Score advert Flashcards
What were adverts like in the 60s
Avoiding portrayals of elitism, authoritarianism, reverence for institutions and other traditional beliefs, ads attempted to win over the consumer with humour, candour and above all irony
How was print advertising changing in the 60s?
Print and text was still used to offer an explanation of the product , but they took on a more realistic look, relying more on photography than illustration.
The “new advertising” took its cue from the visual medium of TV and popular posters of the day, which used large visuals and minimal text for a dramatic effect
How were women portrayed in adverts in the 1960s?
-objectified as domestic servants
-rather than a male explain a product, the role of the ‘good wife’ was often used, who serviced the needs of her family and took pride and joy in housework
-they should have a man appeal by being able to look good and cook a decent meal
-by the end of the decade they were seen as sex objects, subservient to men
Why was the portrayal of women in 60s adverts in an objectified way enabled?
it was clearly the male breadwinner who was the target audience, because they earned so much more money
advertising agencies were predominantly male institutions and created hegemonic representations
What percentage of an advertising agency is made up of women today?
What has this enabled?
60%
Many modern companies are embracing the era of female empowerment
What was the post-war propaganda designed to do?
Force women back into a domestic arena
How were women portrayed in adverts by the 70s?
by this time, the women’s liberation movement had gathered stride and advertisers tried to use more progressive representations
This was done through a series of role reversal adverts, where men did the cooking. However, this response didn’t last long due to the response of the female audience. Such adverts merely portrayed men as ‘wimps’ and women as ‘lazy’ and so females preferred to see themselves in the role of housewife.
It could thus be argued that women allowed the stereotyping to go on for so long
How does Score use narrative?
The man identifies as Propp’s hero
He is exulted as the hunter-protector of his ‘tribe’. The adoration and availability of the females are his reward
How may different audiences read Score differently?
1967 male audience would see it as ironic and humorous (dominant reading)
Females at the time may read the gender stereotypes in an oppositional way but accept its representation of a patriarchal society as normal or inevitable
Modern audiences are likely to see it as sexist and outdated and even offensive
What techniques of persuasion are used?
They created a distinctive message for their brand: to present the product as one used by a ‘real’ (masculine) man. This is shown through the name of the advert, given it carries various connotations, which is repeated in the text at the bottom. It’s important to consider:
-brand values
-brand message
-brand personality
-brand position
How can Van Zoonen’s idea apply to the advert?
The Score advert constructs a representation of a women that is typical of the late 1960s; representation is dictated by the discourse and culture. Women in this era were largely represented as domestic servants or sex objects. This is shown physically as the male is placed above the female. There are also numerous invites for the male gaze, as the women are wearing natural makeup looks which is seen as desirable as the normalised standard of pretty and the women on the left uses direct address as if she’s looking for validation from the audience. The direct address from the girl at the front also signifies that you could get this much attention too if you buy the product
How could we apply bell hooks to the advert?
Intersectionality- ideas that white women are higher up than black women
hooks described society as a ‘white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy’, which would apply to the Score text as there is nobody BAME in the image: at the time people still didn’t see black and white people as equal and so it might not have been seen as such an attractive if it was attracting black women, as the perfect man historically couldn’t be seen dating a black women as they weren’t as high up in society as white women
Why would Judith Butler disagree with the advert?
the roles of the man and the women are in accordance with their biological sex and so the ad reinforces binary opposites described by society. This creates an idea of heteronormativity.
What is the intentional approach
The producer created a representation of gender that is deliberate to their depiction of male ideology: strong, powerful, controlling, attractive
What is the reflective approach
the representations simply reflect gender inequalities of 1967
