We consider a public notice or announcement especially one advertising goods or services in newspapers, on posters, in broadcasts, Internet and other types of media an advertisement. All major and many small companies use adverts as well, the advertising industry keeps on growing every year, and involves a great amount of capital. Most companies rely on adverts, and in todays society there is a huge competition between advertising companies to win the attention of the richest and most popular. It is really the question which company can come up with the best, most influencing and persuasive ideas.
The two adverts I have studied target the two genders, they are not unisex. One of them advertises the “Quiksilver” sports company; they make sportswear for both men and women, however this advert is directly aimed at men. This advert uses a strong and famous figure, Thierry Kunz to advertise the clothes, as him being a “Swiss pro snowboarder” will presumably impress the target audience. Obviously the targeted audience must have certain background knowledge or interest in this sport, or at least in the style of clothes the company produces. The men they are targeting would also be financially stable, since “Quiksilver” clothes tend to be expensive.
The other advert promotes a new perfume fragrance called “Glow” by “JLo” (Jennifer Lopez) for ladies. The advert clearly shows its target audience, since the picture has JLo herself posing in what looks like a shower, naked. The bottle is also shown on the picture, which also looks quite feminine. The words used as a caption also contains words that most women would be interested in, e.g. “fresh”, “sexy” or “clean”. Also, just like the previous advert, this one targets a wealthier audience, as designer perfumes like the one that’s advertised are usually quite expensive.
Just like most adverts, the “Quiksilver” one tends to use mainly pictures, instead of text in its advert. There is a “cool” picture of the snowboarder, a red “Quiksilver” logo on a white square background, which obviously makes it stand out and has a contrast with the background. “Quicksilver” is written on the page with big fonts, which increase in size towards the end of the word. The font looks like it has been painted on the page, as it is not very accurate hence the increasing size and the paint patches around the fonts. The main purpose of the advert is clearly to advertise the clothing and sports equipment made by “Quiksilver”.
The main target audience is young men, probably aged 16-35, and that is why a famous snowboarder is used as the promoter of the products. The advert builds on men’s desires, which is to become someone like the snowboarder. The fact that such an influential figure is wearing the clothes will have a positive, persuasive affect on the target audience. The snowboarder man gives us a sense of being a strong, maybe wild, lively, challenging but friendly character, which also have a good influence on the targeted audience, since these are qualities which most men desire. Such an exciting lifestyle as a snowboarder’s is most definitely the dream that could be found in most men’s brains.
Like the “Quiksilver” advert, the ladies’ perfume advert also uses pictures instead of text as a foundation. The targeted audience is women, presumably between the ages of 18 and 40. The purpose of the advert is to try and persuade women mainly from the mentioned age group to buy the “new fragrance” by “JLo”. The word “new” suggests that the there are already products on the market by the same company, and therefore this advert also indirectly promotes these other products and the company itself. The picture of the naked Jennifer Lopez is rather erotic, and this plays a strong part in women’s desires. Jennifer Lopez’s perfect body is surely the dream of most women, and the advert intends to make them think that by using this perfume, they will be able to feel as perfect as Jennifer Lopez is.
The character in the “Quiksilver” advert reflects a strong character. This is a good image to use, since strength and power play an important role in today’s society, especially in the lives of men. A snowboarder was a good choice by the company, since it takes lots of strength and stamina to pursue a career in snowboarding. The snowboarder (who’s called Thierry Kunz) has his hands up with his palms turned towards himself, like as he was calling the audience to join him, or challenge him.
He also has a small smile on his face and sunglasses, which gives him a mysterious look. He wears clothes made by “Quiksilver” of course; they suit him very well, which also helps to promote the products. The fact that he’s wearing the sunglasses although it is dark around him, also gives him a “cool” looks. He is standing in spotlight to highlight the features of the clothes. The main purpose is to make men feel that if they purchase the products made by “Quiksilver”, they will be available to associate themselves to the snowboarder.
