Task a) Students have to make a link between the visual representations and the verbal. In this advertisement, the song is sung by the sister in a man's voice. One student answered "a man" which cannot be considered incorrect as the question does not ask which character is narrating, just whom.

Task b) This advertisement is from the 1970s. What are three ways that it is different from modern fast food advertising?

Task b) involves making a connection between modern day advertising and the Hugo advertisement to understand how techniques in advertising are related to context (such as time), and how they have changed over time. Students can then answer why they have changed over time (task c).

A common response was that modern fast food advertisements are not animated, that they are "real life." A few students took this further by explaining why advertisers may use "real life" as opposed to animation, which they said was unrealistic:

People need to be able to picture themselves.

Another thing is that ad is animated today they want people to relate to it so they use real people.

Most students gave answers about: advertisements not been sung anymore; lack of logos and product placement, plus the use of the full name "Kentucky Fried Chicken", which is no longer used; the advertisement being too long; lack of prices and other product information such as ingredients; not promoting their product as healthy, and using fat, unglamorous characters.

Task c) Describe 3 reasons why it would not work as a modern fast food advertisement.

The most common responses included references to there being no visuals of the product; a lack of branding and use of the KFC logo; the poor quality of the animation; and that people already know about KFC and want product information such as prices, and facts about health.

Almost all students pointed out how fat the characters were. Though there were two levels of response, with the most basic pointing out that the advertisement would not work as the characters are fat, the second involved critical analysis, through making links between the visual and what it represents, in relation to a modern context.

Using 'Fat' people may turn people off as these days its all about being skinny and healthy.

Also the kids in it are quite fat people want to know that by eating it it will not damage their health or make them gain weight.

The children are fat, which is not good advertisement because it leads people to believe that KFC makes you fat.

As in task b) some students responded that it would not work now as it is important for people to be able to relate to the advertisement:

Also it is animated people don’t like animation because it seems like a lie this is why it will not work in todays society.

One student highlighted the social irresponsibility of the advertisement:

The driver grabs some of the food while driving, so is eating and driving at the same time which is discouraged.

Task d) Do Hugo and his family look like New Zealanders? Why or why not?

Almost all of the trial students responded in the negative. Many of the students explained that because the characters were all very overweight, and because of the way they were dressed, they believed them to be Americans. Most students identified the characters in the advertisement as representative of Americans but not New Zealanders.

No because every family in New Zealand doesn't have fat kids. They seem American somehow. The car is not really a car you would find in New Zealand even in the 70's (that's me though I wasn't around in the 70's).

They look more like Americans. This is due to them looking very lazy and they look almost to fat to be New Zealanders.

One student highlighted that New Zealand is highly diverse and therefore one family can hardly be representative of New Zealanders as a whole.

Not really, because there is no particular New Zealand "look" because so many different cultures have immigrated here.