Advertisement-Correlate Popular Culture (Week 2) Revised

The job of an advertiser is to get a specific message across to a consumer at all costs. Their main goal is to get a consumer to filter in a specific message about a brand and process it so that they are inclined to make a purchase. This form of communication is highly influential upon the decisions and actions that people make in their every days lives and constructs a reality that many are unaware is automatically being created. I received this advertisement via e-mail this week from Abercrombie & Fitch which is promoting its spring line for the season and thought it was an interesting choice because of the how the company chooses to portray not only its clothing but its overall image. A&F is a company that has built itself off of its brand image (being sexy) and the equity which it has achieved through its pricey items, the use of its perfectly sculpted models, and professional photographers who capture “sex” to sell the clothes. Most people who have seen the Abercrombie ads can tell you that they all consist of young men and women with near perfect bodies who are usually presented wearing minimal clothing and are often placed in sexual positions to grab the consumer’s attention and lure them into the stores to make a purchase. Yes, we all know sex sells and it’s the obvious lure of the company, but why has it worked for A&F?

Large billboards with images just like the one above can be seen on New York City's 5th Ave and in malls across the country, which expose us as consumers to not only physical and perceptual messages but also play into one's psychological exposure and attention. The message that one receives from looking at an A&F ad is that it is a luxury brand that will make you feel first-rate about yourself in all forms (eg. sexy, fun, cool, and flirty). The company has been able to accumulate a rather loyal fan base especially among teenagers and young adults who consume the image of the reality presented to them (such as A&F makes you the perfect person) because they have been exposed to the ads and images over and over again and have had their visual senses become attuned to the displays. That therefore, has carried over into their psychological senses in which the image has left a trace in the person’s mind which can be drawn on at a later time to connect the image with the brand and one’s self esteems and desires.

A reason why A&F has succeeded is that it is very much integrated into mainstream society and is a part of American pop culture. I find it very interesting that at stores such as the 5^th Ave location there are half naked live models displayed at the entrance of the door to lure people in and generate an interest/response. Furthermore, each of the A&F stores is blasting with pop/rock music and consumed by the same cologne/perfume so that one’s senses identify not only the image with the brand but the smell. Many people are not even aware about the messages that they are being exposed to through these ads (print/living), which seem to be selling more than just clothes but are also selling sex, an automatic selling point, which appeals to just about everyone. As stated in Potter’s book “Media Literacy”, “The meaning of media messages is not always the way it might seem on the surface. There are often many layers of meaning.” (40) The ad above is a prime example of the many layers involved with promoting the brand. For one they use beautiful people that are more than likely airbrushed to look as good as they do. Second they match these perfect people together to display an illusion of what the life of an A&F consumer will be like. Third, the sex crazed society that we live in today has a higher disregard for ethics so this ad would be appealing as it seeks to attract people who all look the same. A downfall of A&F is that it has disregarded the fact that all people are made differently and cannot fit into the false reality of the stereotypical perfect “All American” man or woman. Their ads display nothing but beautiful people to touch upon one’s aesthetic and emotional appeal but don’t realize that they may be hurting someone’s self-image by always showcasing “one type” of person.

It is important for everyone (those who do fit the mold and those who don’t) to understand the numerous levels involved with promoting this brand. One must learn to deconstruct the reality that is created by the great amount of exposure they have to a brand which causes them to have someone else influence the way they view the world and themselves. Buying clothes from A&F is a decision that one makes in order to fulfill a personal goal or feeling. The ad above just like the A&F company as a whole is promoting a lifestyle that is prominent in our society, one in which the clothes you wear speak about the person you are and one in which ads such as the one above go unchallenged and are accepted as a normal way of getting attention. A&F as I recall became a popular brand through word of mouth; you don't find ads for the clothes on television, the radio, or other mediums aside from billboards or the people who wear the brand. It has achieved status as a power symbol (equity) by targeting young individuals with a style (which is layered in itself-just look at how the clothes are displayed together on models) that is well put together and perceived as a cool item to wear.