Bacardi Revealed

Bacardi Revealed

Many contemporary theorists believe that while meaning is obviously formed through language, our lives are bombarded with nonverbal messages that are also very important factors in terms of shaping our perceptions. This seems most apparent in advertising, where every image, color, edit, etc. is intentionally manipulated to promote a particular product. Susan Bordo, a modern feminist philosopher, takes on advertisements in her work “Hunger as Ideology.” Bordo presents gender, sex, and the body, and how they are used in advertisements. Alcohol, like any popular product is a prime example of what Bordo tries to convey about advertisements. Bacardi & Company, as with nearly any brewer, is notorious for using images depicting attractive women, appealing events, generally good times, or combinations of any of the three. The image attached is obviously intended to sell alcohol. To do this, the company uses several not-so-subtle and subtle arguments within the picture.

This image is relatively simple, composed of a woman placed on a red background, accompanied by a few simple phrases and a prominent Bacardi logo. The woman is much more heavily emphasized than any other element in the picture, including her drink. This technique is employed to cause viewers to stop and stare, almost undoubtedly noting at some point the lower phrases. Most noticeable is the woman in the picture. The eye is instinctively drawn to her, though not simply because she is a woman. Note the attire of the woman: it is revealing and suggestive, creating excitement. Her pose also draws attention to her. First the readers eyes focus on the right-hand shoulder then move in one of two paths. Initially, the eyes move down and across the back, following the line of her arm directly to the glass (presumably of Bacardi) in her hand. At another glance, however, a reader could follow the line of her shoulders across her back, to the left-hand side of the ad, then down her back along the line created by the contrast of her skin against the background to the middle of her back. The back of her top acts as a path connecting her left and right sides, which connects to the line of her forearm and ends in the same place as the first path. In addition, she is placed on a red background, a color that is psychologically associated with excitement, risk, and sex. Going along the lines of excitement and risk, the woman also has a tattoo of the Bacardi logo on her lower back. The inclusion of the Bacardi symbol as a tattoo on the woman's lower back causes it to stand out more than the larger, traditional logo. This is primarily because of its location, an area to which the viewer's eyes are undoubtedly drawn. It is an eye-catching device, located just above the real logo and promotional phrases.

Words in advertisements play a role as well. The image is what catches the eye and draws a consumer in, but it is a smart, sexy, funny tagline that drills the product into their minds. Directly beneath the woman are the phrases "Librarian by day" and "Bacardi by night," separated by the Bacardi logo. This blatantly suggests that by drinking Bacardi one can change their entire personality, going from a mundane day job to a complete party animal in the evening. On top of this, being a “party animal” can be associated with sex. A consumer will read, “party animal” and most likely think of going out to a club and meeting a sexy young woman (like in the image) and having sex with her.

Color is one of the most important factors in creating the desired mood in an advertisement. Attached are three smaller copies of the same image discussed before, but each with a different background color. The blue background creates a much calmer feeling, one of a woman drinking with friends or even at home, somewhere she is comfortable and familiar with. It projects this view because blue tends to have a calming effect on our own mind. Therefore a blue background must represent calm situations. The red background is the original. Which, again, is a color that is psychologically associated with excitement, risk, and sex. The green background is bright, suggesting confusion and excitement all at once. The green contrasts sharply with the woman's skin, making her body more the focus than the overall picture. The red background suggests a much more lively