Print Advertisement Analysis

Print Advertisement Analysis

The print ad am focusing on is the Maybelline New York “Pure Makeup.” Maybelline New York is a cosmetic brand that is owned by French corporation referred to as “The L’Oréal Group” and is in above 120 countries as from 2008. Thus, the ad which is Maybelline New York “Pure Makeup” contains a very consistent message which does grab the attention of many. Its states that, “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe its Maybelline.”

The text explains that this product has got something very unique that can change someone’s appearance or makes someone look so different from the standard expectation. It also says that it is an oil-free make up that contains 50% water meaning that it is not going to clog your pores or make you look fake. This means that it is explaining the benefits of the product on how it is going to protects one’s pores and nobody will find your face looking fake. The brand has developed how it is conscious of the skin and has a soothing effect. Although this ad does not explain how “soothing” the product is, how does it work? What is it? I find the ad to be vague also, in the way it describes the things found within the product like aloe, chamomile and vitamin E. it claims these items help cool and soothe but how much of this product contains the mentioned items? The ad fails to say, but the majority of the readers conclude that the items will make their faces be extra “beautiful.” Although, this is available in many shades, 12 of them and this means that people with all skin types can use it. What is in the text does relate to the image because we can see the effect that the girl in the image has got after using this product, and it is precisely what the text says about the impact of the product. Majority of the women in the society today believe that a face that is smooth and whose pores are protected is believed to be the best one. Though the ad does not detail how “shine-free” the face of the consumer will be after using this product..

The image is lovely, displaying much strength, confidence and beauty as seen from the model’s look. She looks at the reader straight in the eye and holds the bottle of water with so much confidence that it is what makes her look that beautiful. Many women do believe that water is part of what makes them look so beautiful and have the smooth skin that they always wish for. And from the image, we see that water has dominated it. The text relates to the add in that, and it says, “50% water replaces oil, giving coverage that is beyond natural.” And many readers will take what the ad says and purchase it since it contains “water that makes their skin shine-free and this means that you will not have to stress yourself wiping off so much oil. The photograph shows a lifestyle that relates to the product because we see the model’s face looking all smooth and oil-free and this is precisely how one will turn out after using the product as the image depicts. And many women always want such a good look, and it definitely will make their lives better, and they will be very confident to walk around after using the product.

The ad is from the Maybelline magazine and does target the adult females, majorly the one around 18-40 years. Some of these women are single, married, and the majority of the readers of the add have an interest in beauty and fashion only. It does appeal to the women through addressing issues relating to beauty, mostly about the woman’s face. The appearance of a woman’s face has got more significant concerns in American society, and the majority of the women seek services and products which help mold their faces to the current trends. The ad, like the majority of the ad, does intend to exploit lack of confidence women do feel concerning their faces so that they may offer a product that will increase her confidence and make her beautiful. Therefore, the implicit messages from this ad entail promising a lady natural, oil-free and protection of her pores. Someone from different gender that is the man would interpret this add differently because he would believe that even though drinking a lot of water, then they would have oil-free skin. And they would not focus on using the product as it is required and this would give them different look unlike what is in the ad. This is because much of what the add says is the relevance of water to the pores and the face.

Just like the majority of the ads, “Pure Make-up” insists on the relevance of physical beauty within the American culture. I chose it because find it mature and exciting because anyone can look at it and relate what is trying to say, the idea of water being the primary ingredient here is mature because it is not all about the expensive ingredients but something affordable to every woman.  Also, the idea of “pure makeup” makes sense because water is pure meaning that the make up itself will also be natural and pure. The ad has a lot of blue space filled with water, and it relates exactly to what the text does say. The figure is a middle-aged model, not every young and her facial expression is impressing plus the way she poses with a bottle of water. [1]But again, I expected it to have a black and white model, but it explains that the key target audience is the white people and they are the ones expected to use the product to get the effect like that of the model. I find it to be racist, and it hides the fact that it is focused on a specific color and leaves out another color by stating the many shades but not showing the impact of those shades on a different race. The ad alienates the black race. And the message “Maybe she is born with it. Maybe its Maybelline” does make total sense to me according to the images and text in the ad.

References

An Introduction to Semiotics by Arthur Asu Berger (Longman, Inc., 95 Church Street, White Plains, NY 10601).

[1] An Introduction to Semiotics by Arthur Asu Berger (Longman, Inc., 95 Church Street, White Plains, NY 10601).