If an advert insults the viewer’s inner eye, it is a dud. This was stated by Vance Packard in his landmark book on advertising, The Hidden Persuaders, way back in the 1960s.
The inner eye is the viewer’s specialist knowledge of anything portrayed in the advert. Insulting the viewer’s inner eye breaks the advert’s spell.
The advert in question attempts to sell a side by side bearing the model name “Estate”. A name that brings to mind driven game shooting, with its full complement of beaters, pickers up, butlers, loaders.
Inner eye shock Nο1 is the hip flask. As the old adage says, gunpowder and alcohol do not mix, especially in organized shoots overseen by safety conscious shoot captains.
Inner eye shock No2. The Opinel knife. Gentlemen taking part in an estate shoot do not touch, let alone gut, shot game. Others are charged with the tasks of retrieving and caring for the collective bag. Additionally, the Opinel is a French working man’s knife. A republican symbol of a country that overthrew the monarchy with all its trappings, including driven game shooting. An Opinel is what a lone French hunter would carry to gut and clean a modest bag of game by himself.
Inner eye shock No3. The cartridge belt! In driven game shoots the “guns” do not wear cartridge belts. The loaders carry cartridges in cartridge bags. But that is not all! Look how the cartridges have been put in the loops the wrong way round, riding over the cartridge stop!
The photographer put together what he/she thought was a mood evoking photo composition. Presumably the photo was approved by someone involved in gunmaking. And that tells a story both as to the model name chosen and the regard for the client. It is all so subliminal!