score hair cream

 Score hair cream

1) How did advertising techniques change in the 1960s and how does the Score advert reflect this change?

the adverts in the 1960's focused on humour, irony and honesty to engage their consumers instead of the marketing aspect of things. The score hair cream reflects this as we see an older men being carried by young women in a jungle in which the women are barely wearing any clothes.

2) What representations of women were found in post-war British advertising campaigns?

women were supposed to be at home , being domestic and serve their husbands and cook , look after children etc.. aswell as maintain a beautiful appearance

3) Conduct your own semiotic analysis of the Score hair cream advert: What are the connotations of the mise-en-scene in the image?

  • the text on the advert "get what you have always wanted"- has sexual connotations which is reinforced by the interactions of the characters on the image, also it plays on a hunters language 
  • the setting of a jungle : wild,ravaging,exotic 
  • characters (female): 5 in total , all have 'Marilyn Monroe' style makeup(sultry, beautiful), are wearing very revealing costume(parody of the setting of a dangerous jungle?) , going to reach for the male figure as if he was a god( gender sovereignty), carrying the male figure (gender roles reinforced) 
  • the male figure: is holding a gun prop which illustrates power, strength, reinforces hunter aesthetic, clothes are completely tact where as females are torn (suggests women are the only ones who work hard)
  • some elements of feminism: more women vs men , women portraying physical strength  
  • james bond-esque : older man with younger women 
                                     

4) What does the factsheet suggest in terms of a narrative analysis of the Score hair cream advert?

the factsheet suggests that the male figure carries the most power and desirability, though he is much older than the females shown. The females are seen as worshiping and ready for the male to do what he pleases with the women and they wont mind. it includes the idea of new equilibrium (todorov) which suggests that if you are having a bad hair day all you need is the score hair cream product that will instantaneously make you irresistible.

5) How might an audience have responded to the advert in 1967? What about in 2019?

a 1967 audience would have seen this advert and thought it was humorous and ironic which would have been the company's  selling point where as a 2019 audiences would have seen the undercurrent of sexism and objectification of women , young women especially.

6) How does the Score hair cream advert use persuasive techniques (e.g. anchorage text, slogan, product information) to sell the product to an audience?

the advert uses a brand ethos to communicate to the audience its product as well as anchorage text for a humorous and 'buyable' feel that will gratify the audiences (men).

7) How might you apply feminist theory to the Score hair cream advert - such as van Zoonen, bell hooks or Judith Butler?

in terms of butlers theory this advert both subverts and supports it. In terms of subversion the advert reinforces gender binary roles with feminine women and heavily portrayed  masculine men however the exaggeration of these characteristics of the genders the theory could be reinforced.the advert does have an element of feminism portrayal as the women are carrying the male character and are presenting strength and ability which supports Angela Mcrobbies theory who highlighting the empowering nature of female representation.

8) How could Stuart Hall's theory of representation and David Gauntlett's theory regarding gender identity be applied to the Score hair cream advert?

Stuarts hall of representation can be applied in this advert through how we as a society depict ourselves based on the medias representations of genders and they shape who and how the idea of a male and a female is constructed. Gauntlett's theory can be seen through the strong James bond-esque characteristics the male figure holds in the image, these reinforce masculine standards and aesthetic that are that men are to be strong, breadwinners, irresistible  to women etc....

9) What representation of sexuality can be found in the advert and why might this link to the 1967 decriminalisation of homosexuality (historical and cultural context)?

this advert primarily promotes a strong heterosexual image as the male figure is seen being desired by multiple women. He also radiates a stereotypical strong heterosexual man with no "gay man" (camp) traits.In 1967, homosexuality was decriminalized and there were mass social movements as there were still laws that prohibited the freedom and liberty for gay men to live "normally" in society which clearly oppressed them a lot more.

10) How does the advert reflect Britain's colonial past - another important historical and cultural context?

the Characters are seen in an exotic jungle which was most likely in a foreign country which was likely to have been colonized by the British .

Wider reading

The Drum: This Boy Can article

1) Why does the writer suggest that we may face a "growing 'boy crisis'"?

the writer suggests that we as a society are empowering the wrong sex and that brands and companies arent promoting equality by only catering to a female audience.

2) How has the Axe/Lynx brand changed its marketing to present a different representation of masculinity?

the have been rid of there dated "bad boy" image and have been varying there representations of gender and men. They have begun to start parodying their old narratives.

3) How does campaigner David Brockway, quoted in the article, suggest advertisers "totally reinvent gender constructs"?

" to dare to paint a world where boys like pink, don’t like going out and getting dirty, or aren’t career ambitious,"

4) How have changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products?

brands have changed the fact there are more than one race and only one gender , only one person can be a family provider. These changes have made the advertising industry more diverse and , in my opinion, more successful. They have begun to mock old narratives also.

5) Why does Fernando Desouches, Axe/Lynx global brand development director, say you've got to "set the platform" before you explode the myth of masculinity?

to initiate the masculine ideology people are then able to base something to break the barrier off of and change, subverts and expresses themselves in different unique ways.

Campaign: Why brands need to change

1) What are two ways advertising traditionally presented masculinity and why does the writer Joseph Gelfer suggest this needs to change?


a james bond-esque masculine aesthetic that attracted women or a button style that was firmly under a wifely thumb. Gelfer suggests these should change as men cant be force to conform to these stereotypes if they dont fit the individual and men need to be able to subvert them.

2) What are the five stages of masculinity?

-unconscious masculinity -traditional views on men
- conscious masculinity - as above but deliberate
- critical masculinity- feminist,socially  constructed
-multiple masculinities-anyone can be anything
-beyond masculinity-doesn't exist

3) What stage of masculinity do you feel you are at in terms of your views of gender and identity?

 i think that in these day and age the idea of multiple masculinity is whats most applicable as there are so many different and new representations of all dangers and different types of masculinity are more acceptable now with the platform of social media enabling people to express themselves freely. I think that gender is less prevalent aswell as many people consider themselves gender fluid,have no gender etc.. so the idea of multiple masculinity fully supports that.

4) What stage of masculinity was the Score advert aiming at in 1967?

a more conscious side of masculinity where the characters where exaggerated to reinforce gender roles and stereotypes.

5) Why are the stages of masculinity important for companies and advertisers when targeting an audience?

they set a ground level in which they can base there product off of and then they can expand and elaborate on the idea to make it as successful as possible.

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