Score advert and wider reading

Media Factsheet - Score hair cream

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

 The advertising technique changed in 1960s this meant that they included satire, irony and gender stereotyped adverts to push a product to high selling depending on the market. The score advert reflected this as it contains a strong image, traditional masculinity and bold colours and a main theme.

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

 The representation of women during the post-war advertising industry would've been that a  women's place would be at home and had placed only on domestic roles.


3) Conduct your own semiotic analysis of the Score hair cream advert: What are the connotations of the mise-en-scene in the image?

My Semiotic analysis of Score hair cream: 

The setting - It's set in a jungle with the protagonist holding a gun and women surround him to suggest Britain's colonial history and their hunting habits.

The costume - The protagonist (white male) is wearing a typical hunting suit with the women wearing the exact same thing but sexualised.

Props - The protagonist (male) is holding a gun and being held above by the women with fake trees hanging around like he just won something and his prize are the women so this could imply that the women are the objects like a prize.


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

The narrative that it would've linked to would be Propp's character theory this is because the protagonist "male hunter" is seen as the hero going to a dangerous quest and this reward would be the women.

5) How might an audience have responded to the advert in 1967? What about in 2019?

In 1967 the audience (targeted  towards men) would've felt a sense of superiority and this advert will mean women would like those men who use the hair cream. These types of derogatory adverts was normalized so the advert would have not met any backlash but could be seen to an extent as "gay" if you use hair cream but the male audience was reassuraned that this hair cream was not linked to homosexuality. However, if this advert was plastered in 2019 thankfully times have changed and it would've met major backlash from everyone as this advert is disgusting and portrays women as pieces of meat and just there to please men. This reinforces negative traits of toxic masculinity too as it can imply that men are creature will only one goal to be sexually active with women and reinforces heterosexuality as the norm.

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?

The score hair cream uses persuasive techniques to sell the product to the audience through the slogan "Get what you always wanted" this could imply the superiority that comes with buying this product and having women admire you. This could imply getting women to like you more if you buy this product, it's manipulated the male audience who won't have the protagonist perfect features but will have something to relate to that standard. 



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

The feminist theory that I would apply to score hair cream would be Van Zoonen as she states that gender is constructed and not a natural thing which would mean that the hetronormative and masculine expression shown in the score hair cream isn't ideal for all men and is toxic to fit society's standards at that time.


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

Gauntlett theory would refer to audiences being active in identity and would construct the score hair cream to show that ideologies have changed as this would've been normalised.



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)?

The sexuality that would've been reflected in this advert would be heterosexual as the protagonist is surrounded with women which would link to his sexual orientation and fantasy. This advert and in those time '1967' men taking care of their appearance and how they look would be seen as less masculine and make you a homosexual so they had to reassure those men using the hair cream that this product was to cater to the hetronormative lifestyle that they had to preserve at all cost. The decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967 was a such a turning point in history meaning that britain was becoming more open and change was celebrated however there is still more change needed.

10) How does the advert reflect Britain's colonial past - another important historical and cultural context?

The advert reflect Britain's colonial history as the advert is set in a jungle setting with the protagonist wearing traditional hunting suit and the women around him wearing the exact same thing but sexualised which can imply the dominance that white men in those times had. Linking this to their colonial past would mean that the british empire would go around takinga and stealing land and other stuff from countries for their own gain. 

Wider reading

The Drum: This Boy Can article


1) Why does the writer suggest that we may face a "growing 'boy crisis'"?

The writer suggests that the "growing boy crisis" is that idea that young boys are be subjected to the toxic ideology of being to told to 'man up'.

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

The Axe/Lynx brand change their representation of masculinity as the narrative in this advert features a modern males identity which changing constructs of traditional values for men.

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

This means that they have change their lifestyle to fit a world where men are allowed to express themselves.

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

The changes in family and society have altered brands because they have to changes their narratives too as more people are becoming open to expression so they must target a wider audience.

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 stated that you'd got to "Set the platform" to show other brands you can just put out one advert that is "expressive" and goes against social norms but still keep the same agenda that fits traditional norms as it makes you look contradictory towards your audience.