What is really going on in an advertisement?

2011 Advertisement for Dolce & Gabbana: photo by Giampaolo Sgura

Upon first glance at this advertisement, one sees a pretty woman with a simple black shirt, heavy eye makeup, and gold earrings and a bracelet. There is a simple blurred background and the words “Dolce & Gabbana Jewellery” in black letters.

Upon further examination, one realizes that the elements in the advertisement have purpose. This advertisement is for jewelry from Dolce & Gabbana, however it seems that the jewelry is not the main component in the picture, the woman is, because she is in the majority of the picture. The woman has a lot of skin exposed, she is looking away with an expression of longing and desire, and she is in a soft, relaxed position. These elements of the advertisement indicate that the advertisement expresses the deadly sin of lust. This sin is used as a persuasive device because it influences the intended audience, men, to buy the jewelry for their girlfriends or wives because they are attracted to the woman. They are deliberately manipulated; since they are attracted to the woman, it makes them more attracted to the jewelry. However, the intended audience could also include women because women may be envious (another deadly sin) of the woman in the advertisement which would make them desire the jewelry even more. They may think that if they owned the jewelry then they would be more similar to the woman in the advertisement.

This advertisement also displays the deadly sin of avarice. The reason is because the advertisement is for Dolce & Gabbana which is an extremely expensive and well-known brand. The words “Dolce & Gabbana” in the advertisement are in black capital letters and they stand out against the white background to bring attention to the brand name. The words are placed directly next to the bracelet so that it is clear what is being advertised. However, the word “jewellery” is also in black, but it is smaller and underneath the words “Dolce & Gabbana.” This presents the fact that it seems like the brand name is more important than the actual jewelry itself. This means that another aspect of the intended audience is that the intended audience must be wealthy enough to know they can afford Dolce & Gabbana and live in the “high-class” culture where brand names are very important.