Steimatzky, a bookstore chain in Israel, created this advertisement to promote reading as opposed to watching television. It is directed toward virtually any audience – viewers just need to be able to read English. The ad depicts a man sitting on his couch apparently watching television. He is rather abnormal-looking, though, as his head is about a quarter of the expected size. The advertisement is captioned only with "Read more." Through irony, humor, and a serious tone from the caption, this ad effectively promotes reading.
This advertisement achieves its purpose largely through irony and humor. A person lounging on the couch watch TV is a normal, everyday sight in most households. However, it is very unexpected for that person's head to be tiny. While older children and (of course) adults know that watching TV doesn't actually cause one's head to shrink, very young children might not understand that. In this way, the advertisement could have sort of a "fairy tale" effect in that it is a sort of outrageous, made-up story that can scare young children into avoiding a certain behavior – in this case, watching television. The advertisement is also quite obviously meant to be humorous. The irony is laughable – no one's head would really shrink from watching TV. However, it is still funny, and advertisements that cause laugher are often far more effective.
The inclusion of "Read more." is vital to the advertisement's success. Without it, the ad would make no sense. However, the syntax of the text is also very important. The period at the end indicates finality and a touch of seriousness. Even though the image itself is outrageous, it does have some truth in it: watching television is not very (if at all) mentally stimulating. The serious tone of the text shows viewers that the increase in time spent watching TV is a bad thing and by reading more, it may be able to be turned around.
This advertisement effectively promotes reading rather than watching TV by using irony, humor, and a serious tone in the text. The irony and humor fit together, as the unexpected sight of a man with a tiny head is quite funny. However, this is contrasted by the rather serious statement "Read more." Through this, the ad shows that reading will be mentally stimulating and may fix the bad effects of excessive television.
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