FREE ESSAY ON MUSIC AND ADVERTISEMENTS

MUSIC AND ADVERTISEMENTS

Have you ever looked at pop culture icons and wondered why certain celebrities appear in
ads? Especially when the person has no apparent relationship with the product being sold
in the ad. It seems like there is some mysterious force that attracts companies to
recruit these stars to be in their ads. What most people do not realize is that these ads
try to entice younger viewers into looking at them by displaying pop figures who are
popular and controversial. These companies look to get any celebrity that is popular and
notorious for controversy into their advertisements just so that young people will
recognize it. An ad for Tommy Jeans, with Britney Spears in it, is made solely for young
people to be enticed by the popular musician, not the jeans themselves. Similar to a
Candies Fragrances ad that has Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra posing together. These
ads are using popular icons and the celebrity's controversial lives to draw young
audiences so that the ad will stick out in teenager's minds.
In the two page Tommy Jean advertisement, the ad is divided into four sections. The third
section, starting from the left, has a guitar with the American flag on it and the words
"Tommy Hilfiger" in two of the stripes. The first two and the final sections are pictures
of Britney Spears singing in a recording studio. She's wearing headphones, white Tommy
top and blue Tommy jeans, in each of the three pictures. The words "Tommy Jeans" are
shown across the middle of the pages and in the bottom right hand corner of the ad.
Underneath the one of those is the statement "presents Britney Spears "baby one more
time" tour."
Another ad is the Candie's advertisement, which displays both Carmen Electra and Dennis
Rodman together as a pair. Rodman is dressed in just a pair of boxers, standing with his
hands raised. Carmen, on the other hand, is fully clothed with jeans and short top. She
is standing with her one arm wrapped around Dennis with a bottle of Candie's fragrances.
Her head is against his chest while, her other hand slightly tugging his boxers away from
his body. The ad is giving the appearance that she is spraying the fragrance beneath his
boxers. Obviously the ad is appealing to the sexual controversy between the two stars.
The first celebrity mentioned is Britney Spears, one of the new poster pop stars who
Tommy Hilfiger has recruited. This beautiful, brown hair, brown-eyed girl has been
singing nationally since she was seven years old. Yet, she just recently gained notoriety
as a pop culture diva on her entrance into the pop music world. Britney Spears made a
more noticeable impact on the pop scene because of some controversy arising in her
career. A Rolling Stone article, which displayed too much skin of a seventeen-year-old
girl than society believes should be allowed. She also has been accused of acquiring
breast implants to further her career, which she denied weeks after the accusations.
Leading the public to believe that she may have been debating on whether or not to tell
the truth. This delayed reaction by Spears still creates controversy over the issue of
her alleged implants. These events have helped Britney Spears get into the limelight and
also increase her record sales. This controversy combined with her singing has made her
very popular among teenagers, boys and girls alike. Tommy Hilfiger is capitalizing on her
newfound fame by having her appear in their new advertisement campaign. 
Although he is not as accepted by the public as Britney Spears, he does share, he does
share Spears' controversial spotlight. Not only has Dennis Rodman been the topic of
controversy, but even his relationship with Carmen Electra has been under much public
scrutiny. Dennis Rodman is a NBA star with a "bad boy" reputation on and off the court.
He had skipped many practices for his Los Angeles Lakers, which is unheard of in
professional sports. Sport commentators questioned whether or not he should be allowed to
play, while the team ultimately decided that he should not. Rodman has been seen
blatantly knocking down cameramen and has been suspended for making physical contact with
referees. Not only does his violent behavior and his lack of sportsmanship cause topic
for criticism, but his appearance has also raised some eyebrows. Rodman can be is easily
distinguished trotting down the court with his green hair and pink fingernails. Or even
out in public sporting numerous piercing and women's clothing. His off the wall
appearance combined with his rough game play has made him more noticeable than other
basketball stars. Off the court, Rodman continues to be in the public eye by making
headlines in many papers. Within the last year he has been to court for numerous
incidents of disorderly conduct, ranging from bar fights, to public intoxication, to
sexual assault. Adding to his publicity is his references to sex, which he announces
publicly without any care of the repercussions. Walk on the Wild Side, which is the
second book written by Rodman, mentions him having sex with a transsexual and Rodman
stating "I like to fantasize about masturbating while sitting on the bench during big
games." (p. 125) Coinciding with this fixation on making his sex life public, is his
affairs with Madonna and Carmen Electra, both of which have also been the topic of
controversial issues. Rodman and Electra were married for six months starting little less
than a year ago. Some columnists have stated that the couple's entire marriage is a hoax
to draw publicity for the two.
These advertisements use these controversial figures because they are popular in our
culture. Britney Spears will obviously attract teenage fans of her music, but will also
attract people who have read about her or seen her in the media. Rodman and Electra are
also in the middle of media crossfire. Their lives may not have much to do with the ad
itself, but it attracts readers who are nosey about the couple's lives. The advertisement
companies are appealing to American's obsession with celebrity's lives. This disease
which American culture has been stricken with since the sixties, is a vain attempt for
Americans to ignore their own problems. By focusing on the imperfections of superstars,
we can feel some relief that our own lifestyles and imperfections are not as bad as they
seem. This fixation that the media entices leads to celebrities lives being invaded by
the paparazzi and by stalkers. This fascination with controversial celebrities also leads
to stars like Dennis Rodman, who seems to purposely cause controversy just so he can make
some more money. What American needs to do is start minding our own business. Letting
celebrities live in peace and to stop letting the media point our noses into what they
think is important.
Bibliography
Rodman, Dennis. A Walk on the Wild Side. NewYork: Delacorte Printing, 1997.
"Tommy Hilfiger Jeans" Rolling Stone. August 19,1999: Pages 1-2.
"Candie's Fragrances" Rolling Stone. August 19,1999: Pages 67-69.