The New D&G Fragrances Anthology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXL8t41EqWw

My chosen commercial is advertising Dolce and Gabbana Fragrances. It's an advert that has been in circulation for a while now that I personally love (mainly because of the part of the Geroge Michael song it uses!), but it is still popular and up to date because of the stars that have been used. The six models are; Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigova, Fernando Fernandes, Tyson Ballou and Noah Mills. D & G have been clever in that they have used some very attractive people who appeal to both sexes in order to reach a wider demographic.

In terms of 'value', well it's a fragrance, that much is obvious. A good deal of the world's population uses perfume. I don't step out of the house without it. This particular 'anthology' of fragrances appeals to both men and women as it deliberately caters to both genders. Fragrance is often used to attract the opposite sex and is meant to make the consumer feel attractive and sexy and sometimes it's just meant to make you feel a little better about yourself and give you an ego boost. However, in this case, I would think that it is the former. Half naked models? Yes, I think we know what they are trying to sell us. Sex sells, and don't you forget it.

The price for this perfume is to be expected as it is a designer brand. I found one website that is selling 100ml bottles for $65.00 which considering the exchange rate today is about £39, whereas on the UK Boots website it is £35. This was on the Macy's website, but there are others that go as high as $74. With this particular item I think you really have to shop around to get the best deal, because there are some websites that are happy to exploite their customers if it means they can get an few extra Dollars.

I think fragrance as a commodity is one that is based soley on branding. For example, designer brands, although they cost more, will often sell more because of the name of the product. Chanel No.5 is possibly the worlds most famous perfume because it is Chanel and was worn by movie starlett's of a certain era. Fragrances that are endorsed by Celebrities will sell more because of the culture we live in. This is none more true than in the US. A Hollywood obsessed culture see's Celebrities gracing the pages of magazines and TV screens as the spokesmodel for a fragrance. For example at the moment, I've seen almost constantly Sienna Miller, Josh Hartnett, Audrey Tatou, Ewan McGregor, Elizabeth Hurley, Gwenyth Paltrow and the list goes on. This is just for fragrance bare in mind, the cosmetics industry is a whole other world. And although D&G is an Italian brand, it is heavily marketed in the US as it is a. the richest country in the world and b. it is possibly the most Celebrity obsessed and is heavily endorsed by models who are marketed in America, hence the reason I chose it.

In my opinion, the D&G advert is a effective one in that it uses catchy music (George Michael's 'Freedom 90') and the models who are advertising the product are well known ones who are over the age of 25, which appeals to women as they do not feel so threatened by younger women. Granted, they look nowhere near their age, but they do sell the product in a way that appeals to both sexes. And then we have the male models who have the bodies that some 'ordinary' men aspire to have and who alot of women would aspire to be with! It basically acomplishes what it sets out to do; convinces the consumer that if they buy D&G's ridiculously overpriced fragrances at Macy's department store for Christmas, they too will look and smell like a supermodel.