"well fed...", "together..." "american dream..."
1. See the Fernandez family, all smiling great well fed smiles, products of achieving a comfortable American dream, this photo shows no sign of struggle, only the prosperity of the results. Abuela sits with the kids front and center as food surrounds the family. From chicken tenders for the kids to oven roasted chicken, name a product and it's likely there. The wife of the family shows the largest smile, even after what would seem like a pre weather disaster trip to the grocery store. Aside from it all this family is "together", a mother and father, with a son and daughter, this picture is almost too perfect only thing missing was an apple pie.
2. One of my favorite magazines is Complex Magazine, ran by Marc Ecko. It is for your young 16-27 hip male, updating you on the latest from clothing, technology, and so forth. As I look through certain advertisements, which usually get overlooked each one is glossy, photoshopped, if not photoshopped then unauthentic, and seemingly unnecessary. New cars, clothes, woman in provocative poses. Most of the advertisements you don't realize what they're selling until you look into the bottom right or left of the page and the brand's name in small print. Yet I can't blame these brands for paying their hard earned revenue for advertisement space in a popular magazine. They have every right, to flaunt their product, and in a very smart manner might I add, if you see a spread on jeans for the fall, and the next page is an ad for an urban brand's jeans, you might consider. Advertisements in fashion and lifestyle magazines go with the emotion or tie into the visual flow of the articles. You wouldn't put an advertisement for liquor next to a story of an esteemed athlete who committed a vehicular manslaughter while under the influence. Much like comedy advertisement is all about timing, to act on human emotion and know exactly when you have your audience where you want them.
I flip through the pages of my favorite magazine and stop after coming to an advertisement I would be unbiased to. I don't drink alcohol but I stopped at an advertisement for Heineken beer, the backdrop was green matching the company colors with two cans showing the front and back logos. The slogan is simple and to the point saying "Heineken's new can is all perfection, no gimmick." Maybe a slight shot at its competition who has made advancements with such gimmicks as a censor that tell when it's cold, or a wider mouth to make it easier to pour. The basis of print advertisement is to catch your eye or remind the constant customer who has been conditioned by advertisement to purchase the product. The thing is with ads is they are made to evoke a certain emotion, but it is very limited. They add sad music for the save the animals commercials, or using scantily clad women to sell alcohol. Advertisement is an exact science, while photography is an open canvas of emotion. While the Heineken ad is far from complex, it says we make good beer, no gimmicks no filler. Then you have on a entirely different spectrum the Fernandez family photographed by Peter Menzel shows the family with what seems to be the contents of the pantry and fridge surrounding them. It raises far more questions then a simple beer advertisement and makes you analyze the photo much longer. How did they get all that food? Are those cheez-its in the background? Are they gonna eat that pizza? Yet this is the ordinary, what any regular family does, they get groceries to feed the household, no matter their economic position, people make due with their finances and feed themselves. In comparison one plays on impulse, while the other makes you react in ways you wouldn't imagine.
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