Advertising: Score case study and wider reading

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 year that the advert was  produced in was 1967; its historical context is important because it is important we understand how gender roles and sexuality has adapted and slowly changed over the years up until the 21st century. 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.

2) Analyse the mise-en-scene in the advert (CLAMPS): how is costume, make-up and placement of models constructed to show male dominance?

• Costumes: As you can see from the image, the men and women are dressed very differently in terms of how much they are wearing and the parts of their bodies that are on display to the audience. The male in the poster is fully dressed with only his arms out, which is a very masculine feature; the arms are shown so the audience are able to see his muscles which connotes masculinity. On the other hand, the five women in the image are shown to be wearing very minimal clothing. For example, the two women at the front are wearing an unbuttoned shirt which is tied at the front, which puts emphasis on their stomach and chest area, and for their lower half they are wearing very shorts skirts leaving majority of their legs on display. Although we can only see the two women at the front, it is assumed that the ladies at the back are very similarly dressed. This choice of clothing presents Mulvey's idea of the male gaze, and that they are dressed in this way to attract more men to use the product being advertised.
• Lighting: In terms of lighting, the image is very bright and all of the items of clothing are presented very distinctively. From the poster, I can tell they have used key lights and filler lights to discard of any shadows and place the models at the centre of attention.
• Actors placement and movement: In terms of the ratio of men and women, it is very unequal; in the image, there are five women surrounding one man who is placed at the highest position. The women are standing up around the male holding him up on a seat, and some of them are looking up at him and some and trying to touch him. While the women are gushing over him, the male in the image is sitting calmly which a shot gun posing for the camera. This moves all of the focus into the male as he is the only male in the image and he is effectively being worshipped by women all around him.
• Make-Up: The women are wearing makeup which is very smokey and dark which connotes a very seductive and feminine look. The excessive use of make-up links to Mulvey's idea of the male gaze, which suggests that the way the women look and dress are only to impress men.
• Props: In terms of props and settings, there isn't much going on; the poster is very simplistic which puts most of the attention of the male figure and the women. The male in the image is holding a shot gun which could be a phallic symbol of an erect male penis and has connotations of sexual power and dominance, which can be linked to the idea hyper-masculinity (hunting and killing). The palm trees in the background are also used as a prop to allude the idea that they are shooting in the jungle, when they are most probably shooting in a studio. The wooden plank on which the male figure is sitting on is also used as a prop which suggests that he is effectively being worshipped and is made to be the most dominant model in the image.
• Setting: the poster is set in a jungle like scenery which suggests that the male figure is being portrayed as "king of the jungle" as the women are surrounding him. 

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?

The slogan at the top left corner of the image is in bold and is aggressively heterosexual. It suggests to the audience that the hair cream is a dream worker in terms of providing the one thing that all men want... women. However, that is not at all true. This suggests to the audience that the advert was purposely made to attract straight men only to have an interest or buy their product. 

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"?

Throughout the poster, there are continuous references to the male gender which is expected because the hair cream in advertised as a hair grooming product for men; however, the 'scores famous masculine scent' suggests that the advert is not targeted at homosexual men; the word 'masculine' has connotations of strength, men who like women, and dominant. It is significant because the entire angle of this product is to target straight men, which also links to its slogan, "get what you've always wanted".   

5) What representation of sexuality can be found in the advert?

One representation of sexuality can be found with the use of the gun because it can be seen as a phallic symbol of a males erect penis. This suggests to the audience that using this hair cream will attract women, and the male will get what he has always wanted. Another representation can be see through the amount of skin that is shown on the man; this is because in comparison to the women, the only part of the body that the male has on show is his upper arm. This presents sexuality because having toned muscles is a very masculine feature to have. 

6) How does the advert reflect representations of masculinity in advertising 50 years ago? 

The score cream advert reflects representations of masculinity in advertising 50 years ago very negatively because there are aspects of sexuality being presented that wouldn't be acceptable today. The advert sends across the message to the audience that wanting women to swarm you is what evidently makes you a man, and anything less than that wouldn't be accepted in society 50 years ago. Men were presented to be very dominant,  aggressively heterosexual and had power over women, who were presented subservient to men.

7) How much do you think things have changed with regards to representations of masculinity in advertising? 

In recent years, to do believe that that representations of masculinity have changed in advertising for the positive; this is because during the period of time that the score hair cream advert was published, they would present men to be the more dominant gender and women would be presented to be aggressively subservient. However, in this day in age, adverts such as that would not be accepted and would cause of a lot of controversy. For example, a company that still continues to publish representations such as the score hair cream is Lynx; they have a very particular approach to advertising because some, if not most adverts cause a lot or controversy on a range of different issues. One of them being the representations of masculinity; as you can see from the first image below, the central message presented is that 'the axe [/lynx] effect' is that women will appear out of nowhere (in the image the women appear from mist). The fact that the women isn't given a whole body and only her arms and face are shown reinforces the the idea that women are not as important and are only there for the mans pleasure. On the other hand, masculinity is very dominant in this image as he is shown to have very 'typical' manly features: well built body (abs and pecks) and muscles. Although brands such as Lynx continue to present men and women in this way, there are very notable changes in the way in which masculinity is represented in advertisements. An example of this can be seen in the second advert from the clothes brand 'Gap'. The first aspect of the advert that is the most noticeable is the two men who are wearing one shirt with bold text that reads "be one"; this shows that the advert is defying typical stereotypes of masculinity. Although both images are recent, brands tend to lean towards the second strategy of advertising and marketing because it appeals to the vase majority of consumers.

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 suggests that we may face a "growing boy crisis" because we are empowering the wrong sex and that we are less equipped with issues which affect boys; the writer also suggests that there is a unconscious bias that males should simply 'man up' and deal with any crisis of confidence themselves.

2) How has the Axe/Lynx brand changed its marketing to present a different ent representation of masculinity?

 Axe/lynx has changed their advertising and marketing strategy significantly; this is because in the past, their approach was to present a very masculine character as the face of their advert and send the central message that if men were to use their products, it would give them the ability to instantly seduce women. But besides being deeply misogynistic, these ads don’t even say much about men. The actors in these ads need Axe because they have no other redeeming qualities. The ads tell us that in order to attract women, these men only succeed when they “cheat” with this deodorant. Alongside with this representation, there was an aspect of deliberate advertising in this way to create controversy; although this wasn't all good publicity, it drew many people to their brand. However, earlier this year, Axe changed with a single ad: “Find Your Magic.” Instead of the same, tired formula, “Find Your Magic” displays men of all sorts of personalities and body types embracing what makes them unique and attractive. It’s an anthem of body positivity and modern masculinity. It’s also a fun, colourful  and inclusive ad that actually has relatable characters.

3) How does campaigner David Brockway, quoted in the article, suggest advertisers "totally reinvent gender constructs"?

David Brockway suggest that in order to prevent a full blown crisis of self-worth, advertisers should 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. In other words, advertisers shouldn't be scared to defy typical stereotypes of what it means to be a man or women, and reinvent these stereotypes.

4) How have changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products?


In the past, advertisers seemed to create a picture perfect family on their adverts to attracts many consumers as possible; for example, most adverts would show the man going out to work and providing for his wife and children, and the wife would stay at home and do the chores. However, as we know, picture perfect families don't exist most of the time, and advertisers are starting to consider this. For example, as you can see from the first image below, the advert is targeting strong, independent male figures where the mother doesn't seem to be in the picture. Another example is also brands who target families in general.

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?

Fernando says this because by having a platform, it becomes easier for you to get your point across, therefore making it easier to express your views and potentially explode the myth of masculinity. Having a platform means that you have people supporting your efforts and your views, which makes it more likely for people to listen to your opinions about masculinity.

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?

Masculinity is traditionally presented in either a glamorous, James Bond style, or in a 'buffoon' style. James Bond masculinity tends to portray men in quite a glamorous way, suggesting that this is the way to attract females. On the other hand, the buffoon style male is shown to be firmly under the wifely thumb - almost incompetent without the guidance of his wife.

2) What are the two reasons the writer Joseph Gelfer suggests for why this needs to change?

Gelfer suggests that this needs to change because of altruistic reasons, as well as self-serving reasons. Altruistic reasons refer to the fact that traditional masculinity causes problems in society. For example, it can damage the representations of men and women, impact men's wellbeing and also cause males to feel oppressed. The main self-serving reason is that masculinity is constantly shifting. This means that brands need to avoid repeating cliches, so that audiences remain interested and continue purchasing their products.

3) What are the five stages of masculinity?

Stage 1: unconscious masculinity

• Traditional view of men
• Masculinity is adopted by someone without thinking about it

Stage 2: conscious masculinity 

• Traditional views of men 
• Traditional masculinity has been consciously adopted by someone

Stage 3: critical masculinities 

• Feminist, thinks masculinity is socially constructed
• People are aware of patriarchy/homophobia in society and want to counter the issues

Stage 4: multiple masculinities

• Anyone can be anything
• Focused on the freedom to be who they want to be

Stage 5: beyond masculinities

• Masculinity doesn't exist
• Believe that masculinity is an illusion

4) Take the Five Stages of Masculinity Personality Inventory test to see what stage of masculinity you are at. Where did it suggest your views are currently? Do you agree with its assessment? You can read more about the five stages of masculinity here.

According to the assessment, I'm at stage 5 of masculinity. This stage refers to the idea that masculinity doesn't exist and that it is an illusion. I agree with the assessment, but I feel as though I am more at stage 4 than 5, as I believe that masculinity does exist in society but I also think that anyone can be anyone/be free to be who they want to be.

5) What stage of masculinity was the Score advert aiming at in 1967?

I think that the Score advert was aimed at those who are in stages 1 or 2 of masculinity. The advert reinforces traditional ideas about masculinity and different genders roles. The fact that the advert was deliberately created in this way suggests that it is aimed at those in stage 2, who consciously accept and adopt traditional masculinity.

6) Why are the stages of masculinity important for companies and advertisers when targeting an audience?

It's important for companies to consider the the various different stages of masculinity when they are targeting an audience. This is because by identifying which stage their target audience may relate to more, companies can manipulate their knowledge about what people in each stage would believe/support, thus enabling them to include certain ideologies/concepts in their advertisements to make it appeal to their audiences more.