Woof

Old Spice: Sophisticated and Primal

Old Spice has made a name for itself by producing comedic and oftentimes nonsensical commercials. Their magazine advertisements are no exception to this quirky algorithm. In an issue of Game Informer, a magazine with a very high percentage of male readers, I caught a glimpse of one of their body wash and deodorant ads. At  first I focused on the pineapple followed by the man in a navy blue suit. Then my eyes were drawn to the wolf's head sporting an eye patch. After realizing this wolf and the man shared the same body, I noticed the product the attractive, blonde woman was holding off to the side. All of a sudden it all made sense. Of course this is an Old Spice ad because everything on here is completely ridiculous. Old Spice has released a new scent "Wolfthorn," and this image makes every attempt to appeal to its male consumers on multiple levels. To some degree, it also tries to reach out to the female readers that may happen upon this advertisement. By utilizing Jib Fowles's article Advertising's Fifteen Basic Appeals, we can attempt to decode some of the underlying associations represented within this image.

The most obvious motive behind this ad is the appeal to one's need for prominence. Fowles writes, "Here comes the need to be admired and respected, to enjoy prestige and high social status." He goes on to say, "Many ads picture the trappings of high position...(81)" Looking at this photo, we see a well-groomed man, probably in his 30s, wearing a navy blue suit with a matching tie and a collared shirt. His hair is combed and styled neatly, and he possesses no facial hair. One might assume he is a successful businessman. Beyond that, we might even say that because he is suave and successful, he has attracted this beautiful blonde, equally well-dressed woman that is standing partially behind him. All of this gives off the impression that prominent, wealthy men use this new scent from Old Spice. You, too, should purchase one of these products because in doing so, you will smell as good as this handsome, rich man.

The need for prominence also directs us towards this ad's appeal to the human need for attention.  In his essay, Fowles states, "The desire to exhibit ourselves in such a way as to make others look at us is a primitive, insuppressible instinct (81)." Whether or not we assume that the attractive woman is already with this man, we can see that she is staring intently, perhaps even longingly at him. She is infatuated. He smells good, and she can't take her eyes off him. If you use the Old Spice body wash, you will smell good, too. Your lover won't be able to look at another man because she will be transfixed on you. If you don't have a mate, you will surely attract one with these manly new products. Women will flock to your side once they catch a whiff of your smell.

Naturally, we are getting into people's need for sex. This is not a blatantly apparent appeal in this ad as both the man and the woman are completely clothed and not in a suggestive position. Fowles reports that, "The reason this appeal is so little used is that it is too blaring and tends to obliterate the product information (76)." Old Spice manages to effectively pull off this motive in a way that is not completely distracting from the product at hand. Without realizing the initial appeals to our need for prominence and attention, we might skip over this one. By assuming that one will gain admiration, attention, and long-lasting stares from an attractive counter-part, it is safe to say that this will lead to an intimate encounter. The woman in the ad stands very closely to the man-- close enough to share the same exotic drink. She is also wearing a skirt that is cut off above the knees. Take a moment to remember that this advertisement is in an issue of Game Informer, a magazine which is mostly geared towards men simply because not many women are "gamers." Men looking at this ad might think, "If I can gain the attention of a lady with this product, she won't be able to keep her hands off of me."

This one is, of course, open to your own visual associations. I'd like to note that in the article Beefcake and Cheesecake: Insights for Advertisers, the authors write that, thanks to research studies, "Gender differences in interpretation were found and could be traced back to differences in sensitivity to symbolic meanings within the pictures (115)." When I look at this ad, I imagine the two people are at a cocktail party based on their appearance. They are probably drinking some delicious alcoholic drink out of that pineapple. A night of dressing up and drinking would inevitably lead to some good times in the bedroom in my mind. Perhaps others will not see an appeal to our need for sex in this advertisement. Maybe more men will than women will catch that motive. Either way, my personal inferences of this picture lead to sex, and I believe Old Spice pulled this off in a classy way rather than using scantily clad models. Jones et al mention, "The nonsexy ads seemed to do the most good with the least harm (126)." but this ad uses sexy models in a sophisticated, respectable way. Perhaps if one is not attracted to a man in a suit or a woman in a skirt, the appeal to sex will be missed.

For others, an appeal to the need for affiliation may be more apparent. Fowles says, "The need to associate with others is widely invoked in advertising and is probably the most prevalent appeal. All sorts of goods and services are sold by linking them to our unfulfilled desires to be in good company (77)." This man has obviously managed to find himself a companion in this young lady. She is entranced by him. Howles also says of this type of appeal that these ads typically show "The head of the male is usually higher than the female's, even at this late date; she may be sitting or leaning while he is standing." This lady's head is lower than both the heads of the man and is tilted a bit to the side. She looks up to the man from behind his shoulder. He is obviously the more dominant figure in this photo, and he has won the affection of this beautiful woman. If you use this Old Spice product, you may even find a significant other that completely adores you and will follow you around at parties like a lost puppy. The woman is also holding the Old Spice products. Maybe this is telling women to buy this product for their husbands or boyfriends in order to show your affection towards them. Clean up your rugged man with Old Spice.

On some levels, this ad may appeal to a man's need to aggress. This is a subtle motive, as Fowles writes, "There is always the danger that, as in the case of sex, if the appeal is too blatant, public opinion will turn against what is being sold (79)." Nothing is initially aggressive about this photo, at least not until we notice the man has two heads. The second head is a snarling, wild wolf. He also happens to have a patch covering his right eye. The slogan at the bottom reads, "Answer the smell of the wild." Despite being a clean-cut man of a high social status, this product will help him get back to his roots. On page 80, Fowles goes on to say that "Better disguised aggressive appeals are less likely to backfire." and on page 82 he writes, "Often humor masks aggression." Men want to smell nice to a potential mate, but they also want to smell like a man-- primal, rugged, and dangerous. Though the wolf's head tries to be intimidating, it is also quirky as it is also drinking the fruity, probably alcoholic drink from the pineapple. (Let's be honest: Who goes to a party and drinks from a pineapple? The whole purpose of the fruity drink is comic relief.) By using Old Spice, you can smell as clean and refreshing as the attractive man on the left. You will also give off the scent of an aggressive beast, a man that should not be messed with.

Being aggressive also appeals to the need to dominate. The two go hand-in-hand. On page 81, the author writes, "The need to dominate and control one's environment is often thought of as being masculine." The wolf's head, the snarl, and the eye patch all signify someone who is not afraid of anything. He can defend himself. He is strong, and he is always ready for whatever comes his way. The man's placement in front of the woman and taller height gives off the impression that he is the dominant one in this relationship. He is commanding of everything around him. No one can mess with him because he is an intelligent, wealthy man as well as a strong, wild animal. If you decide to acquire some Old Spice products with this new scent, you, too, can be as dominating as the man in this advertisement.

Old Spice never fails to give us a memorable advertisement. This advertisement in Game Informer appeals to young men in a number of ways with each underlying motive leading into the next, almost telling a story to the reader. We may each have a different interpretation for what we see on this piece of paper, but at least a couple of the aforementioned appeals should affect you whether or not you are conscious of it. Old Spice's new scent Wolfthorn helps a man smell like a man. Or maybe it'll make you smell like a dog. You decide.