The Versace advertisement for the cologne ‘EROS’ looks heavily influenced by the Roman Empire and Ancient Greek eras. I can see a reference to a strong Hercules, the man being very statuesque, muscular, hard-faced and able to keep a firm grip on the large bottle that looks to carry some weight. Hercules being a very desired man, with the perfect hair and face structure, a very solid stance and a showing off parts of his naked flesh, to attract women and make any man want to be him. This advertisement is also very reminiscent of Michelangelo’s statue of David who also has his muscular body on show with a powerful stance. I also see signs of a classical Greek sculpture as he has a more naturalistic pose. A Greek sculpture tends to be focused on proportion and the idealised perfection of the human body, which is reminiscent in the advertisement. The sculptures were also either stone or bronze; in the Versace advertisement we can see that the male model has tanned skin similar to those of the bronze sculptures. We can also see the use of the Meander (Art), which is a decorative border constructed from a continuous line, which is formed into a continual motif around his robe and also around the bottle of the fragrance. This type of art is a key design in Ancient Greece. Another symbol found on his robe is the use of a
serpent. Snakes are linked to rituals and good and evil, they can be used as a symbol of fertility, guardianship, poison or medicine or vengefulness. In the advertisement the snake could symbolise his strength and his guardianship, it is said that when snakes are threatened they hold and defend their ground, with the way the model is standing it could be seen that he is standing his ground and being almighty. I also see references to a solider or perhaps a warrior, reminding me of the Spartans period. The Spartans are known for the way they dress, with muscular frames, dark tans and golden body armour. They are also portrayed with a red robe around their necks, all these themes I can see in the advertisement from the robe floating off and around his body, to his skin being golden and to him having a mesomorphic body type. It makes me think of the TV programme Spartacus; in this the men are chosen individually based on how strong they are and if they are able to stand their own ground. The men chosen are very reminiscent of the male model in the advertisement, when shown off to the public in the ‘Arena’ they are oiled up and made to look like perfection, just like the model.
There are symbols of the Gods of Olympus in this advertisement, such as Eros, Zeus or Poseidon. Gods were much worshipped in Roman time, which makes them powerful figures. The model in the advertisement looks to be stood very high up, his structured pose makes him look god-like, and he is face on to the camera looking directly at the reader showing off his status and strength. The fragrance itself is called ‘EROS’, this is the god of love and attraction, with the use of his bow and arrow he could make someone fall in love, from this name we get the word erotic, which this advertisement is full of beauty and passion and as the male model has a ludicrously elongated body this creates feelings of desire. The colours in the advertisement are extremely rich, bold, deep and vibrant. Most of the tones are blue with the pop of red in his robe and yellow in the writing. Vibrant colours indicate the pulsing of energy and stands out above other colours. As the colours in this advertisement are vibrant it indicates a memorable vibrant person/personality. The model in the advertisement is definitely someone they want people to remember, Versace will also want people to remember the advertisement/fragrance and for it to stand out against other advertisements it may be placed next to in a magazine. The location of the male model in a desert could be a reference to his high-status and that he may be a king. He clearly stands out in this scenery.
The photo is taken from an angle as though he is being worshipped and that he is superior to others. The model looks as if he could speak one of the romance languages. As well as the man being desired he also looks as if he is conquering, mixing these two themes together in the advertisement creates excitement, this thrills people and may stimulate adrenaline. The advertisement brings temptation to others and makes them think of perfection. The advertisement follows the themes of sex, power, worship, mystery, violence and love; all of these entice an audience and captivates them. The advertisement is very surreal, as the male model is not what a typical man would look like, therefore when other men see this man they will want to be him and look like him. They would be able to see that the model is confident, masculine and full of power and this is how they would want to portray themselves to other people, hence they will therefore want to buy the cologne. The bottle is also a lot larger than it will be in real life, making the advertisement heavily focused on the bottle as well as the male model. I find this advertisement to be very successful for what it is trying to sell, it is very brand aware and follows the themes used in many Versace campaigns, as they cologne is called ‘EROS’ they are basically trying to show the strength and desirability of that God and I think it works.
References Ancient Greek sculpture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Ancient Greek sculpture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_sculpture. [Accessed 20 March 2014].http:// www.ancient.eu.com/Greek_Sculpture/ Sculpture and Art in Ancient Greece . 2014. Sculpture and Art in Ancient Greece . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Sculpture/. [Accessed 22 March 2014].http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Meander_(art) Serpent (symbolism) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Serpent (symbolism) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_(symbolism). [Accessed 13 March 2014]. spartans - Google Search. 2014. spartans - Google Search. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=spartans&rlz=1C1CHFX_enGBGB463GB463&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dDs0U8aHLLL07Aak1oGIBw&v ed=0CAgQ_AUoAQ. [Accessed 27 March 2014]. Eros - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Eros - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eros. [Accessed 15 March 2014]. EROS : Greek god of love ; mythology ; pictures : CUPID, AMOR. 2014. EROS : Greek god of love ; mythology ; pictures : CUPID, AMOR. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Eros.html. [Accessed 27 March 2014]. vibrant - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com. 2014. vibrant - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/vibrant. [Accessed 20 March 2014]. vibrant - definition of vibrant by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.. 2014. vibrant definition of vibrant by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vibrant. [Accessed 20 March 2014]. EROS - the new fragrance for Men by Versace - YouTube. 2014. EROS - the new fragrance for Men by Versace - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsPsM6YYrfY. [Accessed 13 March 2014]. Fragrances - Men - Eros - Versace 2014. 2014. Fragrances - Men - Eros - Versace 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.versace.com/en/fragrances/men/eros. [Accessed 12 March 2014].
Sarah Prowse Word Count - 964