Advertising Learner Response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW: You have made progress from the last assessment and there is real potential for a much higher grade. You have clearly revised the theories so now it is a case of developing exam technique. 

EBI: For longer questions (Q2+Q3) make sure you stay focused on the question (e.g cultural and historical context) and write each paragraph in enough detail. Avoid repetition. Planning longer answers/essays will help with this. Revise MIGRAIN and Film Language. For Q1 you have missed out on some key mise-en-scene analysis. 

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

Q1)

-  Monochrome (black and white) – stylish, sophisticated, reinforces traditional heterosexual

meanings; consistent with aspirational branding. Low-key lighting, ‘chiaroscuro’, backlighting

visible in shot – suggests stage lights/spotlights, fashion show?

- Costume barely visible for female models – flesh on display. Heavily made-up faces –

constructed/Photoshopped image. Links to Kilbourne’s analysis of women in advertising.

- Brand logo – serif font, links to monochrome colour scheme, style, sophistication, tradition.

Understated, placed in bottom-left. Product not specified – about brand ‘feel’, aspiration

rather than actual product details.

-  Promise of irresistible appeal – ‘sex sells’ (common narrative in men’s grooming; Barthes’

action code).

- Female desire – woman as active sexual agent, empowered sexuality (third-wave feminism, McRobbie). Arguably reflects a changing representation of women post-1980s.

- Man as the hunted, looked-at object; objectification of men (Gill – female gaze).

- Snatched, paparazzi style shot – over-exposed subject, celebrity (intertextuality).

-  Stereotypical ideals of beauty – slim, twenty-something, white.

-  Black tie as a phallic object (Mulvey) – being grabbed by female model.

Q2)

Score Hair Cream

- Emphasis on traditional hegemonic masculinity perhaps a reaction against the gains made by women during the 1960s culminating in the Equal Pay Act in 1970.

- Aggressively heterosexual representation perhaps shows male insecurity in light of the

decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967.

- Anchorage text in the Score advert reflects male insecurities in a changing world – repeated references to ‘men’ and ‘masculine’ in design, production and use of the product suggests an acknowledgment that hair cream was seen as a more female product in the 1960s.

- The representation of the male as hunter in a foreign jungle setting suggests a reference to the British Empire and the colonial dominance of the 19 th century.

- Representation of gender reinforces Judith Butler’s idea of gender as performance –

dominant/submissive gender roles clearly reinforced in construction of advert.

Emporio Armani 'Diamonds' advert

- Traditional representation of masculinity more in keeping with 1960s or 1970s; in terms of

Gelfer’s stages of masculinity: stage 2 “conscious masculinity”. Reinforces “glamorous James Bond” style of masculinity that Gelfer suggests has changed – this advert would oppose that view.

- Hypermasculine, heterosexual image does not seem to reflect the significant social and

cultural changes of last 50 years in terms of gender roles. Reinforces hegemonic masculinity.

- Representation of female desire arguably reflects female empowerment McRobbie writes

about in 1990s women’s magazines. Third-wave feminism – female sexuality places power

with women rather than men.

- Advert does not support Gauntlett’s suggestion there has been a “decline of tradition” – this is a very traditional representation of masculinity.

- Armani advert arguably reflects the ‘crisis of masculinity’ some refer to – assertively

heterosexual, perhaps reflecting the struggle men face to find their place/role in the 21 st

century. Armani captures the way men wish to see the world.

Q3)

For

- Increasing equality is impacting on men: women outperform men at every level of

education; gender pay gap has almost disappeared for women in their 20s.

- Economy is changing – traditionally ‘masculine’ jobs (e.g. manual labour) have typically

become automated; employers increasingly value ‘soft’ skills in the workplace –

communication, emotional intelligence. These are traits – rightly or wrongly – that have

traditionally been associated with women.

- Lack of major advertising campaigns that seek to explicitly challenge or call out traditional

masculine stereotypes. For women, the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ campaign and the Always ‘Like a Girl’ campaign have actively challenged dominant representations of women. Equivalent

campaigns for men either do not exist or have failed to have the same impact.

- Political context of recent years suggests a backlash against the liberalisation of media and gender over the last 10-15 years. Election of Trump culmination of this. Gauntlett suggested in 2008 the media was driving this liberalisation but perhaps there has now been a movement against this reflecting a ‘crisis in masculinity’.

Against

- Gauntlett argues that gender representation and identity is constantly changing (a “moving

target”) but does not agree masculinity is in crisis. Instead finds that men are finding their

place in a changing world – Manny Gutierrez provides a compelling example of this.

- Digital technology is allowing individuals to identify with different interpretations of

masculinity or indeed reject the concept of masculinity entirely (Gelfer: stage 4/5 in stages

of masculinity). Maybelline campaign reflects this.

- Existence of Maybelline campaign reflects the changing face of masculinity. Gutierrez a

digital influencer selected due to his popularity (4.5m YouTube subscribers) so this is

audience-driven change. Suggests in younger generation at least masculinity is not in crisis.

- Gauntlett’s analysis of men’s magazines suggested masculinity is changing but that main

feature is men simply wanting to be better in life – and not always in the traditional sense

(e.g. better lovers, cooks, fashion/grooming etc. – all areas that previously would have been

targeted at women). Some advertising does reflect this change.

3) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment?

I think I would give myself a 5 because I could have done more revision or started before in order to get through everything needed for the test.

4) Look at your answer and the mark scheme for Question 1. What aspect of technical film language (camerawork, mise-en-scene etc.) or advertising persuasive techniques do you need to revise to improve your response to this kind of question in future?

Brand logo – serif font, links to monochrome colour scheme, style, sophistication, tradition.

Understated, placed in bottom-left. Product not specified – about brand ‘feel’, aspiration

rather than actual product details.

5) Look at your answer and the mark scheme for Question 2. What aspects of the cultural and historical context for the Score hair cream advert do you need to revise or develop in future?

Emphasis on traditional hegemonic masculinity perhaps a reaction against the gains made by women during the 1960s culminating in the Equal Pay Act in 1970.