image that the advertisement is trying to convey. The model on the right is a main focal point within the advertisement as she is holding the Marc Jacob’s daisy bottle up into the air. The bottle itself -which is grand and oversized- is placed within the seemingly small hands of the model, depicting her delicateness and tenderness. The oversized bottle has been propped up by the model and held directly within the light path of the advertisement. The use of light shining through the bottle has been used effectively to portray the brightness and freshness of the Daisy perfume. The focal model’s facial expression suggests that she is basking within the sparkling fresh glow of the perfume. The centred product placement of the perfume bottle tied with the precious way in which the model is holding it creates a narrative about how they have found the fresh daisy field and have captured a scent hat is the sheer essence of its serene and untroubled surroundings; it is the fragrance that is as fresh as a field of daisies. A daisy is pure, simple, fresh and delicate; much like how the women are being portrayed in the advertisement through styling and their expressions.
This image is from a series of advertisements for the fragrance ‘Daisy’ by Marc Jacobs. In the advertisement we see two young women around the ages of twenty-five to thirty, strolling through a field of daisies and basking in the summer sun. The general ambiance portrays the advertisement to be just two young female friends taking a stroll through a nearby field on a summer’s day, embracing the purity within their naturalistic surroundings. Even though the advertisement is set within a broad location of a field, our attention is pulled towards the enclosed foreground due to the positioning of the models. The fact that the models are draped in white summer dresses focuses our immediate attention on them, as they stand out against the pale blue and grassy green background so dominantly. The colour white is used effectively throughout the advertisement. Normally, white is associated with purity, honesty and innocence and the use of white dresses on the models depicts them to be just that. Also, the colour white is associated with freshness, and what could possibly be fresher than a crisp, white daisy? Both models are styled to look effortlessly beautiful with their naturally tousled hair and fresh faces and are also innocently dressed in white smock dresses. The way that the models have been styled so naturally only adds to the naturalistic and pure
There is a noticeable style shift between the pictorial and written elements within the advertisement. The naturalistic and floral theme with the pale and organic colours of the advertisement is almost subtle compared to the dark and bold typeface of the Marc Jacobs logo. The shift in style between the two brings the sense of being serious back into the advertisement and tells us that it is sincere about being ‘The Fragrance for Women’. We get an insight into the brand identity through the Daisy campaign, especially through the aesthetics of the bottle itself; “The design exudes youthful sophistication and vintage charm with a touch of irreverence” (Jacobs, 2011). The Marc Jacobs brand is essentially about being sophisticated but not too serious, playful and wearable. Daisy is the essence of all of these, it is sophisticated and whimsy while at the same time being naturally fresh; this is why the adverisement works for the Marc Jacobs brand. Another reason why the Daisy campaign works for the Marc Jacobs brand is its playful innocence. The models are glamorous and radiant but also youthful and cheerful, this works for Marc Jacobs as a brand by sending a positive message to the brand’s consumer. The advertisements within the Daisy campaign are telling its audience that Daisy by Marc Jacobs is “a feminine, sparkling floral bouquet. It is sophisticated but not too serious.” (Jacobs, 2011) The campaign is telling the audience that they can have the best of both worlds: a pretty face with innocence; a sophisticated but playful personality and they can be sensual and youthful.
There are both positive and negative viewpoints over the Daisy campaign advertisements, a positive being that it is trying to target as much of the female consumers as possible by shooting an advertisement that creates somewhat of a nostalgic connection with the idea of youth and purity being portrayed through the styling of the models and through the location of the set in the advertisements. On the other hand, The advertisements may be perceived as perhaps too youthful and naïve, especially for a woman that matures along with her perfume collection. Even though the Daisy campaign might not appeal to all of the mature consumers, it is trying to endorse natural and organic beauty, which is a positive for the Marc Jacobs brand identity and image. A negative for the brand image would be that the advertisements would make the consumer associate the Marc Jacobs brand with a ditsy, innocent, almost immature brand, when in reality some of Marc Jacobs’ other collections are sensual and musky – a polar opposite. It needs to be made clear that ‘playful and innocent’ isn’t Marc Jacobs’ all around brand identity, rather just an aspect of it. On the whole the advertisement does work for the Marc Jacobs brand, somewhat because that most women want to appear pure and tender while still being fresh and natural. For those women who’s perfume collection matures along with them, perhaps a different Mark Jacobs would suit better. The narrative of the Daisy campaign advertisements is too simple not to admire; daisies are a mix of sparkling freshness, femininity and retro-cool. Who wouldn’t want to smell like that? REFERENCES Figure 1. Teller, Juergen. (2011) Daisy by Marc Jacobs. [Photograph: Frida and Sophie photographed by Juergen Teller for Marc Jacobs Daisy campaign] At: www.wearfreshfish.com/blogg/?tag=marc-jacobs (Accessed on 20/03/14) Figure 2. Teller, Juergen. (2011) Daisy by Marc Jacobs. [Photograph: Frida photographed by Juergen Teller for Marc Jacobs Daisy campaign] At: www.marcjacobsfragrances.com/fragrances/daisy#!gallery (Accessed on 21/03/14)
Marc Jacobs’ first TV ad for Daisy fragrance [YouTube video] Producer: Marc Jacobs. Channel: Christopher Parr (2011) 0:30 seconds. At: www.youtube.com/watch?=51NDAr1w7us (Accessed on 20/03/14)
Marc Jacobs Fragrances. (2012) Daisy: Concept and Design. At: www.marcjacobsfragrances.com/fragrances/daisy#!concept_design (Accessed on 22/03/14) Marc Jacobs Online. (2011) World of Marc Jacobs. At: www.marcjacobs.com/world-of-marc-jacobs/ (Accessed on 22/03/14) Vogue Online. (2011) The World of Fashion in Vogue: Marc Jacobs. At: www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Marc-Jacobs (Accessed on 22/03/14)