The cultivation of hegemonic ideology in advertising - T block

The following analysis was completed independently by T block. It is presented unedited, with only spelling errors being corrected. When viewing media products, always consider: what assumptions are being made about representation? What hegemonic ideologies are cultivated in the costume and mise-en-scene? What is actually being sold in these adverts?

Skye - Chanel

• stereotypical attractive female
• seductive look towards the camera(audience)
•  classy clothing 
• holding bottle to lips-seductive 
• thick eyebrows-youthful
• heavy eye makeup suggesting women need to wear makeup to be  pretty
• logo san serif font 
• womens face takes up a 3rd of the page - more than the product -selling the lifestyle not product 
• little text suggesting the audience is already familiar with the high end brand so middle class market 
• low key lighting with spotlight on the face 
• neutral colours reflect natural beauty  

Eli - Louis Vuitton

• The genre of this poster seems to be of a holiday and could possibly be a comedy as we associate this poster to many movies where 60-year old men on holiday to be very funny. Some examples of this can be Mamma Mia and Dirty Grandpa. Additionally it also connotes to being a spy movie since the hegemonic code is that most spy movies occur around a tropical paradise
• We can tell this is aimed towards 60-year old men by the mise-en-scene; the mise-en-scene of a man with white and grey hair with a big moustache, combined with the casual clothing is associated with being classical, wealthy and stereotypically for the older white ethnic groups. 
• This cultivates that all old white men are wealthy since the brand "Louis Vuitton" is of course associated with being rich and wealthy
• The milky lighting of pale whites of the sand and hat, light blues of the sky and the calm and luscious greenery of the island are contrasted with murky, dead wood and his black jumper. The reason we can tell this could be an island is the hegemonic norm that all island would be tropical and a dreamer's paradise
• The scenery makes the mise-en-scene very serene, calm and jolly. This additionally reinforces that 
• Whats interesting is the subtle way of including the brand in the poster and the plain and simple logo in the bottom right corner. The font used for the logo is straight forward, bold and easily visible to notice; this bold font suggest that it is trying to be very formal and mature meaning that the product is aimed towards more mature audiences such as 60-year old men. Furthermore the subtle way they enforce the brand in the bag, blending it with the dock and being casually placed next to the older man suggests that older, white, wealthy men have the power to casually use an expensive bag like its just a backpack or a plastic bag. We can conclude that Louis Vuitton deliberately did this to show the powerful nature of older men and how wealthy they are to wave around an expensive bag
• What is atypical about this ad is the producers use of using a 60-year old man. This use of older men is strange as we associate Louis Vuitton adverts including young male and female actors. This change in age suggests that older men to be very powerful and mighty since they are associated with being wise, humorous, strong and classic.

Charlotte - Dior

*  The women in this is the stereotypical sexually attractive women 

* This advert is aimed at middle aged women as they want to look like this 

*  This advert has a hegemonic point of view saying that if you want to be attractive you have to be skinny with perfect skin which is almost a goal for other women and they want to be like the women in the advert

* The setting uses a symbolic code as the gold colour represents rich and a lifestyle that everyone wants. Also the setting i looks grand which also shows that she is rich so the women looking at this advert want to buy this product as they want to live the same lifestyle as her.

* The mode of address is almost seductive which which is almost telling women that if they get this they will be more sexually attractive 

* In the mise-on-scene, looking at the womans dress it is also for the hegemonic norm as she has a lot of skin showing so she is being sexualised.

Willow - Maybelline

• An extreme close-up of the woman's face gives us a better idea of what the product achieves.
• The lexis of "conceals instantly, visibly, precisely" suggests that women must cover up their imperfections. Plays into the stereotypical idea that women must be perfect in order to be beautiful. Could be a reason why most women are insecure about their looks.
• Huge section of text describing the product. Stereotypically assumes that women have enough time to read that because they stay at home. 
• Iconic serif font and slogan are recognisable so it doesn't need to be explained what the company do.
• The fact that the product is a described as "The Eraser" suggests that women's skin isn't perfect to begin with, further pushing the ideology of women feeling insecure about themselves. The company purposely does this to promote their product.  
• "Instant Anti-Age" cultivates the hegemonic ideology that old age is unattractive and women must prevent themselves from looking it and that growing old is negative. The model appears to be in her late 30's or 40's so it appeals to that demographic. 
• It could also be cultivating the hegemonic ideology that lighter skin is better due to the product brightening her skin. Due to it being controversial the advertisement, it could reflect that companies haven't caught up with new societal ideologies that being of colour is okay. 
• Modern youth are becoming more and more accepting as time goes on and that is a highly positive change. Though the hegemonic ideology is unacceptable, it is good that it is being reformed; just not in this advertisement. 
• The model is non-stereotypically unattractive (in terms of her skin being imperfect) but the company are saying through their advertisement that if you use the product, your will fit into the hegemonic ideology of beauty. 

Abbie - Topshop 

• The advert uses a mid-shot to show their full outfit to emphasise that the outfits look pretty and you won't look pretty unless you wear the outfit.
• The Serif font shows how the brand name isn't the most important part of the advert yet it's placed in the centre so you know where it's from
• Both females are skinny and have light skin which emphasises the stereotypical and hegemonic view that woman have to be like this to be attractive.
• However, the stereotypical view of all women having to have long hair is not presented within this advert due to the fact that the woman on the left has short hair.
• The mise-en-scene is very colourful which connotes being bold and daring. This further emphasises that if you buy these outfits you can become exciting and more attractive. 
• The hegemonic code shows that all young women are attractive which cultivates the idea that all young women are like this.
• There is no slogan within the advert due to the fact that the emphasis needs to be on the outfit as they are selling the beauty of these women to the audience.
• It's aspirational to young women as they are selling the lifestyle and body image of these women and if you don't have that then you aren't pretty or attractive.
• The target audience is young women due to the fact there aren't any men within the advert so you can't relate to them.
• The clothes they are wearing aren't very revealing which is not stereotypically attractive as the hegemonic and stereotypical ideology is young girls wear revealing clothes.
• we make the assumption that women are fun due to the fact that they are young, skinny and relaxed. 

Will - Hollister

• The advert uses high key lighting. This is used as a symbolic code because it's reflecting the emotions of the people in the advert.
• The text is in a serif font to show that it is a modern advert for a younger audience. This is an example of a hegemonic code because it's suggesting that sans serif font is for an older audience.
• The fact that there is a small amount of text suggests it's also for a younger audience because stereotypically young people don't enjoy reading.
• The people in the advert are also happy which shows the producers ideology that all young people are happy and enjoying life.
• The mise-en-scene is very colourful which connotes a confident and exciting personality.
• The hegemonic code is that teens are attractive which cultivates the ideology that all teens are.
• These outfits are very typical of younger people. This is a stereotypical ideology of how younger people should look.
• The people in the advert are all slim which creates the ideology that younger people are always slim.
• The positioning of the people is very patriarchal because the male is in the centre of the shot.
• It is also patriarchal because the females are leaning on him like he's more significant than them.
• The colour of the text is tanned because it is a symbolic code for the sandy beaches of California.

Maddy - The Breakfast Club HD DVD cover

- In this poster for the breakfast club we are initially and directly introduced to the main characters.

- The mise-en-scene seen in this poster re- enforces the the stereotypical characters that we expect to see in an 80s film. we assume that each of these characters are normal for a film like this due to the repetition of hegemonic ideology of 'typical' teenage roles.

- The stereotypical characters consist of the ' popular jock', the 'troubled rule breaker' the 'princess good girl ' , the 'goth' and the nerd'. These stereotypical characters are obvious to the audience without even watching the film due to the hegemonic ideology that we've seen before.

- For example the 'princess good girl' character , we've seen in many films before taking on similar roles and characteristics. She can be seen laying on the floor seductively with a serious expression on her face. at the time that the film is set she is a stereotypically attractive young women. we assume that she is a girly girl who comes from a wealthy background because of the mise-en-scene of her costume. This is a hegemonic norm because we are making assumptions about this character that may not b true , but we accept it.

-Another hegemonic ideology that we consent to as the audience is that there is always going to be a divide in the groups and type of people in a school environment , and that its normal for it to be this way. Because of the hegemonic norms that we've seen repeatedly in films we automatically know the roles that each character is going to take in the film.

Nicole - The Breakfast Club UK DVD cover

* In this advert for the breakfast club, we see straight away the main characters in the movie. The mise-en-scene seen in this image re-enforces the stereotypical characters that we expect to see in an 80's teen movie. We see the 'popular jock', 'the princess','the nerd','the rebel', and the goth'. Its obvious to any audience who these stereotypical characters are, even without seeing the film, purely by their costume and positioning in the poster. 

if we focus on the 'popular princess' character, we can see her laying seductively on the floor, looking moody and wearing a pink blouse. the connotations of her representation give us the idea that her personality is very stereotypically girly and posh, we also assume she's from a wealthy family, all because of her pink blouse and makeup, this is a hegemonic norm because we  are making assumptions about this character that are true and we accept this style of character. 

*as an audience we accept these hegemonic ideologies because we are shown them all the time, in almost every teen movie we watch. for example, High school musical, Camp rock, Greece, even Dirty dancing.  This is because almost all teenagers can relate to a certain stereotypical character which then engages them to watch the movie because they can identify with who is being shown, and relate to a certain familiar situations that may also occur in their lives, for example a fall out with a friend or a holiday romance.  

* the poster is laid out by using the rule of Z; we read the title, move on to the image, then lastly read the details. this is effective because it engages the audience and makes the poster eye catching. 

*Another hegemonic ideology we consent too is the comment ' the definite 80's teen movie' - this could be written by anyone or even made up, yet we still believe it. it entices the target audience of teens because they will want to see the best movie that everyone will be talking about. 

*if anyone's seen the movie, we know that they all become friends by the end of the detention, and the 'princess' puts makeup on the 'goth' character to make the boy fall in love with her. This is another hegemonic ideology that we are shown in everything we watch, its an idea of normality that is the only way people are seen to be accepted. the character had to be changed to be loved and as an audience we expect that to be the only way she is valued. 

Jack - Marlboro

• use of high-key lighting creates a happy mood
• sans serif font creates a bold, substantial message.
• codes and conventions, character looks like he is on his way back from a hard days work as he is carrying a lasso and other equipment, this suggests the hegemonic norm that men go out and work and come back home to a wife is cultivated 
• character is wearing a cow boy outfit 
• mid-shot captures character and he is in full focus, background has cattle and is dessert.
• character has a strong, masculine stance enforcing hegemonic norms.
• title 'the marlboro weekend' names the whole weekend after a brand of cigarettes but it seems normal as the producer transforms this brand into a lifestyle and makes it seem like a big part of the characters life.
• adverts suggests that if you smoke marlboro, you become the perfect man that the producers ideology conveys

Lydia - Maybelline

• High key lighting 
• The hegemonic ideology that you have to look like this in order to be attractive, makes other young women think that they don't look good unless they look like this.
• Stereotypical women: White, smooth skin, young
• The fact that she is in New York, which is related with fame and wealth. Telling the audience that if you buy this product you can have this luxurious lifestyle: relaxing
• The hegemonic ideology that if you buy this product then you will have a more luxurious lifestyle, makes people think that their own lives aren't good enough without this product.
• Cultivates the hegemonic ideology that in order to be a women you have to be attractive
• Bold, sans serif font of the title is pushed out towards the front of the advert as if it suggesting that it is forcing you to buy the product
• The blur of the cars on the road gives you a sense of freedom 
• The bold font of the words "faster" and "longer" suggests that it is forcing you to look at and read it.
• Z-line - The first thing that you look at is the women's eyelashes, focusing on how perfect her make up is. Then you go down to the actual mascara brush and then your eyes follow the advert down to the brand of the product.
• The fact that the main colour of the advert is pink, suggests femininity as though in order to be an attractive women you have to like those kind of colours.
• The hegemonic ideology that the women is looking at the mascara brush like it is very important to her, cultivates the ideology that it is better than it really is. 

Luke - Miss Dior

• High key lighting allows audience to see the whole of her body
• Photoshop used to remove any spots or blemishes 
• Has only a blanket covering her suggesting she is naked
• She is very thin
• All of these cultivate hegemonic norms that women must be thin, naked and sexually suggestive to be attractive
• The pink bottle is stereotypical colour for women which creates the ideology that pink is a colour only for girls
• The seductive look creates a sexual atmosphere even though the advert is aimed mainly at heterosexual women. This cultivates another hegemonic norm that women's main goal in life should be to please men and get a husband
• The white background creates a sense of purity and gives an angel-like atmosphere. This creates a binary opposition between the seductive, sexual woman, and the pure, white background
• The sans-serif font below the brand makes the slogan seem serious which connotes the idea that women must be serious when it comes to their appearance. Therefore creating the hegemony tat women must take great care in how they look

Emily - Maybelline

• Cultivation of hegemonic ideology that the woman is attractive because she has long eyelashes, this is stereotypically attractive and desirable. This makes people want to buy the product. This woman is stereotypically attractive and this cultivates the idea that if a woman doesn't look like this then she is unattractive, and that woman must be attractive and seem desirable. The woman also has perfectly clear skin which cultivates the hegemonic ideology that in order to become stereotypically attractive a woman must have clear skin with no spots or blemishes. 
• Cultivation of hegemonic ideology that a woman must have light coloured skin in order to be stereotypically attractive, because the woman on the advert has very light coloured skin and is stereotypically attractive.
• Z line - the first thing that the audience sees is her eyes, this puts emphasis on her stereotypically attractive long eyelashes. Women will see these stereotypically attractive eyelashes and feel like they need them in order to be attractive and so will want to buy the product, this is an example of hegemonic cultivation.
• Sans serif font of the brand is simple and bold so it stands out and is memorable so that the audience will go into a makeup shop and remember this brand.
• Use of the stereotypically feminine pink colour cultivates the hegemonic ideology that women have to be feminine in order to be stereotypically attractive. 
• High-key lighting cultivates the hegemonic ideology that if your life is fast paced and exciting then you are more stereotypically attractive as you are interesting and exciting as a person. 
• Mise-en-scene of the city location has connotations of wealth and luxury, this presents the idea that if you buy this product you will have this luxurious lifestyle. This city lifestyle is stereotypically desirable and so this makes the audience want to buy this product in order to have this stereotypically desired exciting city lifestyle.

Owen - Jimmy Choo

• Low Key lighting and shadows outline her figure and creates mystery and a sexually suggestive atmosphere.
• The model in the advert is skinny and cultivates the hegemonic norm that the audience is supposed to see her as attractive because of her figure. this appeals to the target audience of heterosexual women who stereotypically would like to have a figure like this.
• Her makeup is dark and bold and is meant to represent her power, this is also meant to appeal to women who may aspire to feel powerful by buying this product.
• The secondary audience is heterosexual males who may find her attractive due to her sexually suggestive clothing and the amount of skin showing, a hegemonic stereotype which is meant to be seen as attractive.
• The font is bold and sans-serif and meant to stand out against the dark background. 
• The setting and her clothing links the perfume to luxury and richness, possibly appealing to people who are middle class.
• The colours are neutral, bold and not very vibrant and also emphasise the ideology of  her power and mystery and shows she is meant to be taken seriously.
• Her skin does not have any blemishes and is light, this is stereotypically meant to be seen as attractive
• the front on glare is meant to be seductive and appeal to the secondary audience of heterosexual males
• the setting and her positioning is also meant to be seen as seductive and creates an idea of comfort.

Izzy - Chanel

• Stereotypical attractive female
• The advert is sexualising her by her low cut top and the way it looks like she's biting her finger.
• The look she's giving the camera very seductive.  
• The face of Chanel is Kiera Knightly - sells the product more.
• The area where the adverts set uses lowkey lighting which adds an element of mystery and suspense, which is an example of the hermeneutic code. 
• By buying the product you buy the lifestyle of Kiera Knightly 
• Uses both San Serif and Serif writing.. The use of the Coco Mademoiselle written in a way where it looks hand written adds a sense of personality. 
• Her makeup is also very natural with not much noticeable face makeup, but with dark eyes which adds to the seductive look. 

Pheobe - Eau de Gaga

• use of low key lighting, connotes the feeling of mystery/ suspense, which is an example of a hermeneutic code
• woman has a bold, strong stance, suggesting she has authority over the men.  
• creates an ideology, that if you buy the product, men will become more attracted to you
• mid shot- the woman is the main focus
• blond, tall and skinny- hegemonic view 
• the woman, shows a stereotypical image of what is considered as beautiful in society, wearing a satin, loose flowing dress and having blonde hair, wearing makeup and being tall and slim, producing a hegemonic norm, however her bold stance, shows the power she may have which then can be argued goes against this stereotypical image
• shows a range of ethnic diversity
• use of the serif font, suggests a formal/ professional atmosphere
• white font, contrasts with the dark background, to make it clear the the audience, what the product is
• the woman's clothing, connotes the impression that she is of higher class, due to it being silk and the fact that it is gold also, associates her with wealth

Scarlett - Chanel 

• The use of a stereotypically attractive woman (slim, make-up, fair skin), cultivates to the audience the ideology that it is an expectation to look this way.
• Intertextuality is used by including Kiera Knightley, this portrays to the audience that the product will give you fame. 
• The text "Coco Mademoiselle" looks as if it has been hand-written, which personalities the advert and connects the audience will the brand/product. This means they are more likely to listen to the message that's being enforced in the advert. 
• The model is looking at the camera in a slightly sultry way, this sexualises her and the target audience (15-30 year old women) will therefore aspire to be seen as sexually attractive.
• Chanel is a very well-known brand meaning that the message of stereotypical attractiveness is going to be stronger and more widely received. 
• The low-key lighting in the advert suggests mystery or suspense, and this mood is mirrored in the fact that the model takes up most of the advert (meaning that we can't really see what else is happening). 

Myles - Back to the Future

-Hegemonically people in this time period (1885) would be wearing similar clothes to the ones in this poster

-All of these characters are heterosexual

-There is a binary opposition between Marty and Doc, one is a troublesome teenager the other is an old, mad scientist

-There is an action code in this poster: the fire under the wheel of the car

-The shot type is a long shot and it shows the whole of each of their bodies

-The golden sans-serif font really stands out to the audience and it is now an iconic font which will always be related to the film

-Mise-en-scene: there is a lot of light blue lights spraying in to different directions in the background

-This poster actually subliminally shows that the male characters are in charge. Since the film is based on time-travel and both the male characters are holding watches which might suggest that they are in control of time. The female character is just standing there and she appears to be more clueless.

Spencer - Tommy Hilfiger 

• -Hegemonically men should be heterosexual and attracted to the hegemonically stereotypical attractive women
• -Hegemonically accepted that pale and tanned skin is seen as more attractive 
• -The models used cultivates society to believe that these models have the ideal body and are good looking
• -This advert uses stereotypes of what is attractive, long hair females, tall and thin,
• -Stereotypically men are seen as being perverted and sexual. This is cultivated in this advert several men are captured staring at a stereotypically attractive woman
• -In this ad you can see in the far back is a seen a black model almost hidden from the ad this is discriminating and can be then cultivated in society meaning black members of society will be seen as lesser individuals in society