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Gloria Garza
Mary Catherine Mueller
RHET 1302
November 6th, 2012
The Elegance of Advertising
Advertising is successful in influencing a consumer’s purchasing decision with
the help of different techniques such as colors, catch phrases, and models. When it comes
to advertising in the fashion industry, famous fashion houses such as Gucci use
celebrities as part of their strategy to attract customers. In Gucci’s advertisement for their
new fragrance for women, Première, the viewer falls upon a beautiful black and white
picture of a gorgeous actress looking mysteriously into the distance. According to a
description found in Gucci’s website, this new fragrance is “inspired by timeless
Hollywood glamour, it is an invitation to embrace one's own red carpet moment”(Gucci
Première 75ml Eau). By using contrasting colors and the actress’ body language, Gucci
describes the elegance and glamour of their fragrance in their promotional advertisement.
Color is an important visual element that plays a central role in describing Gucci’s
fragrance. The colors found in this ad are black, white, and gold, and they help create a
setting that reflects how Gucci wants the viewer to perceive the fragrance. This
advertisement demonstrates to potential buyers that the perfume has an elegant scent that
will make every woman feel glamorous and like a Hollywood star. Each color in the ad
has an individual as well as a group role in conveying this message. The color black
represents mystery (Understanding the Meaning) and creates an aura of sensuality. This
not only triggers curiosity in the viewer, but also leads him/her to think that this scent
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makes women feel glamorous as well as desirable. The color white is often associated
with perfection (Understanding the Meaning), and therefore it stimulates the viewer to
believe that Première’s scent is perfect and that it makes the user feel perfect too.
Together, black and white bring the viewer back in time to an old Hollywood movie,
which ties back to Gucci’s inspiration for the perfume. By creating this setting, the ad
allows the consumer to associate the perfume with the glamour and elegance of old
Hollywood. Another way black and white suggest elegance and glamour is with the
sparkle of the actress’ dress, as well as the city lights in the background. In the
background of the advertisement, city lights glimmer brightly. This small detail suggests
to the viewer that the model is in a city with an exciting nightlife, such as New York or
Los Angeles, cities that are considered to be trendy and dazzling. The suggestion of the
actress’ location allures the viewer and drives him/her to see the perfume as a trendy
scent. Also, the glimmer of the actress’ sequined dress brings to mind a Hollywood red
carpet event, once more connecting the scent to the concept of Hollywood.
The third color found in the advertisement is gold, and this color is used for the
perfume bottle and the name of the brand. The symbolism of gold is perfect for this
fragrance because gold represents luxury, sophistication, and elegance (Understanding
the Meaning); qualities of the perfume the advertisement as a whole is trying to convey.
Additionally, gold creates a contrast with the rest of the picture, highlighting the product
for the viewer. Underneath the perfume bottle the name of the brand, Gucci, is written in
a gold cursive font. The gold cursive writing adds a touch of finesse while the color gold
associates the brand to luxury. Also, this cursive writing looks like an autograph because
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of how the letter “i” extends to the right and then to the left. This autograph look, once
more links the perfume to Hollywood.
While colors assist in defining the perfume, the actress’ body language draws
attention to the fragrance. Since the product is not exactly placed at eye level, the viewer
needs a path that guides his/her eye to the image of the perfume. Thus, each component
of the actress’ body is strategically placed to guide the consumers’ attention. At the
beginning of this visual guide, there is the actress’ gaze staring into the distance. This
makes the viewer wonder what the actress is looking at, and captures his/her attention.
Now that the viewer’s attention is captured, the flow of the actress’ hair directs the
viewer to the next component, the dress. From this point, the sparkle of the dress draws
the viewer’s attention towards the perfume that is located on top of the model’s forearm.
Another interesting point is how the actress’ hair helps portray the perfume’s inspiration
along with the different colors. The actress’ hair is styled into long curls, the same way
actresses in old Hollywood movies used to style their hair. This specific hairstyle leads
the viewer to think of old Hollywood, once more connecting the fragrance to its
inspiration.
Celebrities are generally part of a marketing strategy because they capture
consumer’s attention and help reach out to a certain audience. For this perfume, Gucci
chose the American actress Blake Lively to endorse the product. Blake Lively is a young
actress that has appeared in several movies but is better known for her role in the hit TV
show Gossip Girl. Because of Blake Lively’s youth and her role in a TV show aimed at a
younger audience, the advertisement attracts a younger audience. Also, having a celebrity
endorse a product makes consumers feel more inclined to buy the product since some
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people idolize celebrities’ because of their tastes and styles (Celebrity Endorsement).
Therefore, having a known actress not only captures the consumer’s attention and creates
credibility for the product, but it also persuades consumers to purchase it.
As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”; this is especially
true when it comes to advertisements. Through the use of the colors black, white and
gold, along with the actresses’ body language, this advertisement succeeds to describe the
fragrance and grasp the viewer’s attention. The roles of the different colors in this ad
describe the product by creating an ambiance that reflects the fragrance. The black and
white picture in the background creates an elegant vibe, which brings to the viewer’s
mind the old Hollywood glamour. The gold of the perfume classifies the product in the
viewer’s mind as a luxurious product while Blake Lively captures the viewer’s attention
and guides it towards the perfume.
Word count: 1, 038
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Works Cited
Gucci. “Première.” Advertisement. Vogue Nov.2012. Print.
"Gucci Première 75ml Eau De Parfum Spray." Gucci. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
Ramakrishna, Sadhu and Reddy, Santosh A. “Celebrity endorsement-An effective tool
for building brands?” Web. 29 Oct.2012
"Understanding the Meaning of Colors in Color Psychology." Meaning of Colors in
Color Psychology. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
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