Surrealism on Advertising

This research studied and analysed the creation of content, styles, types, meaning and interpretation of surrealistic advertisements. The study compared the surrealism of fine art and advertisements, their similarities and differences of the two models of the surreal: traditional and modern. The research was conducted using qualitative research methods and utilised a random brand advertising selection that was composed only of ads that used surreal images. Most of the samples were compiled from print advertisements including magazine ads, newspaper ads and clippings that were published both nationally and internationally on the internet, websites or blogs. An integrated analysis of theories and concepts from semiology theory, advertising creativity, surrealist creativity and marketing concepts were used to analyse and explain these results. The findings indicated that creative images in surrealistic advertising were mainly influenced by the paintings of Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte. Their works contain fantastic and incongruous imagery that affects advertising by means of unnatural, irrational juxtapositions and combinations. Techniques used by the works analysed were painting and computer retouched photography. The magnificent images and ironical appositions symbolised products, encoded products and serviced single-minded concepts or unique selling propositions in order to retain brand information and brand awareness and increase sales. During an epic competition among advertising companies and their profit earning enterprises, surrealist advertising was marketing niche specific products and had become a trend in advertising execution amongst these competitors. Surrealist ads were a very good alternative, which made an unparallelled impression in the consumer’s mind.