Ad Analysis

"The act or practice of calling public attention to one's product, service, need, etc., especially by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, etc.: to get more customers by advertising." This is how Dictionary.com defines the world "Advertisement". I have no special feeling! Not excited, why? because I see advertisements everywhere, I live with ads. I do not need someone defines it for me. Ads are self-defined for me! they better to be self-descriptive enough to work.  Anyway, my next essay I have to choose an ad and analyze it. I chose Victoria Secret's advertisement for this essay, specifically this video clip that I attached bellow, called "What is sexy?". hope you enjoy and find some points in my essay!

 

 

 

“What is Sexy?”

As a message strategy, sexuality is replete across advertising illustrations.  Primary goal of an advertisement is to produce consumer desire for the brand.  Victoria's secret has earned its reputation as an overall sexy company. “What is sexy?” gets credit for being the most rhetorical question of all time, as it’s asked through one of the Victoria’s Secrets commercial videos; while a bunch of lingerie-laden models strut around amongst the low camera angles and wind machines. It is a kind of sexual suggestion which covers over the censure of actual sex.... Specifically, what is represented is not sex but the blockage, censure, or inhibition of the sex act which is simultaneously suppressed from the image and is also the only possible motive for it.  Victoria’s Secret appears to want every woman to look and feel sexy, it is evident that the company is in fact encouraging women to fit their standards. Instead of welcoming sexiness in all shapes and colors, Victoria’s Secret challenges a woman’s individuality. Further, while the merchandise is entirely tangible, the image that the brand sells along it is superficial, or fake nonetheless.

Looking sexy to draw attention was the first visible sign of Victoria’s Secret’s advertising that grabbed my eyes. Well, not me but even other women who come in contact with such ads start feeling inferior of themselves as they are not as pretty or thin as compared to the models shown in advertisements. Jim Fawles, the author of Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals, introduces “Need for attention” as “The desire to exhibit ourselves in such a way to make others look at us…”; which explains my feeling over seeing a sexy models of Victoria’s Secret’s add.  Often, I see the ads like this contain a hidden message: gentlemen prefer this look.  And one like me who wants eyes upon her knows what she should do.

Victoria’s Secret challenges women individuality in “Need for freedom” by transforming lingerie from a slightly embarrassing taboo into an accessible, even routine accessory, especially by sexualizing teens versus letting them be comfortable.  Back to my teen age, I used to wear those loose double extra-large T-shirts, because I did not like to be embarrassed or seen differently while I was playing or visiting my boy friends. I felt I had no freedom to enjoy for being a female. Today, Victoria’s Secret has changed my attitude, with their special collection for female teenagers.  The difference of the teenager collection is just their bright colors. For teenager collection, Victoria’s Secret benefits the teenager models, as well. Although, Victoria’s secret’s advertisers flourish “Need for freedom” for young women, but they undervalue the absolutely pure image of a female teenager by turning it to an object in which teenagers being sexualized in the fashion industry. Jean Kilbourne in his article, Jesus Is a Brand of Jean, confirms my statement: “advertising helps to create a climate in which certain values flourish and others are not reflected at all.” Victoria’s Secrets ads generate a climate that only sexuality counts and other features of a woman’s consciousness are not reflected at all.

 Victoria’s Secret wants women to fit into their standards by benefiting of only young skinny female models. Victoria’s Secret’s ads do not show the intelligence and compassion of women.  What I see in the ads is just a perfect body. Now, I understand who fits into those XS bikini briefs that taunt me from the table at Victoria’s Secret. I knew no one past puberty could fit into those! As PBS Frontline in its interview with Mark Crispin Miller gives an overview of the messaging of the media today: “Advertising is just a commercial form of propaganda….it wants us not to be able to find a way outside of the world that it creates for us.”  This means Victoria’s Secret wants us to forget the importance of the role of a woman, as a mother, wife, daughter, and sister in the family; instead glamorizes the pleasurable look of a young sexy lady who just know how to please others by her semi naked body.

Victoria’s Secret’s ads mainly benefits the “Need for attention”and “Need for freedom” from the list of “fifteen appeals” described by Fowles. The marketing strategy for these two appeals includes: using young women’s body images and encouraging all women to fit their standards, targeting female teenagers by producing a special collections of products to make them feeling “Cool” and “Free” as college girls. As a young lady, sometimes I do not like seeing young women shopping happily as a group of friends and having a pink stripped shopping bag in their hands while walking in the shopping mall. Because I think everybody knows there is something sexy in this bag! I believe, we still “dreaming the same dream” as Kale Lasn says in The Cult You’re In, that is why advertisers of Victoria’s Secret or similar companies are still using women body images to sell and we continuously shop.