Advertising: Score hair cream CSP

Score advert and wider reading
Complete the following tasks and wider reading on the Score hair cream advert and masculinity in advertising.

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.
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 in the 1960s became more direct and modern because television started influencing how products were sold. The factsheet says adverts moved away from long explanations and started using short slogans, stronger visuals and memorable images. The Score advert objects this because it relies a lot on the striking image of the man and the women, with the product placed smaller on the side, and has a lot of written detail, which mainly shows the man being the main image rather than the product.

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

The factsheet explains that women were often shown in very traditional domestic roles after the war, especially as wives, mothers, or people linked to housework. Even when women appeared glamorous, they were usually represented in relation to pleasing men. In the Score advert, the women is mainly there to admire the man, which fits that post-war ideology, especially with the man holding a gun. It gives an impression that female characters featured to support male desirability rather than have their own identity.

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 mise-en-scene suggests masculinity, control and confidence. The man's hairstyle is neta and carefully styled, which links directly to the product because it suggests Score advert gives that polished masculine look. His facial expression looks confident and dominant, while the women positioned near him  and holding him creates connotations of attraction and male success. The product itself signals connections with male appearance with sexual appeal and status.

4) What does the factsheet suggest in terms of a narrative analysis of the Score hair cream advert?
The advert creates a simple narrative where using the product leads to attraction and success. The implied story is that the man has used the hair cream being advertised, which makes him desirable, and this is confirmed by the women's attention towards him. So even in one image, there is a mini narrative of cause and effect: product → improved appearance → female attention.

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

In 1962, audiences probably would have accepted the advert as normal because gender roles were much more traditional and advertising often openly linked masculinity with attracting women (male gaze). In the 2020s, audiences are more likely to question it and have an oppositional reading because the gender stereotypes are outdated and the women are objectified and this will be seen as sexist.

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 anchorage text to guide the audience into reading the image as successful masculinity. The slogan helps the meaning by linking the product to confidence and attraction. The product packaging is also very visible, which makes the audience connect the masculine image directly to Score hair cream.

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

Using van Zoonen's idea, the advert reflects how meida often constructs gender through stereotypical roles, with the man shown as active and dominant while the women are passive. Butler could be applied because masculinity here is performed through appearance, posture and styling - showing gender as something acted out. Hooks would argue that media often reinforces power structures by presenting narrow ideas of gender and attractiveness.

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

Gauntlett argues  that the media gives audiences models for identity, and this advert offers a very narrow model of masculinity: comfident, attractive, well-groomed and desired by women. It suggests men should build identity through appearance and consumer products.

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 mainly promotes heterosexual attraction because the women are used to confirm the man's desirability. However, because the advert focuses heavily on the male body, grooming and appearance , some people also argue it creates space for other readings of male attractiveness. This links to the wider 1960s context where attitudes around sexuality were beginning to shift, especially after debates around homosexuality became more public.

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

Gilroy

 argues that despite the decline of the 

British Empire

, the white Western world maintains dominance through cultural products, such as Hollywood films that portray the white male as a heroic savior, which in this case, the Score advert also applies and reflects this post-colonial narrative by using a jungle, gun, and throne to depict a white Western male as a successful, dominant figure. This reflects a cultural context of nostalgia for imperial power and the continuation of colonialist values in media.

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Wider reading

The Drum: This Boy Can article
Read this article from The Drum magazine on gender and the new masculinity. 

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

The writer suggests there could be a “boy crisis” because a lot of boys and men are struggling with identity and pressure in modern society. Even though men are still seen as having advantages, there are issues like higher suicide rates, dropping out of education and involvement in crime. It also says some men feel confused or “left behind” as gender roles change.

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

Axe/Lynx has moved away from its old adverts that focused on hyper-masculinity and attracting women. Now it promotes a more modern and emotional version of masculinity, like in the Find Your Magic campaign. It shows men being themselves, more individual, and not just fitting stereotypes.

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

He suggests advertisers should completely change how they show gender and stop using old stereotypes. He thinks boys should be shown in a wider range of ways, like not always being “tough” or career-focused, and that masculinity should be shown as more flexible.

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

Family life has changed a lot, with men being more involved in shopping and home life now. Because of this, brands can’t just assume women are the main audience anymore. So advertising is more focused on both genders and different types of families.

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?

He means brands need to build understanding first before they try and challenge traditional ideas of masculinity. If they go too fast, people might not relate to it. So they “set the platform” first so the audience is ready for a bigger change.