Denotative examination:
The models are both white to appeal to mainly white people or those who desire the white lifestyle. During the 1970s most of the Old Spice advertisements showed the stereotypical All-American lifestyle and had a nautical theme to prove to the consumers that Old Spice was cologne that fit with that kind of living. It was all beaches and sunshine, big boats, and good-looking couples having fun.
The man has a very piercing gaze which is likely to attract females to the advertisement. The man looks in control, like it's effortless for him to attract women. The woman cannot keep herself away from him. Old Spice is trying to persuade both women and men to purchase the Old Spice because it makes men look cool. Old Spice is easily accessible for any man and is targetted at the men that might need help with confidence, especially if they need a cologne to make it convincing.
They make it sound like that one bottle of Old Spice is all that a man needs to attract women. They place the products under the slogan "Very convincing" to associate the use of the Old Spice with the attraction of women. At first glance the ad displays Pride through the man's confidence. He knows that the woman is interested in him, whether it was because of the Old Spice or not. Most men would want that so the ad promotes envy in male consumers.
(An Ad from 1978)
Connotative Examination:
The image shown is of a woman draping herself over the man. It is very suggestive and implies her lust for him. He is seen as very handsome and confident. In 1978 Old Spice was popular because they promoted the image of an irresistable manly man, which persuaded men everywhere to want to buy it.
The text in the bottom left is definitely aimed at women shoppers. It says that the Old Spice is a great gift for a sensuous man, so women should give it as a gift for their significant other. Old Spice's favorite word to use then was sensual, which means "of or arousing gratification of the senses and physical, especially sexual, pleasure" according to Google Search, evokes that lustful desire in women for their man. It is appealing to them so they want to buy Old Spice.
They describe the scent as "a very different musk with unmistakeable intentions" and suggests that it's good for couples and... romance. Saying that the scent is long-lasting also appeals to females because they definitely want their man to smell good. Stank men aren't desirable.
The repetition of the theme "Made just for men" drives the idea that Old Spice is a necessity for every man and convinces girlfriends, wives, maybe mothers that it's an appropriate gift for the male in their life. Ok maybe not mothers. It definitely shows the sin of Lust for both the man and woman. The text suggests that Old Spice's Musk for Men is a scent that both women and men could enioy while they're sleeping together.
(Wish I was that manly) (SO SENSUAL)
I believe that this advertisement is very efficient because it is marketed to both men and women. It is marketed to men because the man in the picture has a beautiful woman draped on him, which appeals to men because it implies that men who wear the cologne get beautiful women. This advertisement also is marketed to women because women will purchase this product for men because they want their me to be as hot as the men in the advertisement.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the comments you made about the repetition of "for men" and the positions of the models. This ad wants the audience to know that this scent is the embodiment of masculinity and that this cologne will increase sex appeal for men. I also think that the facial expression of the women re-emphasizes the lust that will result from using this fragrance. Furthermore, she is near the man's neck, which is a place where people frequently spray their fragrances at; this implies that the fragrance is so attractive that the woman is actually going towards the source of the scent.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the comments you made about the repetition of "for men" and the positions of the models. This ad wants the audience to know that this scent is the embodiment of masculinity and that this cologne will increase sex appeal for men. I also think that the facial expression of the women re-emphasizes the lust that will result from using this fragrance. Furthermore, she is near the man's neck, which is a place where people frequently spray their fragrances at; this implies that the fragrance is so attractive that the woman is actually going towards the source of the scent.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this ad is definitely targeted to men who need help with their confidence. Since the ad has a female model draped around the male model in a sensual manner, the targeted audience will believe that with Old Spice, they'll smell fantastic which will result in them getting a pretty woman. I like that you pointed out the repetition in this ad, too. This repetition further shows that this ad is targeted to men.
ReplyDelete