Organization in Go Forth 2011

Organization is an important consideration in this commercial. The advertisement takes the form of a montage, which reveals key meaning-making patterns. Iedema says, "organisation concerns how meanings are sequenced and integrated into dynamic text" (Iedema qtd. in Van Leeuwen and Jewitt 192). As previously mentioned, the first and last shot of the commercial is the ocean at sunrise. The viewer sees a man's body standing on the shore, facing away from the camera and looking out into the ocean. The last shot differs in that it also shows the slogan "Go Forth," followed by the Levi's logo. As the words "Go Forth" are on the screen, the camera pans deeper into the depths of the ocean, presumably away from the shore. This demonstrates the alleged progression that the audience and the subjects in the commercial go through in the span of the commercial. They go from being literally 'grounded' on shore, to being in the middle of the ocean. As previously mentioned, the ocean can be interpreted as a naturalized cultural code that signifies freedom. In this commercial, the ocean becomes part of a second-order semiological system and myth. Barthes says that myth evolves from history, and that "Myth hides nothing and flaunts nothing: it distorts; myth is neither a lie nor a confession: it is an inflexion" (Barthes 129).

In this advertisement, the ocean is the foundation for the proposed myth of freedom that is attainable. There are other signs of freedom as well. Firstly, this advertisement was filmed in Berlin, a city that is equally famous for its history of revolution as it is for its modern day youth culture. The second shot of the commercial is of a young women standing on top of a building, watching the sunrise, and spreading her arms wide in a gesture of freedom. This gesture will become a pattern in the advertisement. The women's feathered clothes flap in the wind, as if she is a bird that is about to take flight. The wind seems to be omnipresent in the advertisement, from beginning to end, perhaps because the ocean is a windy place. Correspondingly, the wind is an additional symbol of freedom. Since freedom has been established as a key theme in this commercial, it is important to consider how and why freedom that is attainable is a myth. Like Barthes said, myth is based on history, and the history of Berlin and its youth should be given some consideration. As a city that was physically divided and regulated for many decades, the message of freedom would seem important.
Additionally, this advertisement is directed toward millennials who have grown up in a world of increasing surveillance vis-a-vis electronic technology. This commercial is eerily absent of technology. While technology has become something that is ingrained in the fabric of young people's lives, there are movements to distance ourselves from it and the consumerism that it propels. As long as technology is present in our lives, we will never be able to attain this elusive idea of freedom because we will always be watched. Ultimately, this commercial sells the notion of freedom that is attainable, specifically from the capitalism and/or consumerism that technology demands.

A final important part of the organization of this advertisement is its rhythm, which is created by the narrator reading the poem. This poem serves to aurally frame and narrate the commercial, serving as anchorage to the visual on more than a few occasions. It creates the dichotomy between light and darkness that is present on the screen. It urges the audience to 'Go Forth' in life, metaphorically speaking. The use of poetry in this advertisement is effective. Poetry in advertising has been discussed by Jules Henry. She studied in detail an advertisement for Revlon cosmetics that uses fake poetry as an advertising strategy. She says,

"The idea of the ad is to make a woman think she is reading real poetry when she is not, and at the same time evoke in her the specific fantasy that will sell the product. Millions will respond to poetry as a value and feel good when they think they are responding to it, and this process of getting people to respond to pseudo-values as if they were responding to real ones is called here pecuniary distortion of values" (Henry 59).
This commercial does show the product in the close-ups of the subject's butts, In this commercial, the poetry that is used as narration is in fact a real published poem by a renowned poet. However, the message and tone of the poem is perverted from its original purpose in order to reinforce values of capitalism through the myth of freedom from capitalism. This can be considered the pecuniary distortion of values that Henry refers to. Like Henry proposes, this distortion of values is used to remind the interpellated audience of their fantasies. The millennial audience fantasizes about and values freedom. Within this value of freedom is the idea of individualism. The narrator himself says, "Your life is your life." The value of individuality is part of the aforementioned sale of a lifestyle, instead of a product. Fantasy and desire are effective tools of advertising. While the purchase of a pair of jeans will not guarantee the purchaser an exciting, unique life gazing into the Baltic sea, head banging, or standing up to riot police, this commercial presents Levi's as the answer to the lack that the audience feels in their life. Jack Solomon wrote, "America's consumer economy runs on desire, and advertising stokes the engines by transforming common objects--from peanut butter to political candidates--into signs of all the things that Americans covet most," and this idea can be applied to other markets as well (Solomon 61). Thus, the rhythm created by the narrator helps sell Levi's as a lifestyle that will fulfill the viewers' fantasies and desires.

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Works Cited

Barthes, Roland, and Annette Lavers. Mythologies. New York: Hill and Wang, 1972. Print.

Henry, Jules. Culture against Man. New York: Random House, 1963. Print.

Solomon, J F. The Signs of Our Time: The Secret Meanings of Everyday Life. New York: Perennial Library, 1988. Print.

Van, Leeuwen T, and Carey Jewitt. Handbook of Visual Analysis. London: SAGE, 2001. Print.