Advertising: Score hair cream CSP

 Complete the following tasks and wider reading on the Score hair cream advert and masculinity in advertising.

Media Factsheet - Score hair cream

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #188: Close Study Product - Advertising - Score. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. If you need to access this from home you can download it here if you use your Greenford login details to access Google Drive.

Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) How did advertising techniques change in the 1960s and how does the Score advert reflect this change?

Advertising in the 1960s shifted from simple product information to more lifestyle based aspirational selling which helps to engage an audience.By using humour,sexuality and bold visuals.The Score hair cream advert reflects this through its provocative imagery,sexual innuedo and focus on male desirability rather than explaining a product.

2) What representations of women were found in post-war British advertising campaigns?

Women were displayed as housewives,doing domestic labour or being seen as sexualised icons.They were seen as subordinate to men,valued for apperance and serving male needs

3) Conduct your own semiotic analysis of the Score hair cream advert: What are the connotations of the mise-en-scene in the image? You may wish to link this to relevant contexts too.

Costume-The womans revealing clothes connote that they are being objectified and sexualised and are seen as icons for males.

Body language-The male dominance and female submission suggest power imbalance.

Setting-exotic which is seen as a luxury.

Context-1960s sexual liberation but still rooted in patriarchal values.

4) What does the factsheet suggest in terms of a narrative analysis of the Score hair cream advert?

The advert suggests a simple narrative such as Toderolvs theory of equilibrium and Propps character theory.

5) How might an audience have responded to the advert in 1967? What about in the 2020s?

1967-Accepted or admired the advert as it aligned with social norms and gender roles

2020-see it as sexist and objectifying because women are being sexualised

6) How does the Score hair cream advert use persuasive techniques (e.g. anchorage text, slogan, product information) to sell the product to an audience?

Slogan-Displays success with women

Anchorage text-Seen as directful to an audience 

Product info-It is limited and it can be easily interpretated that the focus is more on emotional appeal rather than functions

Visual persuasion-Strong imagery creates desire and fantasy

7) How might you apply feminist theory to the Score hair cream advert - such as van Zoonen, bell hooks or Judith Butler?

Van Zoonen-The media reinforces patriarchal ideology such as women being displayed as sexual objects.

Judith Butler-Gender is performed and the advert exaggerates hypermasculinity and passive femininity

8) How could David Gauntlett's theory regarding gender identity be applied to the Score hair cream advert?

He argues that the media helps construct our identity.The advert displays a stereotypical version of masculinity displaying that men dominate over women 

9) What representation of sexuality can be found in the advert and why might this link to the 1967 decriminalisation of homosexuality (historical and cultural context)?

It uses heterosexual male fantasy and objectifies women.This links to 1967 because society was becoming more open but the media still reinforced traditional heterosexual ideologys

Wider reading

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 be empowering the wrong sex.This is because women are under represented whereas men are over represented.However it could be argued that nowerdays men are in crisis because they are being criticised 

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

Axe/Lynx  changed its marketing by creating a campaign to help with positive representations

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

David Brockway suggests that advertisers should "totally reinvent gender constructs" by moving away from harmful stereotypes and instead portraying men in ways that do not reinforce narrow, damaging ideals of masculinity—particularly around body image and emotional expression

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

Diverse Family Models,Gender Roles Evolving,Focus on Individuality,Social Consciousness,Technology and Social Media

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 Desouches, Axe/Lynx global brand development director, explains that you must "set the platform" before exploding the myth of masculinity to ensure that the audience understands the brand’s genuine intent and context behind challenging traditional gender norms.