Context in an Ad ~ Nivea 'Smooth Milk' Body Shea Butter

  In this visual ad presented by Nivea, a primarily skin-care company, to the general Indian public, the main conceptual understanding mainly derives from the slogan of the ad itself, "For visibly smooth and touchably soft skin", the need for intimacy from the attractive man holding the main 'character', the female whose implied to have used the skin product, closely as though they are in an intimate relationship as well as the logos used from their statement, "100 years of skincare for life". From both the slogan and the use of logos, the message, or understanding from this ad is that, by using this product, Nivea's 'Smooth Milk' Body Shea Butter for Dry Skin, you will get the man of your dreams and look as beautiful as the main ‘character’.
  This visual text reveals possible contextual information by using a famous Bollywood actress for the main ‘character’, showing how this is an ad targeted at the general female population of the country of India, where Bollywood is the most prevalent, popular and, in most cases, influential on a person’s decisions, relating to the use of celebrities for ethos. This visual text also reveals, through the use of the Nivea logo, that this is a skincare product as this company is known for their specialty in the field of skin care products, already allowing the general public to understand just who this ad is for, women who wish to improve their skin conditions or wish to be better than they already are.


  By understanding the context of the ad, already, the analyzers are able to understand how certain techniques used by advertisers, from the placement of a hand to the direction the main ‘character’ is facing can completely change the audience type, the message or conceptual understanding taken from the ad and the overall ‘feel’, ‘aura’ or visual ad type (i.e. more romantically-driven, becoming famous, becoming ‘more’) that the advertisers have made this ad into. From this, we are able to discern the target audience, what needs the advertisers aim to ‘hit’ or target, what the message is, or rather, why one should purchase the aforementioned product or service, how it benefits the customer, whether short term or long term, and appealing to pathos, logos and ethos to make it seem like the product or service is ‘too popular and great to pass up’.