This is an advertisement that I scanned from Home and Antique magazine, published November 2015. It is an advertisement for a wood-burning heater / stove which is at present a popular and trendy home accessory. This image has been made in colour with what appears to be a warm colour temperature balance.
To the left we have our product the stove, in use, with a stack of neatly cut and arranged logs underneath providing an interesting design what otherwise would be an empty space under the stove and implies convenient and useful storage. The stove’s chrome handle has been set at a slight angle; so as to be easily seen to imply ease of access to the stove for adding additional fuel. The stove stands against a grey wall that contrasts the warm orange and yellows of the flames with the cold but elegantly stylish grey coloured wall.
To the right of the stove we see a record-playing turntable on a small table that visually links the product with an idea of a modern fashion for the Retro and this message is re-enforced by the male subject who appears to be sitting on the floor with a pair of stereo headphones around his neck and a vinyl LP in his hands. The vinyl record he holds is also a visual reference to the advertisement’s text referring to the ‘Crackle’ and Pop in the anchoring text along with the reference to ‘soundtrack’ and ‘sound from a real fire’.
The text helps to bring together all of these elements in to the audiences psyche. The manufacturer appears to have carefully composed this image to suggest that their customers are connoisseurs of good taste and by owning their product they have added value and quality to their home and standard of living. The use of the record player and LP helps to advertise a feature of their product that they believe to be a strength but can not easily be conveyed by either photo or text which is the gentle sound of the burning logs that would can enjoyed as background noise to a warm and cosy room.
This composition was created for the audience that would typically buy this magazine, an affluent middleclass customer who would have an interest in this type of product to complement their taste in antiques and the retro. The advert also suggest a younger customer, perhaps one that will be spending their money on home improvements.
shauncn512659 Context & Narrative 