Semiotic Analysis Report-- The Best Perfume Commercial: Pleasure by

Estee Lauder

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Thisessayisaboutasemioticanalysisoftheadvertisementconcernstheaboveadvertisingofwomen's
perfume,EsteeLauder.Thusthisessaywillindividuallyanalyzetheaboveadvertisementsintermsof
theirstatusassigns,whoseassociativemeaningsnotonlygaveafavorableimpressionoftheproduct,but
were also compatible with, and complementary to the feminine context in which they were
situated.Although the advertisements do not physically represent the product, they all provide an
importanticonicrepresentationofboththeproductandwhattheproductshouldstandfor.Thus,analysis
willstronglyfocusupontheadvertisements'photographicimagery,andthewaysinwhichthisimagery
generatestheappropriatesignifiedconceptsoremotionalovertoneswhichpromotestheimageofthe
product.

The above image features an advertisement for the perfume Pleasure by Estee Lauder. The
advertisementusesavarietyofsignifierswhichpublicizeboththeidentityofthebrand,andanimage
whichisinlinewiththeideologyofthetextinwhichitappears,inthiscase,isthesensual,elegant,soft
andromance.Thisadvertpredominatelyfeaturesafemalemodelinherearlytomidtwenties,andsheis
sitting at the veranda with her hand holding a dog, surrounding by pink flowers with a joyful
expression.Adjacenttoherisaniconicimageoftheproductitself,andatthecenteroftheproductarethe
namePleasure whichwritteninhandwritingbeautifully. The wordPleasure isprojectedasbeing
disproportionatelylarge.Underneaththisiconicimageoftheproductisthebrandnameoftheproduct,
EsteeLauder,andunderneaththebrandnamearethewords:DefiningBeauty,togethertheseseparate
componentsformaneffectiveandunifiedmessage.
Estee LauderCompany was founded in 1946. It isa US manufacturer and marketer of skin care,
cosmetics,perfumeandhaircareproducts.EsteeLauderbeganasacosmeticscompanyinNewYork
City.Inearly1950s,Lauderreunitedwithafragranceexecutivethatshemetadecadeearlierinorderto
developaperfume.Withtheirstartsinskincareandthenmovedontoperfumes.In1953,thefirst
perfume,YouthDewwaslaunchedandisverysuccessful.EsteeLauderhasworkedhardtobecomea
symbolofwomenspecialistinallareasfromhygienetoskincare.InthecaseofEsteeLauder,the
mediachannelsusedareselectiveforaspecifictargetmarket,whichareuppersocioeconomiclevelof
consumers,particularlyrichwomen.
In 1995, Estee Lauder launched a new perfume Pleasure. One of lifes simple pleasures is the
concept of the Estee Lauder perfume of series Pleasure. In order to make sure the image and
exclusivityofPleasurebyEsteeLauderremainsintactintheinformationreceivedbytheaudience.The
demographicsandtargetaudienceareessential. Forthisproduct,itstargetismostlyonyoungfemale,
betweenearly20to35yearsold,wholovesthescentthatisnotcomplicated,withfreshfloralandnottoo
overwhelming. From the above advertisement of the Pleasure perfume, we can elaborate that the
subject,whichisthefemalemodelprovidesayouthfulelementofjoyfulandrelaxing,whichservesboth
theproductandthetextinwhichitisbeingadvertised.
PleasuresbyEsteeLauderperfume,modelbyCarolynMurphywasinterpretingPleasuresfromnon
verbalcommunication.Wecanseeafemalemodelenjoyingherlovelydaywearinganicepinkevening
dresssitatverandawhileholdingherdog.Thismomentshowssheisdefinitelyincomfortzonebyusing
theperfume.Thecommunicatortriestoconveythefeelingofpleasuresbycaptureamomentwhereher
bodywaspostinrelaxingposture.Eventhoughshesitatthecornerofverandaanditcanbedangerous
forherbutherfacialexpressionandbodypostureseemtotallybeingmergewiththearomaofperfume.
Besidesthat,denotationofthisadPleasuresshowsathairflowingofmodelandthefoldofthedress.It
signifiesthatshedoesnotknowherdresshadbeenfolduntilshowsomepartsofhertightandshedoesnt
careaboutthatbecauseitshowshowpleasuresorcomfortablesheis.Lawofsimilarityoflightercolour
becomesthemaincolourofthisad,thecommunicatortriestocapturetheusersbyusingonecolour,so

thattheuser'seyesarenotdistractedbyovercrowdedofthecolour.Dogs isoneoftheanimalthat
sensitive with smell, in context of communication of Estee Lauder was to show that dog had been
comfortablewiththearomaofperfume.Thedog'sexpressionseemscomfortablewiththesurroundings.
EsteeLaudertriestoamazedhumanandanimalwithsuchmessageconveyedthatmentionedearlier
above.
Furthermore,theusageoffloralasthebackgroundimageoftheadvertisementistoexpressthefeeling
thatlifeissweetandwonderful.Itrepresentsanideaofastylizedpeony,aholographicimageinvibrant
greenandpinkshades.Thepinkflowersgivesthemeaningofbuoyanttouch,centeredonloveandfemale
aspects,thegood,soft,romanceandtheinnocent,whenrelatedtotheadvertisementabove;itclearly
conveysthegoodness,gentility,thegreatfragrancesmellandthefreshnesswhenusingthisproduct.What
separatesPleasuresfromotherprettyfloralrenditionsisthatitislayeredoverauniquemuskbase
metallicandsparkling.Indirectly,italsoconveysamessagetoaudiencethatthisfragrancesscentisnot
toooverwhelming;itissimplyfloral,andfresh.Itgivesafeelingofbeingyoungagain.
However,themoreinterestingsemioticelementsoftheadvertexistwithinitsnotionoffreedom,whichis
theadventsprimarysignifiedconcept.Thenotionoffreedomisprimarilyconveyedbytheimageofthis
femalemodelandherpuppy;who,inviewofhergesture;seemsextremelyhappy,andunrestrictedby
normallife,thusprovidingasenseofliberationwhichisalsoconveybyherfacialexpressionandher
gesture.Withthewomansittingatthefencewithanelegantposturesignifiesthegentletouchofthe
EsteeLauderproductitbrings.Thedogholdbythewomanhappilywastoexpressthatthejoyfulness
andtheenjoymentwhenusingtheproduct.Furthermorethesoftlyfocusedqualityofthephotographyand
theholographicimageinvibrantgreenandpinkshadesarefurthersignifierswhichcontributetothis
joyful,flourish,clean,utopianimageofliberation.
With detailed and further analysis, Estee Lauder is able to predict its influences on the audience,
dependingontypeofmasscommunicationtheyuse.Theyknowexactlywhycertainmediacampaign
failstoalteraudience'sattitudesandtheirtrust.Thus,EsteeLauderhasidentifiedtwobasicneedofits
audiencethroughitsnewproduct,Pleasure.Oneofthecategoriesofthebasicneedoftheaudienceis
casualandsimplepursuitofmodestyandpleasure.Thepursuitofalifestylewhereyoucanundergo
lifewithplayfulsideofpleasuresthatsimplyirresistible.While,thesecondistheescapistneeds,the
needswhichrelatingtoescapingtension,stress,bodyodour,desireandselfconfident.Perfumeislikea
reflectionofapersonspersonality.Withtherightchoice,itgivesconfidencetoapersontocarryonwith
theirdailylife.EsteeLauderspentmillionsinordertoreachitsaudiences,tounderstandwhereandwho
theyare,andknowingwhatkindofadvertisingappealstothem.
The nonverbal cues in the picture contribute to the verbal message in numerous ways. The first
impressionisjoyful,softandromancebyhavingputtingpinkcolorasthecolorthemeandthefemale
modelsfacialexpressionandgesture.Inordertomakethefemalemodelstandout,thephotographer

cleverlyvaguethebackgroundflower.Thechoiceofgraphicistoblendinwiththecoloringandtosubtly
stateitsname.Indirectly,toblendwiththemessageitstrytoconveyjoyful,soft,romance.Theonly
verbalinformationisthebrandnameEsteeLauder,productnamePleasure,anditstagline
DefiningBeauty.
Inconclusion,thisassignmenthasguideustogiveasemioticanalysisofadvertisementwhosesignifiers
werenotonlydesignedtogiveafavorableandappropriateimageoftheproductbutalsoshowntohavea
strongrelationshipwiththetextualcontextinwhichthesignswerelocated.Byanalyzingandtheorizing
how mass communication works, institutions can better understand the effects of the media on the
audience.Asamassaudiencewemustunderstandwhatthemassmediatriestoconveyedtous,andknow
whenwearesubconsciouslyaffected.Thisknowledgewillbeabletoprotectusfrombeingmanipulated
bythemasscommunication,andbeingmadetobelievethataperfumecanbringspeaceandjoyfulnessto
us.

TARA FOREMAN | WK 6: SEMIOTICS ANALYSIS 1

IMAGE 1
Contextual Information
Artist: Gucci
Title: Gucci Guilty
Year of Creation: 2010
Dimensions:
Genre: Fragrance
Style: Advertisement
Image URL: http://www.stylefrizz.com
Content
A semi-nude couple in an intimate embrace.
Analysis (Word Count: 201)
The advertisement relies upon the use of photographic imagery, and uses
a variety of signifiers to give the reader a representation of both the
product and identity of the brand, offering the reader the undeniable
element of sexuality ad female sexual power.
The advert predominately features a male and a female semi-nude, in an
intimate embrace, boasting sexual activity. The advert is targeted at
young adult females because of the emphasis of the female subjects
lustful look directly at the reader.
In addition to the subjects poses, the products name Gucci Guilty is
strategically placed above the females head providing anchorage to the
overall composition and indicates her guilt that the reader is witnessing.
The female is looking directly at the camera, which connotes the woman
is powerful and as the male is positioned lower than the female and
looking down, denotes that the female holds the ultimate power over men

and suggests that those who wear the fragrance will be irresistible to
men.
The females lips are red, connotating lust and passion, again linking to
the image brought forward. The use of similar gold hues throughout the
overall composition work to connect the signs and to effect transfer to the
product in the bottom right.

https://critical2014.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/tara-foreman-wk-6semiotics-of-advertisement-analysis/

IMAGE 2
Contextual Information

Artist: Davidoff
Title: Cool Water
Year of Creation: 2013
Dimensions:
Genre: Fragrance
Style: Advertisement
Image URL: http://www.bellasugar.com
Content
A shirtless man looking directly at the lens, with an oceanic background.
Analysis (Word Count: 364)
The advertisement relies upon the use of photographic imagery, and uses
a variety of signifiers to give the reader a representation of both the
product and identity of the brand, offering the reader the ideology of the
perfect man.
The advert predominately features a shirtless male model in their early
twenties and seemingly at the beach. To the bottom left of the advert, is
an iconic image of the product itself, which is disproportionately large and
above the models head, to the top of the frame the byline for the product,
The Power of Cool.
Firstly the subject provides a youthful element of glamour, which serves
both the product and text in which is being advertised. The male model is
Paul Walker, a celebrity, we are met with the connotation which are
synonymous with luxury, success and lifestyle. Paul Walker himself isnt
just represented as a celebrity but also encoded of his athletic and
fearless film roles he plays, signifiers are transferred to the fragrance. The
tagline The Power of Cool provides anchorage to this representation.

The advert connotes certain cultural ideologies, with the word power
signifying strength and authority used in the context to with power to
be trendy or in the know.
The image is syntagmatic with the image of the water in the background
and the model dripping with water, the reader can conclude that the
model was swimming, and reinforces the representation of the celebrity
himself, as an active, athletic, and strong man.
The use of colour was pertinent because it blue is synonymous with purity
and calm, but collaborated with the ocean it connotes strength, which is
again anchored by the tag line The Power of Cool.
The close-up shot of the model with his gaze directly at the reader,
connotes to the essence of control and again provides anchorage to the
words power and cool and adds a sense of intimacy and closeness
and suggests to the reader that those who wear this fragrance can have
the same lifestyle and power.
The product is dominantly placed to the bottom left of the advert, and
appears sharper in focus but the whole advert, symbolizes the essence of
the product.
Compare & Contrast
A common similarity between both advertisements is the illusion of
cultural ideologies. Both illustrate the myth of beauty and build an
emotional connection with the reader. Both adverts rely heavily on signs
to connote certain messages to engage the reader.
The composition of the both ads are the same, with the a dominant figure
position to the left, product placement in the bottom right corner, and text
to anchor it message at the top centred.
Although both advertisements do not represent the product, they provide
an important iconic representation of the product and what the product
represents.
While the Davidoff advert represents the man as powerful and strong the
Gucci advert represents the woman as desirable to men.

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