Advertising in Abercrombie Fitch

Advertising in Abercrombie Fitch Overview: Ad Description Appendix 1 shows a grey, white and black advert comprising of a plus-sized woman lying down on her right side. Her right arm is resting on the ground and folded to support her head. The woman has tilted her head to make her seem like she is looking forward and diagonally.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Advertising in Abercrombie Fitch specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She has also let her short hair free to fall on her back. In terms of dressing, she has a grey T-shirt with the ‘Abercrombie Fitch’ text on her bust area and black fitting shorts, which reveal her thighs. In addition, she has body art on her right arm, upper left arm and just above her knees. The white text, â€Å"Attractive Fat† is placed just above the woman with the letter â€Å"F† partially hidden by the woman’s thighs. Although this is a denotative meaning of the advert, advertisements a re built around semiotics to help persuade consumers’ to purchase products while using the societal culture as leverage. Therefore, they have connotative meaning. With this in mind, this paper critically deconstructs the advert to reveal its connotative meaning. Obvious Message The obvious message or intent of the advert is trying to persuade plus-sized women in the western, liberal world into believing that Abercrombie Fitch brand of clothing is suitable for plus-sized women because the company’s clothes makes them feel attractive. The â€Å"Abercrombie Fitch† text on the woman’s bust area is a sign that the woman is modeling for the company’s clothes. In the fashion industry, manufacturing an image in advertisement seeks to persuade buyers to change their habits. Therefore, to reach to and persuade plus-sized women to accept Abercrombie Fitch clothes, the advert uses or ‘manufacturers’ a plus-sized woman who is a model of the targ eted population. This is in addition to dressing the woman in Abercrombie Fitch clothes that are seemingly attractive, liberating or ‘cool’ by societal standards to form an ideal plus-sized woman. More so, the ad creators focus on the target group insecurities to persuade them to purchase clothes. Ideally, the society does not consider plus-sized women as attractive. This makes them have low-self esteem and feel unattractive. The dress code of the woman in the ad exhibits an attractive person full of confidence. Markedly, although plus-sized, she is not afraid to wear clothes that show off her body, including her thighs and arms. In addition, her non-verbal codes show confidence. She is resting comfortably on the ground with her chin up. This makes plus-sized women believe that with Abercrombie Fitch clothes, they can deal with their weaknesses, feel attractive and confident. Convincingly, with the phrase â€Å"attractive Fat† written in white color to symboli ze a new beginning, Abercrombie Fitch is making a statement that their clothes will change the plus-sized women’s lives by helping them deal with their weaknesses.Advertising Looking for essay on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hidden Message Critics argue that adverts create false expectations and so is the revelation of the hidden meaning of this advert. Although the advert seems to inform or insinuate to the plus-sized women that Abercrombie Fitch clothes will help them deal with their weaknesses, the hidden meaning reveals otherwise. The hidden meaning is that the clothes that Abercrombie Fitch Company is selling cannot make plus-sized women become confident, attractive or improve on their self-esteem. This is because these three traits come through being intelligent, practical and mature enough to discern societal expectations. In simple terms, the three traits are nurtured from within by controlling external influences and knowing what one stands for. This ensures that a person, whether plus-sized or not is confident and has a high self-esteem. These two traits make a person feel attractive. The hidden message is derived from the color code, particularly the permissive grey color. In the western world and most societies, grey symbolizes intelligence. Being emotionless and motionless, grey is stable and solid with a sense of composure and calm that offers relief from the chaotic world. Grey is conservative and elegant, but not glamorous. Grey is practical, a color of responsibility and maturity due to its association with grey hair in old age. It never seeks attention, but stays toned down and safe. The extensive use of the grey color even on the woman’s skin creates an association between the color and the message that the ad passes across. This makes it easy to connect the symbolic meaning of the color to the actual message to reveal the hidden meaning of th e advert. Therefore, being intelligent, practical and staying toned down or controlling external influences helps plus-sized women to nurture a high self-esteem and confidence from within, not the Abercrombie Fitch clothes. Conclusion: Social and cultural relevance The connection between the obvious and hidden meaning and the ad is derived from the advertisement’s social and cultural relevance. The advert creators are torn between persuading the target audience to attain advertisement effects and informing them as expected by the societal culture. The society knows that advertisements evoke false expectations and creates unrealistic role models. Therefore, there is a belief that advertisements should seek to inform. To avoid compromising on the effect of the advertisement, the designers inform the target audience in a subtle or hidden way. This becomes a defense mechanism against societal expectations in case people start criticizing the advert. The advert presents a liberal western and plus-sized woman with the probable benefits derived from Abercrombie Fitch clothes. In addition, as the societal culture expects, it uses the grey color to inform that the attributes they seek are nurtured from within, not by the clothes they wear.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Advertising in Abercrombie Fitch specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Appendix 1

5 Study Habits You Should Develop in College

5 Study Habits You Should Develop in College Studying isn’t the most fun thing you’ll ever do at college (that spot is reserved for Ultimate Star Wars Strip Poker). Still, if you haven’t learned how to study by the time you’ve made it this far into your educational career, you may be in big trouble. Statistics from the U.S. News and World Report say that as many as 3 out of 10 college freshman will drop out due to poor grades during their first year. In order to keep yourself from becoming a statistic, you need some study hacks. That’s why we’ve compiled the 5 best and most productive study habits you can develop before its too late. Remember, having a worry-free semester of straight A’s is much more fun than failing out and missing your calling as a Jedi Poker Master. Skip the Highlighting, Summarizing, and Mental Imagery Although these are things you’ve been taught to do since you were small, research published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest basically calls your 4th grade teacher a liar. The research says that things like highlighting texts, summarizing texts, and mental imagery of facts are some of the least effective study habits you can pick up. Other things to avoid are re-reading texts and using word mnemonics to memorizing a new language. Go the Distance The best studying is done in small bursts over a longer period of time. So, instead of cramming for an exam just before it hits, study in small increments every day. Not only is this easier on your schedule (you don’t have to give up a whole night of sleep), but you will retain the information longer, as well. Use Technology to S.O.A.R The recent study published in The Journal of Educational Psychology highlighted that technology is only as good as your study habits. Students who are using their computers to reread articles or drill information perform half as well as students who are using their technology to synthesize material in new ways. The author of the study, Ken Kiewra, says that the best students use the S.O.A.R method: Select key lesson ideas. Organize information with comparative charts. Associate ideas to create meaningful connections. Regulate learning through practice. Although this sounds like a lot of work, it’s actually not. By thinking more critically about your information through comparisons and connections, and incorporating small daily study sessions, you are building a neural network for your new information that allows you to access it quickly whenever you need it. Turn Off the Music While you might think that you study better with the music on, there is significant research that shows it can impair your recall of the topic you’re studying. Nick Perham, a professor at the University of Wales Health Sciences School, completed research that showed music – whether you like it or not – impairs your ability to remember even simple things. And, although music with fewer chord and musical variations (like classical music) impair memory less than Grunge Metal, neither is as effective as studying in a quiet place. Mix it Up This applies not only to types of things you’re studying, but to location. Scientists found in the Psychological Science in the Public Interest study that students who change up the kinds of review questions they do perform better on exams. For example, they study a math problem, then follow it up with a psychology question. In addition, if you vary where you study when you do a new type of review, your brain will â€Å"anchor† the new information better. So, try the couch, then the table, then your bedroom. When it comes time to recall the information, your brain will have a better time if it can recall a unique place, time, or position you learned it in. Studying is a huge part of your college life, but it doesn’t have to take up all of your time. With a little good advice and a daily dose of studying, you can be acing all of your exams quicker than you think. Just make sure that you are avoiding the time-sucking activities that don’t work, and use your study sessions in a way that keeps your information memorable and easy to access. Can you think of some more useful study habits? Tell us! We want to hear from you!