Old Spice Essay

Carry out a textual analysis of print advert for Old Spice. How are viewpoints and ideologies (masculinity, postmodernism, ''race'', Old Spice as a brand) communicated? Use media language (copy, logo, shot, colours, mise en scene etc) to illustrate your analysis.

Old Spice is an American brand of male grooming products that date back to the early 40s. They're well known for targeting heterosexual women with male partners, their models are typically displayed as confident and shown to be the ideal man that is desired by many women. This print advert is no different to Old Spice's previous adverts but it does bring in some new themes.

The attempts of Old Spice to move into the realm of self-realisation and postmodernism with their advertising is almost undoubtedly link to a shift in ideologies within the 21^st century; forcing the company to subvert their traditional reliance on the male gaze and false pretences of masculinity. However, to say that Old Spice has abandoned their reliance on gender roles would be dismissive of the subtleties of today's adverts, as well as the need to uphold company trademarks.

Before judging contents of current ads, one must first analyse the ideological standing of the more traditional adverts. Take, for example, the advert from 1947; depicting a rather generic (marginally attractive) white man using the product, while a woman looks on in awe. This brings into the discussion two dynamics; that of race, and that of gender – with the latter perhaps being more pivotal. Regarding race, it is obvious why Old Spice would use a generic, handsome white man; this is the largest demographic within the USA and is perhaps the most appealing image for consumers at a time of racial tension. In terms of gender, the image portrayed is clearly influenced by the male gaze, in having a somewhat sexualised woman look on longingly at her male counterpart (albeit, to sell a product, though still a damaging perpetuation of gender norms). Furthermore, the ad builds on Butler’s concept of gender performativity and the gender trouble; assigning gender roles to the sexes and, alongside that, making a heteronormative assumption about male and female relationships. Though in 1965 we see Old Spice moving away from the male gaze, the performativity element is still prevalent; assigning the product a trait of masculinity (‘a man wants a man’s gift’). To say these ideological standings would be controversial in 2019 is an understatement, and thus it is by studying past advertisements that we see how the company has adapted.

Merely by surface-level analysis of a more contemporary advert, the shift in perspective of the company becomes clear. Perhaps most evidently, the face of Old Spice is now Isaiah Mustafa, an African American, and the tone is strikingly satirical. The imagery of the volcano atop Isaiah’s head (obviously connoting that the product is mind blowing), accompanied with the self-realising slogan that mocks exaggerated advertising (‘this fact has not been fact-checked’), convey a postmodern self-awareness and produce a comedic effect, rather than one that attempts to coerce consumers on false pretences of masculinity. However, as Baudrillard would argue, the ad is only postmodern in style not content, and indeed several problematic elements remain. Stagnant is the imagery of overtly sexualised women, though arguably there is a more liberal ‘female-gaze’ with the sexualisation being somewhat reserved to the male model. It could be argued that this is merely to stay on-brand and remain recognisable as a product; after all, the product itself and the classic font are still featured in the ad, just as they had been in 1945. Considering the increasing demand for exotic products by western consumers, it is no surprise that there is reference to the Bahamas and tropical imagery – though the use of a black man to advertise this could be considered slightly problematic. In short, while the tone of the ad has seen a dramatic change, the same cannot be said in terms of content.

In conclusion, the ideological shift of Old Spice is certainly debatable, as there is an evident struggle between appealing to a less gender-focused demographic, while maintaining the ‘traditional’ image that Old Spice carries. While there are striking differences – i.e. the white model is no longer the most desirable, women are less sexualised, and satire often takes precedence – the problematic elements regarding race and gender are still prevalent within advertisements.