The Effects of Branding

After watching the video over branding and how women and men are portrayed in certain ads, I began to examine more closely the different popular brands and what these brands really are trying to sell us. After looking at many brands, such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Dolce and Gabbana, and Ralph Lauren, I have decided what I think most brands are trying to sell nowadays is sex appeal and masculinity/femininity for men. In Abercrombie and Fitch ads such as:

You can see how sexiness is being sold here more than anything. It is as if they are saying, if you buy our jeans, you will be sexy or that if you're a man; you can get any girl you want on top of you shirtless. Also, if we look at Dolce and Gabbana's ads:

It is not only selling this sex appeal, it is showing how the men must be muscular, and manly and that they can just pin down some helpless seductress. Then, after looking at an ad from Ralph Lauren:

it seems to point directly at this masculinity theme; showing the man with a serious face on and arms crossed, looking like he is the one in charge. All these ads are promoting their brand by promoting a style that goes along with it. Instead of relaying on buying a brand because of the quality of the brand, or the price, instead consumers now are enticed to buy these brands in order to exude a certain "look" whether it be to feel sexy, manly, or feminine.