Download Student 1 Student Teacher English 103 7 April 2014 Literature

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Student
Teacher
English 103
7 April 2014
Literature Review: Wrangler
Wrangler, a famous denim company, got its start from a man named C.C. Hudson in
1897. Hudson’s search for the best work clothes led him to discover the foundation for Wrangler
products. It was through the hits and misses of Hudson and other investors that, in 1943,
Wrangler was finally created. The name was originally created by the Casey Jones Company,
and with the purchase of the work manufacturer came the rights for the rarely used name Wrangler. Four years later, after the establishment of the denim company, Wrangler advertised
their work jeans, which they adapted for the general American public, and saw promising
feedback from possible consumers (“History”).
To continue the momentum of the new company, Wrangler signed Jim Shoulders, a
world champion in bull riding, to promote the jeans in 1948. Over the next twenty years, the
company exploded with celebrity and association endorsements. Wrangler selected George
Strait, Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR, and the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association to enhance the
popularity of their jeans. To establish their domination in the jean world, Wrangler created two
different branches of their jeans in 2003 in order to fit the ideals of various “working and serious
huntsmen.” That year proved to be beneficial to the company, as late in 2003 and into the
beginning of 2004, Wrangler became the official jean of the number eight NASCAR team and
Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of NASCAR’s leading racers. Wrangler continued to acquire more
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celebrity endorsers, such as Brett Favre, Drew Brees, and Trevor Brazille, all of whom were
featured regularly in the advertisements of the jeans. Throughout Wrangler’s development, they
have used celebrity promotions, ideas of what makes a man a “real man,” and dominance in their
advertising to draw in their target audience of men and appeal to their needs and desires
(“History”).
Due to the changing times and demographics of their target audience, Wrangler has had
to choose carefully who they decide to be the face of their company. They choose celebrities that
they feel are not only a good representation for their company, but who are also able to identify
with middle-aged, working class men. Wrangler relies heavily on celebrities in their
advertisements, so it is important that they choose someone who is well liked by the general
public, but more specifically their target audience. Brett Favre was endorsed by Wrangler at the
prime of his football career. As a respected and talented athlete, who happened to be a middleaged man with a working class background, he fit the Wrangler ideal perfectly. Commercials
were aired regularly at this time to present Brett Favre as the face of Wrangler. One commercial
shows Favre playing backyard football with his buddies as it flashes back to scenes of him sitting
in the back of his pick-up truck (Brett Favre). He is portrayed as the typical man on a Sunday
afternoon, which appeals to the majority of men Wrangler advertises to because of the familiarity
of the activities featured in the commercial. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also featured regularly, and
according to Sandra O’Loughlin of Adweek, a trusted website dedicated to news in
advertisements, he was the center of Wrangler’s advertising as the 2004 NASCAR season began.
O’Loughlin states that Wrangler spends about $35 million annually on advertisements by using
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celebrities, and with the promotion of Earnhardt Jr. they were able to connect their company
with avid racing fans, most of which are typically middle-aged, working class men.
Wrangler devotes much of its advertising budget to commercials that include the most
popular of their celebrity endorsers in order to reach out to various groups of people who have
different interests, yet who are generally middle-aged, working class men. In one commercial,
Brett Favre, Drew Brees, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are featured performing activities that are
specific to them, such as playing football or racing a four-wheeler, while a narrator discusses the
durability and toughness of the jeans (Five-star). The inclusion of all three men opens up the
door for Wrangler to advertise and sell to various football and racing fans within one
commercial. The men are representations of not only the jeans, but also of the values of
Wrangler as a company, values that include durability, authenticity, and quality. Wrangler
chooses celebrities that represent the characteristics of their ideal consumer, which include
strength and being hard-working, in order to tap into certain audiences and increase the success
of their company.
Wrangler uses what they believe to be a “real man” in their advertisements to establish a
connection with the audience. They use strong language and reinforce the idea that a man is
someone who is strong and reliable, much like their narrator states in the commercial featuring
the cowboy cut denim jeans. The commercial shows a man who appears to be a cowboy working
hard on his farm alone. The narrator then cuts in and explains the durability of the jeans. He then
informs viewers that the jeans are for “real cowboys” and are made to “work as hard as you do”
(Wrangler Premium). Wrangler jeans presents a certain construction of what constitutes a “real
man.” This construction is very much a specific American cultural representation. Yue Tan et al.,
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authors of “The Construction of Masculinity,” theorize that different cultures around the world
possess different ideas of what a man is, which is shown in the various countries’
advertisements. Tan et al. state that their analysis of China, Japan, parts of Europe, and the
United States have all varied with their presentation of masculinity throughout the last ten years
significantly. The authors point out the characteristics of popular advertisements in the United
States and argue that they show men who are strong, focused, and determined (243). Wrangler
uses men in active situations, by showing them as strong and focused, much like Tan et al. claim
in their analysis. An article written by Jacqueline Botterill titled “Cowboys, Outlaws and
Artists,” discusses ideas similar to those of Tan et al. Botterill describes how products that are
meant for men are given the image of masculinity through advertisements that appeal directly
towards males. The “over use of masculinity” in the advertisements leads the audience to focus
“on the idea of what comes with the product, rather than the actual product” (108). Wrangler
enforces the idea, through the images in their advertisements and the voice of the narrator, that a
man is hard-working, reliable, and tough overall.
Wrangler uses ethos, or credibility in their advertisements not only to assure the audience
of their product’s reliability, but also as an act of dominance. Wrangler uses a dominant, deep,
buy yet non-threatening, voice to convince customers that their jeans are the best and only jeans
to wear. This confident, authoritative, masculine type of voice is featured in many of their
commercials. This voice is so dominant that it talks over many of the celebrities who are featured
in the commercials. Within advertisements as well, Wrangler establishes dominance, taking the
stance that they are the best company and produce better products than any other jean company.
Wrangler attempts to show consumers that they are the best company to buy jeans from because
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their company and their products possess reliability and strength. A print advertisement of
Wrangler jeans featured in Men’s Health magazine in December of 2008 displayed Dale
Earnhardt Jr. sitting next to a car that looked in need of repairs. He looked to be in control of the
situation, confident with his Wrangler jeans on and his tools by his side. Underneath the
Wrangler logo at the bottom is a stamp that says, “You can count on Wrangler,” in all capital
letters. Wrangler uses the bold statement to convince the target audience that they are the
company people can depend on for quality jeans as well as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s ethos to further
their own credibility as a masculine, reliable product and brand. Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominates the
race track or any car, all in his Wrangler jeans.
Jib Fowles, author of “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals,” comments on the need for
dominance in many advertisements. Fowles explains that companies use dominance to exude the
masculinity in their products; however, they must be careful not to over-emphasize the
dominance. Fowles mentions that too much dominance can intimidate consumers and result in
the failure to appeal to the target audience successfully (283). Wrangler continues their use of
celebrities to establish the company’s ethos by selecting two, top performing cowboys. Wrangler
uses George Strait and Trevor Brazille in their commercial to demonstrate the company’s
dominance as the best in not only the average person’s life, but also in a celebrity’s life as well.
Strait has topped the country music billboards for decades (even performing a song called,
“Cowboys Like Us.”). Brazille is a 19-time World Rodeo Champion (“Trevor Brazille”). The
commercial shows Strait and Brazille claiming that they trust Wrangler jeans because of their
“strength and tradition,” so they “only wear true cowboy jeans” (George Strait). Wrangler uses
dominance to promote the image that they are the top denim company by using bold claims that
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demonstrate their confidence in their products and men who are dominant in their respective
fields of country music and rodeo.
Throughout Wrangler’s 71 years as a leading denim company, they have used countless
strategies within their advertising in order to remain successful. They have used multiple
celebrities with similar values to their own company from all different backgrounds to promote
their products. Celebrities such as James Shoulders (rodeo champion), Brett Favre (football
champion), and George Strait (country music legend) have been utilized to endorse their
products, yet the idea that Wrangler is for “real men” is a relatively new concept of the brand’s
marketing strategies. The celebrities are identified as the representations of what the company
stands for, as well as what a “real man” can be identified as. Wrangler constantly advertises that
they sell jeans that are as tough as a man. Through commercials and print advertisements it is
clear that their version of a man is someone who is tough and strong, and the best—like their
jeans. Using bold statements and strong language, the company asserts that their products are the
best compared to every other competitor. Wrangler chooses celebrities who are known to their
target audience of men to be reliable and exude the type of masculinity that represents the motto
of the company.
Wrangler products and advertisements have always been geared towards working class
men who are typically middle-aged. They rarely include images of women, children, or even
young men and focus mostly on masculinity, whether it be in magazines or commercials.
Wrangler uses marketing techniques, such as the characterization of their jeans, which brands its
company as the place for all real men to buy their jeans. They depict men to be strong, tough
individuals who can withstand most any task; Wrangler claims that their jeans can do the same.
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Based on the narrow direction of advertising that Wrangler produces, they can only reach out to
a specific type of man. Men who do not engage in manual labor, watch football, or exude
masculinity are left out of the group of Wrangler’s ideal consumers. Yet, because the company is
selling an idea: the rough, masculine durable man, those men who know Drew Brees or George
Straight, and identify these men as “real men” will associate Wrangler with these concepts. This
act that can be seen as a limitation of the brand’s advertising also creates exclusivity in some
ways, making its target audience feel like “real men.” The company does this in order to
continue on with their claim that only real men follow the characteristics of their motto.
In our modern American society, men are grouped together and judged by their ability to
fight and protect. If they fail to do either, they inevitably fail to meet the standards of being a
man based on the stereotypes of what people have already created. Wrangler’s advertisements
promote and perpetuate the idea that men need to be independent, strong, and durable in order to
be considered a “real man” in today’s society.
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Works Cited
Botterill, Jacqueline. “Cowboys, Outlaws and Artists: The rhetoric of authenticity and
contemporary jeans and sneaker advertisements.” Journal of Consumer Culture 7.1
(2007): 105-126. Sage. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Brett Favre for Wrangler Jeans. 10 Oct. 2011. YouTube. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
Five-star Wrangler Jeans Featuring Dale Earnhardt. 3 Nov. 2013. YouTube. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Fowles, Jib. “Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 39.3
(Fall 1982): 273-290. Institute of General Semantics. Web. 1 March 2014.
George Strait and Trevor Brazille for Wrangler. 5 Dec. 2013. YouTube. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
"History of Wrangler Jeans." Wrangler.com. VF Corporation, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
O'Loughlin, Sandra. "Wrangler Drafts Earnhardt for Jeans Promo." Adweek.com. Adweek, 27
Aug. 2004. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Tan, Yue, et al. "The Construction of Masculinity: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Men’s Lifestyle
Magazine Advertisements." Sex Roles 69 5/6 (2013): 237-249. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
“Trevor Brazille.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wiki Media Foundation, Inc. 22 October
2013. Web. 28 March 2014.
Wrangler Jeans. Advertisement. Men’s Health Dec. 2008: 32. Print.
Wrangler Premium Performance Cowboy Cut Jeans. 17 Mar. 2011. YouTube. Web. 1 Mar.
2014.