500 words - Lucozade advert

Lucozade is a widely popular soft drink marketed by Suntory. First launched in the 1990s as a sports and energy drink, it comes in a variety of flavors, colors, and packaging. Lucozade is targeted at individuals who want to keep physically fit and enhance their sports performance. This is seen in the advert which shows well known professional footballer Gareth Bale. The advert utilizes composition, image and text to construct meanings about the brand.

The first way in which the advert constructs a representation of the Lucozade brand is through the composition, which is very simply structured. We see the main image; a mini profile picture of Bale with the Lucozade bottle on the right hand side, and pieces of text neatly arranged around the image. One thing the target audience may notice is that the advertising agency has adhered to traditional Lucozade adverts, because the image, text and product are in the same position as in other adverts, e.g. the Alex Chamberlain and Alexa Matthews advert, showcasing the brands consistency in structure relating to the 2013 campaign #IBELIEVE. The brand has also maintained its traditional colors, blue and yellow, deliberately matching with the colors of the product.

One of the main aspects of the advert is its main image of footballer Gareth Bale, who plays as a winger for the wales national team. Bale is presented as a determined athlete, he is wearing sportswear showing his passion for football, the sweat on his forehead implies that he practices rigorously. The white square around the image represents the football pitch and the details of him at the top right hand corner create the atmosphere of a sports selection taking place, with the yes on the bottom saying how Bale has been selected as the right candidate, due to the energy he gained from consuming Lucozade. Roland Barthes theory of mythical masculinity can be applied to this representation of Bale, because he is being portrayed as the stereotypical western man with broad shoulders, physical strength and good looks. His facial expression as a serious, committed and assured man, enhances his imagery as Barthes mythical man.

The final way in which the advert constructs the Lucozade brand is through it use of text. The largest piece of text on the page is ‘In a different league’ written clearly in a yellow box. The words connote a sense of superiority and greatness about the brand. They imply how Lucozade is better than any of its competitors or perhaps they do not even consider other sports drinks as competition. The words may even reinforce Barthes theory of mythical masculinity, suggesting the supremacy society attaches to men, which is physically represented by Bales here. The #Scientifically proven written next to the product gives credibility to the brand, showing how it is validated to work, encouraging the audiences to consume the drink and experience strength like Bale.