Advertisement Evaluation.
By Sara Disborough

Name of product: Highland Springs
Magazine: OK!
Date of issue: 15th July

CODES AND CONVENTIONS: Purpose and effect.
Image Used:

The advertisement has all the important information that is needed i.e. the name of the brand is in the bottom right hand side. This is highlighted because it is colour on a black banner. On the left hand side there is the highland spring’s website. This is in a big enough font to read but not too big to take over the picture. This is also on the black banner. In the centre of the black banner is the well known highland springs slogan ‘Now, that’s true love’ there is very little text on this advertisement but it means a lot. The text symbolises that you will never love anything or anyone as much as you love Highland Springs.
The model is sitting in the centre of the page with his body side on to the camera. His body language is very seductive, open and related. At first glance you may think him to be naked but when you look again you can see he is wearing a Tarzan/ape man costume. This as well as the surroundings shows that it is a very jungle Tarzan feel. This is shown by the monkey sitting by the models side, the trees and the lake.
Highland springs have used a black and white advertisement with the only colour being the bottle its self. This is a great technique because it draws our eye straight to the only coloured thing. We would immediately see that it is a highland spring’s advertisement.
The lighting coming from the left hand top corner gives the impression of the sun rising/setting in the west of the page. The light has landed onto the model which also emphasises him as well as the bottle itself.

REPRESENTAION:
The kind of world that is being represented in the advertisement is a hidden jungle (Tarzan) feel. This is a very erotic and surreal place because we haven’t seen anything actually like it but we know that it exists. Highland springs is advertising that there water is made from organic land. This is shown in the advert by the use of the jungle.
This type of advertisement could offend a person because of the small fact the man in the advert is half naked.
This is a stereotypical advert because some people could take it that highland springs is only for men as there is only a man in this advert. It also says that women are not the jungle type of people and that men are the ones that could live out in the jungle.

AUDIENCE:
The main audience would seem to be women and gay men in there mid 20’s to early 30 are who are of a working class/middle class occupation. This is shown because the man in the advert is half naked and the highland springs bottle looks expensive. This advertisement appeals to a niche audience because it is in a women’s magazine that all women buy. This advertisement is appealing because it gives women the desire of a particular life-style e.g. Tarzan type of man coming and taking you away.

INSTITUTIONS:
( I was very confused as to what I actually had to do is it about the advert or the magazine?)

Evaluation:
I choose this advertisement because I found it shocking and interesting. I found it interesting because of the black and white contrast with the colour. After looking for advertisements for days this was the only one that seemed to be perfect to talk about. It has objectification of men and monkeys. I wouldn’t buy this product at all as I don’t like water and I know how much it actually is, but I am not saying that I wouldn’t put it in a scrapbook.