Reviews

Two reviews I did about High and Low culture in make up advertising (VRF).

On this first advert, the make-up brand Rimmel London promotes a new lasting finish foundation. For this campaign they have chosen a worldwide model, Kate Moss.

The technique used on this advert is “collage” which gives an informal touch.
The collage is made out of three overlapping photographs of the model; the photos actually look like they have been cut out from a magazine, as they are not properly cut. The product they are selling has the same style, it also look like a cut out.
This effect actually makes me think of a corkboard, where someone has displayed pictures of models and celebrities he likes.

The typography used for the slogan Foundation stays put, colour holds true is also very informal, it looks like a label. Usually this kind of display typography has a black background; here they have chosen to put a red one to make the label stand out. When I look at the advert the first thing I spot is the slogan and the product which is at the foreground.
The other slogan Face the day is wordplay, as face has two different meanings, face as confront and face as features, and the second one is obviously associated with the foundation. I think what they want to promote is a foundation aimed at self-assured girls. Kate moss’s poses and look confirm that, in my point of view she’s a hard-featured woman and on the photos she always looks strong and self-assured. The clear message they want to come across is, “if you want to have a London look such as Kate moss, buy this Foundation”.

Also, the box that contains a description about the product is not very remarkable. It’s located on the left corner of the advert, and the size of the typeface is really small, and I think it would be the last thing I would look at. Even The brand Rimmel London is so much more noticeable than that, which is why I think they have displayed the description box just on top of the brand, so when you look at the brand you immediately spot the box.

On the second advert, Dior Skin promotes a foundation called Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Make-up. The image of the campaign is the Italian actress Monica Bellucci.

The advert looks simple. Just two elements are put together on a black background, the model and the product. It’s not an elaborate advert.
Since the model and the product fill all the space, the advert has a straightforward message.

There’s a lack of slogan or text explaining the product, or even the name of the foundation; everything you need to know about the product is on the bottle, which is on a bigger scale for the customer to be able to read.

Monica Bellucci appears to be nude, such as is stated in the name of the foundation, Nude.
On the picture she seems to be sat down and just a part of her shoulder and leg are showing, she insinuates but doesn’t show anything, which gives an elegant effect.
She stares at the viewer with her deep and suggestive look, which she uses to convince the customer to buy the product.

The lighting is really smooth on Monica Bellucci’s body, she seems to have a spot light behind her, which makes her hair looks luminous and the contour is very sharp, that makes her stand out from the black background. The product also has a smooth light that clearly defines it; we can guess what the materials of the bottle are, glass and shiny metal.

These two different adverts clearly reflect High and Low Culture.
Rimmel London’s advert is directly aimed at teenagers and is more casual and edgy. The composition looks a little bit too overcharged, too many things are put together and you don’t know which one to look at first.
Dior’s advert, would be more aimed at women, it wants to reach an older and more sophisticated public.
The advert has a finished look; it’s pure and denotes perfection. No slogan or text is needed, when the customers buy Dior products they perfectly know what they are buying, whereas in Rimmel’s campaign there’s a lot of text going on explaining why you should buy this product.
Also the name of Dior’s foundation is much more elaborated and appears to be much more luxurious: Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Make-up, whereas Rimmel’s one is more straightforward: New lasting finish foundation.
The style of the bottle also makes a noticeable difference. Dior’s bottle is delicate, luxurious and elegant. Whereas Rimmel’s bottle is made out of bendable plastic, also it seem to be small which comes handy if you want to put it in your hand bag.

In my point of view, the boundaries between High and Low Culture are quite clear in these two selected brands. However, in Rimmel’s advert they could become a little bit blurred, because this brand has chosen a very well-known British model to promote their product, which could reflect High Culture. Apart from that I can’t see any element of Low Culture in Dior’s advert.

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