Dr. Vance Smith
Essay 2
2/27/96
The Impressions of Grand Marnier
Grand Marnier liqueur is portrayed as a liqueur enjoyed by affluent, or even aristocratic people. In a highly popular fashion magazine a full page advertisement features Grand Marnier as a liqueur for only the very successful, but yet seems to imply that you too can be transformed into the world of the upper class. The entire Grand Marnier advertisement is divided into nine different scenes. Some of the scenes give the impression of affluence and intelligence, as if the drinker of the orange flavored liqueur may also become rich and smart. Some of the scenes, although different could be grouped together, but they all have a definite artistic surreal look about them.
The first group of scenes either have a lot of orange color or an actual orange somewhere in the picture. One scene shows a profile drawing of a face which has very roman-like features. This face is smelling a flower with orange and yellow rays radiating from it, which fill the entire background of the scene. This represents the smell of sun ripened oranges, which expresses the flavor of this liqueur. In another scene there is a well dressed man standing underneath a group of pine trees and he appears to be looking for something in these trees. Beside of him is a squirrel holding an orange. Could this squirrel be what the man is looking for? This represents the gifts of nature that we are all looking for in a liqueur, or any product for that matter. In another scene there are a pair of hands reaching to each other into a box. They appear to be the hands of a man and a women. The walls of the box are covered with drawings of ripe oranges still on the branches of the tree. Once again the orange appears in the scene. The last scene in this group consists of a stack of four books in library . They are titled; Buddhisim, Taoism, Cubism, and Pessimism. On top of this stack of books is an orange. These books represent philosophy, religion, art, and an outlook on life. The orange on top signifies that Grand Marnier goes with all of these subjects, and that this is not your average run of the mill drink. All of these subjects would be good to discuss while sipping Grand Marnier, which proves it's classy appeal.
The next few scenes are closely related by depicting people sharing something. One scene shows an elegantly dressed couple toasting each other with snifters of Grand Marnier. Their table is a geographically correct sphere which represents the earth. In the background is a star filled sky with a comet shooting across it. This couple seemingly has the world at there feet. The next scene shows the faces of a man and a women which look like brother and sister. Between them is a seashell. They have a pleasant look about their faces apparently from the shared sounds of the seashell. Is this the feeling you get with the shared taste of Grand Marnier?
The last three scenes all have a picture of the actual Grand Marnier bottle. The first scene shows statues of Socrates and Aristotle. These men, considered great minds, philosophers, and noble men, have been and will be remembered for centuries for there achievements. Beside of them is a stone bottle of Grand Marnier. According to this scene Grand Marnier's destiny is sure to be comparable to these men. The next scene presents a women with the visions circling her head of the perfect life. These include; a big house, lots of money, a prince, and of course, her life would not be complete without a bottle of Grand Marnier. The last scene also shows a Bottle of Grand Marnier, but in much bigger and in greater detail. Behind the bottle, dividing the background is the sun and the moon, indicating that this is a drink for both night and day. This part of the advertisement grabs your attention more than any other scene. Although this scene is about the same size as the other nine, it seems to stand out more much more than the others. Even though this scene is in the lower right hand corner of the page it seems to be the center of attention.
To complete this advertisement, at the bottom of the page there is a sentence: "Grand Marnier, slightly less mysterious than the meaning of life." This statement indicates that no one is certain of the meaning of life, but everyone knows the appeal of Grand Marnier, and what it can do for you.
The thing that makes this ad effective and appeal to people is the many different situations and ideas that have been presented. Almost anyone can look at this ad and find the part of it that most fits or represents their particular life. Whether it is being together with friends, family, relatives, or lovers, the occasion is just not complete without Grand Marnier. This ad's effectiveness is also do to it's well represented sides of nature, from the oranges, to the squirrel, to mother earth itself. This will appeal to a number of people.
Although the scenes in this ad are different there is one clear message that comes to mind, this not a drink for just the average person but a drink for the upper classes. This is apparent from the well dressed, sophisticated, good looking people pictured in the ad to the intellectual ideas and visions it creates. This ad makes you feel that by having a drink of Grand Marnier almost anyone can either think of themselves as sophisticated or intellectual, or at the very least portray that image to others. Any product that claims to improve our image to those around us will definitely be considered.