Fury and Ray Ban Shades

"Fury Has Been Unleashed"
Honda's ad for their motorcyle, The Fury is an ad that uses several great techniques to attract their particular audience. The ad seems to take place in present day and the setting is not very definitive. Their motorcycle is placed on a road of some sort, and is surrounded by a series of images and torn out pages from magazines. The direct subject of the advertisement is the motorcycle, seen in the center and foreground of the ad. The ad was taken from Spin Magazine (November 2009 Issue), and instantly drew my attention as an audience member. The various pictures that are seen in the ad, surrounding its text all appear to provide some sort of representation on what the word "fury" represents. From the lightning bolts seen on the top far left side of the advertisement, to the monster whose jaws are wide open on the far right, the viewer gets a sense of energy and danger in what is being advertised. There is repetition in the images seen, as they all contain subjects with their jaws open, lightening bolts, or broken glass. The main text looks as if it was a series of words cut out from another ad, and has a very rough and chaotic feel to it. By layering the text on top of the numerous images, it encompasses what the images represent. The text and the images behind the text work with one another, as the text suggests the meaning behind the imagery, while the images support the rough and rugged look to the font style. The red color on the text is not "clean", but has a lot of texture to it. Motorcylists typically are known to be people who enjoy excitement, adventure and danger, and this ad captures exactly that. By naming their motorcyle the Fury, Honda is advertising towards this demographic. The ad suggests that the rush motorcyclists get while riding will be enhanced through this particular model. Its edgy and trendy image suggest perhaps the advertisement is directed towards a younger generation of motorcyclists, and definitely males are mostly directed by the ad. The ad is definitely promoting a lifestyle, where excitement, adventure and power await those who own a Honda Fury. I would assume that the ad is directed towards a younger generation, due to the edgy and trendy background the Another interesting aspect of the advertisement is how the word, "fury" is repetitively seen within the "collage". In doing so, the advertisement emphasizes the depiction of the word and carves the product's name into the audience's mind. The word is seen on the far right side of the image, as well as the bottom. It is also seen in the main text, and its logo is at the very bottom left of the ad as well. I enjoy the aesthetics of the advertisement. I do not ride motorcycles, nor have I ever tried to. Even though I haven't, I find myself responding to the advertisement anyway, impressed by image the ad conveys the product. I believe this ad is very effective. It grabs the attention of the audience through its chaotic feel, and the text blends in, yet pops out of the image in order to invite the reader to further examine the ad.

When thinking about how I should change the ad, the text really gave me great ideas on how to alter the ad. I decided to keep the text, and change the ad's meaning by changing the image. The end result was an ad critiquing the current health care reform, and the overwhelming response that it has had on the American people.

"Never Hide"
The Ray Ban advertisement shown below instantly stood out to me the moment I saw it. The advertisement was found in the March 2010 issue of Spin Magazine. It is simple and straightforward, with a large image of the head of a cartoon, doctored to be "one with the city". The typical features of a person's face are removed and replaced by a "vintage" image of the city streets, while the shades are a city map. Judging by the haircut, the su bject most likely is of the past, or at least represents the pa st. The shades and hair though trendy, are of a vintage 60's style. The words across the subject prove to be very important in the ad, for there is not much of an image to observe. Placing them across the forehead and

adding texture and size to the text, the simple message then is suggested to hold very strong value to the ad. The contrasting yellow and black polka-dotted text "pops" out to the viewer. What is really interesting about the advertisement is the subtle image of a city skyline on the shading of the cartoon's hair as well, emphasizing the character to be "one with the city". The ad is most likely geared towards people around my age (teens-20's). The trendy, city-oriented youth of America most likely responds the strongest with this ad. The Andy Warhol inspired image, along with its vintage references reflects the stylish age in which we currently live in. Vintage is all the rage, and is most easily embraced by fashion-conscious people from the city. "Never Hide" suggests that wearing a pair of Ray Ban shades will inspire you to go out and enjoy the city in all of its glory, youth and style. Ray Ban tries to reinvent the aspect of sunglasses, suggesting that sunglasses are not meant to mask the individual, but enhance the individual by making a strong fashion statement. The ad enables sunglasses to be seen as an accessory that is necessary in expressing and promoting individuality. The sunglasses definitely promote the lifestyle of a trendy city-goer, and Ray Ban presents their glasses as a work of art. I love this ad, and enjoy all of Ray Ban's ads that they have done in the past. The company and their advertising clearing has affected the people they target their products to. Practically every teen clothing store I have been to in the past year has sold "knockoff" Ray Ban shades. The ad does attract its audience, and I am impacted and respond towards the ads greatly. I feel like I can relate with the ads that they produce, due to my interest in style and city life. The image that the shades try and sell is something that attracts me, and the shades themselves seem to have a "pop culture" kind of vibe to them. When seeing this ad, I do want my own pair of Ray Bans, even though there are other knock-offs that look practically the same. The visual image of their ads suggest a lifestyle that interests me, and as a result, I respond in the particular way that they want people of my age to.

Upon deciding how to change the ad, I felt the need to change the words because the image was so powerful. I interpreted the image as society's obsession with the city, and industrial life when I ignored the text. There is a sense of loss with society's connection with the earth, and are constantly being distracted by the pleasures of technology and business.