This advert was set in Russia in around the time of the Russian revolution. We can deduce this as the advert features a picture of Lenin who was a very famous Russian leader at that time. The advert is also set in black and white, which tells us it was made in a very early period and also helps set the atmosphere of gloom and oppression. We can also deduce the time it was set in by referring to the magazine with James Dean on the front cover.
There is also a great contrast in costume in both adverts.
The Russian advert has a heavy presence of Russian Military uniform, which gives the impression of communist rule.
The main character in this advert was a young male who represents Russian youth. Although throughout the advert he seemed scared, he represents rebellion as he brings an American Item into his own country. He was dressed in formal clothing, which matched with the atmosphere of the society. He seemed weak and repressed by the Russian authorities and by looking at his posture and facial expression we could easily imagine his anxiety.
Prokofiev was a Russian composer who wrote military style music during the time of the Russian revolution and inspired the soundtrack for the advert. The music is deliberately construed with ponderous militaristic overtones to give us the impression of fear and danger.
Even without seeing the advert itself this piece of music gives us a very clear picture of the setting and atmosphere.
There are many types of camera shot used in this advert,
Most of the close up shots were used to show the viewers of the advert the expression on the characters faces, e.g.: close-up shot on Man’s face to show anxiety and fear and close-up on Customs Man to show suspicion.
There is also a close-up shot on Lenin’s face at the beginning of the advert to ensure the audience are sure of the time and era of the advert setting.
Most of the shots are long or medium to show the locations properly and the directions in which the man is walking in but there is a close up of items such as the James Dean magazine to allow the viewers to recognise the minor details such as the picture of James himself. At the end of the advert there is a close-up of the man’s hands unwrapping the mysterious package to reveal a pair of blue Levi’s jeans. The camera focuses on the red label and then a slogan appears in Russian saying ‘There’s Blue Jeans And then there’s Levi’s.’
Although the Russian and the Laundrette adverts are very different to each other the endings are very similar, as the viewers do not know what the advert is marketing until the end when there is a close-up of a Levi’s red tag.
Also another similarity is that both adverts keep the viewers drawn by creating captivating story lines which ensures viewers will watch the whole advert to see what happens at the of the story.
The advert was marketed towards youth who wanted to be rebellious and non-conformist, it was clear from the fear of the man in the advert that he was risking persecution in order to make a personal statement. The people who would buy these jeans would share the same beliefs and ideology of the man in the advert; they would stand up for their rights and believe in freedom and equality. I think the man in advert was brave and courageous and made people think if they too wore these jeans they would be different and individual to everyone else as they would express their opinion of repression through wearing the Jeans.
The Levi’s laundrette advert takes place in an American laundrette and is set in around the late 1950’s. The main character is a young, good-looking man who represents the youth-age group. The advert begins with a shot of an American soldier standing outside and a Chevy car driving on the road. The solider and the Chevy are two typical things you would find in America, this is how we know the country and the era the advert was set in. The young man walks into the laundrette, with a confident expression on his face. He then slowly removes all items of clothing from his body apart from his boxer shorts and socks. This suggests much sex appeal: something that Levi’s use in their adverts a lot to encourage people to buy their jeans.
While he is undressing there are many people inside the laundrette, each person reacting differently. Two teenage girls giggle in glee as they watch the man undress.
After he removes his clothes (which include a pair of Levi’s), he picks them up and puts them inside one of the washing machines. He stands up to pick up some stones, which are on top of the washing machine. He is stonewashing his jeans to give them a worn out look, which I assume was the latest trend or fashion at the time.
He puts the stones into the washing machine, closes the door and stands up again and is slightly shocked to see two of the same person that was glaring at him a minute ago.
Then he weakly smiles when he realises they are identical twins.
The twins are approached by their mother who prevents them from looking anymore at the half naked man. The mother looks at the man with an angry expression as to say ‘have some respect for others’.
There is also an old lady who is sitting down eating a sandwich while she is enjoying the pleasure of watching a young, muscular man standing almost nude inside a hot, steamy laundrette.
The advert finishes when the man sits next to a large, old male senior citizen, inviting a comparison between youth and old age. The old man seems disgusted but it is obvious that he is envious of the young man’s physic and confidence.
At the end of the advert there is a close-up of the back pocket of a pair of Levi’s jeans and the slogan ‘the original shrink to fit jeans’.
It’s obvious that this advert was set in America because of the American Chevy and the solider. The lighting in the laundrette seems to be natural lighting from outside which sets the mood for a hot and sticky environment. The costumes worn in the laundrette advert are civilian clothes. The characters in this advert wore relevant clothing to their roles e.g. children in children’s clothes etc.
The man in the laundrette advert had a lot more sex appeal than the Russian man, his body was very muscular and his face had a smile, which boasted self-esteem and sexiness. His body posture was calm and relaxed which gave the impression he was boosted with confidence. His behaviour was rather rebellious as he stripped down half naked, but he seemed to not care about what everyone else thought. He took his time to remove his clothes so there was no sign of nervousness or tension; by looking at his actions and at the speed he moved at we could easily tell that he was full of pride and thought much of himself.
The soundtrack for the laundrette advert is by Marvin Gaye- I heard it through the grape vine, it suggests freedom and the song line ‘it took me by surprise’ matches with the scene. This song has a much happier mood to it, and has a slight sexy summery vibe too.
In my opinion I feel that the adverts target a larger audience than would be perceived from the adverts. The laundrette advert appeals to the youthful and those who want to remain youthful. In the Russian advert the jeans give the feeling of power and rebellion, which is very clever of Levi’s, as they will sell their jeans to many people. The company doesn’t just sell the product itself but they sell the feelings that are associated with the product, such as individualism and defiance.
By Sonia Kalsi
