Acknowledgements We would like to express our gratitude to the following persons

The focus group study

The focus group study was conducted on two different occasions, with two groups each time. The duration of each focus group study was between 1 ½-2 hours. The sessions were conducted in a home environment and the participants were served glögg and ginger-bread. The glögg was non-alcoholic. Each session lasted for about one and a half hour.

Ulrik Jansson, 27, student, group1

Jennie Nilsson, 22, , student, group1

Per Edlund, 30, Controller, group1

Helena Cronberg, 23, student, sales person, group2

Tommy Swing 25, student, technician, group 2

Rickard Lindmark,25, carpenter, student, group 2
15/12- two groups
Håkan Arvidsson 27, student, teacher, group 1

Thomas Nyman 26, production engineer, group 1

Fredrik, Hansen 25, Small business co-owner, group 1

Anders Näslund, 28, engineer, technical consultant, group 1

Sofie Lindegren, 23, administrative assistant, group 2

Sofia Landelius, 21, student., group 2

Sara Hernandez, 21,inside sales rep., group 2

Anna Mattsson 21, waitress, group 2

The ads

After having opened with a more general discussion, described later, we showed different types of advertising. Now, we started to discuss the second part of the agenda. This part was more structured. We showed pre-selected ads and then followed up with a discussion on each ad. The second part of the agenda was repeated for each and every ad. The questions in the agenda were not put in a specific order, the focus was to cover all questions in a natural manner.

Having watched a lot of different types of advertising we decided to let the following brands be part of our study. The reason for this is that the chosen brands are well known, and with a high profile in today's marketing. In this case, all brands have a history of using both, what we perceive as, modern and post-modern advertising. During the focus group sessions we showed ads by Bennetton, Levi's and Diesel.
First we started by showing advertising that we perceived as classical, or modern advertising. This advertising uses common themes as described in the theory part; modern versus post-modern advertising. After this we showed the adverting which we perceived as post-modern, also described in the theory part.
Traditional advertising
Levi's
The classical commercials of Levi's very often contained a jeans wearing man, who characteristically is rebellious, mysterious and good looking. The commercials often ends with some kind of success with women.
One of the commercials we showed took place on the stock market, where the focus is first put upon a well-dressed sophisticated beautiful woman, suddenly the attention is headed toward an outsider. A stranger, a man, is entering with a Harley Davidsson bike. The man is simply dressed, wears a pair of Levi's with a T- shirt, is very good looking, dangerous, and rebellious, driving right into the office. He just wants one thing, his woman. Since she is not properly dressed for the ride he reaches her a pair of Levi's, which she puts on. The commercial ends with the pair driving off from the stock market, dressed in jeans.
This commercial has many of the standard attributes of the traditional advertising that was developed during the modern era. It shows a successful individual ( male) who with the help of a pair of Levi's ( or actually two pair; one that he wears himself, and another one that he hands to the beautiful women the second before she takes a seat behind him on the HD and they drive away). It is easy to see the parallel to the example with the American express card holder, described in the theory of traditional advertising; the person in that example becomes someone by displaying his card, it gives him stronger self confidence. In the Levi's commercial the corresponding message is that with this product, your body will look better and this will earn you women. In the Credit Card example it was instead your financial situation that was to look better. Both good looks and lots of money are certainly things that would strengthen any mans self-concept. And this is what marketing strategies have been advised to try to do since the theories of motivational research became popular in the fifties.
The second Levi's commercial shown took place in a hot desert. The main character is again a good locking man who comes down a stare, opens the refrigerator, takes out of Levi's, puts them one and finally drives off on a motorcycle. During the whole commercial the man is observed by a sexy locking women.
Here the message is exactly the same as in the earlier ad. Except for one thing - the man never picks up the women. But this doesn't change anything in the message, because judging from her facial expression, he could have, if he'd just bothered to.
Diesel
Diesel have been using classical as well as post-modern advertising throughout the years. We have shown two advertising campaigns from Diesel, the first one being more classical in character while the other one is more post-modern in nature. The classical one shows a beautiful very sexy female model in jeans. Everything in the picture is beautiful and perfect. The first attention is though not headed toward the jeans, but toward the upper part of the female body. This part is more or less naked, only covered with a sexy bra. ( See appendix picture 1.)
This ad is simply the usual way of displaying the product on a beautiful model that will make it look good. The goal is to make the spectator think that she will resemble her if buying the product. Some of them will, others will not. At least, it is easy to see that this product has all the necessary features to make someone look good - because the model does. And of course, good looks to a women mean just as much to self-confidence and attractiveness to the opposite sex as it does to any man.
Post-modern advertising
Levi's
The main character in the first shown Levi's commercial is a baby boy. The boy is playing with wooden square figures, which he is trying to put in the right place of a box. When the little boy realises that the mission is impossible he begins to smash the figures into the box with the help of a hammer. This commercial ends with the satisfied boy leaving.
We see this commercial as a typical example of a post-modern ad since it has the following characteristics, which are typical of the post-modern ads. The mode of signification is primarily figural and the emphasis is on style. There is no sign of any product. Instead, the focus is upon a lonely boy in a big room with no furniture. The impression is rather depressing, since it seams like the little boy has been left there on his own, without any company. The only thing he has can do is to play with some kind of wooden puzzle. The audience is supposed to be overwhelmed by the picture of the little boy, taking things into his own hands and simply smashing the toy and destroying it. This kind of demonstrative behaviour correspond with several of the conditions that are supposed to appeal to the so- called post-modern consumer. The boy is " dictating the rules", or, is taking the leap " from manipulation to empowerment". The fact that the main character is a baby might correspond to " the search for something primal", a baby is the most basic and primal thing one can think of. He has not yet been manipulated or misled by the forces of commercialism, or whatever negatively perceived aspect of modern society you may choose to criticise.
The main character in the second commercial is a middle aged man. He is an old fashion, well dressed man in a grey-black suit. In broad outlines, the man gives the audience a short summary of his life and his different belongings. He for example introduces his seven wives, his old boat, and also shows us the content of his refrigerator - a few bottles. He speaks with a monotonous voice and talks straight into the camera as if he was doing a formal presentation. The film is in black and white, in the background there is a monotonous music loop playing over and over again.
This commercial has a lot in common with the baby-commercial discussed above. Firstly there is no sign of any Levi's product. The clothes that the man wears is pale looking and has nothing in common with the products that Levi's offer. Secondly, the emphasis is on style and to create some kind of bizarre mood, using black and white photography and somewhat irritating music that repeat itself over and over again in an unusual way.
The man makes several strange statements. Like the one about having several wives, which contrasts sharply with the overall impression of the man and with some of the other things he say. In terms of the theory of the post-modern consumer, we believe these are attempts by Levi's to use the fascination for " paradoxical juxtaposition of opposites" to make some kind of positive impression on the audience. Furthermore the impression is quite chaotic and fragmented. There is no main theme that the audience can follow, there is no clear end or beginning. In fact there is no story at all in the traditional way. This might appeal to someone who is able to accept or appreciate chaos and disorder, a post-modern condition.
Diesel
This commercial takes place in India, which makes it exotic. Here the focus is upon the brand and its product- the jeans, but something is unusual. The main character is not a beautiful top-model, but a fat unknown Elvis-characteristic Indian. The Indian Elvis look alike model is quite corpulent, has an outgoing attitude, is dancing with beautiful ladies and speaks pigeon English. ( Se appendix, picture 2)
Also this commercial has a lot of focus upon style. The colours are very bright and the clothes that the models wear are of a very glamorous style, almost resembling Liberace, or Elvis choice of stage-clothes in his later days. The paradoxical juxtaposition of opposites is the main theme. The unusual combination of beautiful - ugly, western - oriental, fifties - present time is each and everyone a paradoxical juxtaposition of two opposites.
Benetton
From Benetton we decided to show pictures only from an advertising campaign named "the Sunflowers", since we feel that the Sunflower campaign is a totally new way of using models in advertising. What makes it so fascinating is that Benetton uses a mix between healthy and disabled children as fashion models for their clothes throughout the campaign. Since Benetton is widely known as both a brand and as using odd advertising campaigns we wanted to see how people actually perceive these ads.
There is a mix with both healthy and disabled models throughout the sunflower campaign. The key attention is though kept on the disabled children. On some pictures, whole families, with a disabled child have been brought together to participate as models. As a sum up, all the pictures are characterised by joy and happiness. ( Se appendix, picture 3.)
We believe that Benetton wants to appeal to " the search for something primal" by using these kids as models. They are quite beautiful in their purity, and the impression is of something pure and primal in these young people's harts. The joy is sincere and the smiles are not false. We also think that Benetton might want to position themselves as a brand that is "open and tolerant", thereby profiting from this post-modern condition.

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