- What is the story/narrative?
- How is it told? Flashback? Frequent cuts to show parts of it? Repetitive images?
- How is colour used?
- What is the mood created by the commercial: excitement, relaxation, confidence, luxury?
- What does the use of lighting and/or special effects tell you?
- What does the setting communicate? Is landscape used? Realistic/abstract/exotic/indoor/outdoor?
- What does the sound communicate? Is there a voice? What sort? What tone?
- Is there music? What does it communicate?
- The presentation of the product: how much detail is given? Does it appear a lot or hardly at all? What lifestyle are you meant to associate with it?
- How quickly into the ad do you realize what is being advertised? What is the significance of this?
- What do the camera angles focus on? Is close-up used, a sense of distance evoked?
- What about the words? Do you see print? What sort? How often? Why?
- Is there any humour? How is it used?
- The overall intention of the advert – who is it meant to appeal to?
- If the product is a common one (e.g. car, shampoo) how does the ad make the product seem different or special?