The advert was made in 1967 and can be examined by the historical and social values at that time.
Also the “Second wave of feminism” was going on during the time this advert was created. This movement created a larger acceptance of birth control, divorce, abortion and homosexuality.
However the score advert was created during the down fall of the empire so the representation of women may be used to help to link to the former values of masculinity and the man is in control. In the representation of women shows that the man is still very much in charge as they are holding him up and carrying him where he wants.
It represents women in a sexual manner, creating more people to buy because its linked to sex.
The advert was made in the 1960’s and as such it can be examined by considering the historical and social values at the time.
Also the “Second wave of feminism” was also going on during the time that this advert was created. This movement created a larger acceptance of birth control, divorce, abortion and homosexuality.
However the score advert was created during the fall of the empire so the representation of women may be used to help to cling onto the former values of masculinity and that the man is in control. This is present in the representation of women which shows that the man is still very much in charge as they are holding him up and carrying him where he pleases.
Techniques Of Persuasion
How does this advert create desire for the product
Think about brand values, brand message, brand personality and brand positioning should inform the analysis
Think about how and why audience responses to the narrative of this advert may have changed over time
Essentially, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the persuasive techniques used in the advert
Mise-en-scene analysis: In this picture, the makers have used the strapline ‘Get what you’ve always wanted’ as it’s short and memorable. The makers of the advert have also used this to position their audience to think that they’ve always wanted the hair product but it’s also a metaphor for the audience always wanting women and getting them. The male is showing dominance as he is representing ‘The King of The Jungle’ and he is being carried by all the women who represents it’s prey.
Semiotics: what signs are being used and how are they being used?
Representational Analysis: How are groups individuals and ideas represented remember that these are socially and historically relative, BUT they do incorporate viewpoints and ideologies which need to interrogated. So think about the decisions and choices that have been made about how to represent social groups
Similarly, feminist critical thought became much more prominent and pronounced during the counter cultural movements of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, which heralded, among other changes a greater acceptance of birth control and divorce, abortion and homosexuality.
There was also the abolition of hanging and theatre censorship, and the Obscene Publications Act (1959) which led to the Chatterly trial. Nevertheless, as Johnathon Dollimore wrote: ‘all this should not be seen as a straightforward displacement of dominant conservative attitudes‘ (1983:59).
However, the Score advert was produced in the year of decriminilasiation of homosexuality and as such, the representation of heterosexuality could be read as signaling more anxiety than might first appear.
The advert was made in 1967, it can be examined productively by considering its historical, social and cultural contexts. Score heavily relates to gender roles, sexuality and the historical context of advertising techniques. 1967 can be seen as a period of slow transformation in western cultures with legislation about and changing attitudes to the role of women – and men – in society, something that the advert can be seen to negotiate.
The advert makes men think that if they use score, women will instantly be attracted to them and they will become the superior, alpha male.
Women didn’t have the rights that they do now when this advert was made and they were often objectified be men and were and are often stereotyped.
The advert is of very poor quality, even for something that is over 50 years old.
The text is very repetitive and the iconic signs (images) portray the product as looking like bleach or something similar, not something you would want to put in your hair.
The clothing the people are wearing suggests they are on a safari in Africa or something similar.
The background plants look plastic and you can even see the carpeted floor.
sexist – objectifies and sexualises women by representing them in revealing, tight clothing.
racist – all white characters in an African jungle setting (white privilege)
around 1967 abortions and birth control became more acceptable, therefore it was more normal for an advert to allude to sexual outcomes.
The Score advert was produced in the year of descriminalisation of homosexuality and as such, the representation of heterosexuality could be read as signalling more anxiety than might first appear.
The advert is a representation of white patriarchy in the 1960s as it is a white male with a gun (likely to be loaded) situated above 5 white females who seem to be ‘swooning’ over him.
The females are also dressed in little clothing which would be done to attract The Male Gaze.
The advert is a snapshot of a Narrative story. Before this photo the man was most likely putting the hair cream on and then looking around to hunt with his gun. This photo can be interpreted as a poacher sat with his prey.
There is also a strapline ‘Get what you’ve always wanted’. This strapline is quite vague but then on the advert there is copy which is a relatively large chunk of writing for an advert. I believe this isn’t the best thing to do because adverts aren’t for much in depth attention.
within this image we can see many women surrounding a man and holding him up in his sedan chair representing that he is of importance and that he is to be sought after the African safari type style is very bland with its white background and plastic foliage and there is not one African female or male the way the women look at the man is very suggestive as if that he’s their “prey” the woman are wearing very tight shorts and very revealing clothes where the man is coved up. the way of levelling of the man being higher than the man suggests matriarchy where the product is using women as eye-candy for their the non-relevant product for an anti-balding cream/liquid. the line at the top says “get what you always wanted” suggesting that its not just the affects of the cream but what you get after it..
in my opinion the narrative of this product is that the man uses the product and the woman smell the alluring scent of the cream and when they see him they look at his full thick hair and decide to take him away and worship him and then take him back to the tribe and “admire” his manliness
the desire of the product is that if you have thick hair you will look more younger and hotter than before and saying that you will have women surround you
The Score hair cream advert is an historical artefact from 1967, as such it can be examined productively by considering its historical, social and cultural contexts, particularly as it relates to gender roles, sexuality and the historical context of advertising techniques. 1967 can be seen as a period of slow transformation in western cultures with legislation about and changing attitudes to the role of women – and men – in society, something that the advert can be seen to negotiate.
Similarly, feminist critical thought became much more prominent and pronounced during the counter cultural movements of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, which heralded, among other changes a greater acceptance of birth control and divorce, abortion and homosexuality.
There was also the abolition of hanging and theatre censorship, and the Obscene Publications Act (1959) which led to the Chatterly trial. Nevertheless, as Johnathon Dollimore wrote: ‘all this should not be seen as a straightforward displacement of dominant conservative attitudes‘ (1983:59).
Mise-en-scene analysis (ie Textual analysis) – targets a heterosexual audience, suggests male hierarchy and power over the female gender, due to the position in which the women are suggesting to have a sense of desire over the male. We can see a group of women holding the male character on a platform in what seems to be a safari forest in a place like Africa.
Semiotics: Dominant signifier can be the male in the top middle Paradigm can be the women surrounding the women to put emphasis on the man Reactionary as supports the stereotype that men have power over women, this is because the women are carrying him suggesting that he is superior.
Representational Analysis: –The idea of the male being superior to women and therefore dominating the scenewould have been a normal reactionary look on advertising around this time, this is because at this time women were desperately fighting for their rights. -At this time in history, racism was more common and it was more likely for people to have a problem with people of colour therefore all characters in the ad were white.
How does Score construct a narrative which appeals to its target audience? The narrative suggested to us behind the scene is the idea that the man before hand started using “Score Liquid Hair Groom” therefore making him superior and made him seem more important then everyone else meaning he was then worshipped by everyone and carried by attractive woman. The strap line “Get what you’ve always wanted” can imply that the male gender have the desire to be above everyone else or seen as superior and also being more attractive than other characters of the male gender.
How does this advert create desire for the product? This advert creates desire for the product as it shows a collection of women with an obvious desire to be with the male character suggesting that the reason for this desire is because of the hair product. This could make the audience may want to have the product in order for girls to have desire over them also.
Think about brand values, brand message, brand personality and brand positioning should inform the analysis. The brand values can suggest a high number of sales and supports the ideal male world of having women desire over you and find you attractive. The advertisement can suggest a message to the audience to say that if they buy the product they can get what they want.
Think about how and why audience responses to the narrative of this advert may have changed over time. Audience responses may have changed over time as at the time this ad was created women had less rights and were seen as less important then men so it wouldn’t have come as a surprise that the ad suggests the stereotype that men are superior then women or have more rights, whereas nowadays females are more likely to be bothered about what the ad suggests to us, this is because they now have more rights then they used to and it is more common that men and women are treated as equals.
Textual Analysis – In the CSP, I see a white guy who is on top of a sedan chair with lots of women who are surrounding him, wearing very revealing clothes. The women are all white and look conventionally attractive, and they are trying to touch him and are admiring him, almost as if trying to worship the man. The background is one which suggests that is is a Jungle, and it gives off a sense of an African king because of the fact that the man is above everyone else.
Semiotic Analysis – The dominant signifier is the male character who is above the women in the picture. There is also a paradigm in that there is a collection of women surrounding the man, and the CSP is also reactionary because it would satisfy the stereotypical heterosexual male’s viewpoint. The indexical sign of a gun which the man is holding gives connotations of violence and gives the audience impressions of masculinity, and how he is the dominant person who is in control. It also shows what he could do to the women if they did not abide by his expectations.
Representational Analysis – The fact that the man is above the woman relates to the idea of patriarchy, which was particularly poignant in the time of this advert’s release (the 1970s) when women were still fighting seriously for their rights. In addition, there is selective representation in that even though the entire CSP has an African atmosphere, everyone in the CSP is white, and not black, so consequently the advert is holding back the entire truth. Finally the body types on the females show that back then, there was a common way that women were supposed to look and had to be like in order to somewhat succeed in society.
Narrative – I think that there is a story being told in the CSP, which, in short, involves the man previously being ignored and sad, but then after he applied the product advertised, he started to become the man in the advert, and started being loved by women and living a happier life.
