Logos
Given the fact that the advertisement of Emporio Armani cologne for men heavily exploits the factor of a ”brand name appeal”, its semiotics cannot be highly logical by definition. Advertisement’s appeal to Logos is being limited to the line “hard to resist”. The small font size of the letters in text means to emphasize message’s logical subtleties as being self-evident, which is why designers had consciously chosen in favor of limiting ad’s Logos down to a minimum. Such their move can be thought of as absolutely effective, simply because ad’s creators have proven themselves being well aware of the fact that, the realities of post-industrial living, imply men’s existential mode being affected by their hypertrophied sense of perceptional irrationality. This is the reason why in recent years, the commercial effectiveness of advertisements that promote various products for men, directly correspond to the strength of its emotional (Ethos, Pathos) rather then logical appeal, just as it is the case with women-focused advertisements. Nowadays, men become increasingly effeminine (male office workers polishing their finger nails), while women become increasingly masculine (female police officers, truck drivers and pilots). As practice shows, feminized men are much more likely to pay for the “perceived” value of a particular product, while being often unable to distinguish it from the “actual” one. This is the reason why the analyzed advertisement can be referred to as anything, but as such, that emanates logical appeal.
Pathos
Whereas, the advertisement’s Logos can be best described as under- developed, its Pathos clearly appear as having hypertrophied subtleties. The image of a woman grabbing guy’s chest contains strong sexual undertones, while conveying a subconscious message that can be rationalized as follows: “put this cologne on you and it will make you irresistible in the eyes of women”. Man’s sly smile suggests that he is being absolutely confident in his sexual powers, which is why he seems to be happy. Thus, we can say that the advertisement’s Pathos corresponds to the reality of modern men being affected by their animalistic and materialistic urges to ever-increasing extent. It is namely sex and the achievement of financial prosperity, which majority of men in Western countries consider as such that represent the very purpose of their lives. Advertisement’s emotional appeal corresponds to these men’s existential priorities in most immediate manner – it is not only that the “Armani man” is being shown as oversexed, but also as a some kind of celebrity (he appears to be surrounded by “paparazzi”), which in its turn, implies him being filthy rich. It is not simply by an accident that the word “diamonds” features the largest font, in comparison to other words, seen in advertisement. Thus, ad’s Pathos is best described as such that targets men’s subconscious anxieties with utter exactness, even though it appears to be counter-productive, in social context of this word. Advertisement’s emotional appeal can even be rationalized to a certain extent, by men exposed to it – “even though you cannot live like him, you can still smell like him, and maybe, just maybe, some women might confuse you for someone you are not”. Nowadays, more and more men strive to gain a strong existential identity (while naively thinking that they can simply buy it) – Emporio Armani advertisement’s Pathos suggests that it is quite possible, which in its turn, explains its apparent effectiveness.
Ethos
Just as it is the case with the Pathos, this particular advertisement heavily relies on utilization of Ethos – that is, it exploits potential customers’ subconscious beliefs, as to the objective quality of Emporio Armani products. This is the reason why company’s trademark symbol (Armani eagle) is being prominently displayed on the cologne bottle and between the words Emporio Armani. Also, the advertisement’s black and white colors intentionally emphasize its semiotic simplicity, as if designers wanted to say: “The fact that Emporio Armani products are associated with the supreme quality is being universally recognized throughout the world, which is why we can have the luxury of marketing them in just about any way we happen to choose”. This also explains man’s “seven o’clock shadow” and the negligent appearance of his haircut – “it does not really matter how you look”, wanted to say ad’s creators – “all that matters is that you are being affiliated with Emporio Armani products, because only then you will be able to attain a social prominence, as possession of these products, on your part, is nothing less of an objective indication of your actual worth, as an individual”. Thus, we can say that ad’s designers have proven themselves as very effective psychologists, while utilizing the concept of Ethos in this particular advertisement.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that people, with even average rate of IQ, can easily define the apparent absence of a link between advertisement’s message and the objective qualities of an advertised product, this particular Emporio Armani ad can be described as highly effective, simply because those who designed it, were well aware of the actual essence of socio-political and demographic trends in today’s world. They recognized the existential weakness and effeminity as the most striking psychological features of majority of modern White men, while deciding to exploit such their knowledge for the purpose of generating a commercial profit. Therefore, we can refer to particularities of Emporio Armani strategy for marketing its products as full appropriate, simply because such strategy yields concrete results. This particular advertisement’s only the fallacy, appears to be its apparent distastefulness. However, given the fact that in recent decades, the “celebration of diversity” had produced a heavy blow on people’s sense of aesthetics, we cannot refer to this fallacy as capable of significantly undermining ad’s overall effectiveness.