Levi’s print advertisement launched in 2009, as part of a whole variety of videos, short films and picture series set under the slogan ‘Go Forth’, impressively shows, what strong ideological message an advertisement can contain and in what convincing ways the company addressed their core customers in a rapidly changing (economical) environment.
This paper will examine the strong ideological semiotic meaning established via the specific combination of linguistic denotated, connotated and iconic (un)coded messages.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Individualism, resoluteness and progress as intrinsic American values in Levi's “GO FORTH” campaign
- The image in question depicts a young man walking up a hill in a vast mountainside turning his back towards the camera.
- The color scheme of Levi's advertisement is composed of on the one hand warm, earthly, natural colors like brown and a bright, sun-lit yellow reflected in the soil of the hill, as well as a light blue color of the sky.
- On the level of visual composition there is certainly one central conspicuous aspect that deserves detailed consideration: the image is primarily characterized by inclination and awry lines.
- Also, the chosen typeface reflects the established linguistic message that juxtaposes the pioneer in opposition to men in suits.
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to examine the ideological semiotic meaning established via the specific combination of linguistic denotated, connotated and iconic (un)coded messages in Levi’s “GO FORTH” campaign. The analysis will focus on the visual and semantic connection between the company logo and the individual depicted in the image, as well as elements of visual composition and their relation to the iconic coded messages referring to evocative mythological notions of American patriotism. Furthermore, the denotated and connotated linguistic messages composed of the company's name, the slogan "GO FORTH" and the main advertising text will be examined.
- American individualism and patriotism
- The role of progress and resoluteness in shaping American identity
- The symbolic representation of the American West as a space of freedom and opportunity
- The mediation of idealized masculinity in the advertisement
- The dichotomy between pioneers and men in suits as a reflection of a changing American society
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The paper begins by introducing Levi's "GO FORTH" campaign and its aim to promote the brand in a transformed, economically unstable world. It then explores the advertisement's use of American cultural and historical memory to convey a strong ideological message.
The second section delves into the visual and semantic connection between the company logo and the individual depicted in the image. It analyzes the clothing worn by the individual, specifically the blue jeans and lumberjack shirt, as symbols of Levi's originality and authenticity. The paper also examines the individual's pose and movement as representations of self-reliance, progress, and idealized masculinity.
The third section focuses on the color scheme of the advertisement, highlighting the use of warm, earthly colors to evoke notions of naturalness, and the contrasting red of the company logo and the individual's shirt to create a connection between Levi's and the depicted young man.
The final section examines the visual composition of the advertisement, emphasizing the use of inclination and awry lines to create a sense of progress and imbalance. The paper analyzes the linguistic message "THIS COUNTRY WAS NOT BUILT BY MEN IN SUITS" as a negation of the statement and a representation of the dichotomy between pioneers and men in suits.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of this paper include: American Visual Culture, Levi's "GO FORTH" campaign, semiotics, iconic messages, linguistic messages, individualism, progress, resoluteness, American patriotism, idealized masculinity, changing American society, pioneers, men in suits.
- Quote paper
- Christina Keppeler (Author), 2015, Individualism, Resoluteness and Progress as Intrinsic American Values in Levi’s “GO FORTH” Campaign, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/340831
