Advertising
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
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?
it was produced in 1967. the historical context is that their was a decriminalisation of homosexuality and three years before the 1070 equal pay act.
2) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the advert how is costume, make-up and placement of models constructed to show male dominance?
the man has a gun and is mostly covered with clothing with a good facial features whereas the women are not wearing many clothes and they are very attractive with defined bodies and good facial features.
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?
this suggests to the audience that if you buy this hair cream then you will get girls and like guns and be a 'proper' man or that 'only proper' men can use this product. we can link this to the historical context as not many people agreed with homosexuality and they wanted it gone so they would use the product that understood their views instead of something that wants the opposite to the audience. finally saying 'get what you always wanted' shows that if you use this then you will get the girls and what ever you want.
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 trying to say that it is only for real masculine men and not gay men. it also says that so women can't use it either and singles them out to being the main probity of the advert.
5) What representation of sexuality can be found in the advert?
using golfer's theory it would mainly be stage one which is unconscious masculinity which is the traditional type of men and also the conscious masculinity which is when they know that they are advertising for a stereotypical man in the 1900's. it can be argued that this advert is perhaps trying too hard to be straight and shies away from being gay whatsoever. this is clear from the body of text at the bottom of the advert which says "made by men" which suggests that the producers of this advert are trying to suggest that there were no women in the making of this product, making it 100% for men and therefore 100% straight, which supposedly was a good thing.
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'"?
The writer suggest that there is a lack of men being empowered in advertising today, disallowing growing boys to see a variety of role in performing that gender, which could cause wrong or incorrect views in the future.
2) How has the Axe/Lynx brand changed its marketing to present a different representation of masculinity?
Lynx/Axe have changed their marketing campaigns to make it seem as if men don't jut want to be surrounded by women and instead focues on themselves and their lives. This therefore pdisplays masculinity in a different light as it shows other thing than just being around women.
3) How does campaigner David Brockway, quoted in the article, suggest advertisers "totally reinvent gender constructs"?
Brockaway is suggesting that we need to be living in a world without stereotype as they are harming our youth in their preferences and potentially blocking out other possibilities of opinions and tastes.
4) How have changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products?
These changes have forced brands to advertise to appeal to both genders in order to reach thier netire market as not doing so would be a waste or advertising and marketing money.
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?
Desouches suggests that you need to give the audience what they know and what they are used to, before you can explore new ideas as well as myths that haven't perhaps been looked into before.
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?
- One for the ladie, James Bond esque style guy
- A buffoon who wa under the control of thw wife character.
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 wellbeing
- masculinity is constantly changing and brands need a versatile response in order to engage with consumers and 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
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?
Stage 1 of unconscious masculinity
6) Why are the stages of masculinity important for companies and advertisers when targeting an audience?
Stages 1, 3 and arguable 4 can be important for advertisers as they allow the advertisers to construct their demographic and aim their products accordingly, this would obviously allow for more appeal to the product as if that is who their market is then the product should perform well in sales and popularity.
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