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Rhetorical Visual Analysis of Chanel Advertisement Essay

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Abby Mitchell
Ms. Blommer
English 1010
October 1, 2012
Rhetorical Visual Analysis of Chanel Advertisement
Few people realize the true impact of product advertising, but the truth is that the modern consumer is severely affected and often subconsciously influenced by advertisements, especially if it is a quality and persuasive advertisement. But how does one create an effective ad? That is literally the million-dollar question that keeps the advertising industry so competitive and prosperous. The French fashion house, Chanel, has constructed a striking and persuasive image to lure the public into desiring and ultimately purchasing its product through the appeal of ethos and effective visual tools.
Fig. 1. Coco Mademoiselle …show more content…

In order to maintain its credibility, Chanel has had a number of illustrious celebrity endorsers, including model Kate Moss, actresses Nicole Kidman, Audrey Tautou, and now Keira Knightley. By having such a renowned face for its latest fragrance, Chanel has not only accomplished the feat of maintaining its credibility, but it has enticed the viewer.
Though the advertisement is already very strong because of this prior ethos, it is even further enhanced by its selective visual implementations. The medium of this advertisement is photography. This was chosen because only photography is able to portray a completely realistic image. By expressing a realistic image, Chanel suggests that this image, look, beauty, and glamour is achievable for any woman. Chanel makes the assumption that every woman wishes to have such qualities and will go to many lengths in order to achieve them, such as buying their product. In order to affectively convey these desired qualities, Knightly is photographed wearing light makeup, except for the dark smokey shadow encompassing the flesh around her eyes, suggesting drama and allure. Knightly has a sensual yet penetratingly powerful and confident expression. The composition of the photograph is mapped so that Knightley’s eyes first capture the viewer and then their attention is pulled up to the text in the top right corner, then down towards the fragrance bottle in front of Knightley’s bottom

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