Paco Rabanne One Million Mens Fragrance - Essay Example

Running head: SEMIOLOGICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS Paco Rabanne One Million Men’s Fragrance- Semiological and Ideological Analysis. of the student Name of the course Name of the instructor Date Paco Rabanne One Million Men’s Fragrance- Semiological and Ideological Analysis. Today, people are surrounded by attractive advertisements. Advertisements are found in all aspects of life from newspapers to televisions to even billboards. It is impossible to avoid any form of publicity whether it is in the form of flier distribution in a local market or adverts on television. The main purpose of advertisements is to make consumer aware of a particular good. However, with time the concept of advertisements have changed much, adverts no longer strive to promote their product rather they aim on relating the characteristics of the brand with the end user to make them realize that the product is their basic need (Reschke, 1998). According to Gillian Dyer advertising is the "official art" in which beliefs and values through the brand are reminded to the people (Reschke, 1998). To understand the real meaning of advertisement its analysis are done to learn the techniques that are employed in designing the content of an advertisement. Media analysts have used different parameters of analysis to gain understanding of concepts interrelated with advertisements. This paper aims to analyze an advertisement through the most commonly used analysis methods called semiotic and ideological analysis. The advertisement selected for this paper is projecting a perfume named 1 million which is the new male fragrance by the Spanish leading colognes and perfume company named Paco Rabbane. Perfumes are considered as both essential and luxurious part of everybody’s life. When worn in daily life they are a necessity, when worn for formal occasions they depict a luxurious life style, elegant personality for women and sheer masculinity for the men. Perfume advertisements are always based on a sophisticated and sensational theme which is directly relating to physiological aspects of humans. The advertisement of perfume 1 million Paco Rabbane had been analyzed during the broadcast of 24th July 2010 by American TV channel namely AsiaVision. I have analyzed it semiotically to understand the hidden meanings prevailing within the text. Semiotic are basically the symbols and signs used within the text to create meaning. The signifier in this particular advert is no doubt the perfume 1 million where it signifies a young sexy looking man that uses the perfume to achieve all his dreams. Several iconic signs the moving objects have been used in the ad to convey the message to the user. To give the add a realistic touch they have made the use of many conventional codes set by our society such as firstly the color of the perfume. The glittery gold of the bottle represents power, wealth, durability, luxury and seduction. The color of the product also highlights the ideology the ad that is pure seduction. The color has been the source of seduction since decades in all civilizations and decades. Gold surrounds us from design, clothes, accessories, jewelry and fashion. In every form it is noticeable everywhere and is globally appreciated and respected (Fragrantica, 2010). Other color code that has been used is black which again promotes sexual and powerful meanings. Again the man is dressed in black throughout the ad and all the symbols used are also in black that show his power and control over the entire situation. The aesthetic codes used are inclined towards projecting the masculinity of the main character. The man has been dressed in a manner which our culture portrays as sexy. His white crisp shirt’s buttons are loose yet the shirt fits enough to show the structure of the man. His personality appears daring, smart, dominating and a man who enjoys a wealthy luxurious life. The technical codes play a very important role in this advert and connote very specific meaning. Throughout the ad the camera has been positioned on the man giving him the authority. The symbols are used to depict the achievements of man after putting on 1 million. In the begging they have taken a close up of the man’s face along with a white flash which gives him a look of an appealing looking man, the camera then changes the scene and with the clicking of his fingers props start falling which he dreams of having after wearing 1 million. With the first snap of the finger a pair of dice fall with the second a black Mercedes is show depicting the perfume has given him the courage to gamble, become wealthy enough to buy him an amazing looking sports car for himself. With each snap more excitement is added to the advert, the music becomes fast the camera moves from just focusing on the man’s face to his entire body as he adds beat to the scenario by showing trendy dance moves. Appeal is added to the advert by showing props with each snap such as bag full of money, car, casino poker, dices, and a glass of beer. With each snap man’s clothes change becoming trendier each time. The advertisement ends with the camera angling towards a blonde pretty woman looking admiringly at the man, the man with the snap switches off the light depicting sexual intimacy between the man and the woman. The ideological meaning derived from the advert would be ease in gaining all the luxuries of life after wearing 1 million. Since decades there has been a perception that a strong male fragrance gives him power in all levels of life whether professional or social. One million however focuses on enhancement in social life. It also concentrates on social relationships and the psychology of women that they get more attracted towards men with power and wealth. The non-verbal communication codes have been very well used in the advertisement. The expressions exposed by the man show his liking for the life he is living. The entrance of the brunette highlights the rules built in the society regarding flirtatious behavior. Since there are no dialogues in the ad music has played a very important role. The music is of a very recognizable song Do it Again by the Chemical Brothers. It’s a catchy music which you cannot help moving on till the ad finishes. Under a paradigmatic analysis of a media text the signifiers present in the media are compared with the signifiers absent from the text (Chandler, 2003) In this ad there is not much space for the roles to be reversed because since the perfume is for men the lead role has to be a man. However, age of the man plays a very important role if a middle aged man would have been kept in the ad; the ad would show that with this perfume a middle aged man can relive his young age days. Currently the advertisement portrays a young man aged somewhere 25 to 30, who gets all the wonders every man dreams off. The model kept in this ad is the young and attractive Matt Gordon if he were to be replaced by any other less attractive models the purpose of this ad would be entirely opposite. The denotative meaning would also alter from its signified meaning being delivered now which is young, sexy and trendy boys use 1 million. So, thus it can be seen that the actual meaning of advertisements can only be displayed by showing very specific elements. References Fragrantica (2010). 1 Million by Paco Rabanne. Retrieved July 26, 2010, from http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Paco-Rabanne/1-Million-3747.html Chandler, D. ( 2003, 17 March Monday). Semiotics for Beginners. Retrieved July 26th, 2010, from http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem05.html Reschke, N. (1998, April ). A Semiotic Analysis of a Cosmetics Ad and Its Interpretation by Readers. Retrieved July 26, 2010, from http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/nnr9501.html References Read More