Old Spice Commercial

http://youtu.be/owGykVbfgUE

"The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"

This advertisement argues that if a man (‘your man’) wants to smell and look like a handsome hunk he has to use Old Spice body wash. The ad begins in a very simple and plain bathroom where a guy with a sexy, toned body is standing looking very seductively into the camera. The running water and steam rising in the background make it seem as though the actor just jumped right out of the shower and now looks perfect. To viewers, his identity portrays that all men can be handsome and buff with one simple use of Old Spice body wash; the company wants you to believe that any man can become more appealing to women just by using this product. As his defined abs are continually exposed throughout the commercial, the producers do not want you to forget about the body you are able to have using Old Spice. As the scene switches, this nice looking guy is out on a yacht in the middle of a beautiful ocean. Beginning the commercial in the plain bathroom as to where the commercial ends on the beach looks to state that with Old Spice you can go from ordinary to extraordinary. As the commercial continues things magically appear such as tickets to that ‘thing’ the viewer loves and diamonds. Old Spice body wash arbitrarily signifies a high life of money, happiness, and endless possibilities. With one quick glance away, or with one quick use of this body wash, a whole new world of wondrous things can appear. As the commercial ends, the handsome man is sitting on a beautiful white horse with diamonds and his body wash. And hey, maybe the horse is a daily user of Old Spice! Overall, this commercial has a very powerful psychological culture concept being produced; this commercial produces a desire to be wanted or loved by all women. Although this commercial portrays the hegemonic idea of being masculine, or of having certain masculine characteristics, I noticed that this actor is not necessarily behaving in such activities such as watching football, hunting, or grilling out (things that are usually associated with men). Another concept I noticed in this commercial is that every time the body wash appears it has suds on it, almost as if the body wash just took a shower itself. Old Spice is the main object in this advertisement that produces the notion that if you use this body wash you will be less likely to smell like a lady and more likely to maintain a masculine identity and live in a high class.