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It 's three forty-five P.M. on a sunny Friday afternoon; three people bounce down the street totmg gigantic boom box's, wearing goofy grins, and sporting their finest undergarments. Normally this scenario would be shocking but in the land of advertising, nearly anything is possible. In this ad for Joe Boxer's underwear, several marketing ploys are used in order to sell the product; sex, nudity, popular styles, and several other ploys emphasize the appeal of the sale. Joe Boxer's ad for male and female underwear is not only flashy and eye catching but also confusingly brilliant at the same time.

At first glance this ad appears to be very simple and to the point with bright colors and people simply having a good time. As one begins to look deeper into the images and characters though, several other questions are conjured. First of all, why are these people in their underwear? As Jack Solomon, author of "Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising" puts it: "By showing the flesh, advertisers work on the deepest, most coercive human emotions of all." What comes to mind is that sex sells in advertising and what could be sexier than three well-shaped, well-proportioned young adults in their underwear. When viewers see these individuals nearly naked, the Joe Boxer undergarments become associated with these attractive characters and people tend to buy this product for this reason.

Besides the sexual aspect, one might ask why these characters are dressed as they are. The man on the left is wearing a red wristband on his arm to match his white boxers adorned with tomatoes. On his feet he sports striped tube socks and a pair of black high-top Converse shoes. His hair is done in the modem buzz stylel,with a goatee but lacks sideburns. The man in the middle has a large Afro hairstyle, gold pendant around his neck, loose boxers with money symbols, and green and yellow shiny shoes. The girl on the far right has a large curly mane of hair, a white bra and panty set, and black mid-calf combat boots. Although all of these outfits are very different, ironic connections can be made between each of their attire. There seems to be a combination of three eras: the 1970's, the 1980's, and the modern 1990's. The Afro hairstyle and the large gold necklace are symbols of the 1970's. The wristband, the converse high-top shoes, the boom boxes, and the woman's hair show the 1980's. The green and yellow shoes, underwear styles, and combat boots are all representations of the 90's. These three eras are times of distinct fashion and all carry a sense of carelessness and fun. These times are represented because today's modern audience tends to think that certain aspects of these times are "cool" now. Just look in any shopping mall and notice that women's fashion includes flared bell-bottom type pants, polyester outfits, and large gaudy jewelry. Since teenagers are leaning towards this style, it is only logical to include hints of what is popular on the market in the advertising ploys.

Along with sporty style, the setting of the ad draws one's attention as well. To today's teenagers, urban or street lifestyle is the "in" thing. The author of "Street Style", Ted Polhemus states it best by saying "The street is both the stage upon which this drama unfolds and the bottom line metaphor for all that is presumed to be real and happening in our world today." The youth of today want clubs, style, bars, and fast-paced lifestyles,and cities are the best place to find this action. Knowing this attitude, Joe Boxer strategically places these characters in a typical urban setting. The city feel of this ad lets the youth of all geographic locations, whether urban, suburban, or even country feel that if they sport these undergarments, it is the equivalent to living in a big, hip city. The appeal of this advertising aspect is simple: if you can't go to the city, bring the city to you.

Along with the urban emphasis, Joe Boxer also shows a brilliant aspect of subliminal power on this typical city street. First of all, these people are completely confident and content with themselves even though they are practically naked. Viewers see this ad and are suddenly drawn to these characters' confidence because most of today's youth lack a positive attitude towards their bodies. The two men and the one woman are obviously aware that they have nice bodies and are not afraid to show them off. In a time of diet pills, Weight Watcher programs, steroids, and the hard body and "waif" look, teenagers are skeptical about their own body images, but these people are nicely proportioned, though not unrealistically, and want the world to see it!

Along with the mental and emotional confidence, power is shown through the vacancy of the City Street. Normally at 3:45 on a Friday afternoon in a big city, people and cars are busily and noisily bustling around. In this scenario though, the entire emphasis is put on these people and the rest of civilization has seemed to disappear. This gives the idea of power to these three characters because it gives the illusion that the day, city, maybe even world completely revolves around them. And what teenager wouldn't like to have the world revolve around them? Once again, Joe Boxer has taken a simple aspect of youth's psyche and added that to the advertisement: power sells.

At first glance this ad seems not only colorful and flashy but also a bit confusing and absurd at the same time. But through the cleverly placed marketing tools, this ad goes from bad to brilliant. There is a wide range of techniques shown in this ad that cater to the youthful viewer's wants and possibly even needs. Through the sexual innuendo, hip clothing style, confidence, and power represented in this ad, teenagers grasp these ideas into their minds and automatically associate the product with these ideals. All in all, to the youthful eye, Joe Boxer is not just underwear; it's a lifestyle!