Armani advert analysis

   

This Armani advertisement links their iconic underwear not only with sex; but intimacy, passion and the attraction of the opposite sex. Featuring David & Victoria Beckham in the ad achieves this in more than one way. It provides, although false, a private look at the famous couple in a revealing and intimate position upon and beside a bed: David wearing Armani underwear and Victoria, their lingerie. It’s thrilling for an audience to see a usually, in the press, fully-clothed celebrity couple down to their most compromised; exclusive to Armani. It’s both liberating for its audience but also revealing.  

Many ‘high-class’ clothing brands and other media use either a black & white camera or filter in their work. Black & white enforces their image as provocative and artistic, while being heavily stylised to usually create mood – connecting this modern advertisement with the past, a place arguably more sophisticated and visually interesting. Casting shadows upon the couple makes them look quite morally ambiguous. Questions are posed by this: ‘What have they done? What is with the look on their faces? Who is behind the camera?’

The use of black & white to strike a dark tone, coupled with the image of a compromised celebrity couple, makes the viewer feel as if they are intruding on the Beckhams. Their faces each watch someone or something we cannot see, with David making a direct mode of address to the audience as if to say ‘You are not supposed to be here’. Yet their faces also suggest that they have no problem with being looked at. A ‘cool’ or stylish image of a product often sends the message that they can only be bought from them, like an exclusive club for the privileged.  The font of ‘Emporio Armani’ even suggests its high-class attitude, bold and close together.

The idea of being watched, while both David & Victoria are barely clothed turns the audience into voyeurs; being that underwear and lingerie are often associated with love, attraction, sex but promiscuity is also signified. David’s tattoos connote masculinity and their depiction as sexy in the media – especially on desirable celebrities. His position on the bed – again, associated with intimacy and privacy – above Victoria (beside the bed, on the floor) suggests his dominance over her through the image’s composition. This furthers his masculinity in the image. However, despite Victoria’s position below, her face suggests just as much threat and suspicion as David’s. She’s not in a commonly feminine position nor is she pouting. This could be a sign of both of them having equal billing and overall status with the media and public. 

So, to recap, the message of this advert is that Armani underwear will make you appear sexier, more confident and more attractive. David & Victoria Beckham are very recognisable people, often in the public eye. The use of any celebrity in many media texts is to appeal to their admirers or the people who enjoy seeing/hearing about in the media, in the hope that because of this endorsement that their admirers will buy the product advertised.