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Tiffany and Co. is a symbol of extravagant symbol of wealth. Tiffany’s has marketed their company in such a way that they represent an almost fairytale-like perfect store where only the best accessories are sold. In this add, they emphasize the ‘timelessness’ of the company by first setting the scene with a snowy background, colorful snowman, and cute little girl. The girl (signifier) is cast so we associate her with innocence, the perfect childhood, and an upperclass upbringing (signified). She stacks the famous light blue boxes (also a signifier for Tiffany and Co., the signified) which we see as endearing. Following a ‘logical’ progression, we then see a timeless looking woman, dressed in a ‘grown-up’ version of the little girl: white fur with the same light blue color ring. This woman (signifier) makes the argument that she is the ideal customer of Tiffanys: classic, good taste in clothes and accessories, rich, pretty (signified) and that each woman must strive to have a like identity or at the very least envying the life she holds. Queue the rich, handsome, man dressed for a night out and insert product placement of the blue box to show how to achieve the life of the classic woman: buying Tiffanys. With a few more serene shots to showcase how perfect the world can be with Tiffanys in it, the screen then slides to the same light blue background proclaiming ‘Blue is the color of dreams.’ All the while, the song Favorite Things from the popular ‘Sound of Music’ re-enforces the feeling of timelessness. After analyzing this commercial, I find it even more interesting to note when the commercial aired: 2008 which was the start of the economic recession. So even though major cutbacks were taking place, the market was unstable, and the unemployment rate skyrocketed, Tiffanys was selling the idea that such a ‘timeless’ company could give the consumer a lifestyle of bliss.
I never saw this commercial or heard of Tiffany and Co., then again I am a guy. But this commercial is extremely interesting, and your reading was really in depth. I also noticed that the little girl, stacking her sled high with gifts, sent a message that a girl (or woman) should get whatever she wants. Combine that with a very elegant and classy grown woman, and you get the effect of people buying a lot more than they should.
ReplyDeleteThis break down of this commercial makes perfect sense. I remember when I was younger all I wanted was a tiffany heart necklace and now I can see how this commercial put in my mind that Tiffany's represented wealth and success and happiness. It's also interesting how Tiffany's could take a certain color box and make a whole marketing campaign out of it and make it symbolize so much more.
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ReplyDeleteThis commercial and the explanation given really caught my attention. It's interesting how the motive of the commercial was that "Blue is the color of dreams" when their company is trying to promote diamond rings, which is clear. I understand that most girls would love to have a big diamond ring and a handsome guy to go along with it, however, the box color doesn't necessarily have to be blue in order to represent dreams. So why did they choose the color blue above any other color?
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, it's fascinating how they incorporated the idea that a diamond ring is a timeless piece of object because it can last a lifetime. I feel this commercial is aimed towards a woman's favor than it is to the man buying the ring for the woman. Then again, a man in love would buy his woman a piece of object that she will love for a lifetime.