Dolce & Gabbana: Addressing the right audience

Any popular magazine will have an advertisement from the well-known dressing

company of Dolce & Gabbana. Magazines ranging from Vogue to Rolling Stone to

Cosmopolitan all include advertisements from the company. It consists of an assortment of

clothing to perfumes to shoes and accessories. Dolce & Gabbana is “made up of sensations,

traditions, culture, and a Mediterranean nature” (http://eng.dolcegabbana.it/corporate.asp?

page=DGProfile par 2). The name came from two Italian designers who have flagged their

Italian character to make it distinguished to the public. They have dressed celebrities from

Madonna to Isabella Rossellini to Angelina Jolie, amongst others. There advertisements paint

their women strong who are tied down to their roots but are not afraid to explore. Their men are

independent, love everything, and successful. He lays down the rules, exudes a strong

personality but never loses his roots.

The Rolling Stones advertisement exhibits four individuals sitting on an elegant Victorian

couch with stern faces. They know they are sexual, rock stars who are admired by many. There

are three men in this advertisement and one woman in between them. The men sit with their legs

apart and their bear chest showing. One of them is scruffy while the others are clean-shaven. The

scruffy male has the ripped jeans by the crotch and two thick bands around his wrist. One is

black with studs while the other is silver with diamonds. In addition, his left hand has a ring in

each finger. He wears shiny Dolce & Gabbana sneakers. His hair is long. He wears a small chain

on his neck. He has on a long sleeve open shirt. This demonstrates to the readers of Rolling

Stone magazine who are largely musicians or teens interested in music that by purchasing Dolce

& Gabbana they could still attain the rock star persona. They can be sensual, scruffy, and sexy

but never lose their rock star image.

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The male sitting next to him also has long hair and his shirt open. However, he wears

leather pants instead of jean ones. You cannot see his shoes. His hands are crossed behind his

head. He looks relaxed in this setting but still in control while wearing their clothing. His eye

make-up gives him a darker look. The only woman in this ad is sitting next to him. She has

extravagant make-up and eyelashes with bright aqua lipstick. Her legs are bare and crossed. She

has long sensual legs, which call attention to her character. She needs attention against the three

men that are by her. She is not lost in this image although her eyes are closed. Her chest is not

revealing. She wears high heels that make her legs appear longer. The male next to her is as the

same appeal like the other males in this setting. He has the gold in this image rather than the

silver but still illustrates the male sexuality like the others.

The ad is on two pages. The colors in this ad range from blue tones to gold tones (left to

right) although the black is very apparent throughout the advertisement. The walls blend into the

main images in the ad and go with the blue to gold theme. The characters do not reveal much but

still capture the audience’s attention. Their faces are not the focus of this ad. The clothes, shoes,

and accessories, which are sold by Dolce & Gabbana, are the focus. The tops of their heads are

some what cut off or bent to get the feeling that they had to squeeze to get their faces in. This is

the perfect ad to place in Rolling Stone magazine. It appeals to their “I am me” readers who are

young and independent and are associated with their individual interests.

In an ad in Vogue, which is also a popular magazine, the Dolce & Gabbana ad is four

pages long. There are multiple ads in this magazine. However, one stands out the most. There are

five women in all ends of the room. The ad is two pages long. Some of the girls having more

revealing outfits than the others but they are not sexual. None of their ads seems to create the

image of sex, which is often a tricky subject. The women all have long blond or dirty blond hair.
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They each have clothing with shades of red and a bit of black. They are lying or standing on piles

of hay in a barn setting. One is hanging on to a robe with her legs bent at the knee. The readers of

Vogue magazine are usually women. There are no men in this ad or any other ad for Dolce &

Gabbana in this magazine.

The director probably chose this setting to gain some of that diverse culture that Dolce &

Gabbana are widely known to exhibit. They do not stick to just one setting or audience. They

want to make there clothes welcoming in all settings. You would not wear a flashy dress with

bright colors to work at a barn but it still fits the image. The girls seem to be tranquil while lying

on the hay. The director wants its readers to understand that they can wear Dolce & Gabbana on

a regular bases even though there prices do not appeal to the socially conscious type. Their

make-up has natural color tones as apposed to dark black ones, which do not scare off the buyer

or have them, believe that their clothing cannot be, wore during the day.

Both ads appear to be geared towards their intended audiences. Dolce & Gabbana is

known to be for the fashionable, affluent, and sophisticated individuals, yet their ads make it

welcoming for the meager who wish to dress stylish. The characters mirror the settings and are

there to show off the clothing rather than their model faces. They do not include “sex” as an

appeal rather more of culture and independence.