Score advert and wider reading
Score hair cream advert
Answer the following questions to ensure you have a comprehensive textual analysis of the Score hair cream advert:
1) What year was the advert produced and why is the historical context important?
The advert was produced in 1967 and the historical context is important because 1967 is the year where there was a change in the UK with legislation on the role of women and men in society. The advert was produced in the year that homosexuality was decriminalised and three years before the Equal Pay Act was introduced.
2) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the advert (CLAMPS): how is costume, make-up and placement of models constructed to show male dominance?
The male is positioned higher than the females suggesting that he has more dominance over the female which reinforces traditional gender stereotypes that male are strong than females. The jungle setting and gun supports this idea and suggests that he is the 'King of the Jungle' and that he is the most superior. The gun acts as a phallic symbol and suggests that he is trying to capture women which objectifies females. The gun and his costume of short sleeved top creates a sense of hyper-masculinity reinforcing the idea of male dominance because it shows his muscles and emphasises his physique.
3) The main slogan is: 'Get what you've always wanted'. What does this suggest to the audience and how does it reflect the social and cultural context of 1967?
The main slogan is suggestive of male desires and that by using the product their desires will be fulfilled. It suggests that men will get females attention.
4) Why is it significant that the advert text says it is "made by men" and that it also contains "Score's famous masculine scent"?
The fact that it mentions 'made by men' suggests that this advert is for men and their desires, it assures the male audience that this product is coming from men who understand each others needs. By adding 'score's famous masculine scent' lets the male audience know that this is effective on women and that they will get what they want.
5) What representation of sexuality can be found in the advert?
The advert clearly exploits and objectifies women because of their sultry costume suggesting that they need to please the men by wearing such outfits. The revealing clothing draws the audiences attention to their bodies rather than the hair cream product itself.
6) How does the advert reflect representations of masculinity in advertising 50 years ago?
The male is represented in quite a hyper masculine way because of what he is wearing and the use of the gun. This could suggest that adverts represented men like this in order to let men know that this is how they should look like in order to be successful.
7) How much do you think things have changed with regards to representations of masculinity in advertising?
Representations of masculinity has changed quite a lot over the years because it has become more acceptable for men to act feminine or vice versa with females.
The Drum: This Boy Can article
Read this article from The Drum magazine on gender and the new masculinity. If the Drum website is blocked, you can find the text of the article here. Think about how the issues raised in this article link to our Score hair cream advert CSP and then answer the following questions:
1) Why does the writer suggest that we may face a "growing 'boy crisis'"?
The writer suggests that we are empowering the wrong sex and that we are now familiar with the narrative around tackling issues which is due to campaigns such as Dove's Real Beauty or Sport England's This Girl Can. There's an unconscious bias that males should 'man-up' and deal with issues by themselves. The writer suggests that men are constantly dis empowered where as women are which leads to social issues.
2) How has the Axe/Lynx brand changed its marketing to present a different representation of masculinity?
They changed their campaign to 'Find Your Magic' to get rid of the pressure on men after researching that men are craving a more diverse definition of what it means to be a 'successful' man in modern day.
3) How does campaigner David Brockway, quoted in the article, suggest advertisers "totally reinvent gender constructs"?
H suggests that adverts do not reinforce tradition gender stereotypes for example presenting boys who like pink and don't like going out or getting dirty.
4) How have changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products?
Usually the men in the household would control and spend the money but now it is women who do the spending and buying stuff therefore products tend to be aimed at women more than men.
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?
He suggests that by having a platform it allows you to express your opinions and views with the audience and that there are people there to support you which will motivate the audience to agree with the views being presented.
Campaign: Why brands need to change
Read this Campaign article on Why brands need to change their approach to marketing masculinity. If the Campaign website is blocked, you can find the text of the article here. Think about how the article relates to our work on gender and advertising then answer the following questions:
1) What are two ways advertising traditionally presented masculinity?
Masculinity was either presented in a glamorous James Bond style that attracted females or a buffoon style masculinity that was under the wifely thumb which suggests that the Husband is useless without his wife.
2) What are the two reasons the writer Joseph Gelfer suggests for why this needs to change?
Gelfer suggests there are two reasons: one altruistic, the other self-serving. The altruistic reason is that traditional masculinity causes problems whether it be it's impact on men's well being or on women and their equal representation in society. The self-serving reason is that masculinity is constantly shifting and brands need avoid repeated cliches and focus on something different in order to keep the consumers interested.
3) What are the five stages of masculinity?
Stage 1: unconscious masculinity
4) Take the Five Stages of Masculinity Personality Inventory test to see what stage of masculinity you are at. Where did it suggest your views are currently? Do you agree with its assessment? You can read more about the five stages of masculinity here.
I took the test and I am at stage 3 masculinity which is defined as 'critical masculinities' and is largely aligned with feminist thoughts.
5) What stage of masculinity was the Score advert aiming at in 1967?
I think that the Score advert was aimed at stages 1 or 2 of masculinity because it reinforces traditional ideaologies about masculinity and different genders roles. By aiming it at stage 2 it suggests the consumers actively accept these ideologies and representations.
6) Why are the stages of masculinity important for companies and advertisers when targeting an audience?
It is important for companies to consider the stages of masculinity because they can aim a product specifically at one stage and they could use the stages to manipulate consumers into believing certain ideologies and beliefs.
Answer the following questions to ensure you have a comprehensive textual analysis of the Score hair cream advert:
1) What year was the advert produced and why is the historical context important?
The advert was produced in 1967 and the historical context is important because 1967 is the year where there was a change in the UK with legislation on the role of women and men in society. The advert was produced in the year that homosexuality was decriminalised and three years before the Equal Pay Act was introduced.
2) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the advert (CLAMPS): how is costume, make-up and placement of models constructed to show male dominance?
The male is positioned higher than the females suggesting that he has more dominance over the female which reinforces traditional gender stereotypes that male are strong than females. The jungle setting and gun supports this idea and suggests that he is the 'King of the Jungle' and that he is the most superior. The gun acts as a phallic symbol and suggests that he is trying to capture women which objectifies females. The gun and his costume of short sleeved top creates a sense of hyper-masculinity reinforcing the idea of male dominance because it shows his muscles and emphasises his physique.
3) The main slogan is: 'Get what you've always wanted'. What does this suggest to the audience and how does it reflect the social and cultural context of 1967?
The main slogan is suggestive of male desires and that by using the product their desires will be fulfilled. It suggests that men will get females attention.
4) Why is it significant that the advert text says it is "made by men" and that it also contains "Score's famous masculine scent"?
The fact that it mentions 'made by men' suggests that this advert is for men and their desires, it assures the male audience that this product is coming from men who understand each others needs. By adding 'score's famous masculine scent' lets the male audience know that this is effective on women and that they will get what they want.
5) What representation of sexuality can be found in the advert?
The advert clearly exploits and objectifies women because of their sultry costume suggesting that they need to please the men by wearing such outfits. The revealing clothing draws the audiences attention to their bodies rather than the hair cream product itself.
6) How does the advert reflect representations of masculinity in advertising 50 years ago?
The male is represented in quite a hyper masculine way because of what he is wearing and the use of the gun. This could suggest that adverts represented men like this in order to let men know that this is how they should look like in order to be successful.
7) How much do you think things have changed with regards to representations of masculinity in advertising?
Representations of masculinity has changed quite a lot over the years because it has become more acceptable for men to act feminine or vice versa with females.
The Drum: This Boy Can article
Read this article from The Drum magazine on gender and the new masculinity. If the Drum website is blocked, you can find the text of the article here. Think about how the issues raised in this article link to our Score hair cream advert CSP and then answer the following questions:
1) Why does the writer suggest that we may face a "growing 'boy crisis'"?
The writer suggests that we are empowering the wrong sex and that we are now familiar with the narrative around tackling issues which is due to campaigns such as Dove's Real Beauty or Sport England's This Girl Can. There's an unconscious bias that males should 'man-up' and deal with issues by themselves. The writer suggests that men are constantly dis empowered where as women are which leads to social issues.
2) How has the Axe/Lynx brand changed its marketing to present a different representation of masculinity?
They changed their campaign to 'Find Your Magic' to get rid of the pressure on men after researching that men are craving a more diverse definition of what it means to be a 'successful' man in modern day.
3) How does campaigner David Brockway, quoted in the article, suggest advertisers "totally reinvent gender constructs"?
H suggests that adverts do not reinforce tradition gender stereotypes for example presenting boys who like pink and don't like going out or getting dirty.
4) How have changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products?
Usually the men in the household would control and spend the money but now it is women who do the spending and buying stuff therefore products tend to be aimed at women more than men.
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?
He suggests that by having a platform it allows you to express your opinions and views with the audience and that there are people there to support you which will motivate the audience to agree with the views being presented.
Campaign: Why brands need to change
Read this Campaign article on Why brands need to change their approach to marketing masculinity. If the Campaign website is blocked, you can find the text of the article here. Think about how the article relates to our work on gender and advertising then answer the following questions:
1) What are two ways advertising traditionally presented masculinity?
Masculinity was either presented in a glamorous James Bond style that attracted females or a buffoon style masculinity that was under the wifely thumb which suggests that the Husband is useless without his wife.
2) What are the two reasons the writer Joseph Gelfer suggests for why this needs to change?
Gelfer suggests there are two reasons: one altruistic, the other self-serving. The altruistic reason is that traditional masculinity causes problems whether it be it's impact on men's well being or on women and their equal representation in society. The self-serving reason is that masculinity is constantly shifting and brands need avoid repeated cliches and focus on something different in order to keep the consumers interested.
3) What are the five stages of masculinity?
Stage 1: unconscious masculinity
- Traditional view of men
- Masculinity is adopted by someone without thinking about it
- Traditional views of men
- Traditional masculinity has been consciously adopted by someone
- Feminist, thinks masculinity is socially constructed
- People are aware of patriarchy/homophobia in society and want to counter the issues
- Anyone can be anything
- Focused on the freedom to be who they want to be
- Masculinity doesn't exist
- Believe that masculinity is an illusion
4) Take the Five Stages of Masculinity Personality Inventory test to see what stage of masculinity you are at. Where did it suggest your views are currently? Do you agree with its assessment? You can read more about the five stages of masculinity here.
I took the test and I am at stage 3 masculinity which is defined as 'critical masculinities' and is largely aligned with feminist thoughts.
Some key commonalities that can be found among critical masculinities are:
- society operates via patriarchy, which oppresses women
- society operates via hegemony, which oppresses atypical men (such as gay men and straight men who resist patriarchy)
- masculinity is not natural, rather socially-constructed
- masculinity is not singular, rather plural masculinities (in other words, changeable)
5) What stage of masculinity was the Score advert aiming at in 1967?
I think that the Score advert was aimed at stages 1 or 2 of masculinity because it reinforces traditional ideaologies about masculinity and different genders roles. By aiming it at stage 2 it suggests the consumers actively accept these ideologies and representations.
6) Why are the stages of masculinity important for companies and advertisers when targeting an audience?
It is important for companies to consider the stages of masculinity because they can aim a product specifically at one stage and they could use the stages to manipulate consumers into believing certain ideologies and beliefs.
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