Analysis of an advertisement – Interflora
The person featured in this advert is a young, white female with blonde hair. She is wearing what could be regarded as a strange outfit. However in the context of an advertisement for flowers it is acceptable, for the reason that it follows this theme. Her bikini is purple, and the two sides resemble leaves on the stem of a flower, and her skirt is a flower head where the petals form her skirt. This fits in with the theme of the advert which is flowers because the company is Interflora who delivers flowers around the world. Her clothes make her look like a flower, and in doing this effectively personifies the flowers.
The lady is leaning slightly forward and this gives the impression of a feeling of ease. Her hand is slightly outstretched and she is reaching for something outside of the cropped frame. It also appears that she is posing like this to capture the audience’s attention, as she looks quite provocative. The stereotype is that of a slim, blonde, white lady. She is typically slim, and pretty. Another implication could be that sending flowers from this company will make a woman look all happy like the woman in the picture. This could be linked to the fact that flowers will keep any woman happy and that they will forgive when presented with flowers. This shows the power of men.
The illustration is in colour. The colours used are very bright and, and this accentuates the theme of flowers, and the sheer range of colours and patterns of the flowers. For example if the advert was in black and white it would not be nearly as attractive or have as much impact as it does when it is in colour, as colour is what makes the flowers come to life and is a selling point. The advert is for flowers and so has to be colourful like the flowers. The lady is in the foreground of the advert, and is in focus. However in the background, there is what appears to be the night sky, but it is green blended with blue, and other bright colours which have the effect of making the advert look magical and giving a sense of mystery and fantasy. The background almost looks how the northern lights do, reiterating the sense of fantasy as the northern lights are only visible in some areas of the world. This could also mean that flowers can literally be delivered anywhere in the world.
The advert has been lit so that the lady is up lighted, giving her an angelic like quality, which could have the connotation that you can make the receiver of the flowers feel like an angel. It is shot from a low angle which gives the lady a powerful look, but in a sultry way, not menacing way. The slogan says ‘Say if with Flowers’. This now brings a new meaning to the advert. It is saying that emotions can be expressed by giving flowers.
It makes people believe that by giving flowers people will know that they are loved. Also it could be that as the lady is wearing flowers, she is giving out a certain message. There is another slogan which says, ‘send flowers.’ This is very straightforward, and after reading the slogan it becomes clear why the lady is wearing a flower as a skirt. The other text in the advert is the details of how to order flowers. There is the website address and phone number and in the bottom right hand corner is the company logo and the name of the company, Interflora.
The advert is set in a dessert or something similar as there are bushes which can be distinguished and then the night sky which is lit up with dynamic colours such a bright green and blue and red. The product which is flowers does appear in the advert although not in a very conventional way. Rather than there being an image of the packaged flowers, there is a lady wearing them instead. This is effective in almost giving the flowers a personality or personifying it. For example when a product such as the phone in the ‘Carphone Warehouse’ advert is given an identity in the advertising, this means people want to buy that product, as it is used as a marketing tool.
This advert is aimed at an older generation. We know this because we know that people below the age of around 21, do not really send flowers, at least not below the age of 18. Another reason that we know this is because in a another advert I saw that the company only take credit cards which rules out a market of anyone below the age of 18. I think it would appeal to women a bit, but in particularly men, as flowers are seen as a romancing tool, and the model in the advert is a lady who is there to appeal to men. Buying flowers is seen as a very romantic gesture, and it I usually men who buy women flowers, so I think this advert is more aimed at men. However, women could also send flowers to a number of people such as family members or anyone like that.
This advert would appear in magazines and possible billboards. This is for the reason that there are some details in the advert such as the colour of the sky and, and the girl’s outfit which need to be taken in properly to understand the advert, and this cannot happen on a TV advert. I think this advert would be effective regardless of position in the magazine, because it is very eye-catching and colourful. However, if there was a feature on Mother’s Day, or Valentine’s Day, the advertisement would be very effective if positioned in the magazine next to these, as it would spark interest as it is a gift idea.
