I picked the Old Spice commercial "Does your man look like this? Sadly no." The audience to this ad is not only men but women. Why else would they pose a highly attractive man as the model for the old spice products? For men to want to look like him? Maybe, but we all know that a product can't make you look like any other person. It was also aimed for women to attract them to the man, and to make them want their men smell and be just like the attractive man on the commercial. The piece functions rhetorically by sending a message through an illusion, rather than words themselves. They are trying to sell their product by placing a handsome athletically fit man, swarming him in riches, and a life of luxury, giving the impression to the audience, that if they buy the Old Spice product they will too, be just like the man on the ad. It's a common strategy in the commercial industry to make your product seem like it can provide more than it is capable of. It's genius really. Definitely the Old Spice producers have the power, they've got the audience in the palm of their hands! Giving the option for any man, no matter how old, young, slim, large, no matter the skin color, it wouldn't matter. They have power because they have room to go in any direction they want, attracting a large span of consumers. That, I believe is the ultimate power possible when the product has plenty of room to grow, in any direction possible. The argument being presented in this ad is whether or not the advertisement being shown can actually make the consumer similar to the man selling the product. Can he look as attractive as he does? Can he ride that white horse he is on? Can smell as good as he said it's going to be? A lot of unanswered questions in the ad. The ad displays a sort of 'power' over the ladies it's 'aimed' at. If the women actually listen to what he is saying when he says, "Look at your man, now back at me." It shows a sense of control and power. Obviously the ad is successful. But the question is, can her husband/boyfriend have that same power once the Old Spice is purchased. Probably not. That's the real argument here, is whether the 'powers' the man on the ad has spills over to the man who will use the same exact product as him, and be just like the ad. This ad works effectively every time it's aired. People rave about this ad, because of it's great humor, and very handsome actor, and ironically, the bonus is Old Spice. That's ironic because the whole point of the ad is to make Old Spice front and center, but everyone is raving about the man front and center instead. It works everywhere. Probably more effective to men in relationships, that want to be more attractive to their women, and single men, trying to attract women. It works pretty much in every scenario. Why does this ad work? Because it attacks the human hormones. It aims at what attract women to men, and aims at men wanting to attract women. It's genius. Everyone has those hormones, so its aimed at everyone, and can apply to everyone. That's the key to advertisement, and this commercial should be the God of all Advertisements!
Yes, there are places where some of the moves in the ad are questionable. The horse, the excessive women, the way the man looks. Where it fails is that body wash can't make a man look or sound or act like that. Its impossible, but humorous.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE
