Eternity(Analyzing an Ad)
...word ETERNITY is big enough to attract us, yet still keep us focused on the images beneath. The white border is so pure and innocent, keeping the theme of the ad simple. Even the clothes on the characters are simple. The man and women both wear white t-shirts, very fresh and appealing. The sheets in the background of one of the pictures are also white. A good ad shouldn’t have too much going on. It shouldn’t be cluttered with objects that confuse the reader. Arthur Asa Berger stated that the design and the use of white space should be looked at when analyzing an ad (186). Well this ad, in my opinion, is perfect because it only has two photographs that keep the ad simple. This ad isn’t only appealing because of its simplicity but also because of its neatness. I believe an ad should always be neat and organized. Neatness is very important, because it reflects how the product truly is, and it says a lot about the company manufacturing this product. Examples of the neatness in this ad are the pictures and text around it. For example, the pictures in this ad are both the same size and are aligned perfectly on top of one another. As I mentioned, the white border highlights these pictures. Another thing that proves the neatness of this ad is the ad copy, or text is centered on the page throughout the entire ad. It’s easy to read the text in this ad, because your eyes stay centered on the page, not only observing the pictures, but also reading the text itself. The first words you read are ETERNITY all in capital letters. Then you read the words love, sweet love at the bottom of the picture showing the happy couple. And the last words you read in the center of the bottom of the page are Calvin Klein, fragrances for men and women. It is important for a viewer to read what the ad is saying. Keeping the text simple and neat allows readers to do this. According to the authors of Everything’s an Argument “a design works well when readers can look at an item and understand what it does (264).” This ad worked well because the viewer can understand that the design is simple, comparing two pictures that show happiness. The words Eternity, and love sweet love show the reader how you can have this happiness and love at any time or place, hence Eternity. How? The third words say it. Calvin Klein offers this with the fragrance. When an ad is messy, most viewers will not take the time to read the message of this ad. Therefore I strongly believe that this ad does a good job in attracting its viewers, and making them read the ad. Another important thing an ad should have is a theme, or a mood that reflects happiness. There are many ads that reflect sadness and loss. These ads don’t sooth me; they sadden me. I think the ads that reflect happiness sooth the viewers and persuade them into buying a product. For example in the ETERNITY ad, the first photograph shows a couple resting on a bed. The man in the photo has his eyes closed, and a smile is reflected on his face. The woman has her hand on his chest, and is looking at him while smiling as well. The mood is so soothing, so relaxed, and so happy. As I mentioned earlier, even their t-shirts seem so relaxing. When you look at the bottom picture the happiness, or the theme of this ad grows even further as you see the couple enjoying their time with their daughter and her bunny. This time the man is looking at the viewer, inviting them to share their happiness. The woman again looks away, this time looking at the bunny as her delicate hand reaches out to it. The little girl is also smiling and looking at the viewer. They are inviting you to share the happiness that glows in their eyes by wearing this fragrance. The theme should be so powerful that it should attract the viewers, both men and women to seek this happiness...