Blog task: Score advert and wider reading

 Media Factsheet, score hair cream advert

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

The 1960s ushered in a new age of advertising techniques, advertising agencies rather than relying on pure market research leaned towards more creative instincts in planning their campaigns. Moreover, to aid with a more creative design the visuals in advertisements were focused on more even though copy was still used to offer an explanation of the product. The score cream advert reflects this change as rather than relying on the copy to sell the product the advertising campaign focused on visuals as seen by the girls swooning over the man whilst carrying him on their shoulders, the details in the advert all tie in together to create a cohesive advert which is more creative than predecessors.

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

In post-war advertising campaigns the idea that a women's place was in the home/domestic areas was prominent.

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.

One analysis of the advert can be seen through the fact that the man is being held up on a platform on the womens shoulders, this immediately exposes a clear hierarchy where the man appears to be more dominant in control of the women as the women can be perceived as his servants. Moreover, this idea of a hierarchy can be further supported through the gun in the mans possession. Not only is this a phallic symbol but it links to social and cultural contexts in the 1960s where men were presented as the breadwinners and presented as those who go to war and fight for their countries. The gun is a symbol for strength and masculinity. Another analysis would be the fact that the women are dressed in safari/adventurous type clothing and this is supported through the trees in the back illustrating a safari type setting. This suggests that through the use of the cream one will be able to attract high level girls no matter where they are.

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

The factsheet suggests that the advert identifies the man as Propp's 'hero' in the advert. The image of the man infers that he is a hunter-protector of his 'tribe' and that the females are his reward for such masculine endeavours. This has been done on purpose in order to appeal to a younger male audience.

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

Due to modern media being much more liberal and challenging towards traditional masculinity and attitudes the audience responses are much more likely to have changed over time. The male audience in the period the advert came out (1967) might have viewed the advert as humorous and ironic however now it would be viewed as an advert with an extremely sexist narrative as one would argue that the women are being objectified.

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 score hair cream advert uses many persuasive techniques for example the use of the slogan at the top actively engages the audience as it captures their attention. The slogan "Get what you've always wanted" is focused onto the male audience and it suggests that a males true purpose is to attract beautiful women and through this product the male audience realises that this product could be the bridge to gaining women.

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

One might argue that the women in the advert are being presented as a spectacle in order to sell a product which in this case is the cream. The women are wearing overly revealing clothing in what appears to be a tropical setting whilst holding the man on their shoulders which also reveals a clear hierarchy which further links to the idea that women are sexualised and objectified in order to sell a product.

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

David argued that we construct our identities through products which in this case would be the hair cream. Through the commodification of the cream the idea would be that the user would end up being strong and masculine. The target audience (male audience) will view this advert and envision themselves as the man being carried on the womens shoulders and thus the audience constructs their identity based of this idealogy that they will be able to attract women and be masculine.

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)?

In this advert a strong masculine sexuality is presented which could be seen as the advertisers striking or fighting against homosexuality by reinforcing traditional masculine values which were present at the time. Ideas such as the fact that a man should be able to attract multiple women and the fact that the man has a gun all reinforce a masculine energy. This also links to the decriminalisation of homosexuality, this was when gay sexuality was more policed more aggressively than before and the number of men arrested for beaching those conditions rose considerably.

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

The advert reflects colonialist values for example the ending of the British Empire. This can be seen predominantly through Hollywood films for example where the white male plays the role of the hero who saves the world from disaster and in this case the man in the advert is holding a gun inferring that white western males have been successful in fighting off primitives.

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 a growing "boy crisis" suggests that we could be empowering the wrong sex. The writer then says that even though women are woefully under-represented the difference is that we are all now familiar with the narrative around tackling these issues.

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

The Axe/Lynx brand undertook a large-scale research project into modern identity and found that men are craving a more diverse definition of what it means to be a 'successful' man. Moreover they found that they found a need to relieve pressure on them to conform to suffocating, old paradigms.

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

He says that advertisers dare to "paint a world where boys like pink, don't like going out and getting dirty, or aren't career ambitious" and this can be seen in many books for example a book called "The End Of Men".

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

One report stated that in the US men are running household budgets now and if brands do not recognise this then they potentially will lose out on on of the biggest potential audience they have.

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?

Fernando says that you have to "set the platform" before you explode the myth of masculinity. He says further that "This is just the beginning and the slap in the face to say 'this is masculinity'... What being a man means, and what 'success means' is changing and this change is for the good.