February 18, 2013
Critical Media Analysis
The advertisement being analyzed is from Amitron and is selling a woman’s watch. The advertisement was found in Marie Claire magazine, which is a publication for women and pertains to topics such as fashion, style, beauty, women’s issues, and health issues. Marie Claire is ranked as number 87 in circulation and 988,418 magazines were circulated as of 2012. The estimated advertising rate for Marie Claire is $79,760. The primary target demographics of the readership are women ages 18 and older. To find publishing information, I referred to Marie Claire’s website and it address the subject matter of the publication. The Gaebler aided in finding information pertaining to circulation and advertising rates. The publishing company for Marie Claire is Hearst Corporation. The parent company of Marie Claire is the National Magazine Company Limited. The parent company is not affiliated with other corporations, it is involved mainly in communication within it’s own industry. This includes: newspapers, magazines, broadcasting, entertainment, and real estate. In reference to lecture, it is important to understand that many board members are affiliated with different corporations. There is the potential for one corporation to impress beliefs and influence upon other corporations (Smith, 2013). Hearst Corporation is strictly affiliated with it’s own corporation with little to no outside influence from other corporations.
The woman lying in the snow and the watch are the central themes of the advertisement. The product being advertised is a designer watch. The slogan advertising the watch is: “Make time for Life”. In the center of the picture reads, “Snow Angels: 2:48 pm”. The style of the text is a simple, thin font. The company Amitron is the only text displayed in bold font. The styles of the image components are realistic. The advertisement is relatively simple in terms of content. Attention is
References: Berger, John. 1972. Ways of Seeing. New York: Penguin Browne, M. Neil and Stuart M. Keeley. 2004. Asking The Right Questions: A Guide To Critical Thinking. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. 7th Edition. Ewen, Stuart. 2001. Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture. New York: Basic Books. Lester, Paul Martin. Visual Communication: Images With Messages, 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. Postman, Neil. 1985. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Penguin Books. Smith, Marshall. 2013. Lecture and Discussion