I found this advert in GQ magazine. GQ magazines demographics are young single or married working men, from around 20 to 40. The Articles in this magazine vary from fitness to fashion to bikini models to interviews with such stars as Collin Farrell and Thierry Henry. The advertising agency have decided to target the range of watches at this group of people. Young working men are fashion conscious and have a high disposable income. The bachelor image of these men reflects on their desire to attract women with their style of expensive clothes and accessories.
The word pulse is found in the name pulsar. This represents the tick of the watch marking rhythm of time. The connotation of this name is the passionate heart beat and dynamic activity of a mans life. Pulsar is the ‘value’ range, which is a euphemism for a slightly cheaper range, of Seiko Watch Corporation. Seiko watches are world renowned for horological excellence and design. When choosing a name for a multinational product a company have to make sure that the brand name can cross linguistic barriers. The structure of this word works when pronounced in other languages.
The men likely to buy this product will be attracted by the offered “prestige collection”. These words are bold and highlighted using red font which stands out. When text is highlighted it is to make the font easy to read, the adverts main points are highlighted as not all people have the time and patience to read it all. The men who read GQ are upwardly mobile and this offer of class will attract them. This cheaper range of product which refers to a better range will invite those wishing to aspire to having a more expensive watch. The image that the advertiser uses is carefully chosen to promote a message about the product.
The advert has the picture of a suave, self assured young man. The hansome man is confidently looking back over his shoulder in a luring pose. His dark features contrast the pale background. The copy of the advert is arranged within the outline of the mans clothing which is blanked out to a white background. Alliteration is used as many of the lines start with ‘O’ this represents the round clock face. The text describes the individual attributes of the man. The type face is bold and casual. The point size changes throughout again suggesting someone who doesn’t follow convention.
The unusual hobbies of this man include “plays the bagpipes” and “still uses a typewriter” as well as “owning a pet snake” and “only need 5 hours sleep”. The man is an individual and originality is highly valued nowadays. This suggests that even though the watches are mass produced they are still individual. His image is completed with him wearing a pulsar. This is meant to fit in with his individual persona. The aspirations of this product are looking individual and attractive. Many of the men reading this magazine are single and wish to attract women so would be lured by this image.
The colours used are pale emphasising the bold text and picture of the watch. The colours used are sky blue and white. Sky blue suggests an outdoor type, meaning the watch is fit for an adventurous life. The white represents honesty which suggests what is written is true and that the watch is reliable. The slogan is “it’s all in the detail”. This phrase summarises the important feature of the product. The word “detail” is in red and bold this catches the attention of the reader. This word has two meanings. The fist meaning is the detail of the watch.
This implies the watch is carefully designed with attractive, eye catching detail. The second meaning is that a watch defines a man. As a watch defines a man they must make sure to purchase a high-quality, stylish watch. The product collection does not have a price range on it. Usually this shows it is expensive but in this case it is trying to suggest it is expensive although the opposite is true. Overall I think this is a good advert as it is clearly illustrating the key points. Unlike many other adverts where the copy is off-putting in this case it is the bold font which is eye-catching.
The psychology of the advert is individuality of the man expressed by his choice of watch. Advert 2 – diamonds This advert is from Vogue magazine. Vogue magazine is owned by Condi?? Nast who are the biggest publishers of high luxury magazines. Vogue is the women consumers’ fashion bible. At the highest end of the price range for magazines featuring couture designs appealing to women with high disposable incomes but also to those aspiring to that lifestyle. Vogue’s demographics are women from around 25 to 45. Articles range from fashion to beauty to interviews with such celebrities as Kirsten Dunst and Jennifer Aniston.
“A diamond is forever” is an old slogan used by a syndicate of diamond manufacturers. This plays on the fact that diamond is the hardest mineral so extremely long lasting. This slogan suggests it is worth the money. The target audience of diamonds has typically been for engagement rings. This has become a diminishing market as fewer people are getting married. An increasing number of women are financially independent so this advert is part of a campaign to promote the notion that women can buy diamond rings for themselves. This campaign is called the ‘right hand ring’.
This is because the left hand is traditionally for the engagement ring that a man gives to the woman, and diamonds on the right hand show independence. This advert encourages women to be independent and purchase their own rings. The copy refers greatly to a cats contrast in movement. The colour blue is used for text as it is the colour of the night or of diamonds. It does not resort to white as white has a sense of purity and innocence which women want to overcome. The left hand charms and the right hand is more proactive. The more dependent-seeming left hand nowadays uses the traditional female role in a more manipulative way.
The left hand plays on passivity and sexuality as tools to pursue its own goals. The right hand is active in obtaining what it wants independent of others. Alliteration is used between the feline actions of pouncing and purring. The text calls for “women of the world” to globally take a stand and be more assertive. “Raise your right hand”, as well as promoting independence, has the connotation of taking an oath of loyalty, a bond perhaps even collusion between women worldwide. This could also suggest the rather aggressively raised fist of victory.
This last phrase is in a lighter blue colour to the rest of the text as to emphasise the final battle cry. The language is very persuasive to try and lure the consumer into buying the product. Black is used for the background as it is symbolic of night, slickness and boldness. The whiteness of the diamonds protrudes through the black night. The image is of Catwoman. Cats are independent creatures who fend for themselves, go where they please and do what they please. She is wearing a black leather catsuit suggesting an emancipated woman showing her self determination.
Her lips are cherry red representing femininity and a woman’s independent passion. The image of this woman is very bold and sexy, playing on women’s feminine features. Her right hand, is in front with its claws extended in a rather aggressive feline pose. Her claws are covered in diamonds which suggests diamonds give power to those who wear them. Her stare is very direct at the reader suggesting strength and confidence. The Catwoman is on top of the building suggesting women are on top of the world and in control. At the bottom of the page there is a reference to a forthcoming film.
This advert campaign and the film ‘Catwoman’ use each other symbiotically. Each in turn will bring to mind each others product. The product range is displayed from antique to modern to suite all tastes. Prices of the range are not mentioned showing they are expensive and do not want to put people off visiting the website. In my opinion this is a very good advert as it is extremely eye-catching and seductive. It is part of a campaign to get women to feel it is acceptable to buy diamonds for themselves following the lead of many celebrities, and it puts its point across very vividly.
