Many Advertisements Use Codes to Convey a Fairy Tale to Consumers

Many advertisements use codes to convey a fairy tale to consumers,

usually resulting in a happy ending. This occurs at the expense of the price

and means being set aside. Most advertisements rely heavily on visual props

and sometimes on text to convey their meaning. These codes are open to many

interpretations. This ad is no exception. It uses the visual code on many

different levels, and the text is there mainly for explanatory purposes. These

codes all have references to the story-line of Magic: two sorcerers using

spells to fight each other over imaginary regions of land. The advertisement

tries unsuccessfully to convey a happy ending, like in a fairy tale, to the

consumer, while sacrificing price and means.

The code of spatial order is used to show the reader advancements in

periods of time. These advancements can be seen as one looks at the ad from

the lower-left corner in a clockwise circle. The first object one would see is

a skull from a Woolly Mammoth, which is symbolic of prehistoric times. The

next object, a computer, stands out because it does not fit the pattern of

chronological order. Wizards of the Coast and Microprose, the advertisers, use

this purposely by drawing attention to the computer and consequently the

computer game. The computer falls into another pattern. This pattern goes in

the same order, clock-wise, but alternates between Magic (the game) and

something pertaining to the background of the game. The next objects are tarot

cards and a spell book, both of which follow the patterns. These objects,

along with the mood of the entire ad being dark, may be interpreted by the

consumer to mean death or the devil. This is based on cultural beliefs and

rituals. Most people believe angels and good guys wear white, and therefore

devils and bad guys dress in black. Also, people usually wear black clothing to

funerals, which is essentially a ritual for death. The next item in the

pattern is actual cards from the game of Magic. These cards follow

chronological order because they are the result of the movable-type printing

press being invented in the 18th or 19th century. The final components are a

CD-ROM disk and a mouse. These show how science and technology have advance in

the 20th century, and it also reminds the consumer of the computer, and

consequently the computer game.

This printed sales pitch also uses dark and bright colors that contrast

each other to give the consumer more information about the game. The ad itself

is dark and mystic, somewhat evil; it also has blue, mystical back-lighting.

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