This document compares two perfume advertisements - one that conforms to conventions and one that subverts them. The first ad, for "Closer" perfume, follows conventions by featuring beautiful women in an elegant studio setting, implying the perfume will make the buyer feel beautiful and part of an exclusive group. The second ad, for "Ryan and Susie's perfume", breaks conventions by featuring elderly people who look poor, which would not appeal to buyers and make them want to avoid looking that way.

1. Close - conforms
This perfume advert conforms to the
conventions of perfume adverts because :
1. The women are beautiful in society and therefore
looked up to and usually aspired to look like
therefor it will appeal to women to buy the advert
making them feel that they may feel similar by
wearing it. Also one of the girls is a well known
underground designer appealing to the ‘artistic
scene’ the bottle is decorated to fit the theme.
2. It has a high class, editorial, studio-set look which
shows the perfume appeals to such people
3. The main focus is on the women so it draws
attention to it and the lighting is a high key
lighting ensuring warmth and security also the
close up of the women close together implied a
closeness and a intimacy that people may want to
feel and maybe a kind of sisterhood that people
may want to join as they are so beautiful and
represents a sisterhood of all the women who
Closer
wear it. It also highlights the make up which is a
contrast to the girls’ skin colour showing off the
“dark” that are in this picture which links to the
title ‘Closer’ as they are close and secretive. The
dark colour of their make up suggests mystery and
darkness like magic and supernatural and gives
the a “vixen” look that is sought after

2. Ryan and Susie's perfume – subverts
This perfume DOES NOT conform to
conventions of a perfume advert
because :
1. They are elderly people, not
conventionally pretty and people
normally do not look up to or want to
look or feel elderly
2. The people in the photo look tattered
and poor (which contrasts to the
young women who are made up in
the Closer perfume) and people do
not want to aspire to be that but
instead usually avoid it so featuring
Ryan and Susie's perfume this will not be commercially
appealing
However cute this picture may be people will not want to buy
the product