Sarah Nafees
Viengvilay Oudonesom
English 1301
March 7, 2015
Defense of the Mouth

While most people are aware of taking care of their oral hygiene, a few know the right way to do so and the consequences that poor dental care can lead to. This advertisement for colgate, found at Adsoftheworld.com (http://adsoftheworld.com/sites/default/files/colgate-mighty_mouth_aotw.jpg) cleverly presents the message to its audience, “Colgate provides the best all-around cavity protection and a minty sensation.” Advertisers use several visual elements like the objects and their color, position, size, and phrases in this advertisement which helps to convey the message that the product will not only keep the teeth clean, but will also give 360 degree protection against germs, cavity, and decay, keeping the mouth bad breathe-free.
There are a few major elements in the ad that advertisers used in attempt to prove this product as the best anti-cavity toothpaste out there. When a viewer sees this ad, he will first notice a giant, pink mouth in a cold environment, then little military soldiers and their helicopters, parachutes, tanks, etc surrounding and/or occupying this mouth. By looking closely at the army, one would notice laser beams in the mouth. the viewer would then notice the two flags planted on the ground; one with the picture of the toothpaste, and the other talking about the effectiveness of this product.
In order to see the effectiveness of this ad, it is important to observe the position and size of each element. Since the mouth is the biggest object, it is located in the center of the advertisement, on the snow in a cool atmosphere. The spread-out soldiers are tiny compared to the rest of the objects in the ad, but the group of army is large as a whole. The army is the second-most crucial object in the ad as it represents defense against germs or cavity in the mouth, and is therefore located on, inside, and nearby the mouth. The third most noticeable object in this ad are the flags, planted by the army of soldiers beside the mouth to indicate control over their territory (the mouth). Some soldiers are also inside the small vehicles (helicopters, parachutes, tanks, etc.). Although they can not be seen in these vehicles, the audience can see a few soldiers coming out of the helicopters through parachutes to land toward the mouth. By observing these objects, the audience knows that the larger the size or the more prominence of an object, the more crucial it is to the message being conveyed.
The color of each object in the ad tells the audience what it represents, giving a more deeper meaning to the purpose of each element. Starting from the most prominent detail, the teeth in the mouth are white, and the lips and other internal parts like gums and tongue are pink. Because of these colors, the audience can describe the mouth as healthy. The army and vehicles do not have much prominent colors like the background and the mouth, but by looking closely, one will describe each soldier as having a pinkish color matching the tongue of the mouth, making them appear clean themselves. The vehicles have the color of the usual military transport except having a more lighter shade of grey, making them appear equally clean as their surroundings. The location of these objects appears to have a cold atmosphere because of the greyish-blue sky and off-white snow. The coldness of the environment represents a fresh, minty sensation that the mouth feels after using the product. Altogether, the color of each element in the ad gives the audience a sense of cleanliness and good health of the mouth.
All the words and/or phrases seen in the ad indicate what advertisers are attempting to prove about their product. The words and phrases can be seen written on the flags beside the mouth. The topmost flag presents the product being advertised, which is the Colgate toothpaste,