Advertising, and How People Gazing/Posing Conveys Visual Meaning.

In advertising people are often used to establish meaning and create a desire to purhcase the product or fulfil what the advert is asking of the consumer. The portrayal of image is highly important in advertising, as the saying goes "a picture is worth a thousand words" - each image which we see creates a different feeling which creates an action or reaction. The practice of using images to assist messaging in communications is referred to as visual communications and is an important marketing stratedy. I have learnt that it is important to create advertising and marketing using images that allow the audience to construct meaning and take an action that is profitable to you, or the texts success...

People, often who we can relate to or who we are likely to desire to be are used often in advertising. The way in which they act, look and pose are often highly important factors contributing to the success of the product. Kress and van Leeuwen described a 'two-valued relation' to people depicted: either they look at the viewer, and so make a “demand” for recognition, acknowledgement, response, or they are not looking at the viewer, and in a sense “offer” themselves for viewing as “third persons” (Reading Images, pp. 121-130.)

Marilyn Monroe - Jon-Jot Cosmetics Advertisement

For years, people have been used as an ideal source for selling products in advertising. Often celebrities are portrayed in advertising to act as a form of celebrity endorsement to attract customers to particular produce. Often if current celebrities are used in advertising people who aspire to be 'like them' are more likely to respond to the advert. They act as somewhat a symbol of idealism, therefore I have come to realise that within advertising it is important that likeable looks, characteristics and values are communicated visually to the public. For example, the image above is of Marilyn Monroe, a 19th century icon - people who idolised Marilyn for her fame and beauty were likely to be captivated by such an advert. It is often important in media texts (dependant on the purpose) to make them eye-catching and beautiful. There is also a lot of hidden meaning within the advertisement, Marilyn's pose and positioning within the image empowers her - making her look confident and attractive, being powerful was a very attractive thing to be as a female in the 1950's. Viewers of this advertisement are led to believe that they themselves would be confident, powerful and attractive like Marilyn if they purchased the product being associated with her. Also, as Marilyn was a huge success during the 50's it tells the consumer that the company is reputable and is selling a good product. Therefore Marilyn's reputation is being used as a symbol of the reliability and greatness of the product.

A more recent example of a similar advertisement is the advertisement above (Kate Moss endorsing a Mascara by Rimmel London) - here I am going to talk about her gaze, pose and how together they attract the audience. Like Marilyn, once again she is empowered as she is featured above the product and we are to presume that she is modelling it. Her lips are parted which is generally associated with sex. Turning Kate into a sex symbol makes the image stand out, she now has sexual power and attractiveness - something which many women would aspire to have. She is also featured as an image of perfection - her flawless skin and perfect make-up suggest to the consumer that they could become more 'perfect' with this product. Her gaze is somewhat direct and seductive trying to 'drag' the viewer in to inspect the effect which the mascara has on her eyes. The text "Lash Alert" also anchors the image, reinforcing that the product can give you beautiful eyelashes, and therefore make you more attractive.

From attempting to briefly analyse these advertisements I have realised that in most adverts there is a GREAT deal of symbolism to be found, even in posters alone. I have also found that, although beauty isn't everything, it's certainly important in the media, and in order to 'grip' the audience it is important to create 'attractive' media texts...