Advertising Themes in Turkish Magazines Boxer Magazine

Advertising Themes in Turkish Magazines

Boxer Magazine is a Turkish language magazine published in Turkey. As the name implies, it is intended to appeal to a predominantly male audience. Naturally, its advertisements present products and services intended to appeal to and be purchased and consumed by Turkish male customers. The following is an analysis of the specific advertisements in the June 2011 issue of Boxer.

By contrast, Elele Magazine is a Turkish language magazine published in Turkey. Unlike Boxer, it is intended to appeal to a predominantly female audience. Naturally, its advertisements present products and services intended to appeal to and be purchased and consumed by Turkish female customers or on behalf of females by males. The following is an analysis of the specific advertisements in the June 2011 issue of Elele. There is a very obvious difference in the themes of the advertisements that only becomes more apparent by virtue of having just reviewed all of the advertisements in the male-oriented magazine.

Boxer Magazine -- Advertising Directed to a Male Audience

This advertisement for the HTC Cellphone depicts a man dressed for business who is clearly conducting an important conversation by cell phone. He is classically handsome and projects the image of male power and dominance that is universally appealing to males and especially appealing to males within highly patriarchal societies such as Turkey. The background contains various images also meant to convey the image of dominance and power, such as other men dressed for business, office buildings, and expensive automobiles.

The Boxer advertisements are for sports cars (Fiat 500, Alfa Romeo MiTo, and Renault) and everything in those advertisements convey images of power and speed, including the bright colors and the manner in which the vehicles dominate the landscape. The obvious connotation is that the vehicles depicted are all powerful and exciting products intended for powerful and dominant men. One vehicle is presented in front of a background of other vehicles all of which are considerably smaller by virtue of the photographic perspective than the featured vehicle. Naturally, this dominance is highly consistent with the principal images that Turkish men prefer to project about themselves to others: namely, that they are more powerful and more important than other individuals.

Another vehicle is depicted as rapidly overtaking the other vehicles sharing the road. It glistens sharply and sparkles in the electric reflections of the nightlights of the city; by comparison, the other cars are dimly lit and do not capture the attention of the observer. This presentation is consistent with the preference of many Turkish males, (especially those wealthy enough to afford to purchase the products presented in the advertisement) to be noticed by other. In one advertisement, a very attractive female is obviously distracted by the vehicle. The entire image suggests that she is interested in whoever is driving the vehicle and that it is something about the vehicle itself that has captured her attention and generated her desire to know the driver. This theme is also consistent with the self-image of many males in general and of many Turkish males in particular: namely, that they are simultaneously interesting to women and also mysterious to them.

The advertisements for alcoholic beverages EFEA Beer, KAYRA wine, and Absolute Vodka) seem to fit the same general pattern as the advertisement themes used by advertisers to promote automobiles and cell phones. Specifically, one product clearly depicts a so-called "power meeting" in which all of the individuals at the table are clearly important and able to afford the very best the establishment has to offer. Another advertisement presents a romantic encounter in which the attractive female is obviously extremely interested in and captivated by her male counterpart. Finally, the third advertisement in this series shows several males who have obviously just finished playing soccer. They are presented in a manner that exemplifies their strength, masculinity, and virility. Both individually and in the series, these advertisements for alcoholic beverages promote the ideas that the males featured in the photographs (and by inference, any male consumer who purchases the products featured) are powerful and respected in business, sought after and considered alluring by females, and possess all of the traditional male qualities valued by Turkish men: strength, power, the ability to command the respect of other men, and, of course, virility.

Elele Magazine -- Advertising Directed to a Female Audience

In general, whereas almost all of the products marketed to males emphasize social power, physical strength, and sexual desirability, the products marketed to the Turkish female audience tend to feature very different themes. Specifically, they emphasize clothes and jewelry meant to enhance a woman's physical beauty and (presumably) her desirability to men; they focus on products intended to help women change or improve their physical appearance in a manner that will improve their appearance to men; and they depict household goods intended to help women fulfill their traditional marital and family obligations after marriage.

Sociologically, Turkish society strongly emphasizes the traditional views when it comes to the role of women. Specifically, women are considered to be the property of their families and they are expected to be obedient and respectful to their elders at all times, and especially to their fathers. While they are unmarried, they are expected to maintain their respect and, by reflection, the respect and good reputation of their families by avoiding consorting disrespectfully with men. At the same time, young Turkish women are encouraged to enhance their physical appearance but without crossing the line into sexual provocation. The depiction of various fashionable shoes and other clothing in the magazine advertisements emphasizes the color and apparent quality of the material and avoids any overt sexuality. Another advertisement features a prominent diamond ring which seems to exemplify the cultural theme that attaches tremendous significance to the ability of a young woman to attract a man capable of providing an expensive ring, and by implication, a corresponding dowry for her family.