Deconstructing an Advertisement

source: here

Step 1: Make Observations

5 adjectives to describe this ad would be; funny, unrealistic, bizarre, envious, and folky.

There is a male and a female depicted in this ad. The man is African American and the woman seems to be of colour, she might be Latina. Both of the people are about 30 years old and almost nude. The man has a smirky facial expression and the woman is in awe of the man.
The camera was farther from the subject and at eye-level.
The lighting in this ad is artificial as they are in a bathroom.The man and the woman are highlighted in the ad while the rest of the surrounding bathroom is down-played. This is to draw attention to the message of the ad and avoid distractions by other meaningless things. There are some shadows in the ad which are more there to make the picture appear more realistic. They are not very large, just realistic to the size of the object.
There are very few colours used. This ad is mostly all white with exception to a small green stripe to make it appear more like a bathroom and the words of the ad in red. This creates sharp contrast for the words.
The text in this ad is "SMELL LIKE A MAN, MAN." and the Old Spice logo. The first words are written in all capitals in a very bold and square font. The Old Spice logo is written in more of a cursive. The text is not very large, just enough to catch your eye. The text is red. The text is actually saying that by using this body wash, you will be more of a man. The texts are about the same size.

Step 2: Determine The Purpose of The Advertisement

The product being sold is Old Spice body wash.

I do not find the product appealing because I am a female and would not use this body wash. However, the ad is persuading me to believe that "real men" use this body wash.

The target audience for this product is mostly adult men.

The ad is using human sexuality to persuade the audience into buying the product. Some emotions they are trying to convey could be; envy, fun, sexual attraction. They accomplished this by having two people, man and woman, almost naked, and a fake horse made out of bubbles.

Step 3: Determine The Assumptions The Advertisement Makes and The Messages It Sends

The assumptions made about gender in this ad are as follows; women are always amazed at what men can do and that every man is fragile about their manhood and needs a more "manly" body wash. I don't believe these assumptions are realistic. In 2017 society is starting to take a leap forward in which it is no longer looked down on for women to be strong and independent or for men to not have to question their manhood. These assumptions reinforce stereotypes about gender identity.
An assumption made about race in this advertisement is that Latina woman are sensual and passionate. These assumptions are not realistic. It is not realistic to group all Latina women into this category. These assumptions reinforce stereotypes about racial identity.
This advertisement assumes that all middle-class people are good looking and happy all the time. These assumptions are not realistic as that is too large of a group to categorize so finely. These assumptions reinforce stereotypes about class.

Step 4: Consider The Possible Consequences of These Messages

Long term consequences of an ad like this are deprecating self-image, and reinforced stereotypes about gender roles, race, class, identity, etc. Short term consequences could be questioned manhood.

Yes the message creates unrealistic expectations for people because it is impossible to ride a horse made of bubbles. It also creates a sense of false hope that by using this body wash, you will become more manly and women will be more attracted to you.

The messages in this ad counter act social change by reinforcing many stereotypes about race, gender roles, and class.

To be socially responsible means to not only work your economic efforts, but to also show care and concern for the greater good of humanity as a whole. I would say this ad is not socially responsible.

To think of oneself primarily as a citizen means to think of not only yourself and your needs, but also how you effect everyone else in the world and whether or not you're helping to make a good change. I believe that one can be both a citizen and a consumer. To be a consumer means to use economic resources as commodities. To be both a citizen and consumer you can use economic resources but in a more sustainable way.