Philosophical Aesthetics

ROMANTISISM & ADVERTISING

Ask anyone on the street: "what is Romanticism?" and you will certainly receive some kind of reply. Everyone claims to know the meaning of the word romantic. The word conveys notions of sentiment and sentimentality, a visionary or idealistic lack of reality. It connotes fantasy and fiction. It has been associated with different times and with distant places: the island of Bali, the world of the Arabian Nights, the age of the troubadours and even Manhattan. Advertising links it with the effects of lipstick, perfume and soap. If we could ask the advertising genius who, fifty years ago, came up with the brilliant cigarette campaign, "blow some my way," he may have responded with "it's romantic."

TONY KAYE & ADVERTISING

Kaye entered the British advertising business, discovering that commercials could become an avenue to filmmaking as well. Honing his craft for ten years, Kaye became a highly paid, award-winning creator of public service announcements and TV spots for Nike and Mercedes-Benz. Kaye also gained notoriety as a conceptual artist whose "hype art" included ads anointing himself "the most important British director since Hithcock."

POST MODERNISM & ADVERTISING

Post modernism does not distinguish right from wrong

but it deals with being ultra- creative and avoids the traditional route. It does question the existence of ideals such as rationality or objectivity and allows us to consider new things. All great ideas or theories were brought about by first questioning the existing one. Who knows where this trend of post-modernism will lead us.


Resources - Book "art & advertising" Joan Gibbons 
http://www.cigarettesreviews.com/brands-listing/chesterfield
http://www.transparencynow.com/advertise.htm

Semiotic analysis of an ad

VW Beetle Advert 

Everyone has seen the cover of The Beatles' final album, Abbey Road, with its iconic photograph of the four band members crossing the street by their recording studio in August, 1969. The Beetle car which is being advertised here was only introduced in to the advertising world in the UK by the name ‘Beetle” in 1967  they both are from the same period. This form of Cognitive imagery allows the audience to relate the product directly to this period of time giving the viewer some history of where it all began without actually stating the date in history.

This advert is excellent for it's sheer simplicity and strength of concept. With little copy allowing the image to solely convey the message.The length of detail is also impressive - they've parked an old Beetle in exactly the same place as it is in the original photo, and an old van on the other side of the street. The association that comes with this parody is worthwhile; the Beatles have always been seen as cool and laid back; the icons of a generation, and Volkswagen Beetle has a similar image, tending to be driven by elderly hippies and students.The hippie ethos influenced The Beatles and others in the UK.

Hippies often chose brightly coloured clothing and wore unusual styles. These four colours are selected to demonstrate that they were the first 4 colours introduced at this time to the VW model. Each member of the Band in the Beatles expressed a different personality and style when walking across the street some wore shoes and some didn’t some wore suits and other didn’t. The same concept appeals to the Beetle Cars , each colour highlights an individual, a different personality and conveys that they are all people belonging to a society just like the Beatles belonged to the hippies. It was, and will be, forever associated as a hippie car complete with painted flowers and an unusual colour scheme. These bright colours are not the commonly used in car ads, another reason why it stands out.

At the time the Beatles album was released it was lead to believe that Paul McCartney was dead. Hundreds of supposed clues to McCartney's death were reported by fans and followers of the legend . McCartney on the album cover is dressed in a blue suit without shoes, and is walking out of step with the other Beatles as, supposedly, a corpse would. The Beetle car advert contradicts this myth by using bright colours. The juxtaposition of the cars and the colours illustrates to me the audience that the Beetle car has come BACK from the Dead. The car has been re-launched with a new shape and new technology. The colours are vibrant and bold, all positioned identically in the foreground with equivalent spacing, showing consistency in build and finish.

Beetle Album cover photograph 

Resources

http://www.vwgeek.com/?attachment_id=1284

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAU_bAv82FW_d16q6iS4VUeXPJZ_9aCcMVyni_ofeQKD8RNHoB6mjwoC52K6VYk90rsSNqV267e80RpPeQ9WEMPF1rn_8jgG8CfAxIZSmMH9CojRnsgwdB3PZkdPKmLIKg-In_IxqtNWU/s1600/VW.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Road

Semiotics

Summary of Workshop 2 

Linguistic and Cultural Semiotics is a branch of communication theory that investigates sign systems and the modes of representation that humans use to convey feelings, thoughts, ideas, and ideologies.Whether used as a tool for representing phenomena or for interpreting it, the value of semiotic analysis becomes most pronounced in highly mediated, postmodern environments where encounters with manufactured reality shift our grounding senses of normalcy.

Semioticians drag the unconscious messages being transmitted into consciousness by isolating and identifying the signs to constitute the message. 

Persuasive advertisements can (and should be) translated in terms of semiotic guidelines, if cultural codes are at work and as such evident. Some advertisements strive towards a state of no-cultural categorization: in other words the advertisement focuses on emotions rather than objects or ideas


Resource -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics

M&S 125 YEARS

The advert opens with the script line “it all started here” giving the audience an immediate background into were the M&S brand began. An established brand which customers can trust since “1884”. In the midst of a recession, the campaign reassures the customers that M&S is a brand they can trust to deliver quality and value.

Immediately there is a contrast in the colour, Twiggy in here bright Pink coat and pashmina and the background, a dull like period tone. This in effect shows an immediate contrast between the beginning of the M&S brand and where it stands now 125 years later. The advances in innovation, colour design and style have improved. If your brand wants to portray a sense of fun or celebration like M&S in this campaign then this is not easily achieved without colour. M&S responds to the challenge with strategic use of rich colour, both on Twiggy and in some of the backgrounds.

A young lad from the market says “you alright twiggs” an informal line of script that is direct and personal to Twiggy. Knowing your customers and providing them with good quality service is important to the M&S brand, by addressing Twiggy personally evokes this quality service. Twiggy herself is an iconic image that has progressed just like M&S as a Brand and an Image. Twiggy has worked with M&S through the years and by being the face and front of this advert illustrates her trust to the companies values and service provided. The camera is then zoned into to the sign “Don’t ask the price it’s a penny” this communicates to the audience that what you see is what you get in terms of quality. The quality portrayed via this advert is reflected in the quality in store.

 “They brought us a taste of exotic” exemplified by an avocado. This word exotic stands alone as a striking word, it represents how M&S improved and advanced the British publics taste by introducing quality products for value. M&S has “liberated housewives” by creative concept development like “ Curry in a Hurry “, “Drip dry”, “Suits you could tumble dry”. Twiggy refers to having “one a bit like that” if names like Twiggy by the M&S brand then the British audience will certainly buy, if the quality is good enough for her then it is definitely good enough for the public.

All these innovative concepts have provided new services to the British audience. They have all been derived from the M&S brand. M&S also introduced “sell by dates on perishables” this is accompanied by the image of the British food trade stamp. M&S has the stamp of approval from the food sector which implies that there products are of high quality and standard, if a governing body approves then the public should trust in the M&S food brand too. 

“No one goes further to bring you the best possible food for the fairest possible price” Fair is the main word in this part of the script. With images portraying workers in fair conditions and being treated fairly. It is important to convey a happy and healthy working environment to insure that the workers are treated fairly this is reflected in M&S Fair-trade clothing line which aims to give a fair deal back to the workers. From this frame of the ad M&S are insuring that the audience know that this has always been there policy and that it has always been key to them achieving good service.

The next couple of frames from the ad follow on from the lines “they’ve changed the way we eat, They’ve changed the way we dress, there changing the way we treat our planet” these three powerful statements about how M&S have CHANGED us the British public. The public trusts the brand, for the brand has changed the way they shop. These few lines from the ad are the most powerful they show triumph and service. The change that Twiggy portrays so powerfully in her voice is reflected in the Images – flicking through the clothes in my mind is a good visual reflection of the timeline in which M&S has stepped through to create this advert. And create a quick story of the 125 years in the business while illustrating the entire core principals that have continued with the brand over the years.

"Not bad for a penny bazaar," says Twiggy at the end of her voiceover, while the ad closes with the strap line "Quality worth every penny". It pays to spend a bit more money to get good quality that will last. 


Resource - http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/?intid=gft_company
You tube - video 

Marks in Time

Mark in Time Visiting the exhibition showing how Marks & Spencer has played in peoples lives for 125 years.It tracks the journey from market stall to penny bazaar to international retailer

Resource - Marks in Time exhibition at Leeds University