English Power Point
L'Oréal Shampoo Ad Analysis
D. Maharaj
L'Oréal Ad
THESIS
The L'Oréal ad explicitly sells shampoo, but the implicit messages promised by the ad include beauty, strength, and confidence.
Target Audience
This advertisement comes from an issue of Elle magazine. The target audience of this magazine consists of adult females, mainly between the ages of 18-40. These women, who may be married or single, are readers who are interested in beauty, fashion, health, and entertainment. Women read the magazine to stay up-to-date on current trends and to seek answers to questions about health and beauty issues.
CONTEXT
This L'Oréal advertisement appeals to the women in this target audience by addressing concerns about beauty, especially concerns regarding their hair. The appearance of a woman’s hair is of great concern in American society, and women are constantly seeking products and services that will help them to sculpt their hair into the latest style trend. This ad, like so many ads for hair products, seeks to exploit the insecurities a woman may feel about her hair in order to offer her a product that will build her confidence and make her beautiful.
PATHOS
The focus of the ad is the model pictured on the page. Like most models featured in ads for beauty products, this model tends to embody the characteristics that many women strive to have. The model has flawless skin, a thin, oval and perfectly symmetrical face, and long, shiny hair. She seems to look the reader in the eye with a mysterious, alluring stare. She resembles countless women that are seen in movies, television shows, and advertisements—she is a woman that readers assume is desired by men and envied by women. After all, she tends to fit the standard that society has defined as “beautiful,” and the readers are accustomed to seeing these beautiful women cast in star roles in Hollywood and adored by fans and fictional male suitors. Female readers may look at this woman and feel insecure about their own appearance, but they subconsciously wonder if the shampoo might be a product that could help them become more like the model featured in the ad. Therefore, the ad tends to send the reader messages about how a woman should appear in order to be considered appealing and beautiful (PATHOS) in American society.
LOGOS
The language in this ad further promotes the ideas of beauty, and it suggests messages about confidence and strength. The words, “48-hr frizz control” appear in bold lettering on the ad. Women tend to attach positive connotations to these words, as having sleek hair is deemed beneficial in society. Of course, though, these words are subjective in nature, as what is sleek may be different to different people. The ad does not go into detail to explain what degree of frizz a consumer’s hair will have after using the product. While the text serves as a logical appeal (LOGOS), as it seems to convey facts about the product, the facts are unsubstantiated.
ETHOS
The ad features Jennifer Lopez, an American icon who portrays the ideal of beauty and confidence. She is a diva whose style is emulated by young girls and many women. The audience can accept J Lo as a credible source (ETHOS) since she represents strength and success, which is highly lauded in society. When the audience sees J Lo in an advertisement for L'Oréal, they might feel persuaded to buy the product because they believe that if a celebrity like J Lo trusts L'Oréal, then they should, too. The confidence and strength promised by J Lo make the reader feel assured that this product could also provide confidence and strength to the average woman who uses the products.
CONCLUSION
Like many ads, television shows, and films, this ad tends to emphasize the importance of physical beauty in American culture. However, the ad does more than just tell women that beauty is important—it seems to say that a woman is only beautiful if she has the characteristics of this woman: flawless skin and long shiny hair. The ad seems to tell women that they can only feel confident if they look a certain way on the outside. And while some might believe that strength is a great quality for women to have, this ad focuses on the strength a woman can have if her appearance meets society’s expectations for beauty. Like most beauty advertisements, this ad exploits the insecurities women feel about themselves—the ad implicitly tells women that they are not beautiful if they do not have these qualities—in order to sell them a product. In the end, advertisements such as these seem to further focus on a woman’s appearance and ignore her inner qualities, such as intellect, compassion, and determination. With these qualities continually being ignored in advertisements, it is no wonder women continue to feel as though they do not quite measure up to society’s standards of “beautiful.
WORKS CITED
Advertisement for L'Oréal. Elle, Jan. 2013, www.elle.com
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