HOLLYAOKS POSTER ANALYSIS

 

 

It is not surprising that Hollyoaks unlike the majority of other soaps uses posters, as it is an unconventional soap; different to other soaps. When analysing the poster i realised that Hollyoaks used the fact that it was different as a highlight for their poster and were proud of that.
The poster is mocking other soaps such as Eastenders and Coronation Street for their emphasis on pubs and perhaps for having a pub as the dominant central meeting point in their soap, through it featuring pubs and drunken people negatively. Hollyoaks is shown in the poster, as not being about drunken people in pubs like other conventional soaps but about young, glamorous, sophisticated characters. And so the image presented is a real one as shown through their annual calendar which features airbrushed, athletic, sexy, well presented characters and the soaps emphasis on student life.
Throughout the whole poster there is a theme of spot the difference almost. This is clever not only because it takes the same format at spot the difference games in magazines, which the young target audience of Hollyoaks will be regularly read and so they will be attracted by this, but also because straight away it represents other soaps negatively whilst appearing positive and better than the rest.
The second image is intended to be everything that Hollyoaks represents, such as glamour, brightness and clever ideas as well as being different. Therefore, straight away when audiences look at the poster they will straight away draw a comparison which will put the second image as a better option. As a result the individual will begin to watch Hollyoaks rather than other soaps because the poster shows them to be not good enough and far less appealing.
It can also be argued that Hollyoaks uses class to appeal to audiences and uses this as one of its criticisms of conventional soaps like Eastenders and Coronation Street. This is because the poster representing Hollyoaks is far better mannered and neatly represented. This is shown through the couple fighting who are shown in the second poster as Latin dancing, and the dog that is urinating on the carpet is shown neatly brushed in pink, eating from its plate.