Reproducing Reproduction.

Everyday we are inundated with hundreds, perhaps thousands of reproduced images. Often times these reproductions are criticized for stripping the original of its meaning and as we discussed in class, opening up the image to altered interpretations. However, in the above ad, a Rhapsody music ad for Jay-Z’s new album The Blueprint 3, reproduction is used a powerful marketing tool to promote the sale of the highly anticipated album.

The ad uses Jay-Z’s previous album covers to create a timeline, each of his albums covers are recreated as he makes his way through a studio to promote his latest project. Utilizing a sequence of recognizable images to promote another is a brilliant move for multiple reasons. This timeline uses the power of nostalgia to evoke feeling and memories that ultimately foster the remembrance of Jay-Z’s previous works. Barthes once said that “photographs are crucial to what we remember” and this ad most certainly uses the collection of photographs as an instrument of remembrance. Furthermore, through the journey of works presented in this ad, it’s suggested that The Blueprint 3 is the culmination of many albums and therefore implies that THIS album is his best album creating even more excitement and anticipation. To take things even further, by presenting the ad in this manner, the advertisers demonstrate both the longevity and the successfulness that Jay-Z possesses, thus setting the stage for Jay-Z to be established as a hip-hop icon.

Reproduction in this ad was a genius way to promote a product, a person, a brand. It achieves several things at once by using images that we are familiar with. With that said, one has to wonder if this ad would even be possible without reproduction. The ad relies on the fact that the audience is already acquainted with the albums and the corresponding image. Without that audience connection to the pictured albums, this ad would not be able to achieve its desired effects and would only become a collection of unfamiliar photos set to a nice beat.

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