Imagine flipping through a magazine and seeing a picture that catches your eye, what’s featured is a spectacular object and you just can’t wanting to get your hands on it, either because of the picture itself or the words surrounding it. This is the tactic of advertising. Advertising is a tool that has been used for hundreds of years to get people to feel or act in certain ways, and it is no different today than it was 200 years ago. In 1950 Barbasol, a shaving cream brand, came out with a advertisement that used repetition, text, sex appeal, and color.
Repetition is a great way to get people to remember brands and products, and Barbasol knew this when making their advertisements in the 1950’s. On this advertisement it includes “No brush That is right, Barbasol incorporates a subtle sex appeal to draw their audience in. The company does this with some of its main picture, the wording, and the colors. The main focal point of the whole advertisement is a lovely, little lady standing behind a handsome man while he works, this description seems innocent enough. But she is not just standing there, she is leaning over caressing his face while looking at him lustfully. This picture is located in the center of the add for a reason, because it lures in men, the intended audience. The words surrounding the picture also drives the sexual appeal. The words above the picture implies that men will get the “best results” when it comes to the ladies if they “shave with Barbasol.” This Barbasol add is like modern day Axe commercials, when the men use Axe they get the girl. Again the advertisement uses its wording to evoke sexual feelings when they have the woman say, “I’ve got designs, too… on that Barbasol face!” This phase is intended to be seductive. This can be inferred because of the woman’s body language as she is saying it to her man, obviously working on designs. She is trying to draw his attention away from his work and to her. Furthermore, the colors and how they are placed play into the sex appeal. The colors used are red and black, which are the colors of the brand, yes, but they have a bigger role. The red used is a light, bright red; this color red is used to draw forth erotic feelings, sexuality, and passion. The black is used as a representation of power. In the picture only the missus is in color in an attempt to draw attention to her and make the viewers feel the emotions mentioned. The words above the are also in red in black in order to have the same effect. Barbasol used the sex appeal as a form of pathos to gain
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