The Thirst Quencher

Walking through the library, I scanned the shelves full of magazines. I had an hour until my next class so I thought it would be a good time to catch up on leisure reading. I picked up an issue of GQ and flipped its pages. I saw pictures of men posing for different styles of clothing, an exclusive article with famous talk show host Jay Leno, and an ad for cologne that had a paragraph description on why it will change your life. Nothing seemed worth my attention so I decided to move on to the next magazine. As I returned the issue back onto the shelf, I had a quick glance of the back cover. I saw a series of three pictures that seemed to capture a party. A sense of curiosity filled inside me as I built up unanswered questions. There was no description of the product or even a sentence. All I saw was the word Hennessy and I was hooked. “Over the past century, the American marketplace has grown increasingly congested as more and more products have entered into the frenzied competition after the public’s dollars” (pg. 74). With so much money invested towards advertising, marketers have perfected the understanding of the American psyche and “have discovered the softest points of entrée, the places where their messages have the greatest likelihood of getting by consumers’ defenses.” Without a doubt, Hennessy’s mysterious ad attracted me. It might have been the simplicity of the description, or even, the lack of it. In this advertisement, I learned that Hennessy assimilated to the cliché “less is more.” With less clutter and less words, Hennessy not only targets itself to men as an exquisite alcoholic beverage, but a product that can ensure all emotional needs of men.

Through the use of emotional appeals, Hennessy’s advertisement connects with the male consumers by depicting itself as a product that can provide the needs of all men; the need for prominence. By creating a particular environment, Hennessy’s ad not only portrays how the product can ensure prestige, but also a way to attain high social class. Hennessy carefully handpicks its models to illustrate this sense of eminence. In the ad, all four males are wearing formal attire, something that someone would wear to a business meeting. There are vests, neckties, and jackets with visible handkerchiefs in the front pockets. Hennessy attains a high class vibe by associating itself with first class accessories, such as formal clothes. In this ad, Hennessy also utilizes a lavished living room to emphasize prestige. Jib Fowles knew exactly what Hennessy was trying to achieve as he explained in his Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals. “Many ads picture the trappings of high position…a book-lined study in the setting for Dewar’s 12, and Lenox China is displayed in a dining room chock full of antiques.” Hennessy follows suit as the four men hold their glasses of cognac while sitting on plush, leather seats. Of course, this immaculate scene would not be complete without a dust-free glass table placed in front of the men with an antique, Roman numeral clock in the background. While the environment Hennessy creates is important in its attempt to establish affluence, the literal, immediate setting of the Hennessy glass is equally important. The ad situates the bottle of Hennessy by complementing itself with exquisite hor’dourves. We don’t see popcorn or pretzels, but rather, luscious olives and nuts. These are the same snacks associated with first class drinks such as wines. This advertisement shows that Hennessy not only enables the power to bring about prestige, but the drink itself is a world class beverage that needs to be situated the same way other world class drinks are consumed. Hennessy shows that when you drink its product, you are not just consuming cognac, but you are drinking a wealthy lifestyle.

Another way Hennessy appeals to male consumers is by providing a way for men to escape. Every now and then, males need to take a break from social obligations and “depart his everyday life for a more carefree experience, preferably with the product in hand” (pg. 85). To portray itself as a product that ensures freedom, Hennessy carefully uses its male models to compose a scene that illustrates a sense of escape. Sometimes, freedom for men is a place where they are able to be themselves, a place where there are no women. Hennessy captures this nuance by using four males in its advertisement instead of the concoction of both males and females. By creating a scene with only men, there is an immediate sense of comfort. There is no sexual tension, no obligation to impress women, just relaxation among the men. This feeling of relaxation is immediately apparent through the facial expressions and body language of the models. The first picture frame shows the men smiling and conversing, a snapshot of the men rejuvenating themselves from prior obligations. To reiterate the fact that Hennessy is a means of escape, particularly from women, the ad uses a lot of masculine colors. Since women are usually associated with bright colors, Hennessy wanted to make sure their product leaves a lasting male impression. All the colors used in the three frames of the advertisement are various shades of black, brown, and grey. The use of these darker colors accentuates masculinity and diverges from any hint of feministic characteristics; or in other words, an escape from women. Hennessy also sells itself as a beverage that ensures freedom for men by choosing a living room as the setting for its advertisement. For men, a living room acts as a safe heaven to fulfill their interests. Whether it is to hang out, play cards, or watch a game, the living room finds itself as the appropriate venue. In the entire ad, the men are only situated in the living room, emphasizing the sense of refuge among men. In fact, the décor of the living room once again emphasizes the theme of escape from women. Not only is the living room full of masculine colors, but in the background hangs two pictures of boxers, very masculine pieces of furniture. Masculinity and freedom continues to be a theme of Hennessy as the second picture shows the men consumed in boxing, their facial expressions focused on the game with even one man posing in the stance of a boxer. In the end, Hennessy ensures that when you drink its product, the only thing that matters is you and nothing else.

Hennessy also attracts the male demographic through emotional appeal by utilizing men’s need for affiliation. Humans are born as social animals, we need others to help us better understand ourselves and our surroundings. More specifically, we need each other because relationships are inherently who we are. “According to Henry Murray, the need for affiliation consists of desires ‘to draw near and enjoyably cooperate or reciprocate with another; to please and win affection of another; to adhere and remain loyal to a friend’” (pg. 79). With this ad, Hennessy has tapped into men’s subconscious need for friendship as it connotes the drink’s ability to spawn social festivities while being versatile in different social situations. In the first picture frame, we are introduced with a social setting in which all four men are conversing happily. One man is laughing, two are “acting out a scene”, and the fourth is enjoying the moment. Hennessy is capturing the camaraderie among a fun group of guys, an epitomic desire for a male consumer. Nothing is better than hanging out with your closest friends while discussing your favorite interests. Of course, this scene would never happen without the glass of Hennessy in everyone’s hand. The juxtaposition of the drink in the hand is the advertisement’s insidious technique to underscore the social effects of Hennessy and its guarantee to do the same for the consumer. Another way Hennessy implicitly distinguishes itself as product that provides affiliation is by the articulation of the pictures. Interestingly, if we look closely at the first frame, the only object in clear focus is the glowing drink. Similar to the actual composition of this picture, the atmosphere of any social gathering may become a bit “out of focus”. Hennessy is trying to show that while a party may be fun or reckless, we can “clearly see” what started it all. What ever way the party develops, Hennessy should be the distinctive factor in the burgeoning fun. In the second picture frame, Hennessy not only fulfills the men’s need for affiliation, but also shows the drink’s versatility within social situations. In this picture, all four men are presenting various facial expressions to illustrate different social moods. While one pair of men attentively watches television, the other pair converses over a serious subject. In this one picture, we see two different social situations, four unique facial expressions, but all men consuming one special drink that brings them together: Hennessy.

Just like the product Hennessy is trying to sell, its advertisement is versatile. Hennessy’s advertisement appeals to men because it not only ensures a product that can provide in multiple facets, but the ad itself is unique. It is like a picture book where you follow a story and see its development. There is no descriptive paragraph to read, only pictures. The advertisement is easy, simple, and comprehendible. Sometimes less is more and don’t let this advertisement’s lack of description fool you. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. In Hennessy’s ad, they have three pictures.