Task 2- Advert analysis and semiotics

In the Estee Lauder advertisement 'Wild love' which featured Kendall Jenner and Elle King, the denotation of the ad is the lipstick. Throughout the whole advertisement, the lipstick is consistently used to show viewers the significance of purchasing their product and switching to their brand. During the advertisement, different swatches of lipstick colours were shown e.g. red, nude and maroon.

Throughout the whole advertisement the type of shots that were used are, mid-shot and close up. The close up shots was used to concentrate on Kendall Jenner's face when she was applying the lipstick on. The producers purposely did this type of shot so viewers can see the easy application of the lipstick and the vibrancy of the colours. More than one colour lipstick was applied during the ad, to show to the viewers that any colours are accessible to different type of people’s requirement. This clearly shows the versatility of the company ‘Estee Lauder’ as; they manufacture cosmetics which are widely available to other viewers.

The mid shots were taken when Kendall Jenner and Elle King started to sing. The mid shot were really essential throughout the whole ad as, I was able to easily pick up the character’s movements and gestures. For example, at the beginning of the shot, it was clearly apparent that Kendall Jenner body language conveyed a sense of frustration and annoyance towards Elle King. However as the ad builds up, we can massively see a transparent change towards Kendall Jenner’s body language as; Kendall puts on quite the performance while cleaning up her house as, she sings into a broom and dances around. This implies that Kendall Jenner is feeling a sense of contentment and gratitude towards the product. As not only she looks good during the ad, she enjoyed tidying up the mess at the end.

The music that was featured in the advertisement is called 'Wild love' which has an upbeat, dynamic sound to it. Elle King who was featured in the ad created ‘Wild Love’ as; she is a singer/songwriter. The producers of ‘Estee Lauder’ maybe used Elle King’s song in their ad so they can promote their products and her song at the same time. The music is solely central throughout the whole advertisement as, we can see the product being utilized well and the power of the lipstick. The music is quite catching and constantly repeats the phrase ‘Love’ which might emphasise that if you purchase ‘Estee Lauder’ cosmetics you will instantly fall in love with their brand and have the same feeling as Kendall Jenner. The company ‘Estee Lauder’ attempts to distinguish themselves from different makeup brands, as ‘Estee Lauder’ already knows that many makeup companies might demonstrate the cosmetics on the protagonist’s face. However, what Estee Lauder tries to do differently is, they produced this advertisement to show that not only you would look good, but you would experience the same happiness as Kendall Jenner from within.

The mise en scene of the advertisement was taken place in two different scenarios, a recording studio and a house. The house appeared to look neutral and modernised due to the type of colours used e.g. white, cream and brown. The natural lighting came from the windows in the house which created a more optimistic and lively atmosphere to have a party in. Elements of artificial lighting were seen for example, the lamp. Around the house many props were shown as, a party was taking place this included balloons, plates of food and drinks, table and chairs etc. The arrangement of the props were disordered and looked chaotic this, could show the state of the mess made by people from the party. This is because; in the beginning I can only see the guest leaving and Kendall Jenner is left all by herself. The place where Kendall Jenner shot her part of the advertisement mainly included high key lighting to present the scene as having an upbeat, energetic feel. However in the recording studio where Elle King was, contrasting colours seemed to be displayed e.g. black, white and red. Artificial lighting was used to brighten up the area of the recording studio as, the place itself looked dark and bleak. This can show how concealed or serious the recording studio is. The type of props that were used in the recording studio included microphone, digital audio workstation, microphone stands etc. These elements of music can show the career aspect of working in a music industry. Clearly when Kendall Jenner’s face was featured in the billboard, it enraged Elle King which made her have an outburst with Kendall Jenner later on.

The editing of the advertisement was done at a low shot angle to highlight the importance of Elle King singing her song and, to show the superiority of how the makeup looks like on Kendall Jenner’s face. A focus pull was mainly used to vary between both celebrities, and to see what was happening in both scenarios. Majority of the time, the camera panned left to right to show the dance movements within the frame. This is important as, the mid shot revealed a lot about Kendall Jenner’s expression and body language. Clearly from the advertisement, it is evident that Kendall Jenner felt jovial and cheerful while singing and dancing in the advertisement. When Elle King was coming back home in the car, a point of view shot was used to see what was going on in Elle King’s head. Her expressions and body language communicated to the audience that she is flustered and annoyed at Kendall Jenner. Each sections of the advertisement was filmed separately as, a series of montage was used to show the different ways in which Kendall Jenner felt good about herself when she applied the makeup on. 

The costumes that were used during the ad are significant as, Kendall Jenner frequently changed her clothes to symbolise the current mood she was in. For example in the beginning, Kendall Jenner was wearing a casual outfit and had no makeup. Her casual dress up can symbolise her easy-going and nonchalant attitude. This is because; she let Elle King leave when she wanted her to help her clean up. But when she found the lipstick and applied it on, it instantly put her in an optimistic, happy mood. This can be seen, when her style of her clothing changed from being casual to being cool and retro. 

The logo of the ad is called is called 'Estee Lauder' which is a makeup company who are trying to promote their new lipstick colours. The slogan is ‘Mix, Remix, Get Your Color On’. The caption of the advertisement is ‘Wild Love: Watch Kendall Jenner & Elle King Mix It Up with New Pure Color Love Lipstick’. 

The types of persuasive technique that have been used during the ad are experts. This can be seen when the producers decided to feature Kendall Jenner and Elle King into the ad. This is because; Kendall Jenner is a model and has knowledge surrounding health and beauty. She is mainly known for appearing in catwalks and has a strong connection within the modelling industry. And as for Elle King, she is a singer/songwriter who created the background music called ‘Wild Love’. This meant that the producers of ‘Estee Lauder’ combined two different professions which really correlated with each other and linked to what the advertisement is about. Estée Lauder might have featured celebrities into their ad, to give their brand more recognition as, many viewers might watch there advertisement if their favourite celebrity is featured in it.

Another persuasive technique that had been used in punishment as, when Kendall Jenner applied the lipstick on she started to sing amazingly and was bursting with energy. It seemed that the lipstick gave her a natural talent of singing as, when Elle King was driving back to the house, she hears a familiar voice but it is Kendall who is credited with the track. This increasingly infuriated Elle King as; Kendall Jenner was featured in the billboard by singing her song. But back in the recording studio, when Elle King tried to sing her voice started to sound off-key and terrible. This is because; Elle King forgot to apply the lipstick on as she dropped it on the way when going to the recording studio. By using this persuasive technique, the producers are trying to indicate that if you don't purchase 'Estee Lauder' lipstick collection; you would suffer the same consequences as Elle King and your career would be at stake. 

In the beginning of the advertisement, Kendall Jenner is caught wearing a nude coloured lipstick. Which might have connotations of her being a neutral and vulnerable character as; she has no options but to clear up all by herself. The connotation of the different types of lipstick used can vary from each other. For example, the red lipstick that Kendall Jenner wore at the beginning can symbolise her outgoing and confident nature which creates a bold statement in the advertisement. The colour red can be associated with passion, energy and action as, she was dancing and freely roaming around while singing. However, when Kendall Jenner wore a bold maroon coloured lipstick it had connotations of her having a bold, daring and brave nature. 

The social/cultural context of the ‘Estee Lauder’ ad mainly focused on 21st century as, the way Kendall Jenner and Elle King dressed up took a more casual and modern approach which wouldn’t seem acceptable in the 17^th century. This is because; back in the 17^th century women and men had different roles and traditional norms to follow e.g. raising their own family. The makeup can also be seen stereotypical in the 21^st century as, many people think that makeup is more suitable for people who are girly and have fashion sense but, are not tailored for the geeky and nerdy ones. This is because the company ‘Estee Lauder’ decided to feature a fashion icon who is Kendall Jenner rather than a regular person. Makeup has definitely evolved from the olden times as, nowadays makeup brands are becoming more prevalent and makeup is sometimes worn every day in some people’s lifestyle at a daily basis. Having parties can be seen appropriate in the modern society as, it is a social norm of going out and making friends. Parties are a way to relieve any stress and have fun. However in the olden times, parties can impose a perception of sinning as, back in the days society was highly religious and followed strict traditional norms.