TOW #6- Visual Text

     In this advertisement for Perrier sparkling water, the visuals are the only thing necessary.  With its creative alterations, the company is able to make the beverage look like the "coolest" thing in the room.  Not only is this done through the contrast of hot and cold, but also ethos that is established through the atmosphere of the advertisement.  Through these elements of the visual text, the bottle is the item of glorification and also the only component that was left untouched.
     Overall, this Perrier ad is a work of art.  There is a significant amount of graphic and computer design that contributed to the making of this image.  It also enhanced the eye-catching effect of the advertisement.  By making the objects in the picture appear as if they are melting, it takes the image up a level.  While creating this ad, they could have left the clothes and the disco balls as they were, and just added some sweat on the girl to communicate that she is hot.  Instead, they exaggerated the temperature of the room by making things that can't actually melt, melt.  By representing the excessive amount of heat that this girl is experiencing, they are only making the beverage appear to be cooler.  Contrasting with the unrealistic heat is the single bottle of Perrier, and the only object that is not melting.  Between the choice of a hot and cold drink, it is assumed that most people desire cold, and this image is establishing that Perrier sparkling water is the coolest and most desirable item in the room.  As a result of the advertisement, the company hopes that after viewing this ad, people will choose Perrier the next time they need to be refreshed.
     Not only does the artistic value of the advertisement support the beverage, but so does the environment around it.  The party atmosphere is typically looked at to be an expensive and attractive lifestyle to many.  By using this setting, as opposed to somebody's average kitchen table, the Perrier company is able to establish a credibility about their drink.  Now the beverage has an upscale reputation which might attract people looking for this lifestyle.  This strategy is also used on the model in the picture, not only because of the fact that she is good-looking, but also in her sparkling, (now liquid) gold dress.  The color choice makes her look extravagant, and since she's reaching for a Perrier, the drink must be extravagant as well.
   This advertisement caught my eye because it reminded me immediately of some of Salvador Dali's artworks, such as The Persistence of Memory.  Dali had a very surrealist feel to his pieces, and I felt that this ad captured that as well, through the effect of the melting objects.  Perrier was able to not only to make the sparkling water appear to be the only thing cold in a 150 degree room, but also made it look like the fanciest guest at the party.   Through the contrast of temperature and appeal to ethos through a party atmosphere, Perrier appears to be a desirable and refreshing drink for any person, place, or occasion.