vienna

It will perhaps not return immediately, but in the future. We move on and discover
yet another archaic reference:
The windows of this fashion boutique are placed inside the niches of the façade.
A green poster hanging on the show window covers its entire height and almost
its entire width. Only a narrow stripe is left transparent. The inside of the niche
is painted white. On closer inspection, we discern two mannequins inside
we were unable to see when passing by the window. The only information we
are given is the sales poster. On a green background is a red circle on which is
written “SOLDES – SALDI – REBAJAS – SOLDEN - SALE”.
A mix of languages is used here to inform us that the sale is on.
Surprisingly enough the German term is missing. This combination of languages
in consumer rituals can also be observed during Christmas. International as well
as global fashion retailers use different languages to announce the advent of
Christmas. This possibly highlights that fact that the feast is celebrated around
the world, that it shares the same associations and values and thereby connects
us with the entire world. But what values are transported globally during the
sales? When compared to the festival itself, telling us that it is a period in which
garments are cheap may not be a strong enough motive. Language being a strong
element in rituals, retailers often use their own language. The mixture of different
languages corresponds very well with the ambiguous character of passage rites,
especially when the profane language of the everyday is not used during the
ritual. And this is precisely why it appears sacred to us. A poster on a big department
store says:
“SALE – REDUZIERT” 320 is printed in bold white typeface on a solid red square.
The advertisement covers two storeys of the department store building and is
hung in such a way that it can be seen from afar.
It seems to us that this advertisement has reached a transcendental
state. It is no longer speaking for the department store alone, but celebrating the
time of the seasonal sale, and it is speaking for the whole shopping street. This
is the “liminal” state of advertising in which a colour is used that neither belongs
to nor can it be related to a brand. Different languages, and last but not least: no
logo! The sanctity of the holy red, with the holy words on it does not allow
the profanity of the brand name on the same surface. What we are witnessing
here is the sacred space in advertising. Although we previously believed that a
brand name creates a sacral sphere, it turns out that there are institutions like
the seasonal sale in which the importance of the individual brands vanishes for a
320 “sale – reduced”.
Mariahilfer Straße
134