Old Spice Viewpoints and Ideologies Essay

Explain how viewpoint and ideologies are communicated by the media language used in adverts

Old Spice’s ‘Smell Like a Man’ campaign can be seen to reinforce patriarchal ideology. The use of Isaiah Mustafa to promote the product, the slogan used and the product itself all reinforce masculinity and the ideological dominance of men within our society.

The advert constructs representations that communicate mainly to men, but women as well, the idea that if you buy the product you will ‘become a better man’ and will enable self-fulfilment. The product invites us as the audience to accept its ideological viewpoint. Therefore, the advert doesn’t only use common stereotypes to appeal to the target, but also reinforces ideological assumptions about lifestyle in relation to what you look like to others, and, importantly, consumerism and individualism. The representation of masculinity also arguably reinforces ethnic stereotypes about hyper-sexualised black men in the media.

The idea of escape is referenced in both the poster advert and also in the TV advert with the phrase ‘The man your man could smell like’. This provides a sense of escapism for the female audience as they imagine the effects of buying the product.  A sense of escape is also communicated through the setting of a tropical island, where the audience are able to gaze their mind elsewhere from normal everyday life. The colour choices reflect the Caribbean and Spice Islands theme. The blue and sand colours help to reinforce this and allow the audience to imagine themselves elsewhere. The red product with white font provides a contrast to this and therefore bring emphasis to the product itself.

The cursive style of the product name ‘Old Spice’ helps to personalise meaning, connoting that the brand is friendly, and the product is personal and real. The midshot of Mustafa also adds to this idea that the brand has personalised the advert. The midshot creates a connection between him and the audience and a physical closeness connoting that he is someone that the audience would want to be with.

The anchorage of the image, text and product connotes that Old Spice is humorous and exotic. It drives forward the idea that if you buy and use this product, you are also humorous and exotic, and could be as manly, attractive and funny and Isaiah Mustafa. The advert itself uses almost every third on the page, and the product itself in the lower right hand corner was placed there purposely and is the last thing you look at; it is an enlarged image in comparison to the detailed images on Mustafa’s body.