Deconstructing and advertising image

Rip out an advertising image from a newspaper supplement and circle and write on as many parts of the image as you can. Comment on what it is, what it says about the product and why you think it’s there.

Breitling Watches circa mid-2010’s

When we view the see a composite image in portrait format designed to fit on a signal page of a magazine. This is an advert for Breitling watch which is designed with and co-branded with Bentley cars and it features prominently the watch, and a portrait of a man and a car. The image in 2 half the up half features the photographic elements and the lower half fades to black and features the text and the product shot.

The background of the advert shot of a black Bentley car, on what looks like an airfield, mountains and a dark stormy sky, the horizon of which runs along the upper horizontal third. The overall look for this is dark as if shot in the blue hour on an overcast day.

The portrait is of David Beckman ex England football captain and celebrity, who is dressed in a smart dark suit, and the advertised watch adopting a strong pose, how he holds hand and the in combination with the suit it is very reminiscent of James Bond. It is of larger proportions to the background image and is placed to the left in the upper two-thirds of the image.

The dark tarmac of the airfield the car is on fades fully to black in the lower section of the picture in the lower right third a product show of the advertised watch is placed, unusually it in it side you would expect to upright, but it is mirroring how it position on Beckman’s wrist, although the watch hands are in the classic 10 past 10 position.

To the right of the watch is a paragraph outlining the watch in a clear Arial style font, all the text on the image is in this font except for the Breitling name.

The image makes good use of the rule of thirds and triangles in its composition, the 3 main elements are in a triangle and the viewers constantly circles around that triangle; from portrait, to watch to car.

The overall feel of the image is dark moody and mysterious, as I have mentioned above very James Bond – esque. And is clearly aimed at a male audience. This image exhibits heteronormative stereotypes to signify power and strength; The strong male gentleman, however, the subtle inclusion of the visible tattoo and a little danger to the male figure. The stormy weather also signifies power.

The headline of the advert is “The Essence of Britain” and the image exhibits those British Stereotypes, the gentleman in a suit, the use of a football star car and the even the dark potentially rainy weather that signify Britishness.

There is an overwhelming feeling of manipulation about the image. Bentley (and to some extent Breitling) is a brand that doesn’t require advertisement they are not an impulse purchase as are high-end watches. However, in the modern world watches are increasingly becoming obsolete as a person sole method of having a personal time telling device – we all carry a smartphone for that.

Therefore what Breitling are doing with this advert is to make this watch an impulse purchase by associating it with class. When the advert is broken down the advert is not selling the watch is it is selling class. Something that is unable to be bought. They are selling the illusion that this one item brings you into a different realm.

For the British market Breitling and it adverting executives have put forward a perfect combination with the working class hero (David Beckham) being presented as the ultimate British Hero (James Bond), diving a car that many many footballers dive. And the connecting item to all these is Breitling watch – which is much more affordable to the viewer than the car. They are hoping the viewer will fall for the illusion that a GBP2000 watch is a gateway to class and sophistication.