Score advert and wider reading

 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 became more bold and visual in the 1960s. It focused more on lifestyle and desire. The Score advert shows this by using a stylish image and sexual attraction.

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

Women were shown as: housewives, focused on pleasing men

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.

The advert shows a man surrounded by women, this suggests he is powerful and attractive. The women look at him, which shows he is the focus, this links to ideas of male dominance.

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

The advert tells a simple story, if a man uses the product, he will attract women. This creates a fantasy for the audience.

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

In 1967 people may have accepted it as normal and aspirational, people may see it as sexist and outdated.

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 advert uses: a slogan to make it memorable, images to show success with women, product name to suggest masculinity. This persuades men to buy it.

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

Liesbet van Zoonen would say women are shown as objects for men, bell hooks may argue it shows male power and inequality, Judith Butler would say gender is performed through behaviour.

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

David Gauntlett would say the advert gives a limited idea of masculinity. It suggests men must be strong and attractive.

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 advert shows heterosexual attraction, it links to the 1960s because society was becoming more open about sex after law changes.

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

The advert uses exotic imagery, this reflects Britain’s colonial past and ideas of power and control.


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 article suggests boys may feel confused about their role in modern society.

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

Lynx now shows men as more emotional and realistic, not just obsessed with attracting women.

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

David Brockway says adverts should show different types of masculinity, not just one stereotype.

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

Families are more equal now. Brands show men as caring and involved not just dominant.

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 means brands must first build trust with audiences before changing ideas about masculinity.