An examination of the presentation of two magazine advertisements Essay

There are two magazine advertisements advertising two separate products both jewellery in nature. A stainless steel Rolex watch named the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’. An expensive sophisticatedly designed watch for people of the wealthy businesspersons category. The other a ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘exclusive Triple ring’; suitable for a gift to a lover or a self-indulged treat, this is aimed at the average workingpersons category as it says ‘Need send no money now’, and ‘For only i 75. 00’, both money saving phrases. Both have a key selling point. The advertisement for the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ key selling point is the fact that the Rolex is boldly shown in a large picture at the bottom of the page. This catches the attention of the reader and quickly conveys the subject and nature of the advertisement. This also intrigues readers to read the article, which means that they will find out more about the product and get a better understanding of the piece, therefore increasing the chance of a sale. The advertisement for the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ has a similar key selling point. The ring is boldly situated at the top centre of the entire page. This is the first image that the reader will acknowledge and will catch the attention of the reader and quickly convey the subject and nature of the advertisement to them. Also the title of the advertisement – ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’, gives an instant sense of wealth and adventure to the advertisement enticing the reader to read the rest of the article therefore increasing the chance of a sale. Examples of imaginative and factual language are apparent in the presentation of both advertisements. One advertisement advertises a ‘sliver triple ring’, which has been entitled the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver triple ring in gold font. Aphrodite was a ‘heavenly Greek goddess of beauty and love’ from Roman Greek times. The ring does not contain or consist of Aphrodite’s jewels. But if it did, however, the ring would be of astonishing value. This portrays the ring to be of an extremely higher value than the asking price. This draws attention to the advertisement as people are drawn to the sheer wealth portrayed by the advertisement, this is also emphasised by the gold font. This then seems to be an astonishing bargain when the ring is priced at seventy-five pounds. This will create a boost in sales as it forges the bargain to be of greater saving than what actually exists. The order form is entitled ‘Post now to secure your order! ‘ This makes the reader think that the product is in demand and that the order form must be sent with haste in order to obtain one. The ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement uses factual language in its presentation. Quotes are used in this presentation: ‘For Sir Norman Forster, good design is generated by people’s needs. He has answered these needs with outstanding architectural solutions in his native England, throughout Europe – and most notably – in Hong Kong. It was Foster’s design for the head quarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank that confirmed his position at the forefront of international architecture. ‘ This quote emphasises the importance of ‘Sir Norman Foster’, and how much he is revered internationally. It emphasises the fact that massive international corporations turn to ‘Sir Norman Foster’ when in need, and he answers them; perhaps portraying him to be more important, bigger, and more powerful than these corporations who come to him. ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is thus seen to be a very big, important man to the reader. He is wearing the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ showing that the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ is â€Å"The Watch† for people of his class. To the reader this may give the impression that if the watch is good enough for someone as revered as ‘Sir Norman Foster’, then it is more than good enough for him or her. An example of imaginary language in the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement includes the entire text. It uses ambiguous language to represent a link between Sir Norman Foster’s work, and the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’. For example when it says: ‘Good design is generated by people’s needs. He has answered these needs with outstanding architectural solutions’ This could be talking about the watch answering people’s needs all over the world, or Sir Norman Foster’s architecture designs answering people’s needs. Also: ‘This supremely elegant building epitomises many of Foster’s beliefs as an architect. ‘ This can be seen as a metaphor with the ‘building’ representing the watch epitomising ‘many of Foster’s beliefs as an architect. ‘ ‘The interior is extraordinarily light and airy. This is achieved by a complex of steel supports which leave vast uncluttered spaces’ This is another good example of the ambiguous language used. Showing the unique architectural structure of the building that also relates to the watch. This language is used for the same purpose in both adverts. It is used to give a positive view on the product and making the product an object of desire. Persuading the reader that the product is something that would be ultimately worth possessing. Having this language presented in the title is a better way of presenting it, as this is the initial information that the reader digests, therefore leaving a positive impression. Presenting it in a block of writing means that the reader will not be as enticed to read a block of writing as to a more visual or digestible document. There are typical phrases presented in both advertisements. The ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement has many examples of ‘typical’ phrases. ‘For only i 75. 00’ is very typical, trying to emphasise and give the impression that the asking price is ‘only’ a fraction of the true value. ‘You need send no money now’ is another example of a ‘typical’ phrase. The aim of this is to convince the reader that they are getting a good deal and that they are in control. The reader will be more willing to purchase the product of the finance is not immediate. The general intended impact on the audience from both advertisements is that the product that they are selling is an object of desire. They would be revered to if in possession of the product as it is ultimately worth possessing. There are typical phrases presented in the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement: ‘Is it any surprise he should wear a Rolex? ‘ This is giving emphasis to the point that he is a man who is revered internationally so consequently there is only â€Å"one watch† for him – the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’. This has the effect on the reader that makes the watch appear at a higher level of desirability as it is underlining that the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ is the watch for people of his class. One immediate difference that is clearly visible is the background colour. The advertisement for the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ has a simple plain white colour background contrasting with the black font. This gives the advertisement a contemporary, sophisticated feel to it. Although it posses this quality, the colour does not have an enticing effect to the reader to draw them in to view the advertisement. This strongly affects the effectiveness of the advertisement to the reader. The ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ however, has very enticing qualities. The background colour is a deep, rich alluring purple with complementing white, symmetrical, silhouettes of religious statues. To contrast, this already has a visual advantage over the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement, as it will lure more readers to it as the colours are more eye catching and attractive. It gives the advertisement a sense of mysticality, exploration, and wealth. This will make more of an impression on the readers mind and will make then remember the product, or desire the product to a higher degree. The text colour of the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement contrasts with the background colour making the text stand out to the reader giving it a contemporary sense. The text font is not very bold making it unpalatable to read. The colour scheme in the picture of ‘Sir Norman Foster’, top central to the page, is related to the advertisement. In the picture, ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is surrounded by completely white background and surroundings. This is linked to the background of the advertisement. Completely white. ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is wearing black in the picture. This represents the link between him and the text in the advertisement, showing that the text is related to him. In the background right of ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is one of his famous metallic masterpieces of architectural art. This represents the watch in the foreground of the advertisement. Both are of a stainless steel colour and are represented as â€Å"masterpieces†. This colour co-ordination is very effective in showing the link between ‘Sir Norman Foster’ and his internationally recognised designs, and the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’. The colour of the watch is diverse from the general colour scheme of the advertisement. This makes the watch appear to be superior and different from the rest. The entity of this colour scheme creates a contemporary feel. It gives the watch images of sophistication and wealth. The ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement colour scheme compliments the ring. The background consists of a deep dark rich purple colour, the same as the ‘Jewels’ on the ring. ‘Aphrodite was the ‘heavenly Greek goddess of beauty and love’ and this is a colour associated with love. Therefore both colours convey love and romance. Also in the background are faint silhouettes of two white statues standing as pillars, as if to be the entrance to a temple or similar. Surrounding the ring is a subtle, restrained white glow. Signifying purity and perfection. This white glow compliments the silhouettes beneath the purple, conveying the image that the ring is linked to the statues making the ring appear to be holy, and sacred. â€Å"Sparkles† have been added to the corners of the ring making it appear to be glistening relating the ring to wealth and luxury. The background purple is increasingly dark all the way down the centre of the page. Around the ring the background is brighter as if the ring has lit it up. It appears as if the ring has come from the darkness and lit up the surroundings similar to the discovery of hidden treasures. This conveys that the ring is full of adventure. It is a sacred treasure to be discovered and the reader can discover it. The gold colour of the title ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ creates an image of wealth and prosperity, assuring the reader of the wealth of the product and the value of owning the product. Subtitles are in a light blue, turquoise colour. This contrasts with the purple and makes the subtitles appear bold and stand out. The text of the subtitles is black opposing the light blue, turquoise colour making the text apparent to the reader. This makes the information in the advertisement more digestible as it is broke down into sections. The Order Form consists of a faint yellow colour and has a red title, ‘Post now to secure your order’. The red signifies danger and importance to the reader making the s evident immediately. Urging the reader to hasten and buy the product. The entity of this colour scheme gives the ring a sense of wealth and class. It creates images of wealth, prosperity and affluence. The layout of the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement oozes sophistication. The layout of the almost symmetrical block text mounted on a plain white background gives the whole advert a sense of sophistication and contemporary design. The title is spread across the top of the page in the same format as the text. This is a better way of presenting the title as apposed to having a diversified, more decorative font. The picture of ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is central to the top of the page. The text is presented round the picture. This signifies his importance and significance, as the advert appears to revolve around Sir Norman Foster’s picture, as if he is the core of the ‘Rolex’ advertisement, as if he is the front of the advertisement. The large colour image of the ‘Rolex’ communicates the nature of the advert quickly and effectively. This draws the attention of the reader and will entice them to read the text. This layout reflects the target audience to be sophisticated successful businesspeople who very contemporary and have wealth. The layout of the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement is very original. The first piece of information is the price at the top of the page: ‘An Exclusive Silver Triple Ring For Only i 75. 00*! ‘ This will be the first piece of information that the reader will take in. This will make them curious to find out what is marked at this price. The main focus is on the ring at the top centre of the page following on from the title. This grasps the attention of the reader and will entice them to read the text and find out more about the product. Subsequently the subtitles follow. They are positioned further down the page, as it is only relevant information to the reader if they are interested in purchasing the product. At the very bottom of the page is an exploded diagram of the ring split into three layers. This gives the reader the impression that they are getting more value for their money, i. e. three rings for the price of one. In the bottom right corner of the page is the order form. This is presented at the bottom, as it is only relevant to the reader if they have read all of the text above and wish to make a purchase. This layout reflects that target audience to be average workingpersons. All that phrases presented boldly in the advertisement are all to do with low finance and superficial wealth. After a careful examination of the presentation of these two magazine advertisements I have come to the conclusion that the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement is the more successful advertisement. My reason for this is that the aim of this advertisement is to give the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ an image of sophistication, and contemporary design. It does not try to persuade the reader that they are getting a good â€Å"bargain† for their money but to make the object more desirable. The ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement is simple and easy to digest, whereas the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement has a lot of information and does not convey it well. The ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement uses almost all factual language and does not need to use imagery to sell the product. This has a greater positive effect on the reader as they feel that they are being sold genuine quality, as apposed to inferior, superficial products. The ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement is plain and spacious, making an easy view. But the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement is cluttered uninviting to view. Also the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement uses a practical example of a consumer of the product who is approving the watch showing the reader that it is the genuine article and that they can see for themselves how superior the product really is.