Old Spice Analysis

The Old Spice advert markets its “Bahama Scent” antiperspirant through the use of bright visuals and partially absurd imagery. The setting is likely to be an island in the Bahamas as the product name would suggest. The colour scheme consists of mainly a sky blue and the contrasting product colour red. The blue colour of the sky in a lighter shade could represent the peacefulness of the product, bringing calmness and peace to the audience’s life. This is starkly contrasted by Old Spice’s iconic product colour of red that suggests heat, danger or power which are typically associated with masculinity. The advert’s model has his face take the place of a volcano, perhaps as a form of satire to imply hot headedness, perhaps attempting to embrace gender stereotypes as men are viewed as short tempered and over energetic as a result of high testosterone levels which is directly linked to society’s views of masculinity. The advert targets men past adolescence who are looking to be viewed as more masculine.

The advert reinforces the standardisation of gender roles through the extreme definition and portrayal of what a man should be. This links to Barthes concept of Mythical Masculinity where what is considered masculine is taken to the extreme by portraying them physically strong, fit and muscular and are considered the alpha males that take control and dominate other men and women in power and authority. It is Barthes belief that this view of what the ideal masculine man should be is natural. However Butler's theory links to society's standardisation of gender roles and how we form our own stereotypes and normalise them. This could likely be the case as many attributes of what is currently considered masculine are implemented into the Old Spice advert.