Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
Roxanne North s209022059 Academic Essay
Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis Global Warming Ready Campaign
I, Roxanne North, hereby declare that I know the nature of plagiarism. I further declare that I have provided in-text references for all quotations and ideas that I have borrowed from others; that I have used quotation marks wherever I have used exact words of others (direct quotations); and that I have not allowed anyone to plagiarise my work. I understand that the NMMU will not tolerate plagiarism and that I may not be awarded a mark for an assignment in which plagiarism is evident. Signed:
Date: July 2011
1
Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
The main purpose of an advertisement is to convey a message that the viewing audience needs or wants the product that is presented to them. This message can be conveyed in many ways, using persuasion in the form of symbolic objects, sex appeal, convenience, saving money, status, health, Eco friendly, playing on ones guilt emotion of being a good parent, and the list goes on. Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel in 1978, however, uses worldwide issues such as human development, animal abuse, sexual harassment, or global warming etc to sell his fashion brand. Rosso states in an interview with Designboom:
“There is, no more violence towards the final customer saying to buy this product or that brand, but rather involvement in the life-style, and if you like it perhaps you can buy those clothes. Giving the consumer the chance to choose something and not to consider him a robot condemned to respond to the advertising message.”
This essay will provide an analysis of the image “Sandy Desert overtakes the China Wall”, which was one of the images in Diesels Global Warming Campaign for Spring/Summer of 2007. Firstly there will be a brief history of the company Diesel. The analysis will then cover the main topics namely a basic deconstruction of composition, lighting, and colour; semiotic signs within the image content; and the social, cultural, and ethical aspects of the image.
As mentioned previously Renzo Rosso founded the Diesel company in 1978, which has its headquarters situated in Molvena, Italy. Rosso, whose life motto is “for successful Living”, wanted to form a leading company that disregarded the leading fashion trends and create a new unique brand for individuals who “follow their own unique path in life” (Diesel, 2011) and express their individuality through the way they dress. From the beginning Rosso and his design team ignored the style dictators and set their own trend. This nonconformist approach has turned Diesel into a world-wide success in the fashion industry, targeting the youth culture. This unconventional approach not only guided their clothing item, but their approach to advertising as well.
2
Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
The Global Warming Ready campaign is consistent with Diesels tradition of attention grabbing and thought provoking advertising technique that address world wide society issues. Diesel has used the fact that the temperature is rising due to global warming to sell their summer clothes. At first glance these images merely look like a stylish fashion image, however, on closer inspection you can read the subtle yet absurd global warming consequences. This campaign shows the “potential look of this new world while representing it in an aesthetically beautiful way.” (Inspiration Room, 2007: 1), focusing on people and places around the world. Attached to the images is a “Global Warming Ready” stamp found in one of the corners in each dramatic advertisement, declaring that Diesel’s clothes are ready for this climate disaster.
Figures 1 – 8 (Found at the back of the essay) shows the images that make up the Global Warming Ready campaign, photographed by Jerry Richardson.
Figure 1. “Sandy desert overtakes the China Wall”, 2007
3
Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
Figure 1, titled “Sandy Desert overtakes the China Wall, was published by Diesel in 2007 for their summer clothing. The Global Warming Ready stamp is evident in the top right hand corner of this image, connecting it to the campaign. This stamp is white in colour and uses a small font relative to the image. However, the two words ‘Global’ and ‘Ready’ are larger than the word ‘Warming’, placing more emphasis on them. These two larger prominent words are the key words as ‘Global’ drives the viewer to think world-wide, the people and different landmarks, where ‘Ready’ installs in the viewer that they are prepared and fit for the full effect of the climate changing and any other disaster that could be thrust upon them. By decreasing the size of the word ‘Warming’ shows that it holds less importance. This could give a message that the warming, which is the dominant aspect in global warming, is minuscule and that you can still have a glamorous lifestyle and carry on doing your everyday luxuries, as “Global warming can’t stop our lives.” (Diesel video, 2008) The stamp effect of the text gives the viewers a sense that it has been approved, as a government document would be stamped for approval. Below this stamp in the right hand corner is Diesel’s logo, with their motto. The placement of the stamp on the top of the image and the logo at the bottom has purposely been done so that ‘Global Warming Ready’ is read first, as the eye naturally reads from top to bottom, placing emphasis on what the image is about.
We can clearly state that the space that the shoot took place was by the Great Wall in China. You see the Great Wall of China stretching on for kilometres, but only portions of it is visible. The remaining unseen part of the wall is buried in sand and the land is starting to look like the Great Sahara desert. (Mehler, J. 2009: 1). Against this climate catastrophe are two airbrushed possibly Arabic models, one male and the other female, wearing diesel clothing.
The image composition can be split into two – a left side and a right side. On the left side of the image the male model is leaning against a section of the wall, looking at the female model. He is wearing a white T-shirt, a pair of brown 4
Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
cargo pants with a brown belt, and white sneakers. There are four watchtowers stretching out behind him, diminishing in size the further they go back. On the right side of the image the female model is sitting on the wall pouring sand out of her white high heel. She is wearing a white blouse with short brown and white stripped shorts. There is a large white handbag on the floor between the model’s feet. She, too, is looking at the other model in the image. There are three watchtowers behind her decreasing in size the further in the distance they are. The female model is in the foreground, making her physically larger in the image than the male model, whom is in the middle ground. Due to this scale, and the fact that there is more brickwork on the left-hand side than the right, the image balances compositionally.
The perspective of the wall leads your eye into the image The immediate focal point in the image is the front female model. This is due to her scale in the image as well as her ‘movement’ created by fixing her shoe. From there the viewers’ eye follows to where the female model is looking, the male model. Your eye travels down the wall of China from watch tower to watch tower till you get to the last one, then goes over to the large watch tower on the right hand side of the image and back to the female model. Therefore, due to the above mentioned the image not only has a significant amount of movement through out the entire image but also a great amount of depth. The shadows; the circle shape that the wall forms; and the various sizes of the objects, help direct the viewers’ path of view. Due to the crop of the wall and image content the gestalt effect is created. Gestalt is a technique used that gives enough information in the image for the viewers brain to fill in the unseen parts of the image, which have been cropped away, to create a image that completes the scene. Although the crop makes the wall appear from nowhere in the image the viewer can ‘read’ that the rest of the wall continues behind from where the photographer was standing. Likewise as deserts, or even beaches, cover a vast amount of land you can tell that the sand continues on either side of the image.
The lighting in Figure one mimics the lighting that you would have falling on a scene with midday sun. The direction of the light is coming from high in the sky, slightly from the right. This is evident by the shadows, which are harsh and 5
Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
fall nearly directly underneath the objects. Another aspect that verifies that natural daylight was used is the flare found coming in from the top right hand corner. The contrast ratio between the shadow areas and highlight areas are fairly high, indicating that it is a bright warm day. This warmness carries over to the colour palette of the image as well. Warm neutral colour such as whites, browns, and golds fill up the image. There is a graduated blue sky that breaks the neutral warm tones that are evident throughout the image. These colours emphasis that the world is getting warmer due to global warming.
The models appear to be “entirely unconcerned that a substantial portion of the world is in ruins.” (Harringson, P. 2007: 1). They seem to be content despite the changes of the environment, being in a newly formed desert with the sun beating down on them without a single cloud visible in the sky. The lack of eye contact between the models in the image and the viewer creates a distance and separation between the two audiences. Having both models looking at each other, while she is removing sand from her shoe, implies that they have little concern for anything other than themselves.
The values that Diesel are trying to convey are that global warming is happening and that you can’t let it stop you from living your lives. That even through global warming you should continue, or start to, buy Diesel clothing, as this brand is ready for the climate changes. By wearing these clothes you will be ready and equipped to carry on living your life, while still looking glamorous, through this time of turmoil. However, not all people can afford to buy Diesel clothing. Diesel is promoting this upper class luxurious lifestyle that only apply to the rich, indicating that if you are rich and wear this clothing line you will survive the drastic changes that are predicted to occur.
However, this ad campaign is controversial. Diesels is making the public aware of the problem of global warming and the effects that it could reach. The company makes an attempt to convey some sense and solutions to the climate changes. Diesel has made a short video that briefly and simply tells the public that global warming is a ‘bad thing.’ Elsewhere they have a link connecting to stopglobalwarming.org. Diesel gives some solutions such as walk to the shops, 6
Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
turning off lights and electrical appliances, and planting trees. However, all the advice they give is not as sound, as well as counter productive, such as have sex to cut down on heating bills, never take a shower, insulate with recycled denim, give fashion magazines to grannies, eat steak in a restaurant so that you can cut down the damaging methane gases that flatulent cows give off when they ‘fart’ and to get rid of the fridge. From this call of action it seems that Diesel is more concerned about selling their brand, and making global warming look cool and glamorous, than creating these ads for the greater good or “fomenting political activism and lifestyle changes.” (Harrison, P. 2007: 1)
Diesel has used the worldwide problem of global warming to sell their summer line of clothes. The shocking effects of global warming are subtly revealed through the details in the image, which depicts a scene in a surreal, post global warming world. (The Inspiration Room, 2007: 1) Although this campaign is creative; of a professional quality; flawlessly manipulated; and well executed, it sends out the wrong message to the public. Diesel’s playful mindset will not help to prolong the effects of global warming, but rather blatantly misinforms the public about the changes busy occurring. They are promoting people to carry on with their everyday lives, irrespective of the ramifications it could cause the environment. The images of this campaign give the impression life will still go on without changes besides what clothing you wear, and you will be able to live this extravagant lifestyle. In reality, the severe effects of global warming will effect everybody in some way no matter what class you are in, what race or age you are. The undertone of this campaign is that global warming is nothing to be worried about or fret over, that it can, and may be, fun, enjoyable and glamorous. (Harrison, P. 2007: 1) Rosso states “there are dangers you risk in trying to always be innovative, and we are condemned to always do something new so it is easy to get to the point where nobody understands you anymore.” Although Diesels advertisements have the reputation of being positive, bringing awareness to world wide issues that need to receive attention, promoting individuality and a non-conformist approach, many feel that this campaign was inept and self interested with no real motivation other than to sell their clothing brand.
7
Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
Reference list DesignBoom. 2000. Interview with Renzo Rosso. [Online]. Available: www.designboom.com/eng/interview/rosso.html [28 July 2011]
Diesel. 2011. History of Diesel. [Online]. Available: http://www.diesel.com/heritage [20 July 2011]
Harrison, P. 2007. The Varsity, Diesel ads hardly Global Warming Ready. [Online]. Available: http://thevarsity.ca/articles/17029 [28 July 2011]
Inspiration Room. 2007. Diesel Global Warming Ready. [Online]. Available: http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2007/diesel-global-warming-ready/ [26 July 2011]
Maung, Z. 2011. Diesel’s “Global Warming Ready” Campaign: Designer Brand gets into climate porn. [Online] Available: /www.climatechangecorp.com [28 July 2011]
Mehler, J. 2009. Global Warming Ready? [Online]. Available: http://compositionsection51.wordpress.com/author/ac09m/ [28 July 2011]
Image Source List
Jerry Richardson. Global Warming Ready campaign. 2007. Advertisement for Diesel Jeans and Workwear. [Online]. Available: http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2007/diesel-global-warming-ready/ [20 July 2011].
8
Roxanne North Diesel Advertisement Image Analysis
Reading List
Bizcovering. 2008. Persuasion through Advertising. [Online]. Available: http://bizcovering.com/marketing-and-advertising/persuasion-through-advertising [22 July 2011]
Davis, S. 2009. Diesel Advertising Image Analysis An analysis of the Diesel advertising campaign. [Online]. Available: http://tutor.nmmu.ac.za/art/websites/photo_2009/samantha/articles/diesel/files/di esel-image-analysis.pdf [28 July 2011]
Fowler, A. 2007. Global Climate Change: Diesel is global warming ready, are you? [Online]. Available: http://globalclimatechange.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/diesel-is-global-warmingready-are-you-3/ [27 July 2011]
Griffiths, M. 1996. A Semiotic Analysis of Diesel Print Ads. [Online] Available: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/lmg9302.html [26 July 2011]
Levine, R. 2003. Power of Persuasion: How we bought and sold. John Wiley and sons
Paxon, S. 2010. Diesel Analysis. [Online]. Available: http://issuu.com/spphotography/docs/article2#download [25 July 2011]
9