STUDY TASK 1// The Century of Self - Sexy Adverts Part 2

This advert is loaded with sexual imagery. It is basically a fantasy being played out in this woman's mind as she travels to see her boyfriend on a train. The advert is fairly brazen in its usage of this imagery and it doesn't take much to work out whats going on. From a psychoanalytical standpoint the use of phallic symbols like the champagne bottle popping and most importantly the giant red train are the most obvious. At one point the red train even drives straight into a big pink tunnel shaped like a love heart (aka a vagina). There are also some more light hearted sexual tones, lip biting, funny signs, muscly men working in a field. You could also argue that the advert aims to appeal to women who wish to be more independent, as it goes the advert puts women in total control, they are the passengers and the waitresses. The only time men show up they are presented as sex slaves for this dominant woman. Saying this the phallic symbol of the train as it crashes through the countryside displays the masculine power of the train and by association the company itself.
Despite at first appearing to be solely directed at a female audience the advert also works for men. Firstly the female character is good looking, she isn't over-sexualised however she does represent sex. As the character rides the train to Manchester she is clearly fantasising. This is amusing for the viewer but it also associates the Train itself as a 'bringer of sex', the train is literally bringing sex to the male character.

Phallic

Very Cliché.

The train is transporting sex (female character) to the receiver (male character) waiting in manchester. 

The whole point of Virgin as a company is that sexy things sell well. The company is called Virgin. It sells a rockstar lifestyle. The slogan for this first advert is 'Get to where you want to be. Faster' its a metaphor for self success, a direct nod towards Bernays own philosophy that the masses will buy into a lifestyle even if the basic product is the same. On a more conscious level the advert is trying to say that their trains are faster. In the subconscious levels the advert depicts some sort of weird sex trade, where the female is bought directly to the male for sexual satisfaction, courtesy of Virgin.

The second advert is said to be one of Virgins most successful. Once again there are plenty of obvious visual clues related to phallic symbols and sex. Again the advert sells a hyper-sexy lifestyle, exclusivity and eccentricity. But there are undertones of the Id all over this one too.

 People keep appearing through curtains in this ad. On the left a woman carrying 'ice cream' is walking trough the open blouse of a stewardess who we assume is undressing. Perhaps the curtains are also being used in a similar way to the Silk Cut adverts of the 80's? Perhaps they represent the vagina, or perhaps psychoanalysis has broken my mind.

 Men stroking giant fork handles. Why? Its a tongue in cheek pun, also added in my opinion to add some men in to what could be deemed sexist without them. They act like idiots while the women are continuously sexy and dominating.

 In a super Freudian way this woman bends over and tucks the passenger (i.e you) into bed. She is at once a sexual fantasy and also the mother figure.

 For no conscious reason the 'Erotic Gherkin' building stands alone. In a massive twist of sub-conscious manipulation the advert decides not to include the rest of London allowing the phallic symbol to stand alone, and look much bigger. The building also pulsates with light and at one point emits a beam of light from its tip. It is important to note that the use of this tower is not entirely sexual, the connotation of power is much more important for the company as it is the phallic image of masculine power that they want to portray.

 The final shot arguably contains another phallic image. The massive plane. The shot is basically saying, 'look at how big our planes are'. This isn't sexual this time, merely that the phallic image is a symbol of power. The bigger the phallus the more power, the more desirable for the consumer who wants to achieve a lifestyle of sex, independence and power and can only do so by flying with Virgin.