Person One: What is the literal message of the original ad? Deconstruct it. Relate the ad to the concepts learned in the video.
Person Two: What is the deconstructed message of the original ad? What are some controversial and unstated aspects of the original? Relate the ad to the concepts
learned in the video.
Ad busting
For our Ad bust, my partner and I chose to do a play on a smoking advertisement. We both feel that smoking is a personal
choice and therefore should not be pushed upon the people who want to avoid smoking through advertising. In our ad bust, we
had the real ad on the left, which was a supposedly attractive blonde model having a smoke. On the other side, we have a picture
of a skeleton smoking a cigarette, and cropped the two together using Photoshop. When I deconstruct the original ad, I see
numerous things related to our unit, as well as the Ad and the Ego video shown in class.
The image on the real advertisement was a good-looking blonde smoking a cigarette. It shows around a quarter of the cigarette
is finished and the women exhaling accompanied by a look of enjoyment. The lighting is focused to direct attention to her hand,
where she is holding the cigarette. She is also looking down on the cigarette with a look of lust, as she is attracted by it. This ad is
an example of the women being objectified, which means the act or process of making men and women into objects in order to
sell an unrelated product. The woman has nothing to do with the actual cigarette, but is influencing the Id, which is the body and
mind’s want for things such as smoking, especially when it is associated with a good looking model. This ad is an example of
myth/mythology, which is defined as using a larger than life cultural stereotype to appeal to the senses in order to motivate people
to buy the product. To decontextualize the ad you can associate the blonde model with the cigarette, which is almost saying “if
you have the cigarette, you will have me” or “if you have a cigarette you will be like me”. It is playing on the need to conform to
the social norm which is to be materialistic and to enhance your self-image. This is a false message which is like one if the false
messages showed in the video. This is obviously not the case; however it will still influence people to buy the product. This ad
was also found in an issue of men’s journal, where men are the target audience. It uses the image instead of words or descriptions
to sell the product. In the video it mentioned that ads used to be about the product, not the people in the ad. This ad is moving with
the rest of the advertising industry as it is incorporating people into the ad, who are just there to sexually influence you to buy the
product. It sells a glamorous, attractive lifestyle that is then associated with cigarettes. It promotes an enhanced status which is
then associated with the act of smoking. This ad is supposed to promote a great lifestyle but when you look past the superficial
you see that smoking has been proven to cause diseases such as lung cancer it is really promoting a negative lifestyle. This ad
meets the expectation of the modern advertising industry, which is to initiate salivation in the consumer.
By: Allan Perkins and Ben Mowat