Advertising

This advertisement for the film Kill Bill is certainly powerful and persuasive (at least to its prospective audience). More than anything it is an attention getter. The ad is ludicrously violent, so much that the violence cannot be contained in a traditional rectangular billboard-- it must be emphasized all over the street! Not only is it over the top, but the lunatic making the mess is not a deeply disturbed man, but a white blonde woman! It would persuade one to see the movie out of many feelings, depending on the receiver's personality. Some may want to see it out of curiosity. Other may be amused by the ridiculousness of the advertisement. A handfull of people may even identify with the violence. But how exactly does this advertisement invoke these particular feelings? What exactly is this advertisement tapping into to get our attention in the first place? Primarily this advertisement displays an appeal of aggressive dominance. This is the same type of appeal we see in violent video game ads, television shows and movies, and many other miscellaneous advertisements geared towards a male audience. This appeal is driven by the idea that one would feel powerful by dominating through aggression. The Kill Bill advertisement is no different in that it too conveys the violent, aggressive message of the film with a sword which has just dominated the street by covering it in blood. This advertisement also appeals in an ideological way as it challenges the stereotype of males being the aggressive gender. Stunningly beautiful Uma Thurman also adds a sort of misplaced sexual appeal to the picture, as her features are consistent with the media's definition of 'sexy'.