Analysis of a print advert

Timberland advertisements are extremely important as they create meaning for their products, for this advertisement the meaning they are trying to create is that its products have durability in tough times.

The Timberland company are also ‘poking’ fun at the banks due to the recent economic activity (recession/downfall). They are saying that their products are so strong that nothing can take it down and that maybe they should make a bank because it’ll be able to get through the times better than the banks have. This would create a sense of security with the audience, they would see the advertisement and think of safety, they would have trust in the brand as it is very well known and it states that their products get through tough times. The fact that they are talking about ‘starting a bank’ they may also be trying to say “You can trust us with your money, you have nothing to worry about, you wont be upset with the product.” This again would allow the audience to feel safe and secure with Timberland.

The font they have used is very hard-hitting; it has dirt over some of the letters, which relates to the advert and what it is trying to show. They are trying to show that they have already been through tough times and they are still around.

The brand name ‘Timberland’ is in the bottom right corner along with its famous logo. It’s already a very well known brand and therefore does not need to be any bigger because when someone sees the main image of the pair of shoes they would recognise the style and when they see the logo and name they know instantly that it is a Timberland product.

For Timberland to be making fun of the recent recession could be a sensible psychological ‘play on fears’ of recession. They could be aiming for people who are recently out of jobs and been made redundant or aiming for people who don’t want to spend and just want to save up, which is why Timberland used the words “Maybe we should start a bank” because people are saving in banks and they should become one because they would help the consumer save money when they buy the product because the product was “Built to last”.

As Timberland had survived the ‘credit crunch’ it shows the strength of the brand this will get consumers to place trust in the brand and therefore buy products from them.

The poster is graphically very simple, this is because Timberland do not want to distract you from the message being portrayed.

The poster consists simply of a black background with white, copy/text in ‘Impact’ font and a visual of the brand’s products for anchorage.

The fact that Timberland is a well-established brand is evident. The fact that they only used a small percentage of the whole page to actually display their brand and used up most of the page with a tagline about strength of products and a product easily linked to the brand shows that they know who their target audience are and that they know that a simple poster which is so effective can be able to attract them easily in the times of recession.

Timberlands target audience are most likely going to be people who are insecure about spending money and people who need someone to trust with their money when spending. They are aiming to people most likely between their mid 20’s to 30’s due to the fact that Timberland is a popular brand to the 20+. But it is possible that they have these shoes for all ages due to the fact that they are selling this product in a John Lewis store. John Lewis is popular with being known as the brand that stays with you for life, as their “She’s always a woman to me” advert campaign shows the style of John Lewis being portrayed throughout the life of a woman.

By Akshay Bajaj