The item I have chosen is the mobile phone – the advert is from HTC.com advertising their touch screen phones. The phones themselves are not shown until the final few seconds of the advert. The shots are taken from the phone looking at the people using them. The voiceover says that your phone is the one thing you have with you all the time and has the catchy line “ You don’t need to get a phone, you need a phone that gets you”.


For something that is just a simple means of communication, the mobile has become a status symbol, with ever more technological advances such as internet access making it an essential item. The emphasis here is on the individualistic qualities of the phone – you can make it work just for you, although of course, millions of other people have the same phone! It seems a little like a comfort blanket, the thought that you can’t really be complete without your phone within easy reach. An up to date mobile phone is an important symbol today, its value goes beyond its monetary costs- another way for some people to make judgements about others.