#2- Unretouched Make Up Ad

It is very commonly known that ads have a lot of editing done before they are published. This is especially true for cosmetics ads. That is why this ad stands out so much. It is a cosmetics ad but it claims to not have done any retouching. This ad features a young adult woman taking a picture of herself. At the top are the words “Make up for ever,” right next to the makeup’s brand and line. At the bottom right-hand corner, the ad says “You’re looking at the first unretouched makeup ad.” The model, of course, has very well done hair and makeup, and looks like she’s very confident in her appearance.

            By having the model pose with a camera, taking a picture of herself, the ad creates an everyday feel. Under everyday circumstances, people want good photos without having to edit and retouch them. By having the camera in the picture, the advertisement is trying to show the viewer that they will look like this in their photos, too. Basically, it is saying that when the viewer takes a photo of themselves, they can look just like the model. This is very effective because they are saying that the makeup will help you look beautiful, just like the model. Plus, the model does not have editing and retouching, so reaching the level of beauty that she has in her photos with the makeup on seems more attainable for an everyday girl who doesn’t have access to retouching technology. Also, by noting that the ad isn’t retouched, the viewer assumes that their makeup could look like that. It is true that I could, but that makeup was done by a professional. Most people can’t do makeup that well and it would not look that good anyways, despite the fact that the ad wasn’t retouched.

            The less convincing parts of this ad are found once you dig deeper into what the ad is saying. They claim to be “the first unretouched makeup ad.” However, there is no way of proving that they are. This claim could be completely false and no one would know unless they dug deeper. There could be tons of makeup advertisements without retouching. Another fault in their advertisement is that the average person does not know what they mean by retouching. This is very good for the purpose of their ad, but it could be misleading to the viewer. I, as a viewer, assumed that retouching is editing of photos after they are taken to make them look better. However, I am not positive that is what they mean when they say retouching. It could be something completely different, but they want the viewer to assume it means no editing. Also, even if my assumption is partially right, there are so many ways to get around it and still improve the photo. Retouching could just be one form of editing, and they are using a different form. By doing this, they would trick the reader into believing that no editing was done, when in reality, a lot of editing could have been done.

            Overall, I thought that this was a good advertisement. Although there is some vagueness, it does a very good job at drawing the attention of the viewer and making them believe that they could look just as good as the model. It also seemed very effective in emphasizing the fact that it was an everyday type of scene instead of a high class photo shoot. I think that is was an effective advertisement.

(4-28-13)

#1 - Lebron James Nike ad

Nike commercials and ads are mostly similar in every way. They have slight variations on the sport, the motto, and the famous athlete. However, they usually say about the same thing. In this advertisement, Nike features Lebron James, just as he is about to score a point. His face looks fierce and dedicated to the sport he loves. In the background, in a smaller font, you can see the words “You will notice. You will scream. Because you want it to happen.” What they assume you want to happen is Lebron James scoring a point in this game. To the right, in larger font, there are the words “WILL TO WIN.” In all capital letters, just to the right of this is Nike’s iconic symbol, an extended check mark.

                In this advertisement, the layout is very well done. They have Lebron James in midair, about to score a point. He looks incredibly determined, and as if this point will win a major game. Behind him are the stands in the arena. They are very dark, but you can tell there are a lot of people in them. This puts the focus on only Lebron James and his achievements.  By only focusing on Lebron James’s achievements, and having him in a Nike ad, the viewer assumes that Nike is the reason that Lebron James succeeded. They also may assume that if they use Nike products, they will achieve as well.

                Overall, I think that this ad is effective on the surface level but not on any sort of deeper level. They viewer of the ad wants to assume that by using Nike products, they will achieve, just like Lebron James. They also want to believe that using Nike products helped Lebron James and will therefore help them. However, if they were to think about those statements for more than 30 seconds, they would realize that Nike has nothing to do with Lebron James’s success. Yes, Lebron James is very successful and he uses Nike products. However, he is not successful because Nike sponsors him. Nike sponsors him because he is successful. If the viewer thought about this ad for more than just a flash through their mind, they would realize that the ad is trying to flip the conclusion and the support for their argument. Instead of saying that Nike sponsors Lebron James because he is successful on the basketball court, they are trying to make the viewer believe that Lebron James is successful on the basketball court because Nike sponsors him.

(4-28-13)