Securing My Inheritence

Securing My Inheritance

The advertisement I have chosen to analyze for this assignment was found in The Robb Report Collection, Special Issue: Sports, Luxury and Classic Cars. I sought out this magazine specifically because I knew it would offer a high number of ads promising “the good life.” The advertisement I chose exemplifies this. On page 115 of The Robb Report Collection we find an advertisement for Harrison Security Dogs. The ad consists of a large photo occupying two thirds of the page with two smaller pictures and a paragraph of text set below a leather dog collar divider.

In the main picture we see a blond, adolescent male standing in front of a grand estate on a driveway surrounded by manicured rose gardens. Being restrained by the boy is a proud and fierce yet gentle and happy looking German Shepard. At the top of the page a line of text reads “SECURING MY INHERITANCE.” Below the divider is a paragraph of text describing the protection dog services offered by Howard Rodriguez Protection Dogs as well as a picture of Howard Rodriguez himself with an obedient German Shepard at his side. The other picture below the divider is a collection of trophies.

The Robb Report is a magazine featuring luxury products and services such as cars, watches, cigars and real estate. It was originally started by Robert White in 1968 as a consumer magazine to accompany the purchase of a Rolls Royce automobile. The Robb Report is published monthly which each issue focusing on a specific aspect of the affluent lifestyle such as extravagant automobiles, private air travel, home electronics and yachting. The Robb Report Collection is packaged with each issue of The Robb Report and focuses on automobiles, real estate and home design.

The Robb Report has a monthly circulation of 107,000. More important in our assessment of the intended audience for our ad is the purported monetary worth of these readers. According to information in The Robb Report’s advertising kit, the average Robb Report reader has a household income of $1,056,000. The average value of their primary residence is $1,604,000 and other real estate and liquid assets average at about $3,378,000 per household. Not only is the Robb Report readership wealthy but also powerful and well educated. 77% of subscribers are employed in upper managerial positions, 34% having a post graduate degree. With a readership so pedigreed and with so much purchasing power, ad space is coveted and expensive among advertisers.

There are a total of 84 editorial pages and 123 advertising pages for this particular edition of The Robb Report Collection. The items advertised range from fine jewelry to premium spirits, jukeboxes and pool tables, to yachts and financial services and even protection dogs. The advertisement for Harrison protection dogs caught my attention right away since most of the advertisements I had seen do far were for luxury goods aiming to add value and comfort to your life. In a magazine catering to individuals of high net worth I expected to see advertisements for security systems and perhaps armed personal guards. The Harrison advertisements were the only example of security products or services being offered.

One of the promises this ad seems to give the reader is that of personal safety. The use of a boy in this case is especially poignant. A protection dog’s services might not be as valuable to a parent but to a child who is unable to defend itself, it seems necessary. The image of a German Shepard brings us the association of dog as man's best friend and could be protector. Loyalty, obedience and protection are only a few of the characteristics and ideals we associate with dogs. The boy looks relaxed and happy with the dog but demonstrates a firm grip on the leash showing a sense of control over the dog. (This is almost ruined when you notice the dog is awkwardly standing on the boy’s left foot suggesting it’s the dog in control after all.) The photograph is taken from a medium low viewpoint making the dog and child seem larger and mightier than they really are. It instills a sense of grandeur that is reinforced by the extravagant setting.

The setting of the photograph says nothing but wealth. The boy is dressed conservatively in a medium blue polo shirt and khakis. Upon further inspection, I was surprised to find him wearing simple sneakers rather than mini penny loafers.