Pepperidge Farms’ Milano cookies have always been Chips Ahoy’s hot cousin. Their tall and slender shape offers a sharp contrast to traditional fat, round cookies. The sophisticated sweet’s advertising follows suit with a simple yet elegant design containing just a hint of seduction; the perfect way to depict the cookie you just can’t resist.
The advertisement employs various elements of design that emphasize an overall sexual connotation. Visually, the advertisement is aesthetically pleasing. It follows the rule of thirds, as its primary design components are split between the upper, middle and lower thirds of the page. The focal point of the advertisement is two, actual-size Milano cookies resting on top of a white wrapper.
Below the image, the advertisement reads “You’re an expert in the art of compromise. Except when it comes to your cookies,” and sentences are stacked on top of one another. A small picture of a Milano cookie bag appears under the words. The final piece of text on the advertisement is the sentence “Save Something for Yourself,” the product’s slogan.
The cookies have a strong sexual subtext. In order to effectively communicate a sense of desire towards the cookies, advertisers must first call attention to them. The audience’s eye is primarily drawn to the cookies due to the advertisement's use of contrast. The predominant contrast is between the color of the cookies and the color of the background. To make the cookies stand out even more, they are delicately placed on a pure white wrapper instead of directly on the off-white background.
The cookies have a strong sexual subtext. In order to effectively communicate a sense of desire towards the cookies, advertisers must first call attention to them. The audience’s eye is primarily drawn to the cookies due to the advertisement's use of contrast. The predominant contrast is between the color of the cookies and the color of the background. To make the cookies stand out even more, they are delicately placed on a pure white wrapper instead of directly on the off-white background.
In addition to the background's color schemes, the color of the wafers and the chocolate in between them illustrates contrast. The advertisement also exercises contrast between the sizes of its images. The cookies are significantly larger than the bag, which signals that the cookies are meant to be the focal point of the advertisement.
The Milanos are strategically placed so that they resemble a multitude of things. From a technical standpoint, they come to a point similar to that of an arrow and direct the reader’s attention to the text underneath the advertisement, creating a sense of movement. This downward motion helps the overall flow of the advertisement, and directs the audience to the sentences. The shape of the cookies also draws a parallel to the curves on a human body, highlighting the sexual subtext of the image. Finally, the wrapper that the cookies rest upon resembles a pillow or a bed, further emphasizing its sexual connotation.
In addition to the image, the two sentences also carry sexual subtexts, and explore the idea that people should indulge themselves and give into temptation. The phrase “Except when it comes to your cookies” implies to the audience that Milano cookies are harder to resist than other forms of dessert. In fact, they are so delicious that one will be unable to make any form of personal compromise, whether it’s sharing your cookies or limiting yourself to just one. This subtext is important because it comments on recent societal trends.
The Milanos are strategically placed so that they resemble a multitude of things. From a technical standpoint, they come to a point similar to that of an arrow and direct the reader’s attention to the text underneath the advertisement, creating a sense of movement. This downward motion helps the overall flow of the advertisement, and directs the audience to the sentences. The shape of the cookies also draws a parallel to the curves on a human body, highlighting the sexual subtext of the image. Finally, the wrapper that the cookies rest upon resembles a pillow or a bed, further emphasizing its sexual connotation.
In addition to the image, the two sentences also carry sexual subtexts, and explore the idea that people should indulge themselves and give into temptation. The phrase “Except when it comes to your cookies” implies to the audience that Milano cookies are harder to resist than other forms of dessert. In fact, they are so delicious that one will be unable to make any form of personal compromise, whether it’s sharing your cookies or limiting yourself to just one. This subtext is important because it comments on recent societal trends.
Dessert often carries a stigma of being an indulgent experience. This reputation has been amplified as the health conciseness movement continues to make ground and new “clean-eating” diets gain popularity. Pepperidge Farms comments on these trends, specifically with the text “Save Something for Yourself,” which implies that one should treat themselves to dessert and satisfy cravings that society might repress.
The sexual connotation is impactful in this advertisement for a multitude of reasons. First, it instills a sense of desire in the audience. Research has shown that sexual elements in advertisements elicit more of a response from audiences, particularly among females. The concept of indulgence that the sexual subtext signifies is targeted towards women, since they are typically more health conscious than men. Therefore, this advertisement appeals to women by sending the message that although they are “experts in compromise” in other areas of their lives, perhaps even regarding other food choices, Milano cookies should be assessed differently.
As evident by elements of design, the advertisement alludes to a sexual undertone while capitalizing on the fact that desserts are seen as a guilty pleasure by society. Theoretically, eating a Milano cookie is “wrong,” because it goes against social health standards and trends. However, they are so delicious that they should be an exception to society’s rules.
The sexual connotation is impactful in this advertisement for a multitude of reasons. First, it instills a sense of desire in the audience. Research has shown that sexual elements in advertisements elicit more of a response from audiences, particularly among females. The concept of indulgence that the sexual subtext signifies is targeted towards women, since they are typically more health conscious than men. Therefore, this advertisement appeals to women by sending the message that although they are “experts in compromise” in other areas of their lives, perhaps even regarding other food choices, Milano cookies should be assessed differently.
As evident by elements of design, the advertisement alludes to a sexual undertone while capitalizing on the fact that desserts are seen as a guilty pleasure by society. Theoretically, eating a Milano cookie is “wrong,” because it goes against social health standards and trends. However, they are so delicious that they should be an exception to society’s rules.
No comments:
Post a Comment