Advertising and marketing

In this advertising Hypermasculinity is shown, this is defined as: a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behaviour, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality.

1950-1970’s most adverts mostly use hyper-masculinity in advertising. Advert was made in 1967 3 years before equal pay act was introduced.

Links to sexuality and gender roles- women are placed below the man and he is central in the advert, this creates the idea that me are above women and are the superior gender (dominance).

The man is being carried by the woman have also been made to wear short skirts and cropped top to make them more sexualised. Both genders are wearing safari clothing however the the women costumes are significantly smaller therefore revelig how women were bisexual at this time.

This is to create the idea that after using this product woman will be swooning over you, the idea that all the women will want you as the advert shows woman reaching for him and staring at him. Historical- the swining 60’s where drugs and sex was at its peak, this expalins the slogan ‘ get what you always wanted’- refering to women.

The slogan get what youv’e always wanted is referring to woman this is objectifying women.

This advert shows the how men are portrayed over the years and how it is changing. In this advert the man is seen to be surrounded by women and this idea that women are objectified and is for t=en to ‘glance’ at is still used today. For example Tomb Raider. Men’s health can also be looked at as men are portrayed as strong physically. Stereotyping will always be round and adverts will always use it to sell products weather its dramatically or subtly.

Historical- homosexuality was decriminalized however wasn’t socially accepted, the setting of the advert is in a jungle, suggesting a tough male is needed in this setting reinforcing the heterosexuality of the advert.

Props the male is seen to be holding a gun loud and proud ans this reinforces the idea that a male should be brave,tough and protective.

Models- all of the models are white, this is probably due to the time period when racism was big in the 60’s-70’s.

The words ‘made by men’ makes it more reliable for the audience.

• fictional
•  1970’S – it shows the personality and the sexism typical of American society and culture at the time
• Sexy Women Carrying Big Game Hunter – Source is 1967 Playboy Magazine
• Because they use the females to create the idea that if they use the hair cream they will get girls
• The product is a liquid hair groom, with score’s scent, and greaseless look, you will be irresistible if you use it
• male gaze- 2nd wave feminism, hyper masculinity
• semantic field
• jungle = dangerous so there needs to be strong male character
• alliteration of ‘gr’ sound makes an animistic tone, relates to leopard print on the throne
• Score creates a narrative that females will ‘worship’ the man who wears this hair cream and that they will irresistible. 
•  Mise en Scene (setting the scene) – by the way the people have been positioned, where the male is being lifted by the women to show that he is above them as they ‘worship’ how good he is, the man is the one who appears to be smiling the most. We see that his masculine features are put in the frame clearly e.g his arms
• underlining message of empowering women? they are carrying a man implying that they are strong enough to do so, a task that would typically would be mans job
• The narrative in this advert audiences’ may respond has changed over time because there has been an increase in equality towards women. This would have been seen as sexist in earlier years as women are underneath men and their power, however, now there are more rights

Media Language:

1. Mise-en-scene analysis
   Arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play, in film analysis, this term refers to everything in front of the camera, including set design, lighting and actors.
   The advertisement portrays how this cream will ‘attract women’ and putting it in your hair will put you higher up in the hierarchy and women will want to be around you. It’s a powerful masculine ‘scent’. The clothing the women are using is minimalist which suggests women could be seen as objects, but the fact there is a gun portrays how men are superior to women and the jungle setting could suggest the product is natural; men will feel powerful in wearing this product.
   The jungle is a dangerous place, a dominant white male is represented, maybe the advert was attempting to cling onto the idea of an empire.
   Laura Mulvey – Trying to appeal to the male gaze, wanting people to buy the hair cream product so that women will come to them, men will get pleasure in looking at the ad which will make them more likely to buy the product.
2. Production values and Aesthetics
   Production Values: The lighting, sound, scenery and props used to improve a film or play. An example of production values are the ways in which students set up the stage in a school play.
   Aesthetics: How pleasing something is to look at, and a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty
   The minimalist clothing used in the advert connotes how women were objectified in the 60’s and were seen as objects rather than people, there is a positive aesthetic and the props such as the gun the man is holding shows dominance and suggests this superiority. Humans are also portrayed as being ‘animal like’ through the use of scenery showing people will be like ‘animals’ when men use this cream as it is dominant.
3. Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings
   The nature and culture of an advert and sometimes hidden messages in adverts are shown through semiotics; any form of activity, conduct, or any process that involves signs, including the production of meaning.
   The outfits show cultural meaning as the advert was produced in the year that homosexuality was decriminalised and three years before the Equal Pay Act was initiated; this is radical to the dominant ideologies of the 1960’s. Women were shown to be sexualised and men were shown to be dominant to women; this is also seen in animals and in packs, there is always one dominant male in a pack.
4. How advertising conventions are socially and historically relative
   There is still a dominant ideology that women are inferior to men and there is always this stigma around males having the power and being in a higher position to females. This gives an insight into why the advert represents different genders in the way that it does. Women are represented as being weaker than males and are seen as objects in society.
5. The way in which media language incorporates viewpoints and ideologies

Advertising and marketing

• It was created in 1967
• It has a reactionary representation of men and women.
• About hair cream
• It is a sexist advert

Media language

Mise-en-scene analysis: This is a French term which translates to “setting the stage”. It talks about focusing on set design, lighting and actors. The female actors in this advert are surrounding the one Man who is holding a gun, with bushes around them wearing safari clothes.

Production values and aesthetics: It has and exotic aesthetic as it has a jungle setting. The outfits used reinforce this as they are safari type clothes.

Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings: The short clothes could suggests that the women are to be seen in a sexual way. This helps gain the male gaze. The jungle theme would be unfamiliar to the audience so it may intrigue them.

How advertising conventions are socially and historically relative:

The way in which media language incorporates viewpoints and ideologies: – Laura Mulvey – Male Gaze Theory

Narrative

Jean Kilbourne

• Talks about how woman have been overly sexualised in advertising over the years.
• Says that it gives both men and women an unrealistic depiction of women.
• Companies sexualise children as well in a less serious way however it still happens.
• Advertising makes it seem like aggression towards females is okay when its not
• “Our need for social and personal change and power is often co-opted and trivialized into an adolescent and self-centered kind of rebellion.”

Jungle/exotic background

‘Get what you’ve always wanted’ – implies men want women

The photo implies that if men have good hair they’ll get attention from a lot of attractive females

Holding a gun – masculinity? Hunting? Tiger Skin

Man – Fully dressed/T-shirt + trousers

Women – short/crop tops + short skirts (Male gaze (Male oriented advert)) – Link to Tomb Raider (minimalistic clothing)

Semantic field of masculinity

• Masculine scent
• Made by men
• Grooming

‘Made by the men’ – Implies because it is solely made by men, it is better

Jean Kilbourne

She is a public speaker, writer, filmmaker and activist who is internationally recognised for her work on the image of women in advertisement.

She talks about how both men and women are sexualised in adverts but are sexualised differently. Women are shown to be sexual objects and men are taught to see women as sexual objects

Score – pre-1970

Denotations:

• male surrounded by group of females
• phrase ‘get what you’ve always wanted’ in the top corner
• females wearing small amounts of clothing
• male is fully clothes and holding a weapon
• the models are in a jungle setting
• five females are carrying one male on a seat through a jungle

Connotations:

• the phrase suggests that the product being advertised has allowed the male in the image to ‘get’ the females that are surrounding him
• the male model holding a weapon suggests an enhanced image of masculinity and that the product being advertised may help male consumers obtain the same image
• the female models i the image are wearing clothing that shows their midriffs and their legs this suggests that the advert is alluding to the male gaze
• the male is surrounded by a group of ‘attractive’ females which suggests that if using the hair product being advertised you will become more desirable to the opposite gender

Key quotes:

• get what you’ve always wanted
• Score’s famous masculine scent
• if you haven’t been getting all you want from a liquid hair groom, get new Score Liquid
• made by the men

Evaluation:

this advert is attempting to appeal to the male gaze and the gender stereotypes of masculinity in order to sell a hair cream product. the product is described as ‘Score’s famous masculine scent’ this suggests to the consumer that the product helps to enhance a males masculinity. from the image the advert also suggest to the consumer that the product will make you more desirable to females as the male model in the image has used the product and ended up with a group of females in ‘the middle of a jungle’ fawning over him, attempting to reach out to him and touch him and carrying him. it also suggests and enhancement of masculinity through the image of the male model carrying a dangerous weapon. the theory of the male gaze is used in the advert as the producer has specifically chosen stereo-typically attractive females in shot skirts and cropped tops to be at the front of the image, this is what they are using to draw the consumer into the advert in the first place. they have created a narrative in the advert though different components of the advert, the phrase in the top right corner suggests the narrative that it is the hair cream that could land you in different situations and getting what you want and for the male model in the advert it suggests that he wants a group of females to be in admiration of him and attracted to him. the advert attempts to persuade the consumer that by using Scores product not only will you get the desired hair style that you have been wanting but also will be open to new opportunities in getting other things you want in life. the advert states “if you haven’t been getting all you want from a liquid hair groom, get new Score Liquid”

Theories to link:

• Edward said – Orientalism
• Laura Mulvey – male gaze – 2nd wave feminism (60’s/70’s)

• ”get what you’ve always wanted” – implies men priorities female attention
• man surrounded with women, objectification
• jungle/exotic look and setting – Orientalism
• made at the time of the Vietnam war – representing soldiers, making men want to look like male in advert, trying to get men to join army
• imperatives used to persuade buyers ‘get new score liquid’
• holding gun – hunting for prey?women are prey?
• scent – almost animal like

LANGUAGE ANALYSIS

1. Mise-en-scene analysis

• everything infront of the camera, eg lighting, actors, set design

1. Production values and Aesthetics

• technical quality of methods and materials used to make a media product such as a film or advert
• aesthetics is how pleasing something is to look at

1. Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings

• the nature and culture of an advert and sometimes hidden messages in adverts are shown through semiotics

1. How advertising conventions are socially and historically relative

• the way media products are advertised has changed over time and advertisement of different types of products (eg films vs magazines) is different
• advertisement can aim to target a specific group of people to attract a certain target audience

1. The way in which media language incorporates viewpoints and ideologies

• people’s views can be altered by what they read (suggested by Althusser, can be changed without knowing it and over time, Chomsky and Gerbner)
• hegemony (gramsci) – ideoloiges can be changed by using power eg big media conglomerates changing the way their audience thinks

Narrative

1. How does Score construct a narrative which appeals to its target audience

1. How and why audience responses to the narrative of this advert may have changed over time

• over time ideologies shift as people learn more about the world and how the media changes the way it feeds info to the public

1. How does this advert create desire for the product

1. Techniques of Persuasion

1. Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the persuasive techniques used in the advert and issues surrounding brand values, brand message, brand personality and brand positioning should inform the analysis

Media Representations

Discussion of the Score advertisement will focus mainly on representation of gender including

1. The processes which lead media producers to make choices about how to represent social groups
2. How audience responses to interpretations of media representations reflect social, cultural and historical attitudes
3. The effect of historical contexts on representations
4. Theories of representation including Hall
5. Theories of gender performativity including Butler
6. Feminist theories including bel hooks and van Zoonen
7. Theories of identity including Gauntlett

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS

• Score hair cream, 1967
• 1967 – period of slow transformation in western cultures with legislation about changing attitudes to the role or women (and men)
• year of decriminalisation of homosexuality
• colonialist values can be linked to social and cultural contexts of the ending of Empire

Media Language –

Mise-en-scene – ‘Mise en scene is the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play. Translated from French, it means “setting the stage” but, in film analysis, the term mise en scene refers to everything in front of the camera, including the set design, lighting, and actors’

The use of props such as the outfits, the gun, the trees and the animal skin in combination with the stances of the women and the higher positioning of the male all force the audience to believe that this product is able to give uses this form of superiority and dominating or dangerous power.

Language Analysis – Semantic field of masculinity – ‘Men’ ‘Masculine’ ‘Scent’ ‘Groom’, almost animal like. Also use of repetition in order to reinforce the product and force readers to think about it.

Production values and Aesthetics – ‘Exotic’/ ‘Tropical’ aesthetic reinforces the idea of animal like behaviour. The use of the ‘adventure-esq’ outfits is used to reinforce the language used, referring to adventure and animal like behaviour as well as more glorifying more ‘exotic’ cultures that contrast to Western societies.

Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings – Could be interpreted as a form of cultural appropriation. The outfits resemble that of famous adventurers such as Indiana Jones, it also uses a similar technique used towards Lara Croft in Tomb Raider as the females outfits are short and easily sexualised in order to suit and capture a stereotypical male Gaze.

How advertising conventions are socially and historically relative – In contrast to more modern social norms and dominant ideologies, this piece may be viewed as quite sexist as it glorifies women’s bodies purely for male satisfaction and benefit.

The way in which media language incorporates viewpoints and ideologies – Laura Mulvey – Male Gaze Theory

Narrative –

How does Score construct a narrative which appeals to its target audience – Takes the POV of a Male gaze, sexualising women and giving the ONLY male in the ad power and domination, represented through ‘animal’ like semiotics to describe the product he is using as well as his overall positioning in the shot.

How and why audience responses to the narrative of this advert may have changed over time – Social norms, dominant ideologies as well popular political opinions vary and change within cultures over time, following popular norms or as a way to adapt to an adjusted socio-economic climate. When this ad was created in 1967, ideas on the role of women were very different to now, women were seen more as objects that were disposable to men rather than independent individuals with the same capabilities as men.

How does this advert create desire for the product – This product has a target audience of adult men, therefore the representation of loads of women seemingly inferior to the ONLY male in the ad allows for the target audience to believe that this product may bring them some form of sexual gratification.

Techniques of Persuasion –

• Representation of Women
• Figurative Language techniques – repetition/ Semantic Fields
• Cultural appropriation – suggests exotic product
• Weapon – signifies power and authority
• Higher positioning of Man – Also to signify dominance and power of men (in society too)
• Heteronormativity – ‘the belief that heterosexuality, predicated on the gender binary, is the default, preferred, or normal mode of sexual orientation. It assumes that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between people of opposite sex.’

Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the persuasive techniques used in the advert and issues surrounding brand values, brand message, brand personality and brand positioning should inform the analysis

Media Representation –

Representation of Gender –

The processes which lead media producers to make choices about how to represent social groups – in terms of a late 1960s perspective, the representation of social groups, especially gender, is an accurate representation for society IN THE 1960S, sharing very different beliefs to modern society.

How audience responses to interpretations of media representations reflect social, cultural and historical attitudes – Depending on when an analysis of the product was conducted, the response of the audience would be different. For example in terms of the Theory of preferred reading, those from the late 60s or early 70s may have a preferred reading towards the piece as it is appropriate with their cultural and social norms. However, from a modern perspective, I have more of an opposition reading of the texts due to the difference in dominant ideologies between 1967 and 2020.

Theories of representation including Hall –

‘Hall is very closely identified in media studies with an approach
known as “cultural studies,” and he starts with one of its central concepts: representation. The usual meaning of this term is connected with whether the depiction of something is an accurate or distorted reflection. In contrast to this, Hall argues for a new view that gives the concept of representation a much more active and creative role in relation to the way people think about the world and their place within it. This new view of representation is central to thinking about communication in much more complex ways. Hall shows that an image can have many different meanings and that there is no guarantee that images will work in the way we think they will when we create them.’

In other words, the audience has to be active in order to decode the messages of a piece of media. Due to this and the different beliefs people may hold, their understanding and reading of the product may be completely different.

The effect of historical contexts on representations –

Historical views on gender typically place men as the superior and women as the inferior, which contrasts to todays climate as there due to previous and continuous fight for gender equality.

Theories of gender performativity including Butler –

She describes gender as a ‘stylised repetition of acts’ therefore meaning that the stereotypes forced upon people are likely to influence the way that they view and present themselves. For example, a common negative stereotype of men would be that they should show less emotions as this is viewed as a feminine trait that signifies weakness.

Theories of identity including Gauntlett –

Gender Fluidity – The idea that whilst in the past the media tend to convey singular, straightforward messages about ideal types of male and female identities, the media today offers us a more diverse range of icons and characters from whom we may influenced by. Gender identity is less constricted. This idea isn’t really represented in this CSP though as in the 1960s, although there was an increased amount of feminism and fight for gender equality, men were still viewed as the superior.

Jean Kilbourne –

Ted Talk – The Dangerous ways Ads see women – 2014

Second wave of feminism – late 1960s

Second-wave feminism of the 1960s-1980s focused on issues of equality and discrimination. The second-wave slogan, “The Personal is Political,” identified women’s cultural and political inequalities as inextricably linked and encouraged women to understand how their personal lives reflected sexist power structures.

Jean Kilbourne’s film “Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Images of Women” shed light on the ways in which women are negatively portrayed and often objectified in advertising, paving the way for larger conversations about media and gender research.

Jean Kilbourne has transformed the way in which organizations and educational institutions around the world address the prevention of many public health problems including smoking, high-risk drinking, eating disorders, obesity, sexualization of children, and violence against women. In the late 1960s, she began her exploration of the connection between advertising and its impact on several public health issues, most notably violence against women and eating disorders. Ms. Kilbourne launched a movement to promote media literacy as a way to prevent these problems – a radical and original idea at the time that is today mainstream and an integral part of most prevention programs.

Feminist theories including bel hooks and van Zoonen –