COMPARE TWO ADVERTS perfumes
Media Coursework
The world of advertisement is an extremely large one and it produces billions and billions of adverts each year. Advertisement is very important as if raises awareness of products or services and helps companies raise their profits and sell well. The advertisement aspect that I will be looking at is a magazine. If you look in a magazine, there will always be lots of adverts and this is a major factor in sales for many products. The target audience of the magazine also reflects the target audience of the advert e.g. there wouldn't be a kids advert in an adults magazine.
Romance. The new perfume by well-known and respected designer Ralph Lauren has been deeply anticipated and it is the media advert of which I have chosen to analyze and evaluate its effectiveness towards its audience.
Near the beginning of Glamour magazine, laid out on a double spread, an image of a sexy 'ROMANCE' is revealed to the reader. A life size image of the bottle is the main graphic on the left page, tipped onto its side, it looks edgy, risky and yet powerful, portraying that the perfume is all those things and it will make you into the perfume i.e. edgy, risky powerful, and daring and bold, yet uniquely mysterious. It conveys a sense of living life on the edge, like in a movie, the whole flashy, enigmatic lifestyle that is often portrayed in movies. It is very important to the advert that the product is life-size as it makes it seem more real, as if they have nothing to hide, and it makes it seem bold and fearless, yet mysterious and seductive. This feeling is further stimulated on the other side of the advert, where a beautiful woman is seen pushing up a gorgeous man's shirt, hinting at sexual desires that many women can relate to. Again, its racy, sexy, and risky, like a secret indulgence that many women think of and fantasise about but fear will never become a reality. This image is saying to their targets, ' I'm sexy, I can make you sexy, I can give you the desires you've always wanted but feared' The fact that it is in black and white also gives it that 60's and 70's vibe, the glamorous rock and roll image of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, which is very 'in' at the moment. The pose of the models is very Titanic-like and it conveys the impression that the perfume is very romantic- it is called Romance- a pure love that can get through anything.
There is very limited writing, with RALPH LAUREN ROMANCE at the top of the left page, and THE WOMEN'S FRAGRANCE BY RALPH LAUREN. Bye keeping it short and simple, it gives it a nice, clear rounded effect and it lets the targets focus on the actual product. In addition, it gives it mystery and an edge. It's not fancy, it's not extravagant; it's meant for ordinary people who do not need a high maintenance lifestyle. 25-year-old woman, tired after a hard day at work, opens glamour and enjoys a bit of time off. This is the target audience ...
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There is very limited writing, with RALPH LAUREN ROMANCE at the top of the left page, and THE WOMEN'S FRAGRANCE BY RALPH LAUREN. Bye keeping it short and simple, it gives it a nice, clear rounded effect and it lets the targets focus on the actual product. In addition, it gives it mystery and an edge. It's not fancy, it's not extravagant; it's meant for ordinary people who do not need a high maintenance lifestyle. 25-year-old woman, tired after a hard day at work, opens glamour and enjoys a bit of time off. This is the target audience for the perfume, anyone aged 18-35, and as Glamour is very much a magazine regularly read by that age group, it makes sense that RALPH LAUREN have chosen to present their advert here. Also, it is near the front of the magazine so people will notice it first and it will make a bigger impact if it was, say, in the middle of the magazine.
I think this advert is very effective because it gives the reader what they want, and most importantly, it connects and relates to the audience, which is very significant in any advert. If I had the money, and if I was a bit older, I would definitely buy this perfume because it gives it an air of self-confidence and sex appeal, and a clean, smooth image.
The second advert I have chosen to analyse is Impulse Tease. I have chosen to compare this advert because it has quite a contrast to the previous advert. It has a lower age target, mainly for 12-25 year olds, and it takes on a different method on alluring its target audience. A girlier, more relaxed and flirty image is shown and it immediately attracts the younger audience. The product is in the middle of the page; it looks shiny, smooth and shapely. It is curvaceous perhaps an image of how a healthy woman's body should be. It is pale blue, which suggests a natural beauty, implying maybe the sky or the sea. Giving a bit of sex appeal is a nice, smooth leg leaping out of the side of the deodorant. It looks like it is running, and the fact that it is wearing heel shoes shows it was not planned and on IMPULSE, reflecting the name of the product. Also the fact that it is running away is a hint at teasing a male and playing hard to get. Again, the nature incentive is enthused by a blue flower with pink extrovert eyes on it. It's almost as if it's saying it will open your eyes to nature, to the good things in life. IMPULSE is written in big spangly writing and it is the biggest font in the whole advert. This hints at it being bold, flirty and impulsive. Underneath, TEASE is written in normal font, so it is metaphorically symbolising the way a lot of girls/women flirt and tease their crushes then get colder, playing hard to get. In a rounded pink box above IMPULSE 'ooh! NEW fragrance!' is written. The 'ooh' is a word that is commonly used and the target audience will be able to relate to. Also, new is highlighted, emphasising that it is new and not the same old same old like every other fragrance. The language that is used is very important, as it uses words that are used in everyday life by everyday people. The background is a pale pink, showing a hint of girlieness yet the fact that it is pale gives it more sophistication and maturity. This is a very light, funky fresh kind of advert that warms to people and it is a very memorable one. This advert is really reminiscent to the T.V version and in the T.V version, the hints and clues are confirmed, with numerous young women spraying the spray on themselves, and each time, a man runs after them. The women pass on the fragrance, and he chases it. They are teasing him and he is giving in to it. This feeds on the target audiences' insecurities. Many girls/young women might not admit it but male attention makes them feel more confident, as if they are likeable. I love this advert and I think it is very effective. I have already bought this product and I know many peers my own age who have bought it too and they loved it too.
These two adverts have many differences and similarities. One of the biggest differences is the colour. IMPULSE uses lots of colour, while ROMANCE is still as effective without colour. IMPULSE uses colour to create a positive, sweet, pretty image to allure younger audiences, and ROMANCE uses the non-colour to create a sense of mystery, ambiguity, and secrecy. It is seen as a sexual icon, to give its wearer sex appeal and mystery. Also, ROMANCE is laid out on a double page, while IMPULSE is on a single page. It is extremely more expensive for a double page then a single page, with the prices doubled for a double page and this is in some way, RALPH LAUREN showing off and trying to stand out. Also, with a double page to the advert, it has a bigger chance of being seen and noticed, even if someone was just flicking through.
ROMANCE uses two models in their advert, plus a photo of the product. This gives a clearer image of what the perfume will supposedly do and make you feel like. On the contrary, IMPULSE uses a leg and its' product, leaving more to the imagination and giving it an air of mystery.
ROMANCE uses the same big bold font writing, showing it is fierce and strong, whereas in IMPULSE, the writing font changes quite a lot and it is considerably smaller. It is as if the writing is changing on impulse, and it has many different sides, it's not always the same. Sex appeal is used in both adverts, however ROMANCE uses a more romantic, movie type of sex appeal, while IMPULSE uses a more energetic, fiery, fast sense of sex appeal.
Both adverts tell a story, both using sex appeal, but ROMANCE uses a more grown-up, sultry kind of sex appeal, whereas IMPULSE uses a more girly, fantasy tale kind of appeal. Both adverts are trying to portray lust and attraction towards the other sex.
Both these adverts are in Glamour magazine, and I think they fit in very well with the magazine and in the context of where they are, as Glamour readers usually range from 14 to 40, and the ROMANCE will attract the older women between 25 and 40, whereas the IMPULSE will attract the younger women, usually between the ages of 14-24.
Both adverts are very appealing and they allure different parts of people in different ways. ROMANCE uses a sexier image of a mature man and woman, whereas IMPULSE uses a naked leg, which has a teasing, younger, fresher feel to it.
I like both of these brilliant adverts and they are very effective towards their target audience. They are both very alluring, but I do prefer the IMPULSE one because it is more to my style and ROMANCE is a bit more for older women, the way it is portrayed in the advert. Probably in a few years time I will change my mind but for now I think for me, the most effective for me is IMPULSE. However, I'm not saying that ROMANCE is ineffective, it just doesn't appeal to me as its not really aimed at people my age.
