Please Do Not Eat Essie Nail Polish

     As I was flipping through an Inside magazine, I came across this Essie ad. I was attracted by the nail polish dripping down on a spoon. Then I read the quotation, "want a taste of luxury? then get your hands on my belugaria." I'm not sure what bothers me most: the lack of capitalization at the beginning of each sentence or the fact that Essie is basically telling us to taste their nail polish. Um... No, thanks. I'm good. Even if their new belugaria nail polish tastes like luxury, I don't want to risk my life trying that out.

     The block of sentences on the left also reads, "My encrusted treasures take nail art to a whole new level of taste and refinement. Sweep on my sophisticated, on-trend textures in just one stroke to put multi-faceted prismatic luxury right at your fingertips." I was lost at "multi-faceted prismatic luxury." Because of that, these are jargan words. All that got through to me was that this nail polish means luxury, sophistication, and trendy. The jargan words are fillers to confuse the audience and most likely draw more attention to the luxury aspect of the product; however, the use of jargan made me think that this product is the best thing ever.

     Words like encrusted treasures, sophisticated, on-trend, and luxury all have positive connotations. Don't we all want to feel classy and trendy? Essie claims that this nail polish is the answer. This ad also makes a faulty analogy between the nail polish and luxury. It can't actually taste like luxury, or can luxury have a taste; nevertheless, this analogy is misleading because it is not possible--but possibly harmful to the body upon digestion. 

     This visual appeals to viewers through the need for prominence. The nail polish dripping down on the spoon looks like glitter and little black jewels. The spoon even looks pretty fancy. We get the feeling that if we have this product then we will be living the life of luxury and sophistication. We need life in order to feel admired. The need for prominence also pairs with the advertising technique of the snob appeal. This product suggests that the consumer will be part of an elite group that is basking in the life of luxury. Those jewels that appear to come in ever bottle of nail polish will be able to offer the consumer with that life. 

     The need for attention is also used. The glittering nail polish will attract that attention we crave. With all those different colors to choose from, we can be noticed for the luxurious jewels painted on the tip of our fingers. This ad also appeals to our need for aesthetic sensations. The background of the ad is all white, which draws attention to the black, glittering nail polish. That with the black bottle as a pedestal for the spoon cradling the nail polish looks pretty. We are attracted to beautifully simple aspect. And the fact that we can wear it is even more appealing. We can have the same beauty as shown in this ad.

     Avante garde is used here by saying that the product will "take nail art to a whole new level of taste and refinement." The product claims that it is the newest thing out there. It suggests that the new level of this product will also provide the consumer ahead of the nail polish game. 

     This ad reminds me of the "cool" aspect that marketers are trying to sell to teens, as discussed in Merchants of Cool. I read "on-trend textures," and I thought about how teenage girls are attracted to the newest trends. This ad appeals to us because the product gives us that trendy aspect, which will consider us "cool." Cosmetic, such as nail polish in this case, and clothing ads always seem to appeal most to us because they fulfill our needs as discussed above. These kind of ads tell us what is cool, so we consume those products. It's a vicious cycle, the feedback loop, where advertising companies observe what is cool to teens, market that same idea us, and we consume the product.