Visual Media - Analysis of Three Advertisements - Essay Example

Analysis of three advertisements The three ads that I will be analyzing in the paper are Ralph Lauren- Romance- Cosmopolitan magazine October 2004 p.31 2. Calvin Klein- Eternity Moment- Cosmopolitan October 2004. p.35 3. Kraft-dairylea- cheese strips- Mother and Baby Magazine March 2006 p. 104 Ralph Lauren- Romance- Cosmopolitan magazine p.31 The first advertisement has a simple propaganda technique. It has a beautiful half naked woman getting intimate with an equally scantily dressed man. There is no obvious sexual action but something sexual is about to happen and you can feel it. The advertisement conveys the message indirectly: if you are using Ralph Lauren's Romance, you will be attracting love. Nice idea- simple and direct but done subtly and with certain degree of class. There is nothing cheap or sleazy about the ad. RL perfumes are known for their class and sophistication and that is gently exhibited in the ad. This is accomplished by means of subtle sexual message. There is no overt action. The man is gently touching the woman as he finds her desirable and the woman is coyly maintaining certain distance. She appears hesitant as if she is trying something new. The first time look is evident on her face. These tactics have been deliberately employed to convey that while with Romance, you can have romance; it will be love and not just sex. This subtle differentiation between sex and romance has given the ad its classy value. The second message you get is that RL Romance is not for everyone. It's not a common-folks item. It is meant for people with certain tastes and this is evident from the clothing of the two models, however little they are wearing. The white clothing, the stylishly done hair and the serious expression on the face of the female model are done to maintain certain distance from the audience. It is not an-everyone perfume and it has to be portrayed as such. The moment the two models share is something private and is in complete contrast with the light flirtatious moment shared by the two models in CK ad (discussed below). Calvin Klein- Eternity Moment: This ad is employing propaganda by different techniques with most prominent being Scarlet Johansson's presence. The woman represents a variety of things including being a young, talented and sexy star. Using a star in an advertisement lends immense power to the brand without requiring any real proof. People are likely to think that since Scarlet Johansson is using this perfume, may be I should to. It has the testimonial value as well as the bandwagon value. Scarlet is 'cool, chic and happening' and if you want to be like her, use Eternity Moment. The ad uses a simple line too that says, "A moment can change everything". Indirectly the audience is being told that they should not underestimate the value of each moment while highlighting the significance of the product's name. the audience is also being reminded of the value of being prepared. In an important moment, if you are wearing the right perfume, that can change everything. Now this may or may not be true. But the ad takes it for granted that we believe it to be true. Again like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein is also a well-known brand. Definitely the perfume may not be used by the common folks but the ad gives you a feeling that it can be or rather should be used by everyone who wants to turn an ordinary moment into something exceptional. Capturing Johansson with a girlish grin on her face gives the ad a common-folks value. She appears genuinely happy like any ordinary girl in love. Most women would be able to connect with her and the expansive of her happy soul. The model is having a pleasant experience and this is something everyone can relate to. The same could not be said of the Ralph Lauren ad that maintains a certain stiffness of manner to exude class and sophistication. Interesting both these advertisements lack color. They are done in black and white with a hint of color in the perfume bottle. This color is almost non-existent in RL Romance ad while it is clear and intended in Eternity ad. This lack of color achieves two different purposes for the two ads. While it shows class stiffness and superiority in RL Romance, it exudes simplicity in CK ad. 2. KRAFT AD The Kraft ad is all color unlike the two discussed above. Again this is done keeping in mind the audience and the models. The whole ad revolves around a child's imagination and that can definitely not be black and white. It has to be highly colorful and the ad understands the well. The ad doesn't have any real child as a model. Instead there is a sketch of a child with immensely rich and wild imagination. The message is clear: children are very imaginative and their imagination might lead to few bruises here and there. In order to protect them, they need stronger bones and that's where dairylea cheese strips come in. This ad is worth analyzing for its clear-cut focus and its ability to use propaganda in a humanistic way. We all love children and we all want to protect them. The ad cashes on this fact by showing child jumping off the couch thinking of the entire place as an enchanted forest and himself the superhero. You cant stop the child from doing what he loves doing but you can help them stay stronger by using the right products. The ad sends this message clearly through the line that reads: if your child's imagination is this strong, he needs bones even stronger. The target audience is mothers or parents for that matter. Since the product is meant for a child, the entire ad is done in rich colors and everything is marked in scribble to highlight the imagination of a child. There is cushion placed on the carpet, a plant on one corner and couch - all marked as various things such as the enchanted forest, magic mountain, invisible cloak etc to show that these things may mean one thing to you, while they mean something completely different to a child. The three ads are different with respect to target audience and values. The advertisement for children uses color and attractive lines to elicit that "aweee" response which would draw you to a product. The ads for adults use less color and have a chic value with RL targeting the more sophisticated audience than CK. All three ads use propaganda techniques but they are different in each case and not exactly in-your-face. These subtle techniques are used in the fragrance ads more effectively than the Kraft ad. But Kraft ad is effective and powerful because it instantly generates a "relatable" feeling. The 'relatability' factor is high in Kraft ad. Read More