Today in class we discussed that sometimes it is not what an ad says but rather what an ad does NOT say that ultimately helps to sell a product. I agree with this fully. Many times ads imply certain situations to achieve its desired effects. Let’s take a look at the ad pictured above. This intends to promote a Nike shoe. It does in fact achieve its goal, however, the ad does not mention Nike or shoes. Interesting.

What the ad does accomplish is creating a perception of cool. The ad features a break dancer arranged in a classic break dancers pose. He oozes the essence of cool and like my previous example of AE, the ad subconsciously relays the fact that these shoes can make you as cool as this break dancer. Most of the ad is dark and there is some sort of aura that lingers around the dancer’s body creating an even deeper skepticism.

The ad does feature some lights colors, strategically placed within the ad to emphasize those exact features. Interestingly enough all of the light colored featured although not spoken, actually denote what the ad is actually trying to sell. The sneakers, Nike slogan “Just Do It,” and the Nike Swoosh are all colored white in the ad.

While the ad completes the task of highlighting the shoes and the corresponding slogan and logo, it is somewhat intriguing that although the ad does not mention Nike or shoes, we are still aware that this is a Nike ad and that Nike sells shoes. All of the unspoken language in this ad work together to produce an ad that has both literal and ambiguous meanings, our job as viewers is, to decode and interpret them however we see fit.