with the same central idea express their
opinion in a slightly different way, but all have the same point. Though drugs, cigarettes and
alcohol are all different substances, each has their own negative effect on ones mind, body and
life. Each ad has a clear and concise way of proving what they stand for and why by using a
variety of advertisement tactics to attract and express their idea.






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