Magazine Advertisement Essay, Research Paper

Kim, Steve

Eng. 100

Final Draft

The Influence of Magazine Advertisement

Since the inception of advertising was introduced to the world, mass produced images has impacted the lives of many consumers. The marketing strategies of many businesses have thrived from the result of advertising and still are. Our lives are consistently bombarded with the images of people, places, and tangible products. Advertising has for generations predominated the modern world, without the existing influence of advertising people may be lost in material wealth. In more than one way advertising has alleviated to shape and influence the ideas of consumers. The mass of media is inevitable as it surrounds us and has become part of our integrated panorama of social life. As different media images continue to dominate our lives, for some it has had the profound impact of our sense of identity.

The ad is quite powerful because the image seems to focus on sex appeal as a strategy for selling a product. According to Stuart and Elizabeth Ewen, we judge ourselves according to mass produced images the media so colorfully presents. In doing so, we are influenced by the way images are represented and how we apply these images to our own life. Sex appeal has long been a common theme used in advertising to attract consumers to a particular product, in this case, flower s for Valentine s Day. The model illustrated in the ad poses in a sexy way holding a vase of flowers. Along with the phrase, Valentine s Day Is Now Available In Hot and Spicy. The ad suggests by buying this product will make your partner feel potentially sexy. The terms in the phrase, Now Available in Hot and Spicy, fosters the manipulation in buying the product. The phrase appeals to our subconscious emotions rather than to our conscious intellects. The woman striking a narcissistic pose symbolizes the desire to feel sexy and romantic when flowers are given as a gift. Using common attractive models encourages the desire to be sexy and to appeal to a woman s sentiments.

As Jim Fowles describes fifteen emotional appeals or wedges that advertisements exploit (Fowles pg. 60). Advertisements can appeal to The Need For Sex, as the topic for sexy models invokes the need to be looked at nonetheless. The poised woman in the ad dressed in black appeals to the male consumer. He may be attracted to the woman s voluptuous presence and may be incumbent to fulfill a woman s sentiments by giving her the gift of flowers. In the ad, the viewer may unconsciously be influenced by the subliminal messages the ad so powerfully conveys. However, Fowles points out that sex appeal conventionally works better on men than women; typically a female figure is offered up to the male reader (Fowles pg 66). The ad works well because it was in a Sports Illustrated magazine, which is typically viewed by the male reader. Furthermore, the image seems to convey the Need for Attention. It is often common for a woman to feel loved and wanted by their companions. The ad suggest that flowers are an appropriate gift and an expression of sincerity, which expresses that she does have the man s attention.

Only one caucasian woman is represented in the ad. It can be concluded that Caucasians are the predominate race representing the mass media and mainstream advertising. Minorities are, however, represented in a scanty proportion of mainstream advertisement. Although the result may not broaden the definition of minorities, but it categorizes them in stereotypical roles and representations of them. The impact it may have is it decreases the diversity of the magazine circulation to potential advertisers and their agency s media buyers. The FTD ad is very effective in drawing the reader of the magazine to read the catchy message the ad has to offer, however, the need for sex method may be too blaring and tends to obliterate the product information.

The ad portrays the model in our period quite accurately. In the ad the woman epitomizes how the contemporary woman s identity should be: thin, voluptuous, and tall. The image of the woman is simply how advertiser s want the consumers to think their products will do for us. The ad is intended for the male audience and Barthel points out that men will choose his objects/signs (Barthel pg. 116), so conclusively, the ad caters in sex appeal which attracts the male consumer. However, the ad suggests woman are personified as sex objects and in a sense demean the moral character of a woman. Therefore, sex appeal should be used in moderation or in a way that doesn t exploit the image of a woman s body. In general, the type of message used in this ad will attract potential buyers for the product. The message of the image of the woman and the statement suggests not only will one express compassion and sincerity for their loved ones, but arouse a feeling of attractiveness for the partner. Sexy, attractive, and the prestige that often follows with beauty marks a woman s social character.

The ad generally appeals to the male consumer for his significant other. Since, the typical man finds sports news and articles interesting, the method of publishing this specific ad in a sports illustrated magazine makes it that much more effective.