Shockvertising

Shockvertising is capturing an audience by using shocking or taboo imagery and concepts. This is a popular theme in the fashion industry as it keeps a media 'buzz' around the brand or designer and keeps them relevant and popular in the fashion world. Many designer and brands have chosen to use shock tactics in their adverts and runway shows , these include the likes of Alexander McQueen , Vivienne Westwood, French Connection ,  Benneton and Chanel. A popular topic when using shockvertising is sexuality and what is deemed 'appropriate' in the terms of sex. This may include nude models , models in sexual positions and models masturbating. Another 'taboo' topic in shockvertising is using political issues such as same sex marriage , sexism, religion , freedom and racism. These are used as they are bound to cause some sort of uproar from extreme religious and social groups.  Examples of people who use these topics in their work are Benneton , Gucci , Alexander McQueen and Beauty Bazaar.
Another issue that may be raised in fashion adverts is the glamorisation of past tragic events such as the holocaust , 9/11 and other events in time where people have unfortunately lost their lives. Designer Emporio Armani's S/S 2011 collection showed male models dressed in leather uniforms that mimicked the ones once worn by German soldiers in the Holocaust time period.



Here are a few images that explore shockvertsing -

 

Theses images show the use of shockvertising in fashion adverts , there are many images that show nudity and sexualisation. Examples of these is the Levis jeans advert which shows a naked bum with a tattoo of a denim pocket on it. Another image for Sisley shows a man 'eating' a banana and using it a penis.
The First picture shows an Armani collection inspired by the german soldiers uniforms back in the second world war.