Advertisers' Strategies to Target Gay Audiences in Attitude and Gay Times

I have decided to spilt the following essay into 4 sections, the first three concern different adverts and the final one is a discussion of gay advertising in general.

The first advert I shall be looking at is "Couvette Duvet Cover" from Gay Times, Issue March 2000, page 67. This is a written text, as far as the author is aware this text does not appear in any other medium. The text was found whilst looking for adverts specifically aimed at gay men. I decided to analyse this text as it appears to be unusual in that no people appear in the advert, usually in gay advertising as with other genres at least one person or maybe more are used.

The advert that the author is undertaking analysis of is one among many copies that are distributed in magazines (specifically gay) and may well appear in poster form as well. This influences my interpretation as the advertisers aim to reach a wide audience, not only those who are reading the magazine. The advert is indexical in representation. The important signifiers in the text are the colours of the Duvet, they are the colours of 'gay pride', this is not usually known by people outside of the genre. Therefore the advertiser has placed in the corner the text "100% Gay", so that there can be no doubt as to whom the text is aimed at. The Duvet is also for a double bed, this is important as it implies a couple. As does the fact there are 'littered' around the small section of room we see a selection of items in pairs. Examples are, the two pairs of trousers, the two organisers, two tables and two 'bent' lamps on the table on the right hand side of the picture.

An important point to consider is also the lack of a carpet, the implication here is the floor being easier to keep clean than a carpet, although there is a corner of a reed mat showing. The picture gives a impression of a room that is serene, peaceful, secure and relaxed, the person who inhabits the room is relaxed about being Gay (shown by the Duvet cover). The advertiser is trying to sell this image to the consumer. Although the signs are primarily directed at people who are gay and 'on the scene' it is possible that the signs will also make sense to other readers who are not connected to it (although perhaps not the significance of the colours).

The reality claims that are made by the text are distinct 'relaxation' and 'togetherness', shown by the 'couples' of items on the floor and tables. This is in the author's opinion alluding to fiction, not fact. It is unusual for example, to have two lamps at such odd angles on the same table so close together, there is no practical reason for doing this. The text is 3D in appearance and is in full colour. References that are made to an everyday experimental world are no carpet (men are thought by society to not be very good at cleaning) and everything 'accidentally' being in pairs.

The obvious markers in this text are the gay pride colours and the statement "100% Gay" (top right corner), this appears almost as an insurance against anyone who might misunderstand the meaning or the genre that it is aimed at. The other markers that are in the text are the two pairs of trousers (both of which on careful examination are male), the furry photograph frame positioned on the left table and the two organisers on the floor all appear as such markers.

The text does, the author believes, operate within the realist representational code, that is the reality it represents, has been distorted by the media and it represents no part in the construction of the world, as suggested in the definition of realism offered by Chandler ('Modality':2). The author believes that this could, however, be interpreted as reality by someone who is unaware of what the reality is, e.g. the world it represents. The text belongs to the artificial medium and the gay genre class of paradigms. This covers the whole text. If the medium that is currently being used, that of artificial was to be changed to mechanical (e.g. Television) then the meanings generated, particularly as there is nothing 'alive' or 'moving' in the advert would be lost. If the advert were to change, the addition of people would I believe be a necessity.

Out of the many possible e.g. chosen, the author believes that each sign within the same paradigm set for example the adverts usage of trousers (male) on the floor is particularly significant, as this implies the owners could well be otherwise 'engaged', this could not be signified so effectively by another piece of clothing, for example, a shirt. The significance of using a double bed as opposed to a single bed is again seen as a signifier of a couple.

The significance of the bright orange fluffy photograph frame is it draws the attention of the reader to the fact that a percentage of the sales of the item goes towards an AIDS charity. If a plain standard picture frame were used then the attention of the reader would not be 'grabbed' quite so easily. The significant point if the percentage going to an AIDS charity is the effect AIDS has had on the gay community, therefore, giving the charity name is although unlikely to make people buy the item, it will make them feel they have done some good by doing so. The signifier that is most notably missing is people. It is very unusual for gay adverts or those outside the genre to not include people.

The author does not believe there is a syntagmatic structure such as narrative in this advert as there is no 'story' as such being told in the sense suggested by Ashley (1984:11, cited in Danesi 1984:129). In regard to argument the advert appears to be defying 'traditional' adverts by a lack of people. The advert is a montage, it is a picture that contains many different parts and signs. Many of the signifiers in this advert interrelate, they all set a scene that gives an impression of togetherness and serenity. The most predominant sign is that of the Duvet cover, next comes the photograph frame as that directs the readers attention to the charity information and then the pairing of items that gives the advert a 'feeling' of stability and commitment (particularly the two organisers on the floor).

The spatial arrangement of the items is reflected in then meaning, the items placed closer to the bed (e.g. trousers, table with photograph frame) are of a secondary importance. Identifying the paradigms and syntagms has aided me in the identification of the text as particular parts the author would have missed were it not for these important areas. An example would be the significance of the fluffy orange photograph frame. The metaphors that are used during this