Nivea Print Ad Response

The print advertisement assigned to my group was a Nivea ad illuminating the brand's new moisturizer as the principal product being endorsed. The ad itself was produced as a marker celebrating, as the top-left textual component explicitly states,100 years of Nivea. 

Whilst the ad can be viewed holistically to deduce its fundamental purpose, the intricate melange of elements that elevate the advertisement are critical in regards to the cultural, social and historical insights they collectively provide.

To primarily contextualize the production of the ad, the ad is a pivotal part of Nivea India's campaign celebrating the brand's 100th anniversary. The significance of this event is emphasized by having Anushka Sharma, a renowned Indian actress, as the fresh face of the campaign. Whilst having celebrities endorse products with the aim of appealing to a greater consumer base is a common technique employed by marketers, the choice of Anushka Sharma being the central figure in this campaign is even more pronounced as it sheds light on the Indian society's standards of 'ideal' beauty. Sharma, in India, is widely admired for her naturally attractive aesthetics and more so due to her skin tone being on the lighter end of the spectrum. The Indian society, although relatively less in contemporary times, continues to be submerged in a rigid mentality whereby fair skin, as opposed to darker skin, is beauteous and therefore grandly valued. This facet of a historically embedded Indian ideology is arrested and effectually woven into the advertisement as artificial light is shone on Sharma to accentuate to the viewer her flawless fair skin, which implicitly is attributed to the Nivea body lotion. 

The advertisement also, whether deliberately or not, captures the hypocritical dimension of the aforementioned ideology as the "fair skin is beautiful" notion is applicable fundamentally to Indian women and not necessarily the men. This contrast is clearly visible in the advertisement as Sharma's male model counterpart has a considerably darker skin tone and has yet been deemed as 'product-endorsing' worthy. This aspect further reveals the unrealistic societal expectations that Indian women continually battle with, starting at a very young age. A hint at gender roles in the Indian society is also apparent in the advertisement as, according to the ad, a woman is required to alter her physical appearance to be more desirable to a man. 

Interpreting the social context of the advertisement, the intimate atmosphere established by the positioning of the models essentially cements an associative link with the body lotion and finding a partner. In fact, it may also be implied that applying Nivea's body lotion could enhance a woman's appeal in a way to attract more men. Sharma's direct eye contact with the viewer complemented by an alluring simper echoes an assurance that any woman purchasing this product would be as beautiful and attractive as Sharma, and hence capable of attracting more men. 

On a more general scale, this advertisement effectively empowers young women, as Sharma, a beautiful young woman, dominates the advertisement in the entirety despite there being a man in the ad as well. However, more specifically, Indian women who share similar traits, predominantly in terms of having light-toned skin, are incontrovertibly empowered in this commercial as these physical features contribute dramatically to Sharma being the principal focal point in an advertisement promoting exquisite, flawless skin as a result of the brand's moisturizer. Conversely, the marginalized group would perhaps be darker skinned Indian women who do not align with the illustrated beauty standards as the limelight is beamed directly on a celebrity embodying society's paradigm of Indian beauty.