ANALYSIS OF AN ADVERTISEMENT TITLE: ANALYSIS OF LONGINES ADVERTISEMENT
The Following analysis is about a watch that appears in an ad for Diamonds International St. Lucia. A watch is being advertised of which Diamonds International is the exclusive agent in Saint Lucia. The brand of watch is Longines. The ad appeared in Visions of St. Lucia page 19, Volume 2, 2011 edition. The ad also appeared in the Visions of St. Lucia as this publication is the premier advertising magazine, St. Lucian businesses use to market the products and services they sell. Visions of St. Lucia is the local publication created for St. Lucians and visitors alike so that they can find out what products and services are available across the island. It must also be noted that Diamonds International market their products exclusively to visitors especially high-end visitors who require pricey items. The ad suggests that the Longines watch appears to be a high-end product because the former Ms. Universe Aishwarya Rai is wearing it. Normally Ms. Universe winners are synonymous with high-end products and fashion. Miss Universe also appears in strictly expensive product commercials. (New York Times 2008) The environment that she is in modelling the watch as well as the dress she is wearing indicates that the product is an extremely pricey product. It is these features likewise the distributor Diamonds International that suggest that the item is a luxury item; made for the wealthy and well fortuned market in the watch industry.
Longines uses a previous miss Universe, Aishwarya Rai to display their product. The watch capitalizes on the fame of the star to showcase the confidence and stature, a person can have when they wear this watch. In wearing this item they can feel like a winner... like Rai. The print advertisement uses the wrists of the model to showcase the piece available for purchase during their 2011 Fall line of watches. The ad also capitalizes on the beauty of the model to showcase the beauty of the product itself. The ad utilizes still photography, with the model posing in a sexy posture to accentuate the watch that she is wearing along with a bangle on her other hand. The model's clothing is also spot on ..sexy as to illustrate the beauty of jewellery added to the product as an extension of the line of luxury and stature that comes with purchasing this product. Likewise her silhouette dress and sexy smile enhances the appeal for the product and curvaceous figure.
The set consists of an ambiance in an upscale environment that denotes, pose, elegance and richness. The set also utilizes the grace of the wealthy environment to denote the rich and famous target market of which it appeals to. The set appears to be hot , ripe and full of passion and charm. The participant is a supermodel turned actress, and former Miss Universe and Miss India winner; Aishwarya Rai. On the set Rai, is shown wearing the Longines watch in an elegant setting displaying her attitude and passion in her fashion, and accessories.
The advertisement features the key objects of a watch, jewellery (gold), and a supermodel dressed to attract the finest tastes in watches that exists. The ad also highlights the quartz, gold and diamond pieces that are part of the engineering of the watch. The brand Longines, displays the slogan "elegance is attitude" to sell their watch. This slogan suggests that a person's beauty is enhanced by the use of their watch and it gives them the attitude to feel like they are part of the elite. Without the piece there is not much to look forward to as the user lacks the confidence to bolster their attitude and enhance their elegance.
The ad seems to have been made in low light or by a black and white camera. The use of black and white light strengthens the appeal for the product and creates a passion rich and elegant filled setting where a woman can display her confidence in the products she is wearing on her hand. The lighting pushes the product from being in the lime-light to one of stature and desire to fulfil the wants of any woman who require luxury, poise, and elegance in her demeanour.
In the foreground there is Rai, displaying the use of jewellery and watch in a sexy pose by the side of a white wall. This pose utilizes sexy body language to indicate the strong presence of the product and the attitude and elegance of the woman who wears it. The background of the advertisement suggest wealthy and elegant room where passion and beauty adds value to the wearer of the watch. The ad is significant up to a point because it builds on the character of the luxury brand Longines; and incites rich and famous as well top value for every dollar spent on product. This is done by emphasizing the brilliance of elegance and strengthening ones confidence and attitude when wearing the product. The product also signifies high-end and can only be purchased by the rich and famous. Readers will feel just like Rai, when they purchase and wear the product.
Key personnel who are interested in products like this, need to place themselves in the shoes of Rai, who most women rate as being one of the most beautiful women in the world. (Jan 2012, Top 20 Most Beautiful Women in the World Magazine). Secondly beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and when a woman wants to feel beautiful; she needs to accessorize herself with the most luxurious items out there so that she can be part and parcel of the "elite". Also when accessorizing herself, a woman must inspire confidence and elegance in what she wears to add value to her appearance. The advertisement and its products are made for rich persons who desirous of elegance and need to showcase their beauty to all who lack self confidence in the way they wear watches and jewellery; that they can using Longines and similar high-end fashion accessories. The item is made for persons who have lots of capital and not afraid of spending it to look good especially young and middle aged women.
The watch product has been associated with Longines. Longines has been based at St Imier, Switzerland, since 1832. Its watch making expertise, built up over 175 years, reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and the sporting world: it has generations of experience as the official timekeeper at world championships and as a partner of international sports federations. Longines is a member of The Swatch Group S.A., the world’s leading manufacturer of watches and associated products. The product seems to symbolize an excellent reputation for creating refined luxurious timepieces, likewise the brand, carries an emblem that is a winged hourglass.
The product does not suggest ethnicity but suggest that it can build one's self identity by accessorizing the product; it adds value to a woman's beauty by building elegance in her and her attitude. The ad seems to have left out cultural assumptions but symbolizes when purchased customers get top value for their top dollar spent.
I believe the add is nice, but is distracting as it invariably displays a tiny time piece on the woman's arm but is distracted by flashy jewellery and a sexy dress that indicates a possible romantic evening and not the showcase of a luxury time piece.
The add does not showcase the use of the watch properly; but rather utilizes the woman's beauty to bring about a simple elegance, one woman can have by wearing the product. There is scope for misinterpretation of the add as it symbolizes and idealizes beauty and not the usage of the watch. The add is also distracting to the point as it is impossible to discern directly if it is about just the time piece or the bangle, or both, or beauty. Participants who watch this add are likely to misconstrue it as a beauty add and not a luxury time piece as the ad is not focused on the time but on the beauty of the woman.
After analyzing this add I have learnt that companies need, to use appropriate channels to target their market. It is not just the user of the product that sells the product but the way it is displayed to the audience who receives it. Depending on the nature of the ad and the principality of the watcher or target audience it can be misinterpreted; as different things mean differently to others in other languages. What is ethical in one language or country might be unethical in other likewise what is insulting in one can be not the same in another. Companies need to assess their advertising campaign before their proceed to develop their ad as distinctions should be made by cultural, geographic and socio-economic factors in the desired markets targeting.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berger, Arthur Asa (1991): Media Research Techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Chapman, Simon and Garry Egger (1983): 'Myth in Cigarette Advertising and Health Promotion'. In Davis & Walton (Eds.), op. cit., pp. 166-186

Cook, Guy (1992): The Discourse of Advertising. London: Routledge
Davis, Howard & Paul Walton (Eds.) (1983): Language, Image, Media. Oxford: Basil Blackwell

Dyer, Gillian (1982): Advertising as Communication. London: Routledge
Fowles, Jib (1996): Advertising and Popular Culture. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Goldman, Robert (1992): Reading Ads Socially. London: Routledge
Jhally, Sut (1990): The Codes of Advertising. London: Routledge

Manca, Alessandra & Luigi (Eds.) (1994): Gender & Utopia in Advertising: A Critical Reader. Lisle, IL: Procopian Press

Myers, Greg (1994): Words in Ads. London: Edward Arnold
Myers, Kathy (1986): Understains: The Sense and Seduction of Advertising. London: Comedia
Packard, Vance (1960): The Hidden Persuaders. Harmondsworth: Penguin
Pateman, Trevor (1983): 'How is Understanding an Advertisement Possible?' In Davis & Walton (Eds.), op. cit., pp. 187-204

Vestergaard, Torben & Kim Schroder (1985): The Language of Advertising. Oxford: Basil Blackwell

Williamson, Judith (1978): Decoding Advertisements. London: Marion Boyars