Any suggestions?

Here is the link to an ad that I had to analyze.

Smart Waterx

“Drink Smart Water and become a sexy and gorgeous woman.” Though Smart Water does not say this in its advertisement, this is very much symbolized in it. The Smart Water advertisement, featuring Jennifer Aniston, portrays the dominant views of pop culture in the United States with its sexual innuendo and stereotypical femininity. Aniston’s pose and clothing symbolize the sexuality of the advertisement. The stereotype of the perfect American woman is also signified in this advertisement. Like most of the mass media, this advertisement uses a thin female model in a seductive pose to sell its product as well as a fantasy. In Health Magazine, where this advertisement is found, there is a variety of advertisements pertaining to fitness and also advertisements that are geared toward cosmetics and healthy living. This advertisement targets women who strive to be beautiful, healthy and sexy and men who want a woman who is so. Though this advertisement does not give much information, it does encourage readers to make Smart Water their “workout partner.” This advertisement reflects the dominant views of pop culture in the United States because of its sexuality and stereotypical femininity, which is found in the majority of American advertisement.

Sex; even the word grabs your attention. As Jack Solomon says in his article Masters of Desire, the Culture of American Advertising, “The sexual explicitness of contemporary advertising is a sign not so much of American fantasies as of the length to which advertisers will go to get attention” (Solomon, 530). This is why Smart Water made Jennifer Aniston so sexy in this advertisement; to get attention and ultimately, to sell. This advertisement is supposed to sell water, but through its symbolism, it does more than just that. Jennifer Aniston’s posture in this advertisement has sex written all over it. Some might argue that she is supposed to have just finished a workout, but most women don’t strike a sex pose after a hard workout. The way her arm is raised up and over her head, opens her up and puts her body on display, welcoming viewers to check her out. The way she is clutching her tousled hair also signifies sex in that she is holding her hair up because she is hot, and heat is usually referred to as sexual. Though open legs can signify a stretch, Jennifer Aniston’s open leg seems to signify something else. Her open leg directs viewers to one of the most sexual areas on her body. The way her head is raised and mouth is opened is also sexy, because a head up represents confidence and a mouth open represents heavy breathing- both symbolize sex. The fact that she is sporting a sports bra instead of a T- shirt is also significantly sexy, because it reveals more of her breasts. Also, Jennifer Aniston’s tight sweats are definitely sexier than gym shorts, for gym shorts do not have the ability to wrap around every curve of the leg and accent her butt. The large blue print of “Workout Partner” can even be seen as being connected to sex because sex is a form of a workout and usually involves partners. All of these signs contribute to the overall fantasy that Smart Water is trying to sell. This fantasy is one where women who drink this water will become a sex goddess or one where men who drink this water get a sex goddess. When men or women see this advertisment, the first thing they will see is Jennifer Aniston; her pose, her clothing and her facial expression. Since all of these are sex symbols, men and women will indeed fall into the fantasy that Smart Water secretly created for them. This advertisment would not get as much attention if it were not filled with sexual innuendo. This advertisement is so sexy, that it is so easy to forget that Smart Water is actually selling water and not sex.

America is known for its idea of the perfect woman. The ideal woman in America has been known to be white, light eyed, blonde and thin with a nice chest. This can be seen in nothing else more than in advertisement. Most advertisements never feature a fat woman, because fat ladies in advertisements don’t sell like skinny, hot models do. That is why Smart Water chose Jennifer Aniston to sell their product. She is Blonde, thin, light eyed, white and has a nice chest. This stereotype of the ideal women has been going on for centuries, but now that sex is more prevalent in ads, women not only have to be thin, but must be equipped with nice abs. In this Smart Water advertisement, Jennifer Aniston is revealing her abs, saying not only is she a white, blonde, female with a nice chest, but she also has abs. In having all these qualities, Jennifer Aniston is symbolizing the modified version of the ideal American woman. This is not only the ideal woman for men, but women as well. Most women desire to have the same characteristics of the ideal woman. Smart Water has chosen to represent the ideal American woman in their advertisement because they know that that this stereotypical desire is lodged deep within the heart of Americans.

This Smart Water advertisement is part of a mass media phenomenon where advertisement meets sex and beauty. By creating an advertisement that features a white, blonde, light eyed and thin female and pairing it up with some sexual innuendo, Smart Water fits right in with American Advertisement. Like other mainstream advertisers, Smart Water is trying to sell more than just a product. For Smart Water, they are selling the fantasy that if you buy their product, you can become the ideal sexy American woman or get one. Advertisers go after people’s desires, which are usually not a product, but the idea that they can become something better than they are. Whether it is movies, television, magazines, ads, or music, the mass media inspires people to become something else, which is exactly what Smart Water is doing in their advertisement.

In Health Magazine, most advertisements are selling health products and giving information on how to be healthy. The majority of the advertisements feature food items, skin care, or medicine. There are only a few advertisements selling fitness products. One similarity between the Smart Water advertisement and other fitness advertisements is the stereotype of the ideal American woman, which features beautiful women, white and fit. The difference is that in the Smart Water advertisement, though it is selling a product for fitness, it is one of the only advertisements in the magazine that is sexual. The other advertisements in the magazine focus more on the product and the health benefits of it. The majority of advertisements in Health Magazine have more of an emphasis on health than outer appearance and also that by not emphasizing health benefits of water it can be concluded that Smart Water really wants their ad to get attention and sell instead of contribute to the health of the people. In Health Magazine, the Smart Water advertisement really stands out as it does not emphasize any health benefits.

The Smart Water ad mostly targets women, but it hits men as well. Most readers of Health Magazine are women, so advertisements are directed toward them. Smart Water, realizing this, has created an ad that makes sure to seep into the hearts of a woman’s most sensitive desires- outer beauty. Most American Women are obsessed with outer appearance and advertisement s like these only encourage it. This advertisement targets women that aspire to look great and to be healthy. This ad could definitely target men as well. Men could see this ad and think that if they drink Smart Water they can get a woman as sexy as Jennifer Aniston, because she too drinks smart water. This smart water ad targets men who want a sexy, beautiful woman, and women who want to be just that.

Smart water does not give much of their information in this advertisement. There is no explanation of why this water is “Smart Water.” However, it does tell us that it is Jennifer Aniston’s “workout partner” and its “hydration she can feel.” Again, this advertisement is diverting away from the actual product and referring to Jennifer Aniston. In doing this, it can be inferred that the only information Smart Water wants to provide is that gorgeous women, like Jennifer Aniston, drink this water. Smart Water needs something to differentiate their water from other water. Most water companies do not refer to sex or beauty in their advertisements, which makes Smart Water stand out amongst the competition. Smart Water does not provide a lot of information about its product in its advertisement because it wants the focus to be on the fantasy and the idea that comes from using their product. As Bedford St. Martins says in his book, Popular Culture for Writers, “The meaning of a sign can be found not in itself, but in its relationships with other signs within a system” (St. Martins, 21). Smart Water uses symbolism in its advertisement by creating a relationship between water and sex. Smart Water is not just selling water, but water that will give people something else: sex and beauty. By using semiotics, the study of signs, the information that Smart Water provides can be obtained.

In conclusion, this Smart Water advertisement reflects most views of pop culture in America by its sexual content and stereotype of the ideal woman. Smart Water uses sexual fantasy in its advertisement because of the attention that sex gets. The stereotype of the ideal American woman is used because it is known to be a desire of the people. In using sex and beauty to sell its product and by selling more than just water, Smart Water fits in with the mass media of the United States. By using these tactics, Smart Water stands out amongst other advertisements in Health Magazine. The information in Smart Water is provided through its use of symbolism. So, drink Smart Water and become a sexy, ideal American woman.