Download Madeline Boomsma Revised 4/29/10 LA101H Faris Smell Like a

Madeline Boomsma
Revised 4/29/10
LA101H
Faris
Smell Like a Man, Man?
Who hasn’t laughed at the randomness and intensity of the Old Spice commercial? The
Old Spice body wash commercial contains many humorous bits along with strong gender
evolving undertones that make it a “Manmercial.” The setting involves a bathroom that turns
into a yacht in the Caribbean. Old spice has recently created a new marketing campaign called
"Manmercials" which are commercials for men, selling their body wash. The ad series is an
attempt to encourage men to buy body wash and yet still feel manly. The ads all feature Isaiah
Mustafa, the actor from the ABC show “Castle,” and while being called Manmercials, they are
geared to the female audience just as much, if not more, than the male audience. The creators
have just enough randomness and spontaneity to add universal comedy to the male form and
their product. From the neck sweaters and yachts to pipes and polo shirts they have used the
Clarke Gable and Gregory Peck classy macho standards to appeal to baby boomers and young
adults alike. Rhetoric is quite evident in the Old Spice commercial because it utilizes the power
and sexuality of men to appeal to women by highlighting the evolving gender norms.
Most of the audience during the Super Bowl thought the commercial by Old Spice was
hilarious. The commercial has gone viral all over the internet because of its popularity. Its
popularity is contributed to the fact that the audience during the Super Bowl consisted of
average, middle class Americans. Many of the men in the audience are married or have a
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girlfriend watching the super bowl with them. The commercial is geared toward these situations.
The Old Spice commercial creators assume that all the men in the audience want to please the
ladies. Right when the commercial starts, the actor initiates by addressing the women in the
audience to look at their men and then back to the actor. The use of speaking directly to the
audience catches TV viewers off guard and grabs their attention. The ethos is quite distinct and
funny. The commercial is authentic and original. Also, by broadly acknowledging the
undertones of commercials aimed at men they've created something hysterically funny and
extremely popular.
The logic of manhood has evolved from being proudly opposite of the female to the
genders becoming more and more similar. There is a fear of how men are perceived. In a
society in which gender roles are increasingly overlapped, men tend to overcorrect for this
change and therefore masculinity has changed. For example, Old Spice used to sponsor Polo
games but now the company has switched gears and sponsors NASCAR drivers and NBA
games. In the past manhood was defined by being classy, successful and having power. Being
manly meant having women and being educated. It also meant being respectful and chivalric.
Men never used body wash. Instead, they used bars of soap.
Being manly still has many of the characteristics as it did in the 50’s and 60’s but since
the post-feminist movement men have had the urge to do everything manlier. Women can do
what men do, but men must do it in a “manlier” fashion. Hyper masculinity has caused shows
like “Jersey Shore” to be accepted because a Guido on MTV can certainly go tanning but he
must go to the gym and do his laundry as well. This effect has caused commercials such as Old
Spice “manmercials” to be hysterically funny and alarmingly masculine.
Old Spice utilizes ethos by hyper-masculinizing body wash. The beginning of the ad is
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situated in a normal bathroom and then the bathroom is lifted up to show the setting of a high
class yacht. Isaiah Mustafa demonstrates the new hyper-masculinized male with his smooth
voice and chiseled physique while looking surprisingly average. His bathroom was ordinary and
he is wearing normal clothes but when he uses Old Spice body wash, he is transformed into quite
a gentleman. The notion is that since the man used Old Spice in his shower, he smells classy
and, therefore, is better. The average Joe can smell like high class if he uses Old Spice. The
commercial is not saying this body wash will make your man smell into a romantic millionaire
jet fighter pilot, but it is insinuating it. “Anything is possible when your man smells like Old
Spice and not a lady.” The absolute randomness and sheer humor of the ad is what captures the
audiences’ attention. With smells like “aqua beef,” “swagger” and “after hours,” how can one
not laugh and yet feel hyper-masculinized at the same time!
These manmercials are deeply effective because they touch base with the intricate
psycho-social complexes attached to gender identity. In effect, they create the insecurities of the
modern man before presenting a consumer solution to these manufactured insecurities. The ad is
still rooted in the Clark Gable types of the older generation but now the campaign is branching
into a hyper-masculine direction. This desire to be manlier while buying body wash allows the
consumer to feel more comfortable with his gender role and sexuality while changing the norms.
Besides the hyper-masculinity in the commercial, the ad is geared directly at men through
women. Women can be seen as a window through which Old Spice is projecting their claims.
Women are being influenced by these commercials greatly. The sexuality being sold in these ads
sucks women into wanting their man to personify the new hyper-masculinized male. Women
have to accept and desire the new male norm or else this evolution will end. It is clearly a hypermasculinized attempt at allowing men to do whatever women do freely. Men can buy body wash
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instead of using a soap bar but only if the body washes is called “aqua beef!”
In the Old Spice advertisement, addressing the opposite sex of who the product is geared
for is quite a successful marketing strategy. But there is a double standard at work here! For
example, consider an advertisement for women's body wash. Miranda Kerr, a Victoria’s Secret
model, tells the male audience to "Get your wives/girlfriends to use this soap, and she'll be a little
more like me.” Using a gorgeous woman or a very attractive male like Mr. Mustafa to advertise
something like body wash, the audience feels the need to keep up with society and buys the
product even if it isn’t necessary. But men will not by any means go out and buy body wash for
their girlfriends or wives. Companies can only utilize this marketing strategy when selling male
products through women. It’s not like men are an untapped marketing demographic but the
statistics show that this type of marketing is quite effective.
Old Spice is a classic deodorant and cologne company, so therefore is seen as reliable.
The logos and relevance of this ad pull on humor to state socially accepted facts. It took my
father ages to actually use the body wash my mother would buy him at the grocery store. He
finally gave in when she bought him Old Spice. To him, it felt “safe” because of the connotation
that goes with Old Spice. For example, Old Spice states that “women prefer Old Spice body
wash one bajillion time’s more than lady-scented body wash.” The rhetoric of the ad is at work
by drawing upon assumptions of the female mind. Assumptions are clearly made and are what
drive this advertisement.
Interestingly, the affective language of several body wash and cologne ads have had long
lasting effects on men who literally think spraying a scent will attract the ladies. For example a
blogger on the website “Hardwareman.com stated; “I use body spray often. My favorite was
AXE, but I was disappointed when females didn't hit on me or tackle me, like in the
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commercials. I felt as if I had been falsely advertised to! So just before I put the "Aqua Beef"
scented body spray on, I told my girlfriend that I hope I get tackled by some hot chick, and as
soon as I sprayed it on, she tackled me! So I guess with Old Spice's body spray, you actually do
get tackled, unlike with AXE's body spray.” Men using body spray and body wash is a new
phenomenon, and the way men go around this indulgence is by psychologically making
themselves seem tougher than women.
Yes, during the super bowl we heard Isaiah Mustafa say that men should stop using
"lady-scented body wash" but have we really thought about what Mr. Mustafa is saying? The
Old Spice body wash commercial asserts many undertones of which society should be wary.
The ad is a 30 second clip of a muscular, shirtless man who cunningly convinces his audience to
buy Old Spice body wash if one wishes to be a man. By appealing to both men and women,
since women buy a lot of toiletries for men, the commercial clip is brilliant. Yet, the ads'
implicit claim that buying Old Spice "man" wash means you can go on a fantasy sail or
horseback ride with Mustafa, and drip with diamonds and get tickets to that thing you like,
describes only a certain kind of man. The pathos of the ad is targeted directly at women to make
"your man smell like a man." Yet is it up to Old Spice to distinguish what a man is? Supposedly
all men smell the same; a rich, husky cologne. The Old Spice website states men should smell
like "jet fire and punching!" The commercial alludes to a lavish lifestyle since the man in the ad
first is in a nice bathroom which is then lifted up to show the actor standing on the deck of a
yacht and then later on a beach in the Caribbean. Old Spice contains many sophisticated and
idolized aspects that appeal to the men of our time who are sick of using "lady-scented body
wash." The new Old Spice ad - The man your man could smell like!
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