I will start discussing the surface meaning of the ad by describing the people and objects in the ad. Each bottle of cologne is given the name 1, 2, 3, or 4 and come in shades of blue, green, orange, and red. The first page shows the four cologne bottles that each fragrance comes in. The bottles are placed in different positions to capture the attention of the reader. There is a white background to make the colors stand out. White is also neutral so it will not clash with any of the cologne bottles. The ad also features the line "A Team of Fragrances", which is tangent to the numbers on the bottles and that the product is being marketed towards athletic young men.
In the middle of the ad are pictures of "The Big Pony Classic", a private event that celebrated the release of the collection of fragrances. The photos were taken by Bruce Weber. The pictures show men playing polo and just posing for the camera. There is a photo of a dog sitting beside trophies.
Women are also depicted in the ad as audience members and girlfriends of the men playing polo. Of course, everyone is dressed head to toe in Ralph Lauren attire. This is where you can find the samples of cologne that came with the ad. My personal favorite would have to be the No. 2 scent.The last page of the ad has all four bottles of the cologne lined up in order (1, 2, 3, 4) and their refection is shown in the glass they were placed on. At the bottom of the page, it states "LIKE US ON FACEBOOK" and "Available at Macy's and macys.com".
The advertisers intended meaning of the ad is that the cologne will make men sexier and more appealing to women. While the main focus of the ad is to market the cologne, I feel the Ralph Lauren killed two birds with one stone by having everyone in the ad decked out in their line of clothing.
To break down the cultural and ideological meaning of the ad I will start by saying that the people featured in the ad are "preppy" men and women in their 20s who are considered attractive. This associates the Ralph Lauren brand with good looking people who have money. The ad shows that people equally value looks when choosing a partner. Only men are playing polo, which signifies that playing sports is considered masculine by our culture.
When doing the Frith analysis, you need to identify the three layers of meaning in the ad: surface, advertiser's intended meaning, and cultural meaning. Use this vocabulary. You also need to include a scan of the ad in your postings so I can see what you are talking about.
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