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Pat Origenes
Alice Pedersen
English 131 D
Short Paper #5, Visual Analysis
Due Date: 28 July 2011
Follow the Flock. Adbusters Media Foundation
Visual assay often presents difficulties above what is at hand with the written word. One
must find meaning where none is explicitly stated. In addition to applying the basics of
rhetorical analysis, it is also necessary to evaluate various facets of the image or object of
attention. Essential to understanding Follow the Flock is that it is satirical. The publisher of this
piece, Adbusters, is intent upon calling attention to the negative impact of rampant consumerism
and also of the power of large corporate entities. The use of satire allows Adbusters to use the
same methods and tokens employed by those whom they are criticizing. It also is helpful to
know that Follow the Flock plays upon the marketing scheme of American fashion designer,
Tommy Hilfiger. A number of Hilfiger’s ad campaigns have exploited jingoistic imagery to sell
his clothes.
Follow the Flock appears to be set on a farm or similar rural locale, which is on par with
the “American West” theme prevalent in Tommy Hilfiger’s advertisements. There are three
primary figures: sheep, a flag, and a logo. The sheep, while not all facing the same way, are
peering out towards the same point, as if looking for guidance. None of them stand out
individually; they are all the same size and color, which is contrary to the actual demographics of

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our country. This tells us that we are treated by big moneyed interests as all the same (and
viewed as no more than animals) and, for our part, we pretty much behave the same. The sheep
also appear to be recently sheared. This would suggest that something essential and valuable has
been taken from them. The flag, partially hidden in the background, indicates that this is the
American way. The “Tommy” logo has the same placement as the real ads, so it may not have
any more meaning than to identify this as satirizing Hilfiger’s marketing, but its prominent
placement in the foreground and the obscured flag in the background could be interpreted as the
primacy of business over country and community. The figures take up nearly all of the space,
leaving some wooden fencing and some grass to make up the ground of the picture.
The image is balanced between the upper half, where the flag dominates, and the lower,
which holds the sheep. With the exception of the sheep, there is a “flatness” to most of the ad;
this effect draws our eyes to the foreground (towards the sheep). We then move our eyes to the
logo because it is fairly large and contrasts with the rest of the foreground.
By itself, it is not apparent what the claim of the picture is. If one were to just add the
title, it would seem to be telling us that we, as Americans, should blindly tag along. Knowing
that this was made by Adbusters makes a big change. The claim is to tell us that we do tag
along. We succumb to the status quo and give everything we have to big corporations. The
purpose, then, is to enlighten us to this fact. By portraying us as animals being led along,
Adbusters is trying to make us think about the choices that we make in supporting big money
and what it means to be an individual.
Adbusters has identified what it believes is a problem and it is not confined to just the
United States. Large companies such as Hilfiger also hope to capitalize with these types of ads

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in countries where people admire what America stands for. The use of satire is important
because it appropriates the techniques of the advertisers. The formula which cons us into
thinking that we want Hilfiger’s fashion and that it’s the American way is the same formula
which hits us upon our heads, telling us that we’re no different than livestock; our existence only
has meaning to extent that we can provide something to those who hold us captive. If we see
through the imagery and make individual choices for ourselves, especially when it comes to
spending money, then we are truly supporting what it means to be an American.