Hello to all,
This Old Spice commercial
is a perfect example of a form of media targeted at my demographic. This
commercial is narrated by a good-looking tanned man (looks like a model),
reinforcing the credibility of the body-wash. The ad is implying that anyone who uses this
product can be like him, otherwise known as “The man your man can smell like”.
In this ad, the narrator originally addresses women, appealing to their desire
to make their man more attractive. However, through further analysis, notice
that the ad is actually addressing insecure men. Throughout the commercial, the
man submerges himself through a series of settings where he is offering female
viewers expensive gifts; such as a horse, a beach setting, a pile of diamonds
and two front row tickets to a show. The
company’s motive in this commercial is to portray the Old Spice man as the
ideal male, a man that every woman wants. But with this ad begs the statement:
Ads are instruments of socialisation, and we can’t control it. (Media and
Society, p.182) In doing this, he is
presenting items that a woman could only dream about, further adding to his
credibility of being the perfect man. The commercial tells women that they WANT
front row tickets; they WANT a horse; they WANT a pile of diamonds. By grouping
the Old Spice bottle with these expensive things, it is making people think
that how attractive their man will smell after using this bottle is just as
valuable as all those other fine things. To help the persuasion, the Old Spice
man really connects with the viewers’ sense of humor as well. The way he so
dramatically delivers his argument makes him seem charismatic and charming. It
is funny that a $10 bottle of body wash is being compared to a pile of
diamonds, but that and the comedy is what makes the commercial somewhat
convincing. Personally, when a
commercial pertaining to my demographic is able to make me laugh, I am already
sold on the product. The man is pertaining to all teens and young adults who
shower on a daily basis. He makes his viewers beg the question: Do I want to
smell like normal body wash or do I want to smell like every woman’s dream? I
know that as a 19 year-old, I am starting to become even more interested in
women. This commercial convinces me in a light-hearted fashion that Old Spice
will help me attract women or make my woman more attracted to you. Although this commercial was very convincing
and light-hearted it still brings forth the question: “Are we defined and
determined by forces outside of us?” (Media and Society, p. 189)
Thank you for listening,
Ernest Coetzee (ec12qf)
o'Shaughnessy, Michael. Media and Society. Fifth
Edition. Austrailia : Oxford University Press, 2008. 36-37. Print.
OLD SPICE COMMERCIAL URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX5au0LOJp8
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