At the bottom of the advert there is information on how to buy the product.This information seems insignificant due to its small size,this is far from the truth however,as this information is useflu to the audience.If the font was bold,the audience would feel pressured to buy the product,become claustrophobic and thus reject the advert and the product.The smaller print allows the audience to study the advert first as the eye will focus on the larger,more bold images on the advert,rather than any unsubstantiated text.When the potential consumer finally reads the information the manufacturers believe that the consumer will already have decided to purchase the product.
Advert 2:Cointreau
This advert is for the Cointreau alcholic drink.The background is a dark blend of black and orange,similar to the moody atmosphere of a nightclub or restaurant.In the very foreground is an image of a bottle of Cointreau and is the first thing that catches your eye.It stands out from the background as it has an orange coulour glowing from it,and is positioned in a way that makes it look as if you could pull it out from the page.This automatically makes the product stay in the potential consumers mind,and thus encourages them to study the advert further.
Written on the front of the bottle is “Specialite de France depuis 1849”.This means that the drink has been the “speciality of France since 1849”.Already this gives the drink an exotic and sophisitcated feel,due to the link with France.The audience will feel that since it has been thought of as a speciality in France since 1849,it is reliable and has been thought of as a sophisticated product for a very long time,and will continue to be thought as one.Underneath this “HARMONIE SUBTILE DE SPIRIT NATUREL” is written,which means “subtle harmony of natural spirit”.This means that the drink combines crystal clear purity with the subtlety of tastes obtained from the perfect harmony of orange peels.In the top left hand corner “Glow with Cointreau is written in large,bold letters,with blurs around the edge of each letter.This could be to represent the relaxed effects of consuming cointreau or the strobe lighting in a nightclub or bar.The phrase “Glow with Cointreau” suggests to the audience that if they drink it they will “glow” and attract people to them.Often a fun loving person is thought of as having “a glowing personality”,and a healthy person is also referred to as “glowing”.This will make unconfident or depressed people feel that they can “get out of their shell” and be happy and confident.
In the bottom left there is the slogan “THE SPIRIT OF ORANGE INSIDE”.Orange is often associated with energy,zest and happiness,so the audience will interpret that the drink contains these qualities.The font is orange in colour,bold,but is a relativley small size.The bold font grabs the audiences attention while the orange colour keeps the association of the flavour and qualities of orange,while the small text size remains unobtrusive.
In the background there is a large image of a man and a woman.They are both close together in a relaxed and tactile position.Both are smiling,and the woman is holding an empty glass of cointreau.This means that the couple were attracted to each other because they were both ‘glowing’ after consuming it.Now the audience will feel that the drink will make the oppisite sex desire them,and so they will be pushed up the social ladder and prosper.
The couples bodies are both an icy blue,which could represent the icy chill of Cointreau.Some parts of there bodies have an orange glow,all these areas will have been in contact with product.The womans lips and hands and throat are glowing,while only the mans throat has the orange glow.This could represent the warming afterglow of bitter and sweet oranges.
The advert makes absolutley no direct request to buy the product.The only information is the website address,and even this seems very insignificant to the audience.This lack of pressure makes the audience study the advert more and make their own decision on whether to buy the product.The manufacturers are hoping that the audience will look for the any information after they have decided to buy the product.This also adds a layer of mystique to the product and ensures that it will stay in the potential consumers mind.
Advert 3:Opium Perfume
The first thing that one notices on the advert is an image of a model lying horizontally across the page.There is very little language,only the name of the product “Opium” in the bottom right of the advert.It is written in capitals and is medium in size.The colour of the font is gold,which immediatley gives the product a luxurious feel and makes the font stand out.
The model is strange in two ways: She is wearing no clothes and her skin is almost pure white.There are two pieces of jewellery and she is also wearing shoes and make up.Her fiery red hair stands out from the rest of the body,and is one of the most dominant colours on the page.Red symbolises passion and lust,which may explain her feelings when she wears the perfume.Her eye shadow is green,which may mean that the perfume makes her feel ‘reborn’ due to greens’ connecton with spring and rebirth.It could also mean that the product is pure,due to green being a neutral colour.Certain people are often described as being ‘green with envy’,so the advert could be saying that people envy her when she is wearing the perfume.Her body is totally white,which also could mean that the product is pure and natural,so it has made her just the same.
The name of the product is very unusual.One feels that the name must come from the Opium plant,of which Heroin is derived.This may mean that the product gives the same qualities to a wearer of the perfume as to a heroin addict.Heroin is addictive,and makes someone feel happy and relaxed when they consume it.The model in the picture is in a very relaxed,sexual position,which implies that the product has given her these happy and sexual feelings.It could also mean that she dosent need clothes or material things to be happy or successful as all she needs is the product.This theory is in direct conflict though,with the jewellery and shoes that she is wearing.She is wearing these to show that the product is a release from the pressures of reality,and this complies with the first theory.
The lack of an image of the product on the page is unusual.The need of an image seems to be fulfilled by the image of the model.The top of an actual Opium bottle is a similar red colour to the models hair.Also,the whiteness of her skin could represent the purity of the product,and the lack of hair on her body could be similar to the smooth texture of the bottle,while the jewellery and the gold shoes could symbolise the luxuriousness of the bottle and product.The luxuriousness is also shown by the blue velvet that the model is lying on.
The advert contains no superlatives or comparitives to show how superior the product is.It also has no information on how to buy,all it has are the words “the fragrance from YVESSAINTLAURENT”.The use of the phrase ‘the fragrance’ makes it seem as if the product is the best and the only fragrance worth having.Reputation alone seems to be the adverts way of selling the product.The manufacturers hope that the audience will realise the superiority of the product and know where to buy it from,as it is ‘the fragance’.
