Between the colors and the copy, it's difficult to imagine anyone of the male sex using these products. The advertisement was taken out of an issue of Glamour, a magazine whose readers are generally young, but college-aged females and older. However, I believe Glamour targets a market younger than that of Marie Claire's, with some overlap, but it's also hard to imagine a middle-aged woman using this product. The Eye Serum, advertisement #9, boasts “smoother, brighter, wide-awake eyes in just four hours,” and pictures actress Penelope Cruz in the two-page spread. While a celebrity's face or body will certainly catch the eye of a consumer, her presence in the ad does not really promote anything relating to speed.
After prepping and primping as fast as possible, the next step would be to eat! Kraft Foods' new product is similar to other products, but far more portable: On The Go coffeehouse flavors (#10) are “individually wrapped single servings of your favorite coffeehouse flavors.” This "on-the-go" ideology has been applied to many different meal options as of late; Campbell's Microwavable Soup Bowls (#11), Oscar Mayer Deli Creations (#12/13), Betty Crocker Warm Delights Minis (#14 - delicious), and a new spin on the TV-dinner, Bertolli's frozen dinners (#15). While all have a similar idea, as stated above, Oscar Mayer has really sped up the entire process of preparing food. I chose to include two different advertisements for this product because, along with the fact that they came from two different magazines, the copy is different, but both are humorous as well as quick and to-the-point (just like their product). One of the ads writes “add eating lunch to your lunch plans (Deli Creations™ bake in 60 seconds) and the other “savor it during your lunch hour (okay, your lunch minute).” After this punch-line, the rest of the copy is identical, but I felt it was important to note the difference (also, the first ad pictures a turkey and cheese sandwich while the second pictures a roast beef and cheese sandwich).
As far as speedy results go, Abreva (#16/17) has been showing up in a lot of magazines - perhaps for the cold weather, perhaps for the increasing rate of STD's in recent years. Again I chose two ads for the same product because of different copy. While both read “think fast. Think Abreva,” one focuses specifically on the speed of results while the other boasts “kiss insurance” (February issue, Valentine's Day). This advertisement, with specific text regarding a holiday, is an example of occasion segmentation. Last but not least, Alka-Seltzer (#18) promises speedy results as well, and like Sally Hansen's advertising agency, puts their product in a "live" situation - the copy reads “drool is nature's way of saying "have the 32 oz. porterhouse".” This ad actually mentions the word “speedy” three separate times - first, on the hat of a small figurine holding a giant pill that says “Alka Seltzer” on it, then twice in the text at the bottom. By focusing on one specific aspect of the product, the company has a better chance of being recognized and remembered (as opposed to a company that focuses on several different product traits).
The final beauty product of the bunch is Covergirl's new TRUblend makeup line (#19), the ultimate in shopping convenience. There are several products in the line (pressed powder, liquid makeup, concealer, blush, and foundation) organized by a numbering system that goes from 1-5, one being the lightest shade and five being the darkest. For instance, actress Drew Barrymore, one of the faces of Covergirl, wears Tru1. As stated in the advertisement itself, “TRUblend has taken the guesswork out of finding your TRU shade” … “if your makeup is a 2, then your Trublend powder, concealer, and blush are too.” The play on words (TRU shade/true shade) also reinforces the name of Covergirl's TRUblend product line. The signifier in the advertisement is the makeup produced for the line. Drew Barrymore's presence in the advertisement draws a comparison - there is something in common between the actress and the makeup line. Natural-looking beauty (despite the airbrushing, Barrymore is not overly caked in makeup), smooth skin, flawless-looking skin, as though the product's user may resemble a red-carpet beauty. All of those things make up the signified.
This leads to the sign: natural-looking, smooth, glamorous TRUblend makeup by Covergirl. In the first deeply-analyzed ad (#1), there was a model - pretty, but not famous, and in the second ad (#8) there weren't any people at all. In this advertisement, not only is there a pretty model, but it's a rather famous celebrity: actress Drew Barrymore. Her face fills an entire page of the two-page spread, only sharing it with the company name, Covergirl, in large white letters, and the actress's name underneath, but smaller. On the second page, four of the five TRUblend products are shown (all in a shade 1) with a white backdrop. Not only does this contrast make the product stand out, the color white symbolizes purity and/or cleanliness, very well-planned for this specific product line. The text on page two begins in a staggered, downward movement, each phrase aligned with one of the products: “If you're a shade 1 here, you're a shade 1 here and here and here”. Centered at the bottom of the page, a deeper explanation of the same information (refer to paragraph seven). Lastly, on the bottom right-hand corner the advertiser writes, “Drew's matching makeup look is Tru1,” which is followed by the company's slogan, “easy breezy beautiful COVERGIRL,” directly underneath.
