Media Language and Representation: Old Spice Advert

Old Spice

Old spice from elleguyan

MEDIA LANGUAGE

analyse how the combination of elements of media language influence meaning
The composition of the advert may have used the rule of thirds as it seems as though the man's head and body is in place with a vertical grid line.
There are a few examples of Barthes' semantic code in the poster; for example the volcano on the head is surreal and doesn't make a whole lot of sense to the audience, yet contributes to the idea of the Bahamas which is an ideal holiday location. Many other elements contribute to this, such as Poseidon and the Shark that is being fished.
Certain aspects contribute to the idea of masculinity such as use of the colour red (Barthes' symbolic code) and the visual idea that he is part of the beach and the Earth, making him extremely powerful. This supports McRobbie's idea of men being shown as powerful.
The advert itself has also used anchorage to make humour out of the 'false claims' and almost parodies other adverts by stating that the 'fact has not been fact-checked', highlighting it as untrue as every other product advert is.

analyse how developing technologies affect media language

 In the 1980s (left) the photo seems very simple as it is a photo with an added layer of the product and text. The editing is very minimal (there may have been colour editing) - and he is shown to have a 'prize' of the female.

In 1990s (right) the photo has had slightly more editing, as it seems the man, bike and background could have been edited together, however the general idea is still quite simple and is possibly only made up of 4 layers. It emphasises the masculine nature of the product to a greater extent, highlighting ideas of 'sport' which also conforms to McRobbie. They are much more simple than the Bahamas Old Spice advert and therefore this shows how developing technologies can be used to create parodies in adverts, causing a better relationship with the audience as a result of humour. 

Old Spice was founded in the 1930s as nautical themed. In modern day they started using more NFL players who are younger, which targets a younger audience also - this is different to 1980s and 1990's in which the men appear older and perhaps married. The brand has changed to target younger people in a comedic way, which is more effective in modern society as people are aware of the lies or exaggerations within advertising and prefer a realistic approach, especially if they are younger.

Advertising and Psychology

Analyse how audiences respond to and interpret the above aspects of media language.

Audiences will likely find it funny which acts as a form of synthetic personalisation (fake friendship) and influences the audience to consider the product. It may be refreshing to see that they are not lying about effects of their product but instead making a parody of other adverts, making the brand of the company appear authentic. 

What age demographic is the product now targeted towards (2011)

How does this compare to the 1980/1990 brand

What attracts the age demographic the brand

This is targeted towards a younger audience whereas it was previously older people. In the past it may have been bought by the older men themselves as it presents ideas of masculinity and gaining a prize from buying the product. In recent years it seems like it may be advertised as a gift, particularly as some video adverts are targeted at ladies to buy this gift for another man. The younger actors can attract a younger audience as a result of personal identity needs, which allows the audience to relate or connect with the actors in the advert.

•Does the advert work by appealing to logic – (the central route)

•Does the advert appeal to the peripheral route (affective advertising)

What superficial cues are associated with the advert (2011)

It seems that the print advert may be using affective advertising and the peripheral route as there is no direct information about the product, and therefore it is left to assumptions by previous knowledge and the semantic code in the advert. Some of the superficial cues include the whole setting of the Bahamas, the strength and power presented in the man and also the subtle intertextual links such as Poseidon. 

Analyse the significance of challenging and/or subverting genre conventions

• Black actor
• Humour
• Less body image focus
• Less perceived realism 
• Mode of address has changed
• No persuasive slogan or text, instead it is funny

1. Discontinued women's fragrances
2. In the 80s it stagnated, 17% market share but not growing
3. 1990 Proctor and Gamble bought Old Spice, and replaced the colonial ship with a yacht
4. Image crisis when 25 year olds didn't want to buy what was seen as their father's deodorant (nautical) so rebranded and targeted to high school teenage boys (using Brian Urlacher to appear on TV)
5. 2003 second best selling men's deodorant
6. Hired ad agency Wiedon and Kennedy
7. women were responsible for 50% body wash purchases 
8. Old Spice advert went viral when addressed at ladies and humorous so they began to rebrand with strange funny acts
9. Became official wash of NFL
10. Expansion to hair care in 2014
11. Sponsored a successful ALS ice bucket challenge and responded to people and celebrities in videos

MEDIA REPRESENTATION

Analyse Media representation : the way events, issues, individuals (including self- representation) and social groups (including social identity) are represented through processes of selection and combination

Recent adverts have used black NFL players which has increased the level of representation since using white men. These players endorse the product which can encourage men who enjoy watching the NFL to buy the product as somebody they like is helping with advertising.

There is some use of male gaze in the poster as a female is in a bikini however this isn't very negative and instead seems to enforce the surreal idea of the Bahamas instead of sexualising. 

According to Alvarado there are certain media stereotypes of black people and it doesn't seem that the actor fits into these easily however perhaps it could fit into humorous and funny as this is the whole brand of the advert, though this isn't intended to be negative. 

Analyse Media representation :

• the way the media through re-presentation constructs versions of reality

•the way in which representations make claims about realism

I feel that the audience know that what is being presented is unrealistic and therefore they do not expect the advert to be true to life unlike in previous adverts which have much more subtle 'rewards'. This can allow the audience to trust the advert as there are no false claims or promises. This relates to Blumler and Katz in which audiences like to be entertained or escape through the Bahamas. 

Digital technology and montage creates meaning as there are many intertextual links to things such as Poseidon which represents strength as well as being a God. These ideas relate to fiction and can be entertaining as people find it amusing to look at this, particularly due to the lack of realism. 

Analyse Media representation the processes which lead media producers to make choices about how to represent events, issues, individuals and social groups

The brand was rebooted to be relevant to younger years as 25 year olds didn't want to buy what was seen as their dad's product, particularly as it was nautical themed which may not be relatable for younger people. There was a pause in market profits which meant immediate action had to be taken - main examples being rebranding to 'swagger' and competing with other companies that consider younger audiences and addressing women who buy gifts for their husbands

Uploading to YouTube created a lot of traffic and increased followers 

•In what way was the use of sports celebrity   Isaiah Mustafa considered a good choice?

A lot of adults will know who this is, particularly the men who want the product or the wives of these men who want to buy it as a gift. He is also entertaining which appeals to the younger audience and this therefore causes a new influx of audiences. 

Analyse Media representation how media representations convey values, attitudes and beliefs about the world and how these may be systematically reinforced across a wide range of media representations

Younger generations seem very accepting of other people especially race and this is important as this means representation doesn't bother many people. The increase in representation of athletes such as Lewis Hamilton shows that tolerance is getting better, particularly in this generation.