Advertising Analysis: Parisienne

Yves Saint Laurent has come out with an ad campaign featuring their new perfume, Parisienne. The ad features the world renowned supermodel Kate Moss dressed in a raven-black corset and pencil skirt. A dark, charcoal jacket is thrown over her frail shoulders and a light pink rose is caressed between her fingers. Her blonde locks are tasseled in a slightly messy hair-do while a few strands of hair caress her fair skin. Behind this beautiful model is the infamous Eiffel Tower hovering over her left shoulder and grand stone statues lie in the background to her right. The evening sky is composed of an exquisite mosaic of purple and pink tones. At the bottom right corner, there is an image of the “Parisienne” perfume bottle. The bottle is made out of glass which has been cut to resemble a jewel. The perfume itself is a light pink color which looks very similar to the light pink color of the rose in Kate Moss’ hand. The perfume bottle’s cap is a smooth rounded shape and has a golden color. The text at the bottom of the ad reads, “Living and loving in the moment”; which is positioned underneath the designer and the perfume’s name. The text is in a slim font and a golden color that matches the bottle cap. The jacket over Kate Moss’ shoulders looks like it may belong to a man and the flower she is holding suggests that a man has given it to her. The flower in her hand possibly given to her by a male, strongly suggests that her approval and attraction from men is formed because she is seen as “beautiful”. Although, using a supermodel gives off the illusion to women that by using this product, women can become the ideal woman in the eyes of men. The fact that Kate is walking away from the Eiffel Tower and from the beautiful sunset may...

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...enne” perfume.

Many hidden, underlining messages of advertisements are used in order to market products in a sexualized manner. Instead of selling the product itself, advertisements sell ideals or certain things that have nothing to do with the actual product. Advertisements attempt to appeal to the public in order to convince consumers to purchase their products. In the case of the Yves Saint Laurent ad, romance, sex, and the promise of being able to live life to the fullest are all being marketed in the form of the “Parisienne” perfume. Not to mention, its influence on gender roles and how its contribution to the stereotyping of Caucasians. The setting and visual aspects of the advertisement campaign as well as the race of the selected model behind the perfume ad provide a wide variety of messages to its audience that are not always clear at first glance.