Decoding/Deconstructing Advertising

I have chosen to analyze a commercial featuring Gwen Stefani for her perfume, L. The commercial can be seen at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efotq1vsFFk.

I think that this commercial is very typical for a woman’s perfume ad. It barely even shows the actual perfume because it is focusing on the extravagant, sexy feeling and lifestyle that you can supposedly achieve by buying and wearing this perfume. I believe that this commercial is mostly about sex, and sex is what is almost always used to sell perfume. Let’s look at the different signifiers in this commercial, to speak in terms of semiotics, and then discuss what they signify.

The commercial opens with Stefani swimming in a pool of water – well, she’s not exactly swimming, but twisting and turning in the water. She then comes out of the water, all wet but still in full make-up and perfect wardrobe. Water, in my opinion, is a sign for sex. In many commercials, television shows and movies, we see people taking a shower, standing in a waterfall, or pouring water on themselves, and they are always supposed to look very sexy. I think there are many conclusions that can be drawn from this, such as the idea of a woman who is “wet” or a woman who needs a shower/bath because she is supposedly “dirty.” I must also mention the background voice of Stefani saying “I want you all over me.” My guess is that she is supposed to be talking about the perfume, but I think it is pretty easy to see the truth behind that line. How much more sexual could that message get?

The next part of the commercial shows Stefani standing in front of a gold wall. To me, this signifies money, and the rich, extravagant lifestyle that could be yours with this perfume. Gold is often used as the colour of money, or richness, so I believe that richness is what Stefani is also trying to sell with her perfume. This is also shown with the huge pool that Stefani is swimming in, as well as the extravagant house behind it.

We then see Stefani is a bright red bathing suit, as well as lying down with her head back, wearing bright red lipstick. To me, the colour red is another signifier for sex. Red has often been used to signify sexiness, as women often wear bright red clothing or accessories to assert their sexuality. Also, red is hot and passionate colour, which is another reason why it signifies sex to me. Plus, Stefani wearing bright red lipstick is a huge signifier for sex because it draws attention to her mouth, one of the biggest sexual signifiers that could be used.

Perfume commercials – like many commercials in general - are almost always trying to sell you the lifestyle that you can supposedly obtain by buying and wearing that product. Still, I don`t think this is the best way to sell the product. After watching this commercial, I have no idea how this perfume smells, where to buy it or how much it costs. The only reasons that I would even consider pursuing this product further are because it is made by Gwen Stefani, or because I want to be sexy and extravagant like the commercial shows. I think that commercials should be more about the product and less about the unobtainable lifestyle that I can presumable get if I buy that product.