A literary genre is a specific style of writing that follows certain guidelines of characteristics in order to create a meaningful and effective message. Each genre has a purpose, an audience, specific rhetorical appeals and elements that can differentiate it from other categories of writing. Advertisements are one example out of many genres of literature. The first thing that comes to mind today, when thought of advertisements, would be digital adds online or on tv. Although print advertisement in newspapers can date all the way back to the 1600's in early England (Gallegos, 2014). Advertisements have been a stylistic choice of literature that have been around for ages. The genre has elements that are unique from other forms of writing. It can be defined using specific aspects of writing such as style, design and medium. There are examples of advertisements everywhere and regardless of the product being promoted, can be used to show how the genre's conventions different from other forms of literature. Advertisements are most effective when used through a proper understanding of the genre itself, and the aspects that make it unique. The purpose of an advertisement is to persuade a target audience to purchase a product or service. This purpose is shown clearly in the literary aspects which define the genre.

Before getting to how the writing of the genre is defined, first it is important to recognize the features which are shared by advertisements. One of which is headlines, these are used to quickly pull the attention of the reader. The headline is often short and direct, informing the consumer of the product being sold or the benefits of said product. The placement of a headline is very importance because of the extensive use of visuals in ads. Graphics are a huge part of attracting the readers attention. They can convey a message in themselves as well as enhance the story being told by the headlines.  Headlines and visuals work hand in hand to promote the products in the best possible lights.

Another important feature of advertisements is correlated more specifically to the company that is selling the product. Consumers want to be sure that these products are coming from a safe and trusted company. Advertisements direct this concern in one of two ways. First of all, companies always have a slogan. The slogan is a phrase or a saying that is associated with the brand in order to put the company in good light and make products associated with the company. A good slogan is easily identifiable and long established. The second way to promote confidence in the company in through a signature. This is usually located near the bottom of an add and it includes the advertiser name and contact information. This provides consumers with a sense of security because they know where the product is coming from. These features work alongside the elements of a genre to define advertisements.

The first aspect used to define the genre is style. In literature, style is the purposeful way in which the author uses words. In advertising the author focuses on three main categories when making decisions regarding the style of the literature. Firstly, there is a focus on technique; the deliberate construction of words or language which a writer would use to convey meaning in their message.  Advertisements differ from other forms of writing in the sense that they are meant to be viewed or read for a short period of time. For example, a book, one could spend days reading, where as an ad would only be looked at for a maximum of a few minutes.

The second aspect advertisers often use in order to catch the attention of the audience is design. This includes a variety of methods. One of the most important elements is a visual of the product. It is absolutely crucial that advertisers provide visuals. Without a visual depiction of the product or service then customers will have a hard time identifying what is being sold.

Although it is possible to get the point across with only words, the images enhance the selling ability. Furthermore, advertisers are smart and used images that not only show the product itself, but it is featured in a way that taps into a consumer’s emotions. The visuals displayed will make one feel a certain way that correlates with how one would feel if the purchased the good being sold. For example, if a beer company is selling beer, they may put a group of friends having fun. This promotes the idea that purchasing this beer is associated with having a good time. Another good way to also invoke emotional triggers in images is through colours. Colours can be associated with specific emotions to entice you to feel a certain type of way about a product. A children's company would probably make use of the colour yellow because it is often associated with joy, happiness and energy (Baker, 2014). Another element important to advertisements is their logo. Their logo is a meticulously designed image that when seen is meant to spark good thoughts about their company. A good logo should be easily identifiable and established in good faith, much like a good slogan. The last element that is focused on in an advertisement is the layout. The layout can vary depending on the type of ad; print or digital, but the essence of the layout stays consistent. The layout should directly promote the reader or water to the most important pieces of information. In both cases this would be the featured product or service, then followed by any messages around to inform the consumer of such product.

The last main aspect of advertisements used to define the genre is modes and media. As the world and technology develops the mode and medium of advertisements are changing too. It was not too long ago that advertisements were strictly designed for newspapers and flyers.

Now a days most reading and viewing occurs online. Therefore, the most common ads are being seen either on the internet or on TV. There are online adds that are static, such as they would have been in newspapers, but now there is the ability to create video advertisements which can incorporate animations and sound. There is even a new medium being developed called "smell­ vertising", where a products scent is used and broadcasted in an area with potential customers. The unique thing about ads is that their medium can occur is such a wide variety of ways, although how they are presented stays consistent all throughout.

The technique of being direct and short in the writing of the advertisements is present in every example. One of which actually has no words other than the product name. The three car advertisements all contain a short sentence which resonates with the emotions of the consumer. For example, the Honda Civic ad from 2019 says, "if you never try, you'll never know". Realistically this has nothing to do with selling cars, but it promotes the consumer to be adventurous and try something new. If they buy this car than their lives will change for the better. The Subaru ad also uses short and direct text even though this ad is from the early 2000's. Although the text is not meant to make the consumer feel an emotion, it still references the product in a quick and concise fashion.

The design is also very clearly thought out of in all of the examples. The visual which takes of the majority of the ad is the product itself, but what is around it is how the advertisers want one to feel. In the Pontiac ad from the 1960's there is a family outside of the car at the beach. The choice of the beach background was not a random choice. Going to the beach is fun, the advertisers are promoting the idea that purchasing this car will make the whole family have a good time. In the Honda civic ad, the car is shown in a way to make it look like it is going very fast. This technique is used to say if one buys this car you will live an adventurous and exhilarating life. This is also shown in the Fenty ad. Rihanna is wearing the product herself. This choice was made to entice consumers to purchase the product because if they do, they will be as beautiful as Rihanna.

The examples chosen are not only from a variety of products but also throughout different time periods in history. Each advertisement can be studied for its use of style, design and medium. The important takeaway is, regardless of the product being sold or the time period, the characteristics that define the genre are present in all examples.