Nicholas Johnson

Rhetorical Analysis of Advertising

February 27, 2022

The Hope in Beauty

In the modern world, there are masses of options for every product; advertising has to

pull and provide consumers a reason to purchase their product over all others. Fowles’ appeal of

aesthetic sensations is seen evident in designer and luxury advertisements. Through the concern

for beauty, designers can push viewers towards sensations of self-imagination that are believed to

only be possible through the obtainment of a luxury item.

The setting is a prime part of the aesthetic appeal, this allows for the eye to incorporate

the need to escape into the aesthetic vision they are seeing. Often times in luxury advertising

design, there is an open or utopian setting that is unfamiliar to the viewer allowing the

imagination to soar. With visions of a different world, one would happily imagine their life in

that place wearing those clothes. From visions of the open sea to Being that the world aspect is

impossible, the clothes become the closest key accessible to attaining the wonders of the

imagination.

Part of all beauty is the colors incorporated and combined together to create a visual

appeal that is irresistible to the eye. Scales of warms and darks can be combined to let the

product in discussion shine. In a dystopian building, the pop of a Prada scarf stands out and

appears so beautiful in the dark world seen in the image. In the dark of night, a Rolls Royce

Wraith matches the night sky and reflects the mountains. Color combining and colliding take the

eye to what it is meant to see and allow for the target thought to be reached of yearning for the

possession of the product.

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Aside from the inanimate aspects of the advertisement, the organic values are just as

impactful in creating a sensation within the mind of the viewer. Animals and humans are

relatable to those gazing at the beauty of the ad because they live and breathe the air all life

breathes which makes their position attainable. People with angelic attraction or alien features

cause thoughts that create remembrance. Gucci advertises with unique people that are

memorable and create a sort of signature for the brand.

The reach for beauty and all that is incorporated in luxury advertisements can be justified

as such: the desire to be worth the money you have. Money to most is the key to more of what

they want. A place to fit in or stand out, a world that they own more so that the world that is

reality. Through color and aesthetic appeal, the brands create that sense only to be obtained

through their products. Advertising for Nike, Champion, Adidas, and other mainstream clothing

advertises in a way that people can relate to and feel comfortable buying. Those brands shift to

focus on logical aspects of clothing featuring logistics in function over the diverse fashions and

emotions of clothing. Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and luxury brands advertise in the ways listed

which causes obscurity in the minds of those who do not understand but hope for those who do

and wish to be a part of it.

Though the strategy of aesthetic appeal does not reach all people, it reaches the target

audience of those that would understand the concepts presented. Through color, organics,

inanimates, and design, luxury designers create the image of either a utopian world that one is a

part of or a dystopian world in which one stands out in the darkness. Through appealing to the

eye, a reaction is created in the mind and heart of the viewer that desires luxury above nothing

else. The name, the life, and the beauty are believed to be obtained solely through the possession

of the depicted articles.

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