Introduction
Gucci is a world renowned Italian fashion brand that is part of the Gucci Group. Gucci branded clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories are considered to be some of the finest fashion wear and are admired for their quality, which is a strength for the company.
Analysis
The recent ads that Gucci launched on the web stem from this notion of quality matched with trendiness. Analyzing the Gucci Advertisements requires some background knowledge of the consumers it targets and the message it intends to convey.
Given that the Unique Selling Proposition of Gucci is the name in itself which is held synonymous for quality and upscale fashionable products, the Ad is targeted towards people in their mid-twenties who are very particular about being in vogue and being considered chic. And these are the basic demographics and demands of Gucci’s consumers.
The ads feature several models apparently around their clients’ age wearing Gucci clothes and accessories that are to be launched in the fall-winter season. The web advertisement of Gucci indicates clearly that the collection this season is all about animals and animal instinct as the patterns on the products are tiger, cheetah, and leopard prints. Also, the expression worn by the advert models implies the message that Gucci is trying to give.
The ads which appear on Gucci’s website are best suited for this medium. This is because they feature some of the product lines of Gucci, and as web surfing consumers can view these ads at their leisure, and see them in minute detail, the ad is detailed and the style of photography is such that the ad focuses on each product in a distinct manner giving each a personality of its own.
Considering the first ad, the models are in animal poses with one doing an ape pose while another has hair gelled back and is wearing a feathery textured jacket that makes the woman look like an eagle. The following ads are of the same nature and the integrated message in the ads tells the audience what Gucci is all about this season, and considering that fashion-savvy consumers tend to follow styles that Gucci launches, the cover also shows consumers what will be trendy in the upcoming season. Further, as fashion gurus and fashion followers from the world over look up to Gucci and the likes of such brands to set the vogue, the ad helps set the styles for this fall.
The unique feature about these ads is that all products are depicted in just one cover and give the look of a catalog where there is no copy at all and the photographs convey all the messages that the brand wants to convey. Moreover, one doesn’t have to spend too much time looking at the ad and trying to figure out what Gucci is saying, one can easily see what it’s about. And given the pressure for time, the ad takes minimal time to be viewed and makes a maximal impact on observers.
Given that it is a web advertisement, it embeds the features of going forward and backward as the viewer pleases at a click where the viewer can stop or pause and look in details at the ad. Web ads that are flash-based or are played automatically, as a slideshow; tend to become cumbersome for viewers where viewers tend to lose interest as they have to play the ad over and over again to look at one scene of interest. A style advertised in the way Gucci has done makes it easier for customers to compare and contrast before going to shop.
The overall design of the ad is such that is modern and simplistic and yet chic in outlook. The straight lines in the background as well as the straight hairdos of the models indicate clean cuts while the ‘wild’ make-up and brutal expressions worn by the models express the animal touch that the ad wants to convey.
With regards to the various appeals of the ad, the pathos appeal in this ad particularly is that the people appearing in this ad are dressed in a chic style and have smart, fit figures hence viewers who want to look fashionable will be inspired by this ad and will want to look trendy as well. On the other hand, the logos appeal is a little hard to establish via this ad which has no copy to state anything, and hence convincing the customer logically to buy this brand becomes difficult. As far as the ethos appeal is concerned, the ethical appeal seems to be amiss as the clothes are in animal print and select viewers might be offended by such symbolism as that portrayed by the ad. This is also because viewers who have no background of the company and its corporate social responsibility, the ethos appeal in this ad is lacking in essence.
Conclusion
The ad thus is a pretty decent portrayal of Gucci but it lacks the Logos and Ethos appeal that could have helped it garner a wider variety of consumers, but the fact remains that the elite classes are inspired by the pathos appeal that is in this ad and will be moved by it. The idea of looking hip and trendy is the objective behind anyone buying a Gucci brand and that is exactly what the ad contains. On the more overt side of the ad, it could have been made more interesting with the inclusion of background music and a slight bit of copy because the ads that are displayed currently have more of a catalog feel to it whereas a title to the ad or minimal copy would have enhanced the impact and made it look more of an advertisement.
But since Gucci’s products are ads in themselves, which means that the quality and trendiness speaks for themselves, Gucci has fared well in terms of its ads development to be minimalist in its approach to ad copy.
References
Chandler, Daniel. Analysis of Advertisements. 1996. Web.
Gucci. 2009. Web.