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 Sample Outline for Ad Analysis: 1: IntroThe World Cup bandwagon advertisingA temporary, particular system of signsThey pretend to be about soccer, then slyly insert their products near the end.Kia’s latest campaign features Brazilian model Adriana Lima convincing American men to watch soccer, or “futbol” as she calls it. Their latest ad, “Adriana Lima Brings Futbol to a Sports Bar,” like the title suggests, plays on this fantasy: Adriana Lima walks into a bar.Paragraph 2: Working Thesis (likely to change): In “Adriana Lima Brings Futbol to a Sports Bar,” Kia uses both Adriana Lima and soccer to challenge the mundane lifestyle of the average American male. Lima, a Brazilian supermodel, acts as the embodiment of an exotic sexual fantasy, while soccer symbolizes a more refined and worldly culture. The domain of blue collar guys, the sports bar, is portrayed as boring and uncool in contrast to Lima and “futbol.” By using an independent, empowered woman, as opposed to the passive admirer stereotype so ubiquitous in bar-room commercials of yore, the ad reflects America’s growing anxiety over its outdated patriarchal values, and its resistance to cultural change. Paragraph 3: Denotative Description of the AdLima saunters into a Midwestern bar.Male faces: slack-jawed, dazed, mouths openChanges jukebox from country to mamboChanges the TV from Nascar to soccerLima tousles a man’s hair Whispers “futbol,” then leaves in her Sorrento.Ad ends with the tagline: “For one month, let’s all be futbol fans.”Reiterate the main signs here: the exotic sex object, soccer, the Average Joe’s bar.Paragraph 4: Connotations: Lima as a SignShe is the most important sign here—she’s charged with meaningNot only a sex object, more importantly, an exotic, foreign objectFeatures: tall, thin, tan, high cheekbones, long legs, skimpy black dress, high heelsFamous Victoria’s Secret model, also Brazilian, the host country of world cupHer exoticness suggests that American men desire something new, different.This desire for the foreign woman transfers to soccer, and to the car.Paragraph 5: Connotations: SoccerSignificant that Lima doesn’t call it “soccer,” but futbolHighlights a difference in culture through language.Her accent lends the sport a kind of sexinessCompared to the shots of Nascar, the soccer match seems more exciting and dynamic.An intelligent-sounding British commentator: more refined.It’s important that it’s not an American commentatorThe ad is playing on the fact that soccer is gaining in popularity in America, though it’s still way behind American football, baseball, and even Nascar.Lima has transferred her allure to soccer, and will now transfer this to the car.Paragraph 6: Connotations: The BarBar represents a typical “watering hole”Dimly light, dreary, country musicThe men in the bar represent the typical American maleMiddle-aged, married, bored with life, not soccer fansThe female and the bar are in high contrast here.Her foreignness stands out against the dreary surroundings.It’s important that Lima is the most active character in the adShe isn’t passive like most sex symbols—she takes control.Lima and her “futbol” challenge the status quoThe theme of change: she changes the jukebox, the channel, messes with the man’s hair Kia wants their target audience to change their cars. The overall use of the exotic model here seems to be Kia’s way of suggesting that America is failing to keep pace with the rest of the world’s interest in soccer. That America is boring.Paragraph 7: Outside Research: Steve Craig’s “Men’s Men and Women’s Women”Introduce the essay, the concept of “gendered advertising” and “men’s women”To create a “pleasurable experience” for men, Kia creates a cliché male fantasy: in the real world famous models don’t walk into the neighborhood watering hole.In what ways does Lima fit/reject the category of “men’s women?”“When women do appear in men’s commercials, they seldom challenge the primary masculine fantasy. Men’s women are portrayed as physically attractive, slim, and usually young and white, frequently blond, and almost always dressed in revealing clothing […] There are almost always hints of sexual availability in men’s women […] frequently portrayed as admirers […] generally approving” (Craig 187)Lima only fits half this definition (attractive, slim, young, dressed in revealing clothing)She departs from it in that she is empowered, challenging, doesn’t approve of the men’s music or their sports interests, (nor their vehicles, presumably trucks)So this ad appears different from other ads which present “men’s women.”This change may suggest that American patriarchy is being subverted, and that American culture is no longer the center of the universe.Paragraph 8: System of Signs/ContextIn other ads from this campaign, Lima is shown on a high school football field, and in a “man-cave.”She challenges America’s obsession with football, suggests a worldview that much of America doesn’t consider.How does this ad relate to other World Cup-related ads?Hyundai ads use sex, but are more wholesome. Why? How does Lima compare to the hyper-sexualized women in Carl’s Jr. ads?Compared to them, this ad seems mild-mannered, conservative.Is Kia progressive or do they simply play into the cliché sexual fantasies of men?Paragraph 7: ConclusionConclude by reflecting on America’s growing concern with gender equality.Question whether or not Kia is trying to show this, or simply show how weak men can be around attractive women.Ultimately, Lima is empowered, but she’s still being objectified.She’s reduced to a sign that is substituted for desire; it’s business as usual.This isn’t the most sexually exploitative ad, but it shouldn’t be seen as a big victory for women or for gender equality. ................
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