Advert Deconstruction

Lily Allen Littlest Things

This is a magazine advert for Lily Allen’s single Littlest Things, released in December 2006.

The colours of the advert stand out to me first of all. The burgundy and red tones could connote love and romance, which is a contrast to the lyrics of the song which are about a break up and how she is reminiscing about the relationship.

The artist herself is placed in the middle of the page, which puts the focus on her. Her hair and make-up seem quite classy, giving it a 1950’s style along with the cream jacket with the collar up and large diamond earrings.

The artwork in the background is simple line drawings of buildings in black and white. This, along with the font of ‘Lily Allen’ in the top left corner, make me think of old comic books from the 50’s era.

The bottom part of the advert states the title of the single in a large font, this makes it stand out as well as it also being mentioned twice on the whole advert. Also we can see the date of release and some extra information at the bottom in much smaller font.

The overall look of the advert, including the font, colours, and layout all remind me of a cigarette packet from the 1950’s. Smoking was seen as a stylish and acceptable thing to do at the time, which is maybe the look Lily is trying to put across with this song.

The advert corresponds with the music video as it also focuses on the 50’s and she is styled in the same way she is here. This gives the single a constant image throughout which makes it memorable and recognisable.