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Old Spice: Representation

Who/What is being presented? The campaign presents that the product will make you a man it is being presented by Isaiah Mustafa who is a footballer and actor. He brings the comedy side to the advert by the way he is sat on the horse and is shown presenting Old Spice. Since his body language is humorous and he doesn’t have a serious face unlike most men’s care adverts. The representation is being constructed through the use of a celebrity figure, and exotic location and the consistently of creating the two way communication.

Who is the representation targeted at? The whole aim was to target young men audiences since the old advert was boring and outdated, it was seen as being for ‘old’ men. Unlike most adverts they used a different technique to express the ‘man’ feeling that boys crave. They didn’t use women which could be one of the reasons for its success, instead they idolised the image people put with being a man. The image being Mustafa since he is a sports star.

Positive or negative? The overall campaign in my opinion is positive. It doesn’t sexualise women or anything else it also has a comedy sense to it. I think this may be the reason why the campaign has been so successful as it has stood out from others even when not having a USP. However, I feel it does have a negative representation since it gives a set image for men and adds pressure to how they think a ‘man’ should look. Which women are also constantly being faced with.

Subverting stereotypes This advert does however subvert stereotypes, the way Mustafa behaves is described by some people as being ‘camp’. This is an unusual technique to use when presenting a sales figure for men’s fragrances. I do also think this is positive as it reinforces how out society is slowly becoming more equal for men and women.

The advertising products. The font of the text is presented in a clear and understandable way. This is done so it is clear to see the main goal of the product right away. The Old Spice brand is represented through the bottles of old spice at the bottom right of the sheet, this does a good job in representing the old spice brand. It could be connoted that the volcano on the top of the mans head is an attempt at comedy. This comedic effect on the advert could bring positive publicity to the Old Spice brand. The artistic pictures drawn on the body of the man of a beach and people sunbathing creates an exotic and creative feel to the product.