Media Blog #3: NEVER HIDE

 



              This guy is my roll model. If I wear Ray Bans can I run naked through the stage The Killers is performing on? If I wear Ray Bans will it matter if the body guards arrest me? If I wear Ray Bans will I have absolutely no shame? Excuse me while I look online for some crazy cool shades. Yeah, its pretty extreme but look at that guy! He's having the time of his life.

             "Never hide." Wait what? This statement is pretty vague but we can make assumptions on what the Ray Ban campaign is implying. I'm always hidden somewhere. I sit in the back of every class, I stare at the ground while walking to avoid eye contact and I just never want to be seen. Maybe this is why this ad caught my eye. There were several "Never Hide" Ray Ban campaign ads in the magazine I was reading. Maybe it was speaking to me.

            This ad successfully uses one of advertising's basic appeals, the need for autonomy. The statement "Never hide" is basically telling us to embrace what we have and encourages the viewer to become their own person. If you buy a pair of Ray Bans you will be labeled as an individual and it will give you that confidence booster everyone needs. This advertisement also uses the need for attention. We want people to notice us and the naked man is obviously yearning for that.

             The colors and words play a big part in this ad. The whole background is black, even the hair of the audience is coincidentally a dark color. The band members are all wearing black gothic clothing, black makeup and playing black musical instruments. And then BAM, a naked guy is strutting his stuff down that runway. This man grabbed my attention immediately. Not that I like crazy naked men, but his milky white skin popped out from the black background. And of course, he is sporting a pair of Ray Bans. Now on to the words placed in this ad. The second thing that instantly caught my eye were those two words, "Never Hide" at the very top in all caps. Its a no-brainer that they used white for the words to contrast the black. Stamped in the right hand corner of the ad, there lies Ray Ban's logo in a bright red color. The name of the brand is what they want you to see and it was victorious with doing so.

             The Ray Bans "Never Hide" ad is very successful in my opinion. Lets put on our shades, go to a concert, and take a walk on the wild side.