Referring to Sturken and Cartwright's discussion, "Addressing the Consumer," describe how the above advertising image "interpellates" or calls a viewer to occupy the subject position constructed by the ad. (Please click on image to view larger size)
If within a consumer society, the purpose of the advertisement is no longer to sell products, but rather "lifestyle and identification with brand names and corporate logos" (S&C: 198), what ideas, qualities and/or beliefs are associated with this clothing brand? In what ways can the ad be read as contradictory in terms of its appeal to the potential consumer?
18 comments:
The above advertising ‘interpellates’ the viewer both through the use of text and the images themselves. They use the word ‘your’ to address the viewers directly and try to make them feel like they can be like the people in the ads, like that position is attainable through spending money in their stores. The advertiser also uses words that aren’t usually used to describe fashion, like ‘sound’ and ‘philosophy’, to make the viewer feel like they’ll be different and unique by buying those clothes. They think that they’d get more than just a ‘look’; they’d get their own ‘sound’ through the clothes they wear.
Based on the images and text used in the ads, I’d say that GAP brand wants to be associated with youth, independence, uniqueness, casual sophistication and the belief that the clothes they sell help people to express themselves through fashion. This can be seen as contradictory because they’re selling racks and racks of mass produced clothes that all look the same. Plus, they show basically the same look in both pictures, just one for men and the other for women. And there’s nothing unique about the look; you could just walk to the next store in the mall and they’ll show something similar.
Sturken and Cartwright define interpellation as the "process by which we come to recognize ourselves in the subject position offered in a particular representation or product" (S&C, 203). In marketing a particular product, advertisers tend to not focus on what the product does, or how it was produced, but perceived concepts of identity a would be buyer would be. The two Gap advertisements offer an image of a hip young man and woman, each ignoring the material benefits of their product, or the conditions in which the clothing is produced.
Instead, Gap suggests wearing their clothing line, a person could identify his or her self as part of the cool crowd. In Gap clothing a person is beautiful, sexy, intelligent, and unique. The offering of uniqueness is rather contradicting considering one who dresses in a particular brand does so in partially to be a piece of the in-crowd. When one dresses to be cool they do not truly own their identity, but conform to what is already cool by merely following trends.
The ads produce literally a sharp black and white image displaying a stylishly dressed male and female standing against a plain, and colorfully different background. Both are dressed casually in expensive looking street clothes and seem to enjoy sporting a good scarf. These attract viewers by the manner in which the models are shown as being ‘cool’, casual, unique, and even holding an artistic talent.
The ad seems to indicate that this style of dress will give you the ability to philosophize and write music. This can be interpreted as both literal and figurative, almost as though GAP is claiming that their clothes will create a sort of ‘cool/unique’ resonance emitting from your stylishly clad body. Regardless of what such a look will give ‘you’, as the ad points out, you have to realize that you’re not the only one soaking up that information.
The ad seems to be expressing something new and unique, yet these clothes that GAP is selling are being purchased by mass numbers of fools searching for the same ‘unique’ look themselves. In the end we have an army of GAP clones; nothing new nor unique resides there.
Andrew Megow-
The advertisements we see in every day life nowadays realize conformity is now longer a fashionable thing. We have the freedom of choice more than ever before so advertisements need to find to be national and personal at the same time. The specific advertisements you've chosen interpelates us, the viewer, by was of body and word. One asks us to create our own 'sound' by purchasing their clothes so we get the idea that sound, sound will be produced because we are just that much of an individual that sound is produced. Same with the other which tells us to create our own 'philosophy'. Purchasing this companies clothes will give you so much individuality you start to find the true meaning to life's great mysteries. It makes the reader feel good and proud to be an individual, like everyone else.
These advertisements are looking for words such as: Unique, Independent, Individuality, and an artist in all of us. We are our own fashion. But the sad truth of the matter is actually these stores have several hundred 'individual' jackets and jeans that all look the same. It's very cynical but true since this is certainly not the first store to advertise 'individuality'.
Interpellation "refers to a process by which we are constructed by the ideologies that speak to us every day through language and images"(S&C 52), it is the idea that an ideology "calls" us into its service, we become an author, a creator, an artist of that ideology. The ads pictured here function to place us in the subject position of an intelligent, self-defining person. The ads hail us to create our own ideologies by showing us two fashionable people who have decided themselves to be fashionable. The ad asks you to be your own person, promoting an existential self-truth that is only attainable if you choose to be fashionable (i.e. shop at the Gap).
It is in this way that the add functions to attach the quality of individuality to a product, a quality that a person "can subsequently acquire through purchasing and using the product"(S&C 201). This is blatantly contradictory, (arguably all mass consumer product advertising is) at its core in that it presents to us a pre-designed fashion which claims to represent personal choice.
Andrew Tolstedt
Advertising is no longer about showing your product off and getting people to buy it, as much as it is getting people to buy the lifestyle that is being advertised.
In the first ad, GAP is showing us a very sharply dressed woman looking casual but very pretty just the same. Since this image is in black and white, it defines all of her features and the features of the clothing. Off to the side it reads, "Create your Sound". The idea with this image is that you should be independent and stand outside of the crowd. This idea contradicts the whole clothing because by wearing their clothing, you are no different than anyone else. The second image is just the same, except it is using a man and it reads "Make your own philosophy."
Through the ideas expressed in ads, the advertiser wants to communicate to the viewer directly; to make it seem like he/she is making a deep inner connection to you. In these particular ads the use of words doesn't at all sell the product but more the idea of the product. What you will feel when you own this product. It isn't saying hey my product is warm, comfortable, sensible, and over priced. It expresses this idea of uniqueness and being one self with these different articles of clothing. Saying the more you buy basically the more unique you will be. However the ideas created also make you feel accepted like if you don't have them, people won't like you. So it's uniformity through conformity.
This ad contradicts itself because the GAP brand is something that A LOT of people wear so the fact that they sell the same thing to thousands of people doesn't speak much for it's uniqueness and creating YOUR own anything.
The images are two Gap ads, one with a woman, and one with a man. The two are wearing very hip Gap clothing, with accompanying texts which essentially tell the consumer that they will create their own style. The ads interpellates the viewer into thinking that they are the man/woman, who is incredibly unique and individual. The Sturken and Cartwright reading said that everyone interpellates themselves into ads, whether they try to or not. Since everyone wants to be unique, everyone would end up interpellating themselves into the ad, and feel compelled to buy Gap clothes.
The ideas associated with this brand of clothing is being yourself through your clothing. Ironically enough though, if everyone were to get their clothes from Gap, no one would be original or unique anymore. Hence, those who are truly unique and original would end up buying their clothes from someplace else. Probably an American Eagle.
The two advertisements easily show a way to interpellate the viewer into the subject of the models. The use of the word “your” and “own” gives the audience that the ad is speaking directly to them. One way advertisements appeal to a viewer is through letting them feel that the ad uniquely identifies with only them. A viewer can replace he boy or girl models in the ad and feel as is they can create themselves (as the text suggests) by buying Gap clothes.
The Gap clothing line using this ad to try to appeal to people in the lifestyle of sophistication through the use of black and white and the idea of many layers of clothing to show wealth. The Gap also wants to show the quality of being able for its consumers to show their uniqueness by buying their clothes and creating outfits to speak for every individual. However, once everyone sees this and goes out to buy Gap clothes, the ad contradicts itself when the uniqueness is gone due to the fact that everyone is doing it. It actually takes an individual to say no to buying from a brand name clothing line.
This advertisement interpellates the viewer to occupy the subject position in that it directly speaks to the consumer. The text states “create your own ____”, with different words placed in the blank for the man and the woman. The viewer is being asked to fill in the blank themselves using their own individuality. The ads suggest that if when you put on these clothes you are expressing yourself, in a totally unique way. The viewer ‘fills in the blank’ with their own creativity when they buy and wear these clothes. The viewer wants to become the people in the advertisements because these people are unique, and the viewer also wants to be unique.
In this particular ad campaign for GAP, the company is trying to promote their clothes as being unique and for people who want to express themselves. This idea is very contradictory in that many people buy GAP clothes and so therefore it is not unique. These ads make the viewer feel as though these clothes allow for individuality, when in reality the clothes offer the opposite.
-Charlie Ripple
These two ads “interpellates” the viewer almost immediately with the models’ wardrobes, which are both stylish, fashionable, and worn in a sophisticated manner. Both models appear to be an average city person which; a lot of viewers can relate to. The woman seem to have more of an attitude which relates to the more serious consumer while the male models looks more relaxed and laid back which holds the free spirited consumer. These ads also suggest that the viewer has complete control over their appearance by using the phrases “your own”.
This clothing brand sells the idea of sophistication with the leather jackets; which are considered a luxury. So one of the intial beliefs The Gap is selling, is class and the idea that the classier you are the more serious you’ll be taken. Because you shop at The Gap, a store for sophisticated and stylish people, so you are in fact a sophisticated and stylish member. The models also have a sort of attitude in the ads, the type of self confident attitude people have when they feel good about their appearance. So not only are you stylish and sophisticated but you’re also a confident, good-looking, city girl/boy. “Create your own…” “Make your own…” these phrases gives the viewer the illusion that as a consumer, they have several choices to express themselves with this brand. However it’s contradictory because the ad throws this idea of what people should look like and yet they’re trying to say that people can “create” their own style to be original, but only if they look like the models in the ad.
The two Gap ads shown in the original post use interpellation in both, and both use then in two ways. One is through the use of the words, sound & philosophy. When clearly they are selling clothes not something to make music, or a book on philosophy. This is part of how advertising sells a life style now instead of just products. Allowing the viewer to assume that by purchasing these types of clothing items. The viewer is actually pushed to believe these are ideas they want and they can obtain by using the word "your" in both ads. Also the font for "sound" and "philosophy" are both handwriting as if the people wrote it themselves just like you would be able to write what you want to become.
The Gap company's advertising campaign for these two ads would most likely mean that Gap is trying to sell there clothes as a necessary accessory to any individuals life style they were to choose. Yet both images look incredible similar but are supposed to represent two different life styles. Which is similar to most stores trying to sell unique and nonconforming ideas through clothing, or music, etc...
Marco Cannestra
TA: Brent
In the ads shown above consumers are called to place themselves in the subject position of the ads. This means that we as consumers look at the ads and see ourselves in the cloths, as those people in the ad instead of the actual people in the ad. We see the text that says" create your own…" and "make your own..." which at the ends of this text had a fill in the blank that has a hand written response. This is to show how you could fill in that blank with your word like the subjects in the ad. This is to make you feel like you can be an individual by shopping at this store in this case its Gap.
When the ad no longer represents selling a product but instead a lifestyle that is associated with that logo, its concept changes. In the advertisements gap isn't trying to sell a brand of cloths, but instead a lifestyle of being an individual. Thus the reason for the text with the hand written word at the end. That word could be replaced by the viewers word. This means that by buying Gap cloths you're being individual and you are "making your own..." whatever. The Gap brand then becomes associated with being an individual, and a brand of cloths that u can wear to express yourself. The ad can be seen as contradictory because it's selling individuality, but if you buy a popular brand of cloths, you're buying a shirt or pair of pants that have a million others like it, which ultimately be bought by other people making you the same as everybody else. So when you buy Gap trying to be an individual, you are really conforming to the Gap line of clothing.
These images interpellates viewers very simply - first off, they use the word "your." This word implies that the ad is speaking to an individual, not an audience, which helps spread the individuality that the ad is trying to express. In many ways, the "voice" of the ad knows the you its addressing. It addresses the individualistic you, and wants you to be an individual. This person in the ad wants to help you. And what’s the best way to become an individual? Why, buy their clothing, of course!
The ways in which this is contradictory to a consumer is that the main aim/goal of this ad is for people who want individuality. It expresses this by saying "make your own sound, or be your own philosophy" or whatnot, and the clothing brand in general contradicts this. Their strive to talk to the individual is guised by this veiled attempt at sucking the consumer in, tricking them to buy something that actually makes them one of the pack. If every single person, who saw this ad, went out and bought these exact clothes, the individuality of the original ad would seem like a lie. The ideas and beliefs identified in the ad is all about originality, but the actual purchasing of this object is very contradictory. Its implied that buying it will make the consumer unique, but the ad succeeds in "convincing many consumers that a mass-produced product will make them unique." (S&C p.205)
In Sturken and Cartwright’s discussion about the way how advertisements call viewers to occupy the subject position, they specifically point out the use of the secondary subject “you” that constructs the slogan and the choice of figure, which two aspects manifested on the above ads. S&C states that the use of “you” makes the slogan speaks as an emphatic tone and as they have well familiar with the consumer desires. The two slogans on Gap: create your own sound/philosophy, manifest not only the familiarity that advertisements stress to consumer, but also the idea of a “presumption of relevance”. Another element is the characteristic in these advertisements. There are a brief background information about the model in the left ad: the occupation of DJ, which is a symbol of urban people and also the idea of “own sound” comes from.
The belief conveyed by the advertisements under the consumer society is certainly associated with the pursuit of uniqueness. Sturken and Cartwright use “youth culture”, “hipness”, and “being cool” to indicate this idea of signifying oneself as a uniqueness. The contradictory exists in convincing the potential consumers a unique lifestyle and identification for their own while the brand cannot deny that they are speaking to every individual which can be the entire society. In other words, the advertisement is using one particular model to modeling uniqueness under the power of mass production
The two images shown interpellate the viewer by using the words "your own." The text encourages the viewer to be unique with the help of the clothing. Also, the models are posed casually and seem seem expressive. They appeal to the viewer because they are "regular people" just like them.
Some ideas that I associated with this brand as a result of the ad were that wearing their clothing would make you an individual, set apart from the rest of society, regardless of how much it may be mass produced. Also, the people come across and trendy and somebody that you would like to spend time around. You too, could become a cool individual if you wear Gap clothing.
This could be read as contradictory because the advertisement emphasizes the viewer's individuality, but the product being advertised is widely available, so wearing the clothing would result in the viewer looking like everybody else.
These images call the consumer to feel compelled to buy the product simply because the individuals depicted have an air of fulfillment, happiness, or a general complacency. This causes the consumer to identify with and want the product being sold. By associating the product with these intrinsic ideals, the consumer is no longer buying the product itself rather they are buying something they can never attain through purchasing clothing.
The ideas and beliefs associated with this ad include fulfillment, individuality, non-conformity, and the promise of making your own individual style. This ad can be seen as contradictory in the sense that the clothing is mass produced; meaning that it is in no way custom made to the individual, and therefore conformity is almost certain.
The point of this advertisement is to make the consumer feel like by purchasing this company’s product, they can somehow individualize it. The irony is all to obvious here. The consumer is targeted in a way that makes the advertisement feel like it is directly speaking to him or her.
It is contradictory because it is not only speaking to a mass crowd, but by the ad is made to seem like purchasing the same clothing can somehow make you an individual. Everyone is still buying from the Gap. It doesn’t make you any different than anyone else who shops there. The entire concept of these images are to make you feel like you’re an individual, without actually having to look to yourself to accomplish this.
-Heidi Sherwood
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