Work in pairs to choose an ad for a video game or film (still image), analyse it and think about the context it is displayed and viewed in. Consider in terms of signs and signifiers, denotative and connotative meanings.
This ad campaign is for GTA V. The poster features a white woman with blonde hair with brown roots, suggesting she is not a natural. The woman is wearing a bikini and has what is presumably fake breasts, and is holding an iFruit phone, a play on the popular iPhone. The woman is taking a “selfie” picture of herself with the phones front facing camera, showing the popularity of young women doing this, and suggesting the idea of American women being superficial.
The poster is being displayed in Japan, and focuses on the Playstation port of the game over the Xbox version, due to Sony being a Japanese brand. Also in Japan the idea of a poster with a large breasted woman on may not be as appealing as it would be to those in the west, so non-gaming audiences may not be as enticed without innate knowledge of the series already. Especially due to the large size and placement of the poster, as well as the fact that it’s in a busy street, so it will be seen by many.
The poster features nice weather and a large pier with a big wheel on it, making it look almost like a holiday shot. This could have been done to make the world look more appealing to the player, and in turn making the US look more desirable to the Japanese.
The art style of the poster is very specific to that of GTA as a series, being used for the previous title, as is the font that has been a constant feature from GTAIII. This means that even without the title in the picture the observer would be able to recognise the game if they had any prior experience to the series, due to the instant recognisability of the style. This is also important as there is no direct information as to the content of the game, so the company have to go by brand recognition to be able to promote the game, and using such a distinct art style does this well.
The colouring of the “V” in the title also points towards the famous Grove Street families of GTA San Andreas, but also more prominently towards the colour of money, the driving force behind the series. Also with the lack of translation in the title or Roman numeral, it is an implied westernisation of Japan, suggesting that even without translation the game will be recognisable from the style alone.
The poster is being displayed in Japan, and focuses on the Playstation port of the game over the Xbox version, due to Sony being a Japanese brand. Also in Japan the idea of a poster with a large breasted woman on may not be as appealing as it would be to those in the west, so non-gaming audiences may not be as enticed without innate knowledge of the series already. Especially due to the large size and placement of the poster, as well as the fact that it’s in a busy street, so it will be seen by many.
The poster features nice weather and a large pier with a big wheel on it, making it look almost like a holiday shot. This could have been done to make the world look more appealing to the player, and in turn making the US look more desirable to the Japanese.
The art style of the poster is very specific to that of GTA as a series, being used for the previous title, as is the font that has been a constant feature from GTAIII. This means that even without the title in the picture the observer would be able to recognise the game if they had any prior experience to the series, due to the instant recognisability of the style. This is also important as there is no direct information as to the content of the game, so the company have to go by brand recognition to be able to promote the game, and using such a distinct art style does this well.
The colouring of the “V” in the title also points towards the famous Grove Street families of GTA San Andreas, but also more prominently towards the colour of money, the driving force behind the series. Also with the lack of translation in the title or Roman numeral, it is an implied westernisation of Japan, suggesting that even without translation the game will be recognisable from the style alone.
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