Advertising: Score hair cream CSP

 

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

The 1960s ushered in an age of new and pioneering advertising techniques. According to AdAge (adage.com), 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.” Copy was still used to offer an explanation of the product - and to pitch to the consumer - but the visuals took on a greater importance. The “new advertising” of the 1960s took its cue from the visual medium of TV and the popular posters of the day, which featured large visuals and minimal copy for a dazzling, dramatic effect. Print ads took on a realistic look, relying more on photography than illustration, and TV spots gained sophistication as new editing techniques were mastered.

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

In contemporary advertising campaigns it is still possible to identify examples of women as objectified or portrayed as domestic servants, but sexism in 1960s advertising was on a much greater scale – and continued this way for many years after. As Breena Fain argues (tintup. com) with adverts speaking to a woman’s inability to open a bottle of ketchup, it’s shocking any purchases were made in the 1960s until you consider that women earned far less than men. It is clearly the male breadwinner who was the target audience for these advertisements.

3) Conduct your own semiotic analysis of the Score hair cream advert: What are the connotations of the mise-en-scene in the image? You may wish to link this to relevant contexts too.
-mise en scene of gun, phallic symbol-shows power 

-costume- sexualises the female, objectifies them-sex sells - "male gaze"

-the facial expression, females staring/admiring him "female gaze"

-his facial expression is please and happy with himself suggesting the product is making him happy 

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.

5) How might an audience have responded to the advert in 1967? What about in the 2020s?

The 1967 male audience might read the narrative as ironic and humorous (the dominant reading?) but it is unlikely that they would challenge the underlying ideology implicit within the advert. Females, though not the target audience, might read the gender representations in an oppositional way but at the same time accept its representation of a patriarchal society as normal or inevitable. Modern audiences, including students of the media, are likely to respond in a different way, aware that its sexist narrative is outdated and, for some, offensive. However, the fact that some advertisers still use a similar technique to sell deodorant to teenage boys, it could be argued that younger male audiences would not view this narrative as problematic.

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?

“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.” Copy was still used to offer an explanation of the product - and to pitch to the consumer - but the visuals took on a greater importance. The “new advertising” of the 1960s took its cue from the visual medium of TV and the popular posters of the day, which featured large visuals and minimal copy for a dazzling, dramatic effect. Print ads took on a realistic look, relying more on photography than illustration, and TV spots gained sophistication as new editing techniques were mastered.

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

The feminist writer Liesbet van Zoonen argues that ‘gender’ is constructed through discourse and that its meaning varies according to the cultural and historical context. The Score advert constructs a representation of women that is typical of the late 1960s - and accepted as ‘normal’. Indeed the women depicted in the advert are not dissimilarly dressed to Jane Fonda in the film Barbarella (released in the same year). Women in this era were largely represented as either domestic servants or sex objects – and in Score they might be considered both servant and sex object. Much like Laura Mulvey, van Zoonen argues that in mainstream media texts the visual and narrative codes are used to objectify the female body. bell hooks is a feminist writer and social activist who has

explored the intersectionality of race, social class and gender issues. Regarding feminist theory as a historically middle class concern, her contemporary perspective identifies a kind of double or triple oppression of women who are also black and/or working class. She also advocates that feminism should be seen as the struggle to end patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination (and that men need to participate in this process). Indeed hooks uses term ‘white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy’ to describe all the oppressive factors in our society. This might aptly describe the image presented in the Score advert.

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

David Gauntlett argues that both media producers and audiences play a role in constructing identities. The role of the producer in shaping ideas about masculinity is clear in the Score advert, which is undoubtedly similar to countless other media texts of that era. Surrounded by such representations, 1960s men would inevitably use these to shape their own identities and their sense of what it means to be a man in the mid-twentieth century. Similarly, women would have a clear sense about their place in the world, despite many of the social changes that were leading to greater equality both socially and sexually (for instance, through access to the contraceptive pill).

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)?

“It’s a commonly held misconception that the 1967 act legalised male homosexuality. It didn’t. It partially  decriminalised it under certain conditions. In the years that followed, gay sexuality was policed more aggressively than before and the number of men arrested for breaching those conditions actually rose considerably.” Incredibly,

several police constabularies actively took advantage of loop holes in the Sexual Offences act of 1967 to prosecute homosexual men engaging in consensual sex in their own homes. this links to the advert as it claims "get what you've always wanted" while a picture being shown of a man surrounding by a group of woman wearing revealing clothing, there concentrations of sexual activity that will happen this backlashes the new law as they believe that all men should want woman

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

The reference to colonialist values can also be linked to social and cultural contexts of the ending of the British Empire. Paul Gilroy argues that despite the passing of empire, the white western world still exerts its dominance through cultural products. In Hollywood film, for example, the white male (usually American) plays the role of the hero, who inevitably saves the (dependent) world from disaster. The Score advert follows a similar narrative. The jungle setting, the gun, the throne all infer that the white western male has been successful in fighting off primitives or dangerous animals to save his own tribe.

Wider reading

The Drum: This Boy Can article

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

A growing global ‘boy crisis’ suggests that we could be, in fact, empowering the wrong sex. Of course, women are woefully under-represented in boardrooms and certain walks of life, with casual sexism and unconscious bias still endemic, but the difference is that we are all now familiar with the narrative around tackling these issues, thanks in no small part to groundbreaking campaigns such as ‘Like A Girl’ by Always, Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ and Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’.

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

As touched on already, Lynx/Axe has attempted to get the conversation rolling with its U-turn ‘Find Your Magic’ and, while admirable, it’s not the game-changing calibre of Always, Dove and Sport England.To be fair on Fernando Desouches, Axe global brand development director, he knows that. And, as he says, you’ve got to “set the platform” before you explode the myth.“This is just the beginning. The slap in the face to say ‘this is masculinity’. All these guys [in the ad] are attractive. Now we have our platform and our point of view, we can break the man-bullshit and show it doesn’t matter who you want to be, just express yourself and we will support that.

3) How does campaigner David Brockway, quoted in the article, suggest advertisers "totally reinvent gender constructs"?
Campaigner David Brockway, who manages the Great Initiative’s Great Men project, urges the industry to be “more revolutionary”, particularly when it comes to male body image, which he says is at risk of following the negative path trodden by its female counterpart. Campaigner David Brockway, who manages the Great Initiative’s Great Men project, urges the industry to be “more revolutionary”, particularly when it comes to male body image, which he says is at risk of following the negative path trodden by its female counterpart.

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

As Miller says, the definition of “family” in places like Britain is profoundly changing – but advertising is not helping to normalise different scenarios by largely failing to portray this new normal.

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?

“This is just the beginning. The slap in the face to say ‘this is masculinity’. All these guys [in the ad] are attractive. Now we have our platform and our point of view, we can break the man-bullshit and show it doesn’t matter who you want to be, just express yourself and we will support that.“What being a man means, and what ‘success’ means, is changing and this change is for the good. The message hasn’t exploded yet but we will make it explode. We will democratise it.” The passion in the Argentinian’s voice is tangible; this is a man on a mission.