Mentos Ad: Close Reading
Jasmine Tsai E. McCarthy Fourth Period AP Lang 25 September 2011 Close Reading: Visual Advertisement In this eye-catching print advertisement for Mentos Gum, marketers successfully captured the attention of their intended market: those who are interested in bold flavors with natural origins (as I am among them. ) This is achieved through the texture and style of the text, the meaning the text bears, as well as the brightness of the ad itself. Accompanying the extensive usage of the color green, the marketers used an all-capital font that is slightly worn-down to indicate an active and hands-on feeling.
This brought a prominent outdoorsy and strong-willed character to the ad. Its brightness, coming mainly from the lighter green in the center of the ad, contributes to its aforementioned boldness. The transition from light to dark from the middle of the ad outwards also constructs a spotlight effect on the text, forcing the consumers to focus in on the text and the product. Furthermore, the red packaging of the product in the vast green-ness of the ad helps it pop out even more.
The message of this ad can be credited for a large part of its appeal. Gum is something that is traditionally associated with artificial things, like rubber and food coloring. By using the words “freshly picked” to describe the originally man-made gum, the readers are then lead to couple nature-related elements with the product being marketed, ultimately changing the connotation of Mentos Gum. In addition to the specifically designed font and the contradictory message, the text was also manipulated in terms of size and placement.
In decreasing the amount of letters in each word while enlarging the font size, the marketers created a terraced effect: as we move closer and closer to the product, the layers become simpler, bolder, and even more important than the one preceding it. This strategy leaves the readers with the indescribable impact of the product that would not have otherwise been there. The three lines of miniscule text towards the bottom-left corner of the ad consist of the information that is required, yet completely undesirable.
In an effort to minimize the negative effects they might have on the overall advertisement, the marketers chose to put the lines in front of a sort of leather pattern in the same color, making the already-tiny lines practically impossible to make out. Although it may seem like no specific need is trying to be met or created, the ad is suggesting that in buying the product, both the instinctive human desire for fresh food and our greedy and spoiled taste buds will be satisfied.
The placement of the fresh fruit opposite the Mentos Gum further connects the product with the concept of nature. Moreover, the choice of the fruit, namely strawberry and lime, illustrates that the gum offers a strong taste similar to that of the shown fruit. Aside from the contradictory quality of the message, there are no obvious tensions in the ad. Though the use of complimentary colors (green and red) can be interpreted as a type of tension, it is more fitly seen as a way to emphasize the product, rather than present conflict.
As with all other well-thought-out advertisements, this one is selling something other than what the consumers believe they are buying. While the consumers believe that they are buying “Mentos Gum,” the ad is really selling the pretty packaging and more importantly the ideas of “bold taste” and “nature” implanted in the consumers’ minds. Works Cited “Mentos Gum is Picked Fresh. ” AdMonkey. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://admonkey. org/? 2009/? 02/? 09/? mentos-gum-is-picked-fresh/>.
