Advertisement worksheet - Score advert
Advertising: Score case study and wider reading
We have already studied the changing representation of women in advertising but there is no doubt that the portrayal of men and masculinity has also changed significantly too.
Our first advertising CSP, the 1967 Score hair cream advert, provides a compelling case study for the representation of both men and women.
Notes from the lesson and the blog task are below.
Hypermasculinity in advertising
Hypermasculinity is defined as: a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behaviour, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality.
Advertising in the 1950s-1980s often featured a hypermasculine representation of men – and some representations in the media today still continue this.
Gelfer: Changing masculinity in advertising
Joseph Gelfer, a director of masculinity research,
suggests that the way masculinity is represented in advertising is changing.
Looking at advertising over the last 20 years:
“Previously, 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.
Thankfully, and somewhat belatedly, things are
beginning to change.” (Gelfer, 2017)
Gelfer: Five stages of Masculinity
Gelfer suggests there are five stages of masculinity –
how people perceive and understand what it means to be a man.
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
Gelfer says advertisers need to think about how their
target audience views men and masculinity when creating campaigns.
Masculinity in crisis? David Gauntlett
Media theorist David Gauntlett has written extensively
on gender and identity. He disagrees with the popular view that masculinity is
‘in crisis’:
“Contemporary masculinity is often said to be 'in
crisis'; as women become increasingly assertive and successful… men are said to
be anxious and confused about what their role is today.”
Instead, Gauntlett suggests that many modern representations
of masculinity are “about men finding a place for themselves in the modern
world.” He sees this as a positive thing. (Gauntlett, 2002)
Score hair cream advert: CSP context
The Score hair cream advert is an historical artefact from 1967. It should be examined by considering its historical, social and cultural contexts, particularly as it relates to gender roles, sexuality and the historical context of advertising techniques.
Context: 1967 can be seen as a period of change in the UK with legislation on (and changing attitudes to) the role of women – and men – in society. Produced in the year of decriminalisation of homosexuality and three years before the 1970 Equal Pay Act, the representation of gender could be read as signalling more anxiety than might first appear. The reference to colonialist values can also be linked to social and cultural contexts of the ending of Empire.
Blog task: Score advert and wider reading
Complete the following tasks and wider reading on the Score hair cream advert and masculinity in advertising.
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 1967s
2) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the advert how is costume, make-up and placement of models constructed to show male dominance?
In this advert we can see that their costumes are supposed to be appropriate for hot weather and the jungle. We can also see that the women are wearing significantly less than the man for no reason in particular other than for the men to look at them. This mirrors the then-society of patriarchy and inequality to women, where they were only useful to be objectified.
The actors are positioned strategically- the women are below the man which suggests that he is more important and she should only be there to support him and not vice-versa. They look up to him and reach to him in admiration, which is ultimately degrading and lowers the worth and standards of women. Furthermore, the actors look triumphant and superior- considering that they are in the 'jungle' this shouldn't be the case, but at the time Britain had colonised a lot of Africa and this therefore suggests that they are superior and are more civilised than those who are actually in jungle-like environments.
The fact that this is a hair cream advert (make up) can be suggesting that people in these 'less-civilised' countries need this product to be on these white people's level. In terms of props, the gun that the man holds tells us that he has some kind of power over these women if they don't act as they are meant to (male dominance). It also hints at how this product is only for the masculine men who is able to assert his authority over anyone, any animal, in any country. It can also be seen as a phallic symbol- this corresponds with the lack of clothes the women are wearing. It seems as though he is allowed to, or is boasting about the fact that his hair cream means that he can have sex with all 5 of these women.
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?
- With the women around him basically throwing themselves at him all at once, it suggests that all he could possibly desire is the attention of women.
- The product gave him confidence
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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"?
- It is suggested that the product is more trustworthy because it is in the hands of a man, and that it is very important to smell masculine. It is arguably quite pressurising on men to be masculine.
5) What representation of sexuality can be found in the advert?
- Men are more dominant.
- women are objectified.
6) How does the advert reflect representations of masculinity in advertising 50 years ago?
Masculinity is presented as an ownership of women, and that they had the right to feel power above them. The advert shows this through the positioning of each person and the triumphant look of gloat in his face.
7) How much do you think things have changed with regards to representations of masculinity in advertising?
Masculinity is shown to be revolved around women still, but a lot of adverts show women together without men which signifies that they are less important to everyday life than they were thought to be- as in, women can do things without them now.
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'"?
- A growing global ‘boy crisis’ suggests that we could be, in fact, empowering the wrong sex.
- As women are increasingly empowered, many men feel increasingly dis-empowered.
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"?
- In order to prevent a full blown crisis of self-worth, Brockway advocates that advertisers “totally
reinvent gender constructs” and dare to paint a world where boys like pink, don’t like going out and
getting dirty, or aren’t career ambitious, for example.
4) How have changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products?
- 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.
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.
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?
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 two reasons the writer Joseph Gelfer suggests for why this needs to change?
- a traditional take on masculinity is harmful to the well being
- masculinity is constantly changing and brands need a versatile response in order to engage with consumers an stay relevant
3) What are the five stages of masculinity?
Stage 1: “unconscious masculinity” – traditional view of men ()
Stage 2: “conscious masculinity” – as above but deliberate (deciding to do it)
Stage 3: “critical masculinities” – feminist; socially constructed
Stage 4: “multiple masculinities” – anyone can be anything
Stage 5: “beyond masculinities” – it doesn’t exist
5) What stage of masculinity was the Score advert aiming at in 1967?
It was most likely aiming at stage 2 as they wanted men to be consciously masculine because of the product.
6) Why are the stages of masculinity important for companies and advertisers when targeting an audience
Depending on the product, advertisers need to know what kind of person they are trying to appeal to. For example, an advert for cologne is typically very masculine and they therefore need to know their audience and who is going to want to buy it. They need to know how masculine to make their product come across so they appeal to the correct people.
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