Complete the following tasks and wider reading on the Score hair cream advert and masculinity in advertising.
Media Factsheet - Score hair cream
Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #188: Close Study Product - Advertising - Score. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets - you'll need to save the factsheet to USB or email it to yourself in order to complete this at home. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) How did advertising techniques change in the 1960s and how does the Score advert reflect this change?
Advertising agencies
in the 1960s relied less on market research and leaned more toward
creative instinct in planning their campaigns. “Eschewing portrayals
of elitism, authoritarianism, reverence for institutions and other
traditional beliefs, ads attempted to win over consumers with humour, candour and, above all, irony.
2) What representations of women were found in post-war British advertising campaigns?
Women were objectified in adverts and they were portrayed as vulnerable and 'things' that men owned.
3) Conduct your own semiotic analysis of the Score hair cream advert: What are the connotations of the mise-en-scene in the image?
4) What does the factsheet suggest in terms of a narrative analysis of the Score hair cream advert?
The Score advert identifies the man as Propp’s ‘hero’ in this narrative. The image infers that he is ‘exulted’ as the hunter-protector of his ‘tribe’. The adoration – and availability – of the females are his reward for such masculine endeavours. This has a clear appeal to the target audience of (younger) males who would identify with the male and aspire to share the same status bestowed on him. The idea of women being sexually available and falling at the feet of a man is echoed in the long running series of Lynx deodorant commercials that ran for the greater part of the early twentieth century.
5) How might an audience have responded to the advert in 1967? What about in 2019?
In 1967, the audience would see the advert as normal however, in 2019 they may be more sensitive towards this advert because women are being objectified and they look like all they've got to worry about is finding the right man.
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 male in the advert has got a gun with him which is a prop and a phallic symbol that reinforces the strength of a man. In terms of mise-en-scene, the costume that the females are wearing in the poster is a short skirt and crop top which is sexualised. The setting that this advert has taken place is a jungle which reinforces the post colonial context. One of the females in the advert is staring at the camera which makes the audience feel as if she is staring at them. This is the male gaze which tells the audience that if they use the hair cream, they will be able to pull girls.
7) How might you apply feminist theory to the Score hair cream advert - such as van Zoonen, bell hooks or Judith Butler?
Lisbet Van Zoonen was one of the first theorists to explicitly link gender, feminism and media studies. Writing since the 1990s, Van Zoonen is a key figure in the third wave feminism alongside theorists such as Butler and McRobbie. Van Zoonen was interested in the pleasures female audiences took from women's magazines that were heavily criticised by more radical 1970s style feminist.
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?
David Gauntlett disagrees with the popular view that masculinity is 'in crisis'. This can be applied to the score cream advert because clearly the male is being praised and he has got a gun in his hand. The man is also surrounded by females which reinforces masculinity is not in crisis.
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)?
A representation of sexuality that can be found is that the male is clearly happy in the poster and he is being carried by females who are wearing short skirts and crop tops.
10) How does the advert reflect Britain's colonial past - another important historical and cultural context?
Wider reading
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 may face a "growing 'boy crisis'" because people are unlikely to talk about the issues men face and if anything, men are told to 'man up' and deal with any issue with confidence themselves. The reality is that men have committed suicide more than women and are more likely to drop out of school and get involved in crime and drugs.
2) How has the Axe/Lynx brand changed its marketing to present a different representation of masculinity?
As Lynx/Axe found when it undertook a large-scale research project into modern male identity, men are craving a more diverse definition of what it means to be a ‘successful’ man in 2016, and to relieve the unrelenting pressure on them to conform to suffocating, old paradigms. This insight led to the step-change ‘Find Your Magic’ campaign from the former bad-boy brand.
3) How does campaigner David Brockway, quoted in the article, suggest advertisers "totally reinvent gender constructs"?
David Brockway would want advertisers to present men doing typical things a female is stereotyped to do and vice versa so gender is totally 'reinvented'.
4) How have changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products?
Lynx/Axe admits it had been relying on assumptions before its repositioning. It was only when sales growth slowed that the brand decided to invest in some proper research.
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?
“Women have feminism. But men don’t even know they are sick. This is why we need to put men alongside women, not move them to the side to give room to women. Both genders need to be in the centre.”
Campaign: Why brands need to change
Read this Campaign article on Joseph Gelfer and 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 and why does the writer Joseph Gelfer suggest this needs to change?
Joseph Gelfer says that masculinity was mostly presented in one of two ways: either a glamorous James Bond-style masculinity that attracted ‘the ladies’, or a buffoon-style masculinity that was firmly under the wifely thumb.
2) What are the five stages of masculinity?
Stage 1: "Unconscious Masculinity" - Traditional view of men.
Stage 2: "Conscious Masculinity" - As above but deliberate.
Stage 3: "Critical Masculinities" - Feminist, socially constructed.
Stage 4: "Multiple Masculinities" - Anyone can be anything.
Stage 5: "Beyond Masculinities" - It doesn't exist.
3) What stage of masculinity do you feel you are at in terms of your views of gender and identity? You can read more about the five stages of masculinity here.
To be honest, I'd say most of us are stage 1: Unconscious Masculinity however, we'd tried to keep genders balanced and equal (Stage 4/5)
4) What stage of masculinity was the Score advert aiming at in 1967?
The score advert was aiming at Stage 1: "Traditional view of men"
5) Why are the stages of masculinity important for companies and advertisers when targeting an audience?
If the companies and advertisers are directly targeting Stage 1 (The traditional view of men) it may cause some controversy which can lead people to not buying the product/service that is being advertised.
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