HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?DOLCE AND GABBANA ADVERTISEMENT ANALYSIS

D&G BACKGROUND

*Been designing clothes together for three decades

*Started off as a couple, inspired their designs

*Both Italian

*Not afraid to push the sexual envelope with their campaigns

*Have had controversial ads released since they first started

*Thinks that sex sells

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Male dominance

Objectification of women

Male power

Intimate positions

Offensive

Suggestive positions

Violence

Degrading

WHAT DOES D&G SAY?

*They see nothing wrong with the image

*Has nothing to do with real life and is an artistic expression

*Has nothing involving male dominance,

“It’s an erotic dream, a sexual game.”

*They say Spain, who protested for the ad to be pulled, is “simply out of touch.”

PROTESTS AGAINST AD

*National Organization for women joined women’s groups in Spain, Italy, and U.S. in protesting image.

*Fashion critics called ad gross and tasteless

*Spanish government and Spanish woman’s institute started Spain’s protests

*13 Italian senators objected to ad

*D&G eventually pulled the ad from various publications due to protests

WHAT IS THIS AD ACTUALLY TRYING TO SELL?

GUESSES?

TEXT & IMAGERY

*Left to write, where our eyes read from.

*Front and center, yet very faded

*Cloud back ground, seen as dreamy to audience

*Levels; some models are higher up, some are lower, make eyes wander

*Set up; looks somewhat like a stage

All do this to pull in audience and get more consumers

MODELS

*Flawless models, often used in advertisements

*Perfect body figures

*Smooth, tan skin

*Audience sees perfection and thinks buying their clothes will help them achieve that

*Designers of this ad wanted people to see D&G as a vision of perfection

DOES SEX REALLY SELL?

*Still continue to use ads with sexual imagery

*Since 2007 companies revenue has increased by 21%

*Other companies do the same:

Calvin Klein, Valentino, Jimmy Choo, many more.

*Not only do ads use sex to sell things, so does movies, tv shows, designers, and other media outlets.

*Sex is becoming a prominent way of selling things and has increased over time.

What do you think is too far?