South of the Border - Down Mexico Way Part I
There is not all that much that is completely new on this page. With the exception of the Gatorade label and the Bacardi ad most of the examples simply demonstrate that the techniques used in English speaking countries, especially if influenced by American companies, apply equally well in Spanish speaking countries. What follows may therefore be considered a demonstration that manipulative and semi subliminal brand advertising is becoming universal - or that the ad world is being shaped in the US mould. Marketing textbooks usually herald visually based ads as exemplars of the type of ad that can be effective across languages and across cultures (see Consumer Psychology textbooks). Unfortunately, when elements of the ads are presented at the semi-subliminal level then there is little that can be said in their favour. Their goal is not to inform, influence or educate, to a large extent their goal is simply to manipulate. despite the manipulative ads |
In this Bacardi
ad, take a look at the enlarged glass and focus on one part of the
On a more cheerful and salacious note I would have loved to have been able to provide a clear example of the Gatorade Black Ice (10th Anniversary Limited Edition) label. Unfortunately the label has such little variation among the blacks and greys presented on a silvery reflective surface that I not been able to reproduce a clear image. Nevertheless, this label ought to be considered a classic and collectors interested in semi subliminal advertising ought to find it well worth looking for. What makes it particularly distinctive is that the semi subliminal elements comprise almost 50% of the main section of the label and yet these are still not easy to notice. Note
that on the right hand side of the label (behind and to the right
of Black Ice) there is a silhouette of a One
can be pretty certain that this figure is intended to be perceived
as a woman because of the 'bust'. As if to confirm this, in the
area of the rollover circled in blue there is a small 'male' face
looking at her. Only the outline of the face shows up on the scanned
image because of the lack of distinction between the different shades
of black and grey on the
Look at the part of the label just to the left of the 10th ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION caption you will possibly see a phallic shape 'entering' a V shape. Again, because of the poor resolution of the scanned image, the phallic and V elements merge into a single figure. You will need to find an original copy of the label if you wish to verify that all of these features exist and confirm that this label is actually depicting sexual penetration. Check it out before the label goes out of circulation, it is after all, a limited edition. Other
Mexican ads are less salacious and offer examples equivalent to
those presented on the 'What is and What
isn't subliminal?' page. Some Nuevo Ajax ads with the caption
'The Law of the Trigger' could be construed as semi-subliminal ads
but they are not. It is, however, possible that in some examples
from the series, such as the one on the right, when turning over
a full size page certain elements of the ads could be overlooked.
One could The pirate with the cutlasses in the ad below is less likely to be overlooked, and will be perceived as part of a bathroom wall covered in grime. In this second ad, a complete figure is presented and there is little doubt that viewers are intended to perceive a pirate. But,
if one wished to be mischievous, it is possible to interpret certain
aspects of this ad along similar lines to those noted above. First,
the cutlass in his right hand could, again be intrepreted as a phallic
shape. Note also that the lighting/shade on the figures of the cowboy/pirate
is less than natural, with the artistic licence offering the possibility
for a phallic misinterpretation in the genital The page devoted to ads for Peugeot and other French ads demonstrated unequivocally that European ads were 'doctored' in order to present messages that would not be consciously perceived. Here are some Mexican examples demonstrating the same strategy is used in Spanish language magazines. The
ad for the 106 on the right and also The 306 ad was based on Botticelli's painting The Birth of Venus, presumably to indicate that the car had a 'touch of class'. Superficially there is little difference in the imagery in the ad and that in Boticelli's work of art, apart from the addition of the steering wheel. But look more carefully at the extract (below) to the right alongside the e-mail address (peugot.com.mx) and there you will clearly see changes to Botticelli's painting that lead to the 'letter' S standing out against the background. The X(s) is(are) darker and merge into the background on the web page. Check out an original copy to verify that the 'lettering' exists and compare the Peugeot version with Botticelli's original artwork for the Birth of Venus. There is, somewhat surprisingly, also an S on Botticelli's painting (just to the right of the line indicating the division between the two pages) but it is much less distinct than that on the Peugeot ad. And the same point can be made about any other 'lettering'. If the Peugeot ad is simply a clearer rendition of Botticelli's painting it raises the question 'Did Botticelli consistently use semi-subliminal techniques, including lettering?' Perhaps art historians would care to comment on the subject after noting that another of Botticelli's paintings also contains semi-subliminal elements that would not normally be noted (see Faces2.htm for a brief discussion of Primavera, The Allegory of Spring). And, just in case you think 'sex' and its derivatives are not words that are used in Spanish publicatations, take a look at the material shown below. Illustrated are two covers of the magazine Quo and some promotional material. These make it plain that sex (the word, as well as the activity) is appreciated the world over. Such being the case, it is not only pictorial imagery that is likely to be responded to without conscious attention. Semi-subliminal messages may be effective whether or not one develops in a culture where there is considerable awareness of the subject, even if the ability to identify examples is lacking in the majority of individuals. But, in Spanish, as in the English speaking world, there would seem to be a dearth of evidence indicating the effectiveness of such techniques. Ad agencies may be wasting their efforts - but see the more serious aspects of the discussion material on this site and the FAQs before reaching such a conclusion. |
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El espot publicitario : Las metamorfosis del deseo by Jesús González Roquena (1995) Ediciones Cátedra, S.A. , Madrid. ISBN 8437613108 |
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This page has multiple parts: click to continue You are on Part 1 and Parts 3-5 have yet to be allocated |
Last Revised: 3rd January, 2003 |