Up all night, sleep all day…

So I was cleaning my room this morning and listening to the radio, and the song “I’ll Wait” by Van Halen came on.  For some reason when the line ”Are you for real, it’s so hard to tell, from just a magazine.  Yeah, you just smile and the picture sells…” came up, the idea of photographic truth came to mind.  So I ran out of the room to write down that line…and now I’m posting it here! 

Photographic truth- As images produced by the mechanical device of a camera, photographs have the power to project images of the truth and to be seen as unmediated copies of reality.  The myth of photographic truth means that photographs are understood to be evidence of actual people, events, and objects of the past, even though they are relatively easy to manipulate.  The truth value of photography and camera imaging is the subject of ongoing debate, one that has been heightened by the introduction of digital imaging techniques.

This is an ad for the SONY Cybershot camera which ran about 2 years ago.  Here, they are using Steven Tyler in a setting that makes the camera seem really useful and quick.  It also plays into the hype that comes with being a celebrity, as you see these women basically destroy their table- “Get the camera!”- just to try to get a quick snapshot as he walks by.  Of course the only one able to grab their camera and then take a clear shot (promoting the anti shake) is the woman with the SONY.   I actually thought this was a really cool commercial and did want the camera after I saw it…but I didn’t buy it.  Again, this shows a company using a celebrity to give their product a “cool” (while also appealing to Aerosmith fans and concert goers who want to have a great camera to catch those priceless shots).

This is another famous GAP commercial.  Here, they are using Steven Tyler and Joe Perry to advertise the easy fit jeans.  If you’re an Aerosmith fan (which I am), or even just a music fan, this will definitely catch your attention.  This gives the GAP a kind of hip rock and roll feel which makes viewers either want to buy the jean, or at least lets them identify with the brand.  

I love this new GAP commercial.  The music catches your attention (especially if your an AC/DC fan), and the whole sequence makes you want to dance and imitate Audrey Hepburn.  GAP is a company that is known for having great TV ad campaigns that usually leave people singing and remembering them even after they stop airing.  Using Hepburn also adds a certain glamour to the “skinny black pant”, and in doing so can invoke a desire in people to want to buy the pant.  I for one, love the ad, but wouldn’t buy the pants…haha.