Verizon Ad Campaigns: Mom vs. Droid Does Compared
This paper analyzes two contrasting Verizon advertising campaigns: the "Verizon Mom" campaign and the "Droid Does" campaign. Through close visual analysis, the paper examines how each advertisement targets a distinct demographic—the "Mom" campaign appeals to technology-hesitant consumers through familiar brand symbols and everyday imagery, while the "Droid Does" campaign delivers dense product information through bold, artistically composed graphic design. The paper considers how each campaign's visual choices, layout, and messaging reflect deliberate marketing decisions aimed at different consumer segments, ultimately illustrating how a single company can employ radically different persuasive strategies for different audiences.
- Introduction: Two Campaigns, Two Approaches: Overview of two contrasting Verizon ad strategies
- Visual Analysis of the Verizon Mom Ad: Describing figures, setting, and symbols in Mom ad
- Visual Analysis of the Droid Does Ad: Concentric circle layout and color design of Droid ad
- Product Information and Branding Elements: Price, logo, and Google branding in Droid ad
- Comparing Audience Appeal and Marketing Strategy: Contrasting demographic targeting of each campaign
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper uses concrete visual description—colors, positions, layout elements—to support its analytical claims, grounding interpretation in observable detail.
- The comparison structure is clear and consistent: each advertisement is given dedicated descriptive analysis before the two are synthesized in a final evaluative section.
- The paper correctly identifies how visual composition (e.g., the starburst/concentric circle layout of the Droid ad) reinforces the ad's informational intent, connecting form to function.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates visual rhetorical analysis—the practice of reading images as arguments. By identifying symbols (the "Can You Hear Me Now" figure), spatial composition (clock-face layout of the Droid ad), and color choices (red vs. white lettering), the writer shows how visual elements work together to construct a persuasive message aimed at a specific audience.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a comparative thesis, then devotes one body paragraph each to describing the Mom ad and two paragraphs to the more complex Droid ad. A brief branding paragraph addresses price and logo placement before the conclusion synthesizes both campaigns in terms of their target demographics and persuasive effects. The structure is straightforward and appropriate for a short visual analysis essay at the undergraduate introductory level.
Introduction: Two Campaigns, Two Approaches
Advertisements are designed to promote a product, but there are different ways an advertisement can accomplish that goal. Sometimes ads introduce a product to a new market by describing how that market's consumers can use it; other times, an advertisement presents the information a company wants the public to know in an artistic way. Recently, Verizon engaged in two separate advertising campaigns that were very different in their approach. In one campaign, called the "Verizon Mom" campaign, Verizon sought to convey the ease with which even everyday soccer moms could use their product. This campaign was vague and non-specific about the features and applications of the new smartphone, and sought to generate popularity through an "ease of use" message. The other campaign, "Droid Does," was filled with specific product information presented in an artistically designed format. Verizon took two very different approaches: one aimed at consumers who would not normally be attracted to the latest technological device, and the other a radical blending of art and information that is highly appealing to a younger generation.
Visual Analysis of the Verizon Mom Ad
The first advertisement features a number of people standing around a soccer mom who is holding a bag of groceries. Verizon placed two well-known advertising figures in the ad: the "Can You Hear Me Now?" spokesman, and the large group of people—many wearing Verizon vests and hardhats—who appear in many other Verizon commercials. Verizon appears to be connecting the success of those earlier campaigns to their new "Mom" campaign. The large group of Verizon employees in the background are shown wearing red vests and white hardhats, working, talking, and generally supporting the mom who stands in the foreground.
The "Can You Hear Me Now?" spokesman is positioned in front of the crowd of Verizon employees but still behind the mom, and appears to be waving with his left hand while holding a Verizon phone in his right. At the center of the ad is the mom, who is the focus of the campaign. She holds a bag of groceries in her right hand and a Verizon phone in her left. She appears to be in her late thirties or early forties, has light brown hair, and is meant to represent the average mom. The entire scene is photographed on what appears to be a normal residential street; in the far background, one can see part of a house with a tree in front.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.