Advertising: Score Hair Cream Case Study

 Media Factsheet - Score hair cream

1) How did advertising techniques change in the 1960s and how does the Score advert reflect this change?

Advertising strategies that represented elitism and authoritarianism were adopted in the 1960s. This is illustrated by the man with the rifle and how he is positioned higher up in the Score hair cream advertisement. Hierarchy is portrayed in this, along with how certain people hold more power than others. 

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

The idea that a woman's place was in the house was strongly reinforced by post-World War II British advertising campaigns. Strangely, propaganda posters from the Second World War convinced women that they belonged on farms and in factories while the men were at war. 

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.

Settings - They are in a jungle, representing British colonies in Africa

Props - The man has a gun, which represents a phallic symbol

Costume - They are wearing jungle outfits, representing the British empire in Africa

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

According to Propp's seven domains of activity, the guy is portrayed as a hero. He is the tribe's guardian, according to the artwork. His recompense for his heroic deeds are the adoration of the women. This appeals to the target demographic of young males who want to be like him.

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

Women, who weren't the intended audience, would have interpreted this negatively but yet accepted it because it was a depiction of the patriarchal culture they were a part of. The sexist storyline would be understood by contemporary viewers as being out of date and insulting in today's culture.

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?

A packed shot of the genuine hair cream is shown in the Score hair cream advertisement to show clients what the product actually looks like. Score also uses humour and irony, which were popular advertising strategies in the 1960s, to win over viewers. The main language "Get what you've always desired" appeals to a more masculine audience, particularly younger guys who would identify and admire the male in the advertisement and hope to attain the same status as him—having so many ladies admire him.

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

This advertisement, according to Judith Butler, perpetuates traditional gender norms because it features a man trying to attract as many women as possible.


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

Gauntlett argues that the media shape our identities. Score's creators created a masculine identity that men have used and continue to use (maintaining authority). This would also demonstrate to the woman where she stands in the world.

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)?

It shows a representation of straight sexuality

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

The allusion to imperialist ideals can also be connected to the social and cultural settings of the British Empire's dissolution. According to Paul Gilroy, the white western world is still dominant despite the end of the empire.

1) Why does the writer suggest that we may face a "growing 'boy crisis'"?

They feel that because we are "less suited" to deal with guys' concerns and that we are empowering the wrong sex, we are implicitly biased against them when they have a problem and advise them to "man-up."

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

The Lynx brand changed its marketing in response to the discovery that men are yearning for a more diverse definition of what it means to be a "successful" man in 2016 and to relieve the relentless pressure on them to conform to suffocating, old paradigms, which Lynx/Axe made when it undertook a large-scale research project into modern male identity.

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

Not at all out of shape was what he meant. He meant the entire feeling, including the idea that he is lazy, incompetent, and incapable.

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

He claims that in nations like Britain, the "definition of 'family' is radically shifting" and that by generally failing to depict this "new normal," advertising is not helping to normalise such situations.

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?

In its U-turn campaign, "Discover Your Magic," Axe has tried to start a discussion, but while nice, it falls short of Always, Dove, and Sport's game-changing calibre.