Garrard Advert Their Image example essay topic

In this essay I have chosen to compare two adverts. I chose two from a magazine called 'VOGUE', I chose them as they both were linked by the theme of fashion but were advertising different products, this will help me show differences between the adverts but the fashion theme will help me to also highlight similarities. The first advert I chose was by a company called 'Garrard' they make fashion accessories such as leather accessories, silverware and also jewellery which is what they are mainly known for. The advert I chose has specifically advertised jewellery in this case a ring and a necklace.

On face value the advert has a ring and a necklace laid on a picture of a of the U. K flag. Part of both pieces of jewellery look like wings and they are put into position so that the flag looks as though it has wings. The words rock hard are also on the flag this is a 'Garrard' logo which is also used on the website. At the bottom of the advert is the address of 'Garrard's hops, the website address and the 'Garrard' logo in bold letters.

The second advert I have chose is by a designer called 'Yves Saint Laurent' or 'YSL', this company is known mainly for its perfume and clothes. This advert is advertising a new perfume fragrance however there are six people in the advert who are wearing YSL clothes but the advert is not specifically advertising them. On face value the advert is focusing on a woman surrounded by men the men are in suits and the woman is In a white dress at the bottom of the advert is the 'Yves Saint Laurent' logo and above this is the word Cinema which is the name of the fragrance. Also in the bottom right corner of the advert is a picture of the perfume bottle. These adverts attracted me as they were both bold and in your face so I was immediately attracted to look at them. In the 'Garrard' advert the image of the British flag immediately hits you I think this is used to make a statement.

The flag being on a white background makes the flag stand out also the fact that is the British flag is to make the viewer relate to Britain in some way. If somebody relates to something in an advert it makes them want to buy the item more so the British flag make this happen. Also the British flag relates to the designer's nationality as the designer is Jade Jagger. As the flag reminds you that the designer is the daughter of a legendary rock star (Mick Jagger) it gives the advert a celebrity appeal this would appeal to rock fans or Mick Jagger fans so this again would give the reader something else to relate to which gives readers more reason to buy the product. The rock and punk element that surrounds Mick and Jade Jagger is again emphasised with the words 'Rock Hard' written across the advert. This implies that whoever wears this will look 'rock hard' and strong so the product instantly conveys an image of strength so would appeal to anybody who would like that image.

Also the word 'Rock' obviously relates again to Mick Jagger's music again reminding you that Mick Jaggers's daughter is designing the jewellery. The word 'Rock' also brings images of partying and the word 'Hard' could convey that whoever wears this is the type of person to party 'Hard'. Again this would appeal to anybody who wants to have this image. The skulls on the necklace repeat this 'Rock' image of the necklace as skulls are associated with rock music and being wild.

The necklace and ring have a large wing on them this again emphasizes partying as the symbol is loud. The wings also give the impression that somebody is free and original so people would buy this to have an image of being a free spirit and being original. Being original is important into today's fashion circles so this aspect of the advert raises the chances of viewers buying these pieces of jewellery. Other aspects of the advert relate more towards the brand for instance the word 'Garrard' in bold lettering reiterates who is making this jewellery and the three hall marks highlight a sign of quality within the jewellery and also show that the quality is reliable.

In the other advert by YSL they use a similar layout in the main part of the advert; the woman is in the centre of the advert to stand out much like the U. K flag in the 'Garrard' advert. The name of the fragrance is Cinema this links to the picture as the woman is dressed smartly surrounded by men in suits it makes you thing of an old fashioned cinema where people used to dress up to go to it also the style of the dress is in a 50's style which again emphasizes the old fashioned Cinema feel of the photograph. The woman is in bright light and is wearing bold red lipstick so stands out whereas the men are in dark lighting, this is to make the woman stand out event more this implies that the fragrance makes you stand out and as she is surrounded by men it implies that the scent attracts men. The looks on the men's faces look intrigued as if the scent gives off an impression of mystery this again links to originality and would help sell the fragrance if a woman felt she was being original. Also the red lipstick used on the woman emphasizes lust and again shows the theme of attraction in the picture. This sense of originality is also in the 'Garrard' advert I feel the fact that two companies try to bring a sense of originality to their adverts shows that being original is important to readers and thus important to designers.

The woman in the photograph is beautifully and glamorously dressed so this also gives an impression that the fragrance brings a feel of glamour to whoever wears the fragrance, also the bottle is gold which again gives off a message of glamour and also an impression that the person who wears it is wealthy. I feel the advert works as the picture is intriguing on its own however you would not understand it but until you see the words Cinema and the bottle of the fragrance. All of this together then conveys the message that the advert is trying to convey, that basically is if you wear the fragrance you will seem glamorous and attractive and men will want to look and talk to you. Another similarity to both of these adverts is the heavy emphasis on image. However the images conveyed by the adverts are different. In the 'Garrard' advert their image is of partying, rebelliousness and originality and the YSL advert conveys an image of attraction, mystery and wealth.

Which shows that these adverts although are similar are aimed at different audiences. This emphasis on image shows that these products sell mainly on a readers feeling of 'lack' in their image and personality, so they buy these products to add or strengthen a part of their own image and personality. Like I wrote in the above paragraph I feel that the difference in the two adverts is the target audience that the adverts go for. In the 'Garrard' advert the advertisement conveys an image of being free, partying and originality these personality traits I feel are associated with the age group of around 18-25 year old. So the adverts would be aiming their jewellery at the 18-25 year old upper class women.

I feel only women would buy the jewellery pieces, as although the jewellery conveys an image of rock music the jewellery is still feminine. The designer has included a lot of diamonds in the jewellery pieces and as they are known as 'a girl's best friend' I feel they are aimed at women. As the jewellery pieces include a lot of diamonds and are made by a well known fashion designer they would be extremely expensive so this is why I feel that mainly the upper classes would buy them so the advert would have to be aimed at upper classes. This contrasts to what I feel is the target audience in the YSL advert. As the photograph is old fashioned and set in the 50's then I feel it is aimed at an older audience. Also the fact that the advert is very classy and less 'loud ' then this emphasizes the fact that it is aimed at an older audience.

Obviously the fragrance is for women as it says 'the new fragrance for women'. On this analysis I would say the advert is aimed at a 40-60 year old women. However as the advert uses young men of around 25 and a woman of roughly the same age then I feel the target audience is probably for a wider range. This extra analysis makes me think the target audience is of a wider range so I would say that the target audience for this fragrance would be in the 30-60 year old range and obviously aimed at women.

When I started comparing these adverts I thought I could conclude by picking the better advert. However after analyzing them I feel I can't say one is better than the other as they both are aimed at different target audiences. So although they have similarities and differences I feel they cannot be judged in the same category of advert I feel the fact that they are advertising different products also shows that I can't judge them in the same category. I feel that the 'Garrard' advert was trying to make the reader relate to the designer (Jade Jagger) and the image of being young, free, and rebellious and a party animal. I feel the advert works as it gives off this message and by getting people relating to your product and understanding the message then there is a high chance of the advert selling your product for you. As I feel the advert helps sell the jewellery then I would say that it is a successful advert as selling a product is the purpose of an advert.

Again I feel the YSL advert is successful as it sells its product by giving the viewer an image to relate to and also want to have. This is basically an image of class, wealth, glamour and being attractive to men. Also the fact that the picture is intriguing makes the readers want to look and understand the advert. Thus getting readers to look at the advert which again is another purpose of an advert. Also another good thing about the YSL advert is that it appeals to a wide range of target audience which gives the product more chance of selling, as the advert is aimed at more people it gives a product more chance of selling. So after analyzing these adverts I would say they are very good in their own right.

They basically do what an advert should. Their interesting, they show a product, they have a target audience, they appeal to an image making readers relate and want the product and most importantly they do what all adverts should do which is help sell the product.

Bibliography

VOGUE DECEMBER EDITION 2004 MEDIA SEMIOTICS (SECOND EDITION) JONATHON BIG NELL 2002 MEDIA STUDENTS HANDBOOK (THIRD EDITION) GILL BRANSON AND ROY STAFFORD 2003.