Armani Code Analysis

Advertisements have become a huge part of society in the modernized world of today. Around the world, many people can see all of the various advertisements not only on TVs and newspapers but also on billboards, buses, and walls of buildings. Advertising is an influential part of life and we can easily realize that it has useful purposes for public and private manufacturers and companies throughout the world. Advertisements can either give consumers a great amount of knowledge about the products or just convince them to buy and want the products. Advertisements also help sell the products which keep the economy growing, but people should also be aware of how much they spend because they may not actually need every product that they see that they want to purchase. In the Daisy by Marc Jacobs’s perfume advertisement, the artist uses many different techniques to emphasize the advertisement. Some of the different techniques that the artist uses are color, symbolism, and composition.

The ad is in the colors of grey and white in what it looks to be an isolated bathroom or showers. The floors look dirty as if no one been there for a long time. In this ad there are three young adult women and three young adult men. It can be assumed by the ways these ladies and men were dressed it was summer. The ladies are dressed in white, one of them having a laced dress with a flower near the shoulder. The other lady is laying on the floor with a sleeveless blouse and along with mini skirt. The other lady is against the wall and is wearing very short pants and a blouse that is half see through. Two of the young men are only wearing white jeans without a shirt, the other man is wearing a white blazer over his shoulders, blue jeans and sneakers. Dolce & Gabbana are selling their summer clothes collection. At least that is what a person will expect just passing through the pages of a magazine. For another person that is looking at the subliminal message could find the ad as promoting violence against women.

A well-known columnist, Andi Zeisler, refers to popular culture as: “any cultural product that has a mass audience” (Zeisler, 4). With this, it is easy to say that a cultural product such as cologne, will often have a mass audience, therefore advertising it in a way that objectifies women, only continues to reinforce the stereotypes surrounding women. With these means, we are able to look at the work of Toby Miller, and Richard Maxwell. They both argue that it is cheaper for poorer countries to purchase US television programs, rather than making their own. The result of this is a lack of diversity throughout the media, as well as a lack of alternative images and voices, which ensures that the perspectives of a Western, white, privileged male become even more pervasive (Miller and Maxwell, 2006). Another example that reinforces the statement that Miller and Maxwell made, is a commercial advertising Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Cologne. The overall goal of this commercial is to make this cologne appealing to the public, thus increasing its overall profit. However, this commercial uses a women’s body in a sexualizing way, and once the man applies the cologne to himself, she runs to him and becomes intimate with him. In my opinion, she was giving her body to him, and regardless of her feelings, since he was attractive and smelt nice, she felt as if she belonged with him. Many companies believe that their products will be more

The settings of the advertisement, which are a business building, a restaurant, and a street, clearly represent the three different classes of the upper- class, the middle-class and the lower-class. Additionally, women's different types of clothing also represent the different classes. The girl in the business office has worn a well-groomed suit, which suggests that she belongs to the upper-class. Women in the street have worn jeans, which suggests that they belong to the lower-class. The advertainment also sells some messages to the dominant elite with the product. The first message being communicated is that women are products that are meant to be consumed and when a product is bought, women come with the product. The main character in the advertisement has worn a jean and has opened its buttons, which suggests that he is a lower-class person. After he chews the Clorets gum, which is a high-end product, he is considered an upper- class person who attracts all the girls wherever he goes. Women are attracted to him just because of the fresh air created by the gum and before consumption, he could not attract women. Therefore, it is the gum that attracts women, not the guy. The second message of the dominant elite that is communicated to the audience is that women should sell their body to the men. All women in the commercial try different sexy poses in front of the man in the advertisement to attract him. The woman in the

On the man's right (the direction in which he is looking) is a woman wearing a short black dress with black heeled-shoes. The woman is holding onto the right arm of the man, clutching a purse with her right hand. Her head is turned toward him and she appears to be smiling. Much of our reaction to this ad comes solely from looking at these two individuals. More specifically, from the image of the man.

This larger text tells you the company’s name in a very simplistic fashion and the smaller text helps invoke the fantasy the advertisement is selling. Below the model’s head to the left is a list in a medium sized yellow type reading “Girls & Sexy Cars, Sports, Girls and to the right of the model reads “Bla!! Bla! Bla, Bla, Bla, Bla, Bla.” In these pieces of text a list of things that a typical young male would be interested in and the “Bla, Bla, Bla” text likely implying that the first list are the only things that matter and everything else is just noise. The last piece of text is directly beneath the woman’s breasts and is a small banner of yellow text against a blue background that reads “Curve Fragrances for Men.” The bottle of fragrance is pictured at the end of the text. The placement of the text here is to emphasize the breasts because as Kilbourne says, “we are a culture obsessed with breasts” (Killing Us Softly). The banner of blue with yellow text against the white lingerie of the model creates a contrast of color that draws your eye to that spot, which by no accident of the advertiser is right under the model’s breasts (15). The Calvin Klein advertisement’s main piece of text is slightly below the exact middle of the page and is around the abdomen level of the two embracing models (113). In small print the first line reads “forever starts now”, the next two lines are in large font and consist of a single word each telling the reader the name of the fragrance which is “Eternity Now,” followed by a medium text reading “Calvin Klein”. The text is white and stands out against the black and white picture of the models and the font is thin and simple. The phrase “forever starts now” is there to help sell

The images of this ad include four females in their bra and panties holding each other. There is a gray background with the words “I Love My Body." When looking at this ad, one may see just that – only four girls displaying lingerie. However, there is so much to this picture than what meets the human eye. To some it may seem like it is nothing, they are just posing; however, some may change the meaning because they are in their bra and panties. All the women in this ad are tall, lean, and fit. They

(460). This is an advertisement for male using this cologne; the guy can attract tons of women. This ad lowers the value of women and set them as objects. The quote said that modern ads are usually “constructed in direct opposition to femininity”. The guy in the ad seemed to have taken control over these women, which also increases his masculinity.

The image shows a woman having a dinner date with another man. I took an interest in this image because it is an advertisement for women but she displays masculine traits. She is the main focus because the ad is trying to sell dry shampoo for women. Her posture contradicts the common female posture in advertisements. The first thing that I noticed was that her hands are clenched as if she is saying she won or she achieved an objective. Her facial expression agrees with her hand position. These two postures strengthen each other to tell the people looking at this ad that if you use this product than you can achieve a “hot date.” This message relates to the theme of compulsive heterosexuality. The woman takes the masculine role

This advertisement for Ralph Lauren’s cologne “Red” screams power . In this specific layout, there are numerous images of a man being in expensive car’s and having women drive his boat. Those actions give off a vibe that advertisers believe this type of living is what all men truly want and desire. The advertisers try to capture the viewers attention by providing unique color schemes, texts, and images that draw them in. Not only are the red and black colors symbolism for power but it’s also the way the advertisers wrote their headlines. The name of the cologne is capitalized and italicized which shows a sense of power and priority to viewers.

The man is fully clothed in a suit, which represents power and formality. It is extremely suggestive as it looks like he came to this position without the woman’s knowledge or consent since her sunglasses are pushed up for her to see. He is in a dominating position where she has to look up at him and the man’s face isn’t shown in the ad, which shows that he is confident. The ad is suggesting that if you have Sky Vodka, you can look glamourous and wealthy as well. The men are always given more power and a higher status than the women (Appendix A). The second image reveals how femininity is portrayed. In the ad for Dolce and Gabbana’s Monico Lipstick, notice the lightness of the woman’s hand touching her face, the touching of one’s face, especially the finger-to-mouth pose is reminiscent of a child. She is also dressed seductively with a come-hither look on her face that is bold and suggestive (Appendix A).

When identifying the characteristics of the ad, you must discuss a number of items. Some include: objects included, figures, action taking place, background, colors and shapes, the function of the image, and any written material that is included with the image. The objects that are included in the image are the bottles of “Tag”, the equipment in the background which looks like machines used for testing, the lights overhead, the researchers clipboards, and the want ad. The colors are mostly white and black, accented with some red and purple; the shapes included are mostly square, with some circular objects. The design associates a feeling of basically sexuality, and a “feel good” if you wear the product. The pictorial elements relate to one another because the researchers need to test the product, Tag, on two “testees”, the man, who volunteered from looking at the want ad. These relationships, as a viewer, tell me that the product has been tested, and can be tested as frequently as desired. The image uses the space well; the researchers are spread out across

The advertisement speaks to the reader in a soft, familiar, enticing language as though she (and it is a female) is alone in the room with you. Although the advertisement mentions as an aside that the product is also patented for men, we receive the strong impression that it is the female who has been targeted as prospective market. This is due to the picture used, as well as colors, words, and situation. The colors are mostly lilac consisting of soothing pink, cream and purple all feminine associated colors. The picture is of a seductive woman, vibrant with health, hair falling into eye, bra straps peeking out, who smiles flashing her pearl teach at you, appearing the picture of health.

In order to capture our attention, the company first creates an appealing visual to draw us in. In the Revlon advertisement, the face of an attractive Argentinian male dominates the page. He holds a seductive pose, staring directly at the viewer while simultaneously winking; this creates a feeling of intimacy with the viewer. A white woman’s hands are then carefully placed in his hair and his mouth; she is playfully touching him while he gently bites her finger. The use of a white female and Argentinian male conveys the idea that women find men of “color” more attractive and masculine. The woman is hidden in the image, consumed by a black background. This gives us the freedom to imagine her as anyone, including ourselves. If we buy this product and use it, we will attract the attention of men and be more flirtatious. Her nails are then strategically painted a bright pastel green and she is wearing an enormous flashy ring to highlight the nail polish as well as bring

The photo is an Axe shower gel advertisement. There is a man and a woman on opposite sides of the picture shown from the waist up. The guy is on the left, he is paler complected, dark messy hair and a thin build with some muscle tone. He is standing with his right arm in the air holding the Axe body wash over his head pouring it onto himself with his eyes closed and an elated facial expression. The guy has soapy bubbles covering his chest with shower water running behind him and a tile background. He has a spotlight on him illuminating him and part of the background. On the right side of the picture, there is a girl who is very attractive looking; she has long dark hair, a suntanned complexion and has a thin athletic build. She is standing with one arm in the air holding whipped cream above her head and pouring it onto herself. It completely covers her chest. Her mouth is partially open and has a seductive expression. The background is dark and appears she is in a room. The girl has a spotlight on her highlighting her well-defined bone structure and toned arms. She is also wearing make-up and her hair is neatly pushed back in a headband. The advertisement as a whole is in landscape style. Toward the bottom of the picture in front of the guy it says “THE CLEANER YOU ARE” and in front of the girl it says “THE DIRTIER YOU GET”, both are in white lettering and all capitals. In between the white lettering is the Axe shower gel bottle shown, a black bottle with bright orange