What purposes do advertisements serve? Usually to promote a product or company, but advertisements in general aren't set in stone. They make you think, or contain a deeper meaning or hidden message often through a careful selection and arrangement of visual elements. Such elements are a staple of car advertisements. Car companies do the best job at creating advertisements that contain visual elements and make you ponder the message behind the image. In the photo I chose Aston Martin does a phenomenal job at portraying their DBS as a dangerous, frightening and intimidating car. With all the visual elements, such as texture, color, shape and even movie references, Aston Martin makes this a car advertisement to remember.

The first thing that catches your eye when looking at this ad was that the background was the same color as the car. The purpose of this was to create a visual illusion, which draws the person's attention to the car. As well as the background being the same color as the car, they also threw a lighting bolt in there. The lighting bolt signifies the frightening and intimidating aspect of the car. Aston Martin DBS's are known to be luxurious and expensive cars, but the lighting bolt reiterates the frightening and dangerous side to the vehicle, new qualities that Aston Martin wants people to associate with the new and improved DBS. The clouds alongside the lighting in the background also help create a gloomy and dark contour of the advertisement.

If you look closely at the image, you will see blurriness alongside the road and the mountains. This stood out to me because it creates the allusion of the car going pretty dang fast and thus, once again, puts emphasis on the speed of the car. Then you have the road, what role does the road play in the image? You can't see much of the road so it looks like its never ending. This to me creates the thought of having no limits or boundaries. This car can be yours and you can drive it wherever and however you please. In a way it represents a sort of freedom, and lawlessness. Another important aspect I noticed in the image is you cannot see the driver. This puts emphasis on the car and the machine, as apposed to the person controlling this machine. Car companies stride themselves on their products and the elegance and performance of their vehicle. So in this add, not being able to see the driver focuses the viewer's attention solely on the car and leaves room for the viewers to imagine themselves behind the wheel of this beautiful machine.

The background and the car itself aren't the only things that make this a good advertisement. The text in this image contains a lot of meaning and reinforces its purpose of the advertisement. In big letters in the top right corner it says, "Don't worry". These words symbolize the dangerous and intimidating aspect of the car. In the advertisement the make the car out to be menacing and frightening but then in big bold letters they tell you not to worry. It sounds like they are contradicting themselves, but in a way they are trying to portray the two sides of the car. One being the intimidating and fierce side, while the other being the safe and reliable side. Lastly, in my eyes the most important part of the advertisement, right under where it reads, "Don't worry"; it says, "Daniel Craig was scared too". Daniel Craig in most people's mind is the most famous James Bond. But then again some people don't follow James Bond or know who he is. With that being said, I think Aston Martin with this as is targeting a certain group of people, mostly men that like action movies, violence and fast cars. As most people know, James Bond in all his movies drove an Aston Martin. James Bond is perceived as this super tough, charismatic, good looking special agent who would roll up to the scene in a badass Aston Martin and kills all the villains. So for this advertisement to mention that Daniel Craig was scared too ultimately states the point that this is in fact an intimidating car. The reason why I find that text the most important part of the advertisement is because it is something that most people can relate too. It's a reference to almost all generations, and something that gets people thinking. When I first saw this advertisement I immediately thought that this car was intimidating, fierce and menacing. Not just because how it looks and how the advertisement perceived it to be, but because I've seen the James Bond movies and I know that these cars are one of a kind.

I might be a little bias because Aston Martins are my favorite cars, but all in all they did a tremendous job creating this advertisement and as a viewer it really got my mind working. If I was lucky enough and had the money to afford a car in that price range, this ad would definitely get me thinking about buying an Aston Martin. This advertisement makes you think this car is an intimidating and fierce machine, while also portraying the idea that it can be safe and reliable, and not to worry because Daniel Craig was scared too.
