Surface Meaning

Is advertising taking over the way we think; probably. I currently subscribe to Gentleman’s Quarterly, which I flipped through and in no more than five minutes found an ad ripe for “deconstruction.” I will first use Firth’s method of analyzing ads to rip apart this beauty, then at least try to skim the surface of what it means for anyone who sees it. I will focus on what the ad says to men, to which it is obviously targeted to, being in Gentleman’s Quarterly. I have included an image of the ad at the bottom of the page for reference.

“Surface meaning” is the first lens through which I will analyze the ad. According to Firth “surface meaning” is simply describing the ad by essentially listing its contents. So, we have two couples, smiling and holding one another. They are wearing heavy jackets and scarf’s so we can assume it is winter, even though it is clear and sunny. There is a lighthouse and rocks in the background, so they are probably on a beach somewhere. Judging by the age of the lighthouse and the terrain it is in New England. Below that we have another picture of a pair of feet in Sperry boots. By the look of the jeans and style of the boot it is a man, most likely one from above. The man is stepping in the water. Finally, in the bottom right corner there reads “A Passion For the Sea – Sperry Top–Sider” with a logo and website, white background, blue and grey text.

“The intended meaning” is the meaning the advertiser wants to communicate to you. In this ad it is pretty straightforward. Sperry wants you to buy their boots so you can go on day trips to the coast in the winter and be comfortable, also that their boots are good for casual and sophisticated looks. If you notice, the man on the right is dressed down. He has on a shirt, plain coat, and loose fitting khakis. A relaxed everyday outfit, while the man on the right is in his yuppie sweater and trendy ripped jeans. In addition, that the boots are waterproof, and great if you like the ocean.

“The Cultural or Ideological Meaning” is what the ad relates to me, the straight white male.  This ad says that to be happy I need to be a straight, rich, physically fit, attractive, white male with a white girlfriend who is similarly fit and attractive. First we’ll tackle the sexual preference; both men are being held passionately by women, it’s pretty straight-forward. The money comes in when we examine that beautiful watch that the man on the right is wearing. It is steel, shiny and big, a sure sign of both masculinity and wealth. I don’t think anyone would question the looks and fitness of the models. It also communicates a racially homogenous relationship; both the men are white (who we can assume are friends out on a double date of sorts) and both girlfriends are white.

“Analyzing Social Relationships” is another way Firth examines the ad in his essay, and a method I will also employ. To analyze the social relationships I need to “look at the relationships being depicted between the people featured in the advertising.” Firth uses William O’Barr’s methods of finding power structures in what we see. So, as previously stated we have two A-typical white couples on retreat to a New England beach. I will first point out how the couples are interacting; both women are literally clinging to their male counterparts who are standing upright supporting them. Moreover, only the male’s boots are shot in the water, even though Sperry sells women’s boots as well. Now try reversing the roles of the men and women. What if the men were holding the women and she was in fact going into the water in her pair of Sperry boots? Would it seem odd or out of place, probably. What if one of the women was taller then one of the men? What if one of the people was overweight? What if one of the couples was Black/African-American or Hispanic or Asian or Middle Eastern? What if one of the couples was bi-racial? What if one of the couples was gay? What if there were no couples and just two men with no connotation?

One thing I didn’t read in any of the articles was the impact on the consumer’s willingness to buy. While advertisers perpetuate a straight, wealthy, white, patriarchal ideology, does this affect the view of the brand? For example, take each of the questions in the previous paragraph, and then ask yourself, if you saw those changes, would you be as willing to buy their product? I am positive that if at least one of those were actually true, you would be less willing. The ad isn’t really about buying shoes; it’s about buying a life the advertisers have created. Luckily for them the life you want is the one that they themselves, and a group of other corporations, have for decades pounded into your brain.

Consumer culture has an impact on the way we as humans see the world around us. It has told us through ads like these what the ideal is; that we need the money, the race, the sex, the sexual preference, the masculinity, the looks and the girlfriend to be happy. Why else would they all be smiling so much, don’t you want to be happy, here’s how; buy the shoes. In Ruskin and Schor’s article they cite a study by UCLA on what student’s feel is a “very important or essential life goal … succeeding financially has increased to a 13-year high…” Why else would people need money if not to buy things? What thing do they need a lot of money to buy; happiness. Commercialism has made the means to happiness the goods they sell. It has dictated what happiness is, what it is made of, and the idea that it can be bought.

So then what is happiness? This question I have no answer for. I see it in a big house with beautiful children and a spouse, age fifty sitting beside a fire reading, enjoying the success, recognition, and the monetary skyscraper I have made for myself. This is just another image consumer culture has put into my brain. At this point it is impossible to escape it. Yet there is hope; to know what’s happening, how it’s affecting you and the world around you, is the first step to escaping its grasp. Like Firth says, “by learning how to critically deconstruct advertisements we can begin to move away from the role of spectator to become participants in the making and remaking of ourselves and of a more democratic society.” To really top of the joke, of the shoes I own, my Sperry boat shoes are my favorite.

Bib.

Frith, Katherine Toland. "Undressing the Ad: Reading Culture in Advertising." Undressing the Ad: Reading Culture in Advertising. New York: Peter Lang, 1997. Print.

Ruskin, Gary. Schor, Juliet. Every Nook and Cranny: The Dangerous Spread of Commercialized Cultural. Chapter 26. 

Sperry Top-Sider. Advertisement. GQ Magazine. November 2010. Page 129.