Advertising Analysis From a Teen-Targeted

Advertising Analysis From a Teen-Targeted Magazine

Seventeen Magazine (URL: http://www.seventeen.com/parties/)

Subculture

The evident target audience of this particular advertisement is clearly female. Although it is found in Seventeen, a magazine that contains many promotional articles about hair and makeup, the advertisement depicts a young woman with relatively little makeup, a plain t-shirt, and ordinary jeans. She is wearing Keds in a manner that suggests she is carefree and certain of her identity -- she seems to enjoy wearing her comfortable shoes and the freedom they give to her.

The emphasis of the advertisement is loving, accepting, and embracing one's self. As a group, teens are more apt to structure their identity according to the confines of a clear, self-identified subculture than virtually any other demographic. Teenage girls who are artistic, alternative, and who are not preoccupied with the opinions of others (or who would like to see themselves as such) are likely to respond to this advertisement.

Visual clues

The young woman thrusts her hands in the air in unself-conscious joy. She looks childlike and does not seem to be concerned with making herself look perfect for a boy or for her friends. She is not trying to look cool and aloof. She looks like a friend, rather than a rival or someone the viewer aspires to resemble. Her shoes, the product being promoted by the advertisement, are customized with yellow-and-white laces that give them a highly distinctive appearance. They match her casual jeans and shirt -- and also emphasize her quirky appearance. The young woman is not dressed in a self-consciously 'alternative' or 'trendy' outfit. Rather, it is suggested that her exterior demeanor is an expression of her inner self. She is as comfortable with herself as a pair of Keds is to wear.

Aspirations communicated in the ad

The aspirations that are communicated in the advertisement are the desire to be true to one's self and comfortable with one's own identity. There is also a great deal of nostalgia conveyed by the advertisement. Many people, including teens, fondly remember wearing Keds when they were young. The girl is able to still hold onto her youth by wearing Keds, even while she is 'breaking out' of her old identity as a child. She does not have to act like an adolescent girl is supposed to, or like a child -- she can be mature and carefree, wear Keds and still be grown-up in her desire to express her unique sense of self.

Cultural values