In the fashion and textile industry, where the market is already saturated and competition is harsh, it is of utmost importance that brands are capable of attracting attention. It does so with the utilisation of provocative and shocking topics, such as violence, sexuality, social and political problems etc. Controversial advertisement attempts to elicit an emotional reaction in the target audience by shocking, surprising or even upsetting the public to catch their attention. This thesis aims to uncover what is controversial in advertisement and how the fashion and textile companies employ it. What has been researched is the extent to which the controversy in the selected examples is still acceptable and when it has crossed the line of good taste and whether the controversial cases of advertisement have resulted in an increased success and recognisability of the brand. In the theoretical section terms such as advertising in the broad sense, along with the definition and classification of the fashion and textile advertising are explained. Moreover, the section also looks into into the importance of brands in today’s society, how advertisement serves as a means of communication that presents a certain lifestyle, and the use of beauty ideals in advertisement. Also presented is the influence of models on the fashion industry and how certain companies utilise famous individuals with the intention of maximising sales. What follows is an explanation of controversial advertisement and its common strategy. The experimental section is concerned with the analysis of 20 cases of controversial fashion and textile advertisements. The semiotic analysis and pre-researched conclusions regarding the selected controversial fashion and textile advertisements of varying provocative themes shows whether these factors have successfully impacted the sales and recognisability of the products. It has been established that the use of controversy in advertisement is far more complex than previously thought. Although some of the provocative advertisement themes of certain discussed brands have resulted in increased sales, in certain other examples the aforementioned themes were generally speaking harmful sales-wise. Advertisers should be sensible in the utilisation of such strategies and ought to be cautious when addressing consumers. The sensitivity of a target audience must be taken into account, as the advertisement will have different effect on different people in varying markets and situations.
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