This Old Spice commercial directly plays on the insecurities of the consumer. Depicting an attractive man talking to the “ladies” and comparing himself to their men who “sadly [aren’t him]”. Now that the viewers are self conscious that they are not this attractive man standing in front of them half naked claiming that their women wish that they were him Old Spice offers their product as a solution. That you could smell like the attractive man if you use Old Spice body wash instead of lady scented body wash. This parallels advertisements of the 1920’s that made women feel anxious about their physical appearance in order to sell them products (36). This marketing strategy has been used for almost 100 years and has been extended across the entire advertising industry. Companies sell products by creating an identity that people strive to become.
The commercial presents the ideal man as being strong, attractive, well dressed, and as someone who is good with women. This presentation affects all of us, how we view and feel about ourselves and what we think about one another. We may feel that someone is inadequate or not manly enough based on ideas planted in our minds by people trying to sell us things. We are convinced that we need these products in order to be manly. Whether we know it or not companies like old spice influence the way we act, talk, and view others in an extremely profound way.
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