Envy: Love's Adversary
The advertisement is promoting Dior's product J'adore. Similar to all the other advertisements surrounding this product, J'adore is presented in a warm, golden light. The model, Charlize Theron, is beautiful and glowing. Her luminous skin, gorgeous hair, and femininity are supposed to epitomize a woman. This is interpreted by the viewer of the ad and, in turn, the audience now covets such effeminateness. This creates a mood of envy in the viewer, and this jealousy will make them more likely to purchase the perfume. The name, J'adore, is French for "I love" or "I adore". The French language is often associated with romanticism and love, which adds to the allure of the fragrance.
The target market of J'adore is mostly women, ranging from about 16-50, that are well-off financially and looking for confidence and glamorous beauty. These women would be fined-tuned into popular culture because J'adore advertisements can be found in well-known fashion, beauty, and gossip magazines.
Put simply, the goal of this advertisement is to sell J'adore. The company uses Theron's beauty to sell a product to women who want to be more beautiful. The company has been selling J'adore for more than a decade, and the popular name-brand, high-class product sells for an expensive price. However, in the bigger picture, we can see that this company and many others target their audience's sinful side to sell the product. They play on the viewer's insecurity, their desire to be considered beautiful, and use it to run a lucrative business. This envy displaces the viewer's love for herself and exploits her self-confidence. According to Evagrius Ponticus, the second most deadly sin of mankind is envy; marketers are flourishing with the freedom that society acquiesces, and they use this sin to appeal to humanity's sinful nature. While the marketing may be lucrative, the heart abuse is also effective.
