Shape in an advert is also important if you want the product to sell. Shapes are used to sell the product without the receiver realising it. For example, in my chosen advert, in the bottom right corner is a picture of the product. The aerosol can is a tall cylinder shape. This is known as a phallic symbol. A phallic symbol signifies an erect penis; so again, the sender is using sex to sell. The model’s body makes a very faint triangular shape in the way that she is standing. Triangles are very important in an advert, as they symbolise power. The model’s body is curved, as are most things in the advert. This is sort of sexual and will appeal to men. The shape of the product (the aerosol can) is pointing towards the anchor.
The way things are positioned in an advert will depend on whether a product will sell or not. The advert has to catch the receiver’s attention. Near the centre of the page is the anchor of the product. This was positioned there, because the middle of the page is always where the receiver will look first. In the top left hand corner of the picture is one of the model’s arms. The fingers on this hand finish just before the anchor, almost pointing to it. This position is powerful, because we read from left to right, so we will see whatever is in the top corners quickly. In the top right corner is the model’s other arm. This does the same job as the other hand and points the receiver towards the anchor of the product. At the bottom of the page is some text explaining how and where you can buy the product. The company doesn’t want the receiver to see this at first; all that is important is the name of the product, so this writing is in small text at the bottom of the page – the last place the receiver will look. The model is positioned in the foreground. This is because the anchor is printed right across it in the middle, and so it is the main focal point in the picture. The model takes up nearly all of the page. She is facing sideways in the picture. This could be seen as sexual, as she is showing part of her body but not all of it.
Picture can be taken from all different angles. In my advert, the picture is taken from below slightly. This is to give it a bigger surface area for the advert. The connotation to this is that whoever left the ‘kiss mark’ on the model’s hip is down at that level. The model’s head is not in the shot, so there are no facial expressions.
Not only the angle but the focus that is used can say many things about an advert. It is quite a soft focus in the picture that I chose. The sender does not want it to be too overpowering, so a soft focus is used to make is aesthetically pleasing to look at. The background to the picture is blurred. The denotation to this is to shield whatever is there, and also make sure that the receiver only looks at the main picture. The connotation of this is a bit sexual, especially as the colours are red and black. It makes the receiver wonder what is behind the model as well. The soft focus gives a gentle feel to the advert. The receiver can look at everything on the page without one object being too powerful, and taking the meaning away from the advert.
Anchors are important, as it is the thing that give meaning to an advert. Without it, the receiver may not actually know what it is that is being advertised. With no anchor, the picture would be a ‘floating image’ with no specific meaning. The colour of the advert is white, which as I have already said symbolises purity, virginal, innocence and calmness. The font of the text has been made to look like someone has hand written it. The text doesn’t change font or colour. The small text at the bottom says “Available at most branches of Boots, Superdrug, Sainsbury’s and independent chemists. www.so-cosmetics.com.” These words signify that the product is sold in a wide range of places, so it should be easy to get hold of. It also gives you a website that the receiver can go to, to find out about more “So…?” products. The anchor “So…? Kiss Me” can be quite raunchy if you think about it from different perspectives. Using white to write the text completely contradicts its actual meaning, as white symbolises purity, innocence and so on, as I have already stated.
In a way, stereotypes have been used in the advert. The female model is perfectly slim, with tanned skin that has no blemishes. This symbolises a stereotypical woman who is perfect. Because the woman is wearing red, it is assumed that she is sexy, romantic, confident and so on. This is actually backed up by the ‘lip mark’ on her hip. Whoever supposedly kissed her, had to be wearing lipstick. As this is not likely to be a man, it means that it had to be another woman. This could imply that the woman is a lesbian, and backs up the theory that red signifies sex, danger and so on. This would also interest men. If they take notice of the advert, they might then buy it for a loved one, for example their girlfriend. The target receivers for this are women, as they would think that if they used the product then they could have a figure like the models, and men would be interested because of the sexual/lesbian content.
The lighting in the advert seems to be coming form above, as there are shadows under the woman’s hands. It looks like the lighting is aimed at the area around the ‘lip mark’. The receiver is drawn to this area (where the anchor happens to be) as it is the place with the most light. On a denotative level it means that the sender just added light, otherwise the model would not stand out as much. On a connotative level, this was done to emphasise the woman’s unblemished skin, to make her appear more attractive. Men who see this may be more interested and buy the product, than if the model’s skin was not lit like it is. The lighting adds to the sexual vibe, just because it is the woman’s skin that it is lighting. The sender is using the connotation that the receiver will have amazing skin like this if they use the product. So just by lighting a small section of skin, it is helping to sell the product by getting both males and females interested. It is important to remember that men want to own what they see, and women want to be what they see.
Cropping is a very clever way of only letting the receiver see what the sender wants them to see. At the top, it is cropped half way up the woman’s stomach. This lets the receiver see her toned stomach, but it does not let them see her chest – this is left to the imagination of men. On a connotative level, this could imply that the model is playing or toying with the receiver, by letting them see part of her body, but not all of it. By letting the imagination take over, only showing part of the model’s body helps to sell the product. I said earlier about women and men wanting to be/own what they see, and again this happens here.
All products are aimed at certain target audiences. As I said before, this perfume is aimed at people between 12 and 20 as it is a ‘fun’ kind of perfume that younger people might wear if they were going out. The advert is definitely aimed mainly at women, as it is a woman’s product, but on some levels it is aimed at men who could but the product for a woman. In terms of social class, it would be aimed at people in class E. This contains people such as students who fall into the right age range (12 to 20). This particular advert is aimed at people who live in the UK, because of the shop examples that are given at the bottom of the page. However, the website address finishes with .com, as opposed to .co.uk, which implies that the product is on sale elsewhere in the world.
The advert uses the signified of passion, lust love and danger in the woman’s red thong, to suggest that you will have a lifestyle like that. The lighting to emphasise the woman’s skin, and that fact that the picture is cropped just below the woman’s bust, helps to sell the product. This is because it is appealing to men (who would buy the product in hope that if their wife/girlfriend used the product then they would look like the model) and also to women who may want a figure like the model’s. It also uses the signified if impurity and danger in the black and red background, and the soft focus gives an intriguing feel to the picture. In complete contrast to the black and red background, the anchor is printed in white, which signifies purity, virginal and innocence. The ‘lip mark’ which suggests that a woman kissed the model, adds a sexual feel to the advert, along with all of the colours that have been used, and the phallic symbol of the aerosol can. The model’s hands are cleverly placed so that they are pointing towards the anchor of the product, which happens to be in the middle of the page; the first place that the receiver will look. The faint shape of a triangle, in which the model is standing, signifies power.
To conclude, I think that this advert works well in today’s society, and that it would be very successful in selling the product to both men and women, as it catches the attention of both sexes.