Eyes Wide Open

I used to think of advertisements as just another annoyance. But, now, understanding how subliminal they are, and all that’s being communicated by them, has made me more interested in what I see. For instance, I never would have noticed before how everything from the water bottle to the lime wedge in the Corona ad boasted virility. I’m also now aware that the colors chosen by advertisers affect our mood and perceptions of not just their product, but what we need in our lives. The ad I chose to write my paper on was for a waterproof shirt. The shirt was golden-orange and the man wearing the shirt was photographed in the rain and extremely close to the camera. The caption at the bottom said, “If This Shirt Had a Finger, It Would Give It to the Weatherman.” From class I learned that there are a ton of messages this ad is sending out; the close-up shot makes the man look huge, representing power; the rain means the shirt earns its waterproof claim; the shirt’s golden-orange color denotes warmth and trust; the caption says ‘I do what I want and I don’t take crap from anyone’. Not only do I want the shirt, I want the man. Now that’s good advertising!