3 Colonial Advertisements

By: Tanner Bennett, Callie Ogilvie, Carolynn Dahlfors, and Elliott Crawford

The three advertisements of Colonial Williamsburg show three different kinds of emotion to appeal to many different audiences instead of just one. The purpose of these ads is to try and get people to come visit the "Colonial Williamsburg" which is a city that takes you back in time to the 1800s to see what life was like during that time.

The first ad is in a green color scheme and has a lady raking leaves in her front yard. The ad talks first about the "colonial me". What she would've been if she lived in the 1800s. She sees herself as the gardener to the royal governor. The two perfectly shaped bushes by her front door show that she loves to tend to her garden. This ad would be directed toward the middle class suburban parents who want to get away for a weekend and have fun. The picture at the bottom right shows a very happy couple walking through a beautiful garden in 1800s clothes. At the end of the ad they throw in a little 21st century text to relate even more to people now talking about the homeowners association.

The second ad is in a purple color scheme and has a lady sitting on her couch at home. This woman's "colonial me" is an immigrant to the new land who gets swept off her feet and marries a wealthy man who lavishes her with the finer things in life. At first purple conveys love, but when thought about more purple conveys wealth. This ad would be directed more toward the upperclass, younger, maybe single women. The picture at the bottom right shows a couple in 1800s clothes on a horse drawn carriage. The 21st century text in this ad talks about how maybe fear of commitment hadn't yet been invented maybe implying that she is going through a relationship problem and is day dreaming of what life could be like.

The third ad is in a tan and brown color scheme with a man sitting at a counter eating breakfast. This guy's "colonial me" is a slave. Someone who worked to help support a family and build the country. The picture at the bottom right shows a group of people carrying crop caring tools and baskets as if they are going to or coming home from working. This ad would be directed more towards the working class. The 21st century text in this ad talks about what he would become later in life. This guy could be at a crossroads in his life wondering what his place is and what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

All three ads convey a different message for the same reason. These ads do a good job at attracting people to come to Colonial Williamsburg. The pictures are a bit more glamorous than what it would've actually been like in the 1800s. It is portrayed as an escape for people to not only learn about the country's history, but to be able to have fun pretending to be someone one you're not.