In today’s society, we are bombarded with images telling us how to dress, think, act, and behave. As Ed Norton in the movie Fight Club says while looking at a Calvin Klein underwear ad, “is that how real men are supposed to look?” I decided to search for an ad that can be seen as controversial or even disturbing at that, and I was lucky enough to come across a Jimmy Choo ad in W magazine.
The message is clear—buy these shoes. Whether or not that message is being conveyed in the most appropriate or effective ways is less to be desired for. The shoes are not even in the center of the picture, and in my opinion, the shoes are not the main focal point in the ad. Instead, the focus is on a woman leaning backwards on some sort of board with a very skimpy bikini bottom and loose top. She is holding a purse and has on several large bracelets, and is spraying a hose of some sort. But even all of these images are not the most disturbing. The woman’s facial expression is startling. She is looking upwards and more importantly, she looks as if she’s watching something terrible happen and is either scared or in danger.
Perhaps the message is trying to say, “look sexy like this woman and buy our shoes.” What does sexy really mean? Who’s to say that a woman maybe one hundred pounds heavier in a simple evening dress cannot wear those shoes and still be as sexy? What makes this vulnerable woman so appealing and desirable in this advertisement?
What really is this ad trying to sell? Shoes are a dime a dozen. I went to the mall the other day and went into 8 different shoe stores alone. Obviously there is something special about Jimmy Choo shoes. Is this company really tying to sell you the shoes, or trying to sell you the name? I recall watching an interview with Paris Hilton, and she said that she loved Jimmy Choo shoes and that she has “x” (some large number) pairs of them. Since we are such a media-based culture, if we hear Paris Hilton wears Jimmy Choo shoes, then they must be great! With such a high price, how can the middle class person even afford a pair? With all of these things taken into consideration, it’s clear that there is an elite group of people this ad is designed for.
In the 1997 article Listening to Khakis, published in the New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell effectively paints a vivid picture of the thought and science that goes into advertising campaigns. Gladwell begins his paper by focusing on the Dockers’ advertising campaign for their line of adult male khaki pants, which he labels as extremely successful. This campaign was the first line of successful fashion advertisements aimed directly toward adult males (Gladwell, 1997). This campaign was cunningly simple and showed only males wearing the pants being advertised with the background noise filled with men having a casual conversation (Gladwell, 1997). This tactic was used because studies showed that Dockers’ target market felt an absence in adult male friendships. (Gladwell, 1997). The simplicity of the advertisements was accentuated as to not to deter possible customers by creating a fashion based ad because, based on Gladwell’s multiple interviews of advertising experts, males shy away from being viewed as fashion forward or “trying to hard” (Gladwell, 1997).
It's a very simple message, and one that comes across very clearly due to the nature of the advertisement's simplicity. All in the matter of seconds, the advertisement leaves the reader with a clear sense of what the product does.
The ad is not just a picture or a word that says, “this is the best, buy this.” It is actually made up of different types of evidence. One type of evidence of this is the visual details of the ad itself, minus the product. The first thing people would notice is that the whole ad is in black and white, except for the product. Using this style of advertisement is very creative because it makes the gift stand out ten times more than if the entirety of the ad was in color. It was wintertime, most likely around Christmas, because there is a door in the background that has a Christmas bow on it. The ad was also placed in the November issue of Glamour. The product consists of multiple bath and body lotions, body wash, shower gel, and bath sponges in the gift box. They are all on display together in a very well-presented fashion. The bright colors are very eye-catching. There is also a little picture frame in the box that has a picture of the two girls in the ad in it. This puts a very strong emotional grasp on the reader because it may make them recall their friends.
This advertisement shows us logos by making people think about domestic violence. When you look at the big boot, obviously worn by a man is stepping on top of a small women’s shoe, it automatically makes you think about domestic violence. As quoted, “When he controls your life, it’s no longer your life.” This quote is powerful and directly speaks to the women who are in controlling abusive relationships. It also speaks to people who know someone who is being abused and that they should speak out. It pulls you into the sad scene with the dark lighting all around almost making it seem suffocating, which causes the small woman’s shoe to seem unimportant, compared to the big muddy boot that is trapping it. It logically makes someone
The advert is a monolog consisting of a male model who is physically built and toned. This symbolizes a successful man who is keen on taking care of his body. It also signifies a strong man who is appealing to the ladies. The first question he asks is if women want their men to have the sort of body he has. This statement portrays confidence and a high self-esteem. The ad passes on the message that men who use this fragrance need to be confident in how their look.
Something people might frequently worry about is self-identity, and how to express who they are. When looking for an outlet to do this, the easiest way to show what kind of person someone is, clothes are usually the first choice: a black t-shirt with a cynical saying, or maybe some skinny black jeans. Whether the advertising agencies created the personalities that come with clothes or took advantage of what was already there, clothes are often sold as something more than just clothes. Companies must ask how to convince consumers to buy their product instead of the competitors’, regardless of price difference. Particularly Levi’s jeans, a 150+-year-old American business, has been trying different approaches to packaging the type of consumers that buy their jeans.
..., the picture has good symbolism because it shows that you should have fun, and you should enjoy how you look. Another advertisement that this site contains is a rounded rectangular box that contains the words “Everyone tells you how to look good” and it shows a lady in a sitting position possibly doing yoga. The box does not contain what it is advertising for, but it gives the viewer the eagerness to check out what it contains.
I have examined and analyzed the COVERGIRL™ NatureLuxe advertisement that uses common feminine stereotypes. In this advertisement, COVERGIRL™, which runs in Seventeen magazines, targets women through their choices of colors, fonts, and images used. Certain stereotypes are used; such as, those who are more feminine tend to prefer lighter, happier colors, such as pink. Also, the use of a celebrity, who many young women look to as an icon, assists in the advertisement of the COVERGIRL™ product. COVERGIRL™, more than likely, is able to successfully market their lip-gloss product in the United States by using common gender stereotypes to show femininity and how those, mainly women, should be presented in today’s society.
It has become impossible to avoid marketing and branding. Everywhere a consumer turns, they are being persuaded and influenced by all sorts of symbols, logos, slogans etc. These aspects of a brand create the culture we live in. “The effect, if not always the original intent, of advanced branding is to nudge the hosting culture into the background and make the brand the star. It is not to sponsor culture but to be the culture.” 30 no logo. Humanity has become one large sponsored event, making it impossible in order to escape.
Calvin Klein is a known expensive brand that the upper class would be more likely to wear. The upper class is a term for “upper-income households [that] had incomes greater than $125,608”(Richard Fry & Rakesh Kochhar, Pew Research Center). Using Kendall Jenner as the model in its advertising, gives consumers and potential consumers the idea that owning something from Calvin Klein means you are wealthy because it is a brand that celebrities wear and endorse. This makes the product very attractive to teenagers who are trying to impress their
In the essay “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” author and philosopher Susan Bordo discusses the history and current state of male representation in advertisements. While using her feminist background, Bordo compares and contrasts the aspects of how men and women are portrayed in the public eye. She claims that there has been a paradigm shift the media with the theory that not just women are being objectified in the public eye, but also men too. Since the mid-1970s, with the introduction of Calvin Klein commercials, men have started to become more dehumanized and regarded as sex symbols. In a similar fashion to how Bordo describes gender, race plays a similar role in the media. People of all different ethnicities and cultures are being categorized into an oversimplified and usually unfair image by the media over basic characteristics.
Advertising is one of the world’s oldest industries and most effective industries. Advertising shows consumers what they want by using clever deception and nifty tricks. These ploys leave everyday people running to the store to pick up the latest and trendiest products. Advertisements work in part because marketers spend millions (possibly beyond millions) of dollars researching the population to find a clientele. This research helps find a target audience, aka demographic. This allows marketers to create an advertisement that caters to its demographic and sells their product. A company who embodies effective advertisements is Nike. Many people have the Nike logo and slogan engrained in their head. Nike is a company that
Victoria’s Secret “I Love my Body” lingerie campaign was being critiqued for this assignment. The reason why this advertisement was chosen is because of its irony. Victoria’s Secret is attempting to promote healthy bodies, and encouraging women to love the skin that they are in, which is contradicting to the image that is portrayed in the campaign. Advertisements intend to have very specific messages (Valenti, 2007). As individuals attempt to decode these messages, women get an idea of what the media believes beauty is, causing multimillion dollar industries due to lack of self esteem (Joey, 2003).
In many clothing advertisements, particularly jeans and lingerie ads, women are used as the main subjects to entice the viewer to notice the ad and most importantly, be excited about the product. In one photo, Calvin Klein Jeans promotes its clothing through what seems to be unwilling, reluctant sexual activity – rape. The advertisement displays the woman resisting the man with the palm of her right hand, and she is pulling her shirt down to cover her stomach with her left hand; yet he is still pursuing her and attempting to remove her top. Her body language and gaze – devoid of emotion – reveal that she is not interes...
The bold print also indicates for the woman to remove her clothes, or for the viewer to do so. Everything is very clean, clear, and appealing to the eye. There is a highlight around the woman’s body leaving her look like she’s glowing. The weight scale is indicating that the woman has lost weight and she is shocked by how much she weighs now. The company displays this petite woman which advertises, if you drink their product then the consumers can look like her. This add is posing as a sex symbol for men and is showing younger women that they should look like this woman in the ad. This ad is also indicating that only ‘sexy’ and ‘healthy’ woman can produce healthier milk.