Despite
the ad on the right being a German ad, the caption is in English.
'Test it' would clearly make sense to literate, English speaking A closer look at the legs of the horse reveals a clear phallic shape embedded in the upper portion of the horses leg. Note that I am not referring to the space between the horses forelegs. That aspect of the ad may be considered a subsidiary element but it is not semi-subliminal Additionally, the male model in the ad is nonchalantly pointing at the horses leg with the object in his left hand. On its own a phallic shape would mean very little, even if characters in an ad were apparently pointing at them. It is only when a theme can be discerned across a number of adverts that it becomes possible to appreciate its meaning. The phallic shape, in this instance, with all the connotations associated with it, is intentional. What makes it of relevance in this instance is the posture of the female smoker and her relationship with the male model in the ad. Her left and the cigarette pack she is holding are undoubtedly intended to be perceived as a phallic substitute. Whether she is perceived as the person to Test, or be Tested, will depend upon the perspective of the viewer. Note also that the upright phallic shape is placed above the West logo. The brand name is placed over a series of coloured lines. This would not be accidental. If it is part of an overall marketing plan then this alignment is intended to convey some meaning, either on its own or in conjunction with other factors. In this case, if one smokes West (or more accurately by perceiving the meaning inherent in the positioning of the models) then one can expect see a physiological change occurring. The type of change is indicated by the phallic shape on the horses leg.
The
elderly gentleman on the right might not be in quite the same physical
condition as the young model above but nevertheless he can expect
to respond physiologically in the same manner to attractive West cigarette advertising, once again maintains a long tradition of attempting to maintain an association with cigarette smoking and sexual behaviour. The cannot present their message as overtly as they would like so they have to resort to covert means of presenting their message. Viewers appreciate the contribution of the models and their meaning but this can be discounted. It is after all pretty obvious. However, what they do not appreciate are the supplementary, semi-subliminal, elements that also present the same type of message. If these are attended to uncritically and become part of the store of mental imagery that viewers relate to cigarettes it is not surprising that cigarettes are deemed sexy.
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The Wizard of Oz
Initially,
these direct the attention of viewers towards the branded pack but the
core element is focussed on the same type of association evident in
the West ad discussed above. Situated alongside the 'giant' pack
you To the right
of the Kangaroo warning sign (very
appropriate where Accept
the lighter area about half way up the illustration as his chin, the
darker area just above the chin as a small mouth, and the nose and eyes
should then become apparent. A strong, masculine face should 'pop into'
consciousness. Next to that is the, possibly more easily recognized,
face of a None of these faces are particularly distinct and their recognition in part relies upon recognition of key facial features. The usual argument presented against such recognition is that one can extract such features from almost any complex surface such as a cliff face. This is true. But when this occurs what is recognized corresponds to what nature intended. The 'recognition' is random and is unlikely to bear a meaningful relationship with other features in the environment. If the ad above was based on a true photograph one might expect some 'facial' cues but not many and the 'out of focus' rock would be as clear as the rest of the imagery. In ads such as this the normal environmental cues are tinkered with so that they will 'lead' viewers to attend to what is deemed important by those who produce the ads. However, such directing is subtle and will not be consciously attended to. So what were the creators of this ad attempting to do. If
you look more carefully at the right hand side of the base of the 'sitting
cat' on an original copy of the ad you will see a manikin with his right
arm upraised. He also has a One final point is worth making. As indicated, this ad has a set of semi-subliminal cues embedded in it. These help provide some sexual meaning to the ad. But the most obvious cue to the sexual pretensions of Winfield lie in the positioning of the 'cat shaped' rock. Note that it is positioned directly alongside the Winfield pack and it was noted that there was a shape embedded in the rock. If one ignores the background to the rock and considers the rock as an extension of the Winfield pack, then it will be 'obvious' to anyone who studies cigarette advertising that the pack has a 'hard on'. Marlboro eat your heart out! |
Would you be interested in supporting the development of a web site focussing specifically on cigarette advertising, smoking behaviour, nicotine addiction and related information? In particular would you like to help encourage youngsters to develop a healthy scepticism about advertising practices associated with cigarette advertising and promotion? If you can offer either financial assistance to develop such a site or have material available that could be of use on such a site, the author would be pleased if you would contact him. |
Last Revised: 3rd January, 2003 |