Magazine Advert Analysis: Britney Spears

Britney Spears promoted her 2008 album with a series of live performances, including her first world tour in five years. These are two separate magazine posters, one advertising her latest album “The Circus” and the other, her tour in Minnesota. The left advertisement is displayed in the style of a Circus performance poster, on sepia tinted slightly creased paper, extravagant fonts, block borders and swirly designs have been added to create the effect. There are no images of her because her name alone sells herself, as she is very famous and known worldwide so it is not necessary to include a photo of her, and people will already know who she is. The release date has been framed, so it draws attention and represents herself as a star. Emphasis on her “number one hit” appeals to the audience as they know her comeback to fame was successful, her new album is highly anticipated and the single title, “Womanizer” is written in italic fonts to make the word stand out even more. The poster on the right shows her name in similar all capitals text, very large and displayed in a curvy line, she has a welcoming smile while she is holding up her arms as if she is presenting herself to the world. Her costume is well suited to the theme of the circus, as she is seen as the ringleader being in charge of the show, and it is designed to reflect her character as a fun exciting performer. She is seen holding a wand, and sparks have been added using Photoshop to give the impression that she has a higher power and her performances are very magical. The colour of the text on both posters, and on her album cover are deep red and yellow, which are very bold colours, usually used on posters to catch people’s eyes and these colours have created her house style for other publications such as billboards and other adverts. The special guests’ emblem will also add to an even larger audience, as Britney and PCD are both popular, attracting similar fans and they will appreciate seeing two artists they like on one show. There is also a small image of her album cover, which this particular tour is promoting, next to information on when the tour is, with the day and time the tickets will be on sale, and also, the poster also provides a website and phone numbers if the audiences are interested in getting further details. This section is bordered with stars so the main attraction of the poster is still Britney’s image. The background is a circus tent, and the sepia tint makes the image look more authentic. The recognisable “Virgin Mobile” logo is fairly large because they are her official tour sponsors, and the logo for “Target Center” lets the audience know the venue this tour will held at.

Genre Video Analysis

The Script - Breakeven

The third single from the band's self-titled album, the pop rock song was an immediate success reaching high positions in the charts. The video opens with Danny, the lead singer driving his car while a woman's voice is sampled saying "what would I do without you?" and the irony is revealed as we find out that she was his ex-girlfriend. He speaks of his despair, and broken-heartedness in a dark room, lit by a flickering light while the footage is grayscaled and making him seem colder. Lyrics such as "I'm falling to pieces" and "what am I supposed to do?" emphasises his loneliness, challenging the idea that men are supposed to be masculine and fearless. The variation between past and present is clearly identified as flashbacks are in full colour and brighter, as he reminisces, such as his recollection of intimate memories.

This is very effective because the edited colouration is used as if she was the colour to his life and now she's left, his days are saturated and has a grey tint. To avoid confusion, while he is grayscaled in the dark room, he looks at a full colour video footage of his love and this also has references to voyerism, a notion of looking as she is unaware that he is watching her. Once the chorus kicks in, cuts of the whole band's performance footage is shown as this is a prominent feature in rock music videos. The video is performance based with a slight narrative, as the flashbacks and memories tell their own story, showing the audience how close they used to be and showing the result of the breakup on his part. But as this is an alternative rock video, there are no attempts of strong political messages nor does it challenge conventions, because the video is a solely acting as a marketing tool for the band, as a commercial product and the performance shows the band's true musical talent. Their other videos are also similar, simple narrative and performance based, and the audience will choose to watch this video, solely on their views about whether or not they like the track, rather than the video as it's not too much to grasp allowing the viewer to enjoy the song without thinking too much. Showing this emotional side of the star, as well as the performance footage can be appealing to the audience, as they can see he can be quite down-to-earth and gentlemanly, rather than a party animal or socialite. The locations for this video shoot are also not too extravagant; a bedroom, a city street, seafront, small stage which helps the audience appreciate the music and the band.

Lifehouse - Broken

The third single from the alternative rock band's album "Who We Are" was released in September 2008, with high digital download numbers on iTunes. The video starts with a shot of a clock and radio, and makes it evident to the viewer that the band are in a still car, so the visuals are closely linked to the lyrics "the broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight" showing the band member in the back seat sleeping. The car is in traffic in a tunnel and many people have gotten out of their cars, walking into the distance, and the four members get out of the car to walk the opposite direction. This is a clear reference to Natalie Imbruglia's video That Day, as throughout her video there are also people walking into the opposite direction as her, as if she was fighting the crowd, not being a follower. The main singer, Jason leads the group through, he barges past the swarms of people, and even when a girl shouts "what's your problem?" to him, he is seemingly deaf as he is entirely focussed ahead. While he was in the tunnel, there was a blue and green tint to the video to emphasise the coldness but coming out of the tunnel, he looks up at the sunlight and the lighting is bright with a better contrast of colours, and could be symbolising new life.

As he continues walking, the establishing shot shows ambulances and fire engines and he finds a car accident wreckage, one of the victims being himself. Upon seeing his dead body, he desperately runs back into the tunnel, pushing past the people looking at him strangely, now walking in the same direction as him. The tinted screen is back, and this time it highlights his urgency and sets the mood. Jason then wakes up from his trance, and we find out he may have had a premonition. The song seems to have different uplifting stories, depending on how the audience wants to view it, shaping and forming different narratives so therefore the video shouldn't have too much of a influence on the viewer. Lyrics such as "in your name, i find meaning" and "in the pain, there is healing" have lead me to believe the song can have religious overtones, referring to Jesus as the band have made religious songs in the past. Costumes used are very casual, and similar to the Script's intentional plan of catering to a broader audience.

*Screen prints from VEVO and Youtube.

Inter-Textual Analysis

Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé - Telephone

Gathering over 30 million views on Youtube, the nine and a half minute long music video directed by Jonas Akerland, was positively received by critics. The video opens with Lady Gaga entering the “Prison for Bitches”, accompanied by two tough female security guards, ready to serve her time for the crimes she committed in her last video, "Paparazzi” also directed by Akerland. The camera uses a dolly track to display her point of view as she is walked to her cell, and showing the audience the tough female inmates, who are heard making vicious threats such as “we’re gonna make you swim outta here in your own blood”. Throwing her into the cell, the guards strip her of her clothing and of her persona, leaving her bare and helpless behind bars. As they leave, we hear them discuss a rumour of her gender, referring to the media that reported she was a hermaphrodite. She is then lead to the prison exercise yard, covered in chains and glasses made of cigarettes, which may suggest she is hiding something, keeping a secret locked away. Women are working out and lifting weights while extracts of her song “Paper Gangsta” is playing on the stereo and the song selection is deliberate as it is about female supremacy, and a rant against men. She then kisses a manly looking woman, and is interrupted by a phone call. She uses Coca-Cola drink cans as hair rollers, and this may be related to Andy Warhol, as he used Coca-Cola as a subject matter for some of his paintings.

A girl on girl fight starts and Lady Gaga looks dismayed, possibly because she believes that women should join together, embracing girl power instead of turning on each other. The phone then rings and Beyoncé is on the line, as she picks up, she starts singing lyrics that are closely linked to the visuals “Hello? Hello?” as if she was really answering the phone. She drops the phone and starts a performance, dancing and singing looking at the camera. The first choreographed dance scene cuts in, with Gaga and her scantily-clad inmates, who all have tattoos, heels and studs on their underwear, implying that they are tough and independent. Again, references to voyeurism are seen such as the CCTV cameras, making it seem like they do not knowing we are watching, and the revealing clothing are displayed for the audience to view. There are cuts of Lady Gaga is her cell, wearing nothing but yellow crime scene tape, which may be foreshadowing the events coming up, and again revealing a lot of her body to the audience. The song’s instrumental plays in the background while it is announced she can be released on bail, and Lady Gaga

pays tribute to the late great, King of Pop, by breaking into an MJ-esque shuffle after being bailed out of jail. The guard is browsing online dating website “Plenty Of Fish”, which is an advertisement but it may refer to the main concept of the lyrics, saying “there are plenty of more fish in the sea”, so she doesn’t need her ex-boyfriend.

She exits to find Beyoncé waiting for her in the iconic “Pussy Wagon” from Kill Bill (2003), relating to Lady Gaga’s appreciation for renegade female empowerment, just as the movie expresses. Beyoncé is nicknamed “Honey B” and is eating a “Honey Bun” a reference to another Quentin Tarantino movie, Pulp Fiction (1994). It may be common for vixens to eat food seductively, but Lady Gaga’s plays on this typical trope and purposely makes objectification not sexy. As they drive, the radio turns on and references to the song saying “Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce” referring the video itself, Lady Gaga takes Polaroid photos of Beyoncé while she sings. They pull up to the diner, where actor Tyrese Gibson, who is acting as Beyoncé’s boyfriend, and the first thing he does is look at her breasts, and this is a typical example of the male gaze, where women are passive and objects for display. References to Japanese and comic book style subtitles are used, Beyoncé adds poison to her boyfriend’s drink and the plans that the two women were discussing in the vehicle are revealed. The video then shifts to the kitchen, where Lady Gaga is “making a sandwich”, which is challenging the stereotype that women are perfect obedient “housewives”, as all the cast in this kitchen scene are men who are dancing quite femininely. She pours poison into the honey that she delivers to Tyrese, further emphasising the point that she and Beyoncé are not conforming to the all sweet and syrupy behaviour expected of them by society. Beyoncé is in a bedroom, which seems to be inspired by Edward Hopper’s paintings, and she dances in such a way to display her as a sculpture rather than a real live person.

Post-murder, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé are in the center of the dance sequence dressed in stars and stripes; Captain America and Wonder Woman inspired outfits, relating themselves to characters from DC Comics and Marvel. This suggests they see each other as heroes of the female gender, as Wonder Woman was known to be a feminist icon. We also see the words “Wonder” on the brand of bread that Lady Gaga used, which highlights this point further. Lady Gaga performs in front of the “Pussy Wagon” in a leopard suit which looks like it has been inspired by Canadian country star, Shania Twain’s music video It Don’t Impress Me Much (1998). She is also wearing a chauffeur’s hat implying she is in the driver’s seat, in charge. As they’re on the highway, driving away from the crime scene, a news bulletin pops up on the screen, reporting the murders. There is also a short scene with the two stars standing in front of the vehicle in the desert, wearing Burqa inspired outfits with cowboy style hats underneath, and police sirens wailing in the background; this relates to the movie Thelma and Louise (1991) where two women shoot a rapist and take off in a vehicle. This intertextual reference shows their power and feminist approach.

This video is performance, narrative and concept based; there are performance scenes such as the dance sequences, and Lady Gaga in the kitchen, which are both related to the narrative. The main concept of this video is female empowerment, as throughout the video Lady Gaga uses many different references to show this, and at the end of the video, there is a female symbol to conclude the idea. The video cuts are often through circles and stars, representing unity and success, and also the American flag on Wonder Woman’s costume.

Star Image: Britney Spears

Often labelled "Pop Princess", Britney Spears became a prominent icon in popular music, and in popular culture in. At only 17, she reached number one on the US charts with her debut album Baby One More Time in 1999, selling over 13 million copies. Being in the spotlight for over 10 years and from such a young age, we as the audience, can compare the different images Britney has adapted since she entered showbiz.

Britney's first video Baby One More Time (1999) was filmed in a high school, the same location as the movie Grease, because she wanted it to reflect the life of her teenage fans. The costumes were cute school uniforms, and pigtails, and this already presents Britney in a very innocent light. She is seen performing gymnastics outside the school, which shows she was popular in high school, possibly one of the cheer leaders. She was the perfect picture of purity, and this is clearly reflected in the costume choice of her video Sometimes (1999), which are comfortable, and the colour white clearly represents her chastity as at the time, she declared herself a virgin until marriage. The narrative in the video, Lucky (2001) was based on a famous celebrity, in this case an actress, having fame, wealth, beauty, but feels she is still lonely and missing something. The music video features Britney as the lonely figure, and the audience is lead to believe that she feels alone, in reality. She is also acting as the narrator in the video, as a guardian angel which again portrays her innocence.

As she matured, her songs and videos started to state her independence, lyrics such as "You thought I was sent from above, I'm not that innocent." and "Now I'm stronger, than yesterday. Now there's nothing but my way." The video for Stronger (2001), where she wears a lot of black and shows more attitude, is seen as a departure from the "candy coloured" videos, and emphasises the transition from the teenage pop star to a true diva. I'm A Slave 4 U (2001) is a complete different turn from her innocent pop image, and was the first of her "seductive" videos. Produced by The Neptunes, the track has an urban vibe, and lyrics such as "All you people, look at me like I'm a little girl" emphasising that she's "grown up" now. She wears revealing costumes and bellydances, and this video was mostly positively recieved by critics.


This was during the time of her relationship with Justin Timberlake, and Britney was eager for people to see her as a mature woman, taking on a movie role in Crossroads (2002). She announced that she'd be taking a six month break from her career after the couple broke up, and Timberlake released a song which lead the audience to believe that she had been unfaithful to him, which deepened her "not-so-innocent" persona. As a response to the track, she released slow ballad, Everytime (2003) and lyrics relating to asking for forgiveness after hurting a former lover sparking unconfirmed rumours that she was referencing to Timberlake. The video begins with paparazzi and fans starting to lose control, and Britney is hit on the head with a camera. She later finds out she had been bleeding, in the bathtub and loses consciousness, it then cuts to a hospital scene where Britney's ghost is seen running into the light. Though the song sold very well, the video was heavily criticised, for glamourising suicide and was seen as a plea for attention, forcing the audience to imagine a world without her and the audience now feels it may have been foreshadowing her mental instability struggles in the future.

A few months later, with a much more upbeat tempo, dance track Me Against the Music (2003) was released on her fourth album, In The Zone, featuring "the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time" (Guinness World Records) Madonna. This album sparked controversy as a few of the songs were explicit such as "Touch Of My Hand" which was about masturbation and there, Britney had gotten rid of her "innocent teen" image completely. Toxic (2004)'s music video featured clips of Britney completely naked except for being covered in diamonds, known for their unbreakable strength and beauty, mirroring the image she wants to portray. The narrative shows Britney taking revenge on her unfaithful boyfriend, poisoning him, and she sports a few different costumes, referencing to superheroines and also raising the issue of female empowerment.


Her personal life underwent a lot of troubles after this video, and she had taken a break from her career to get her life back on track. After three years, she released dance song Gimme More (2007), opening up with the words "It's Britney, B*tch" which became her catch phrase. Wearing a leather black vest, she dances around a pole and flicks her hair about, with night club light effects in the background giving the video a stripper theme. After harsh criticism, she released the video for Piece Of Me (2007) which portrayed her life at the time, with references to the media rumours and news. With lyrics such as "I'm Miss American Dream since I was 17" and "Oh my God, that Britney's Shameless" it is written similar to a biography, speaking of her mishaps, she mocks the press with images of magazines with ridiculed headings. The words "You want a piece of me?" can be seen as a threat or an invitation, and cleverly shows her confidence is still there. Britney then covered Bobby Brown's My Prerogative (2008) which discusses the singer's thoughts and not caring about other people's judgements. The first scene shows her jumping into a pool and starting to sing; this displays her rule-breaking carefree thoughts. The video cuts to her husband, Kevin Federline watching clips of Britney in her lingerie, this references to pornagraphic films as she is wearing little clothing, and she is seductively looking at the camera, presenting her as an object for display. Her music video for 3 (2009) also has inter-textual references to female empowerment, such as the fact that her male dancers are blacked out silhouettes while the spotlight is on her entirely. Her white costume, with large revealing slits seems to be influenced by Kyle Minogue's outfit in Can't Get You Out Of My Head (2001) which was popular for it's fashion style and 'sexiness'. Womanizer (2008) was a definite comeback for the star, as the catchy song reached high peak positions in the charts worldwide. The video opens with a completely naked Britney, covering herself with her hands, in a sauna or hot spa in which the steam emphasises her "hotness". Wearing four different costumes of disguise, she tricks the male lead as her alter egos flirt and continues to lead him on. Ending with a close up of her smile, to make the viewer feel the intimacy of the situation, and the audience is reminded of Britney Spears's beauty. This video clearly represents female supremacy, as the lyrics state she knows his plan and will not be tricked into his ways of pursuing women lecherously, earning her respect back from the media and wowing all her fans.

*Screen prints from Youtube and Sony Music Entertainment.