Analysis of Deodorant Adverts

Charlie Veitch

Sure Men Xtra Cool

At the start of the advert, when the man sprays Sure’s new deodorant music starts to play which is very calm and laid back, the narrator then says “A day with Sure Men Xtra Cool” so the audience knows what the advert is going to be about to avoid any confusion

This shot is a close-up of the product that is being advertised, it is important to show a slide like this at least once as viewers may not be able to distinguish what is actually being advertised if the product has not been specified

A spotlight is constantly shone on the man to keep the audience’s focus on him. The man is then seen going about his daily routine with the feeling of using Sure Xtra Cool, he is shown ice-skating which suggests the deodorant makes him feel cool (which is in the product name) and makes him able to go through out his day without any problems or embarrassing moments from perspiration

We then see the man doing a very impressive acrobatic move, this is to suggest that if you use this product, you will not only do well in your tasks, you will excel in them as your mind wont be focused on unnecessary problems such as perspiration

The man is then seen socialising with his friends and is lifting up his arms without the worry of having sweat patches, he also is shown acting more confident around people

This scene depicts the man at the end of his working day, it shows the man being able to relax and as he has lifted up his arms, we are able to notice that the man hasn’t been sweating at all and makes viewers feel that this is an effective product that can be trusted

The last part to the advert is of the brand ‘Sure’ the slogan is also shown and the background is of ice to represent the product theme of being cool and refreshing

AnalysisPurpose/concept: the purpose of the Sure Men Xtra Cool advert is to portray what a day in the life of

somebody who uses this product feels like and that if customers use the product, they will get a similar feeling. The main emotion that is brought to light in this advert is confidence; when using the product, you are also obtaining confidence as you will not need to worry about perspiration and will be able to focus more on your task but what is probably more appealing to people is the fact the by using this product you are able to feel more confident around people as your mind won’t be focused on whether you are sweating or have body odour meaning you are able to feel more in control in social situations.

Conventions/techniques: the main convention in the advert is with the use of ice, it represents that you will not only feel cool but from the man ice-skating, your day will go smoothly without any unexpected problems; such as perspiration.

Target audience: the target audience of Sure Extra Cool is men, I know this because the advert is played out by a man but at the end there is also a statement that sais ‘for men’ which confirms that the product is for men.

Brand values: for Sure their brand values would be that they want their customers to buy their products and try to succeed in this by making their product as appealing as possible and to actually design a product that works so customers aren't being tricked into buying a non-effective product. The adverts will mainly focus on the confidence of the person, this is to create the feeling for the viewer that if they use the product, they too will feel more confident. This will appeal to more people as perspiration is can take away a person’s confidence so if this has been taken away, they will regain their confidence again. If the customer can see that the character in the advert is more confident, they are more likely to buy the product.

Lynx make love not war

At the start of the advert we see a tank driving through rubble which suggests this area has become a warzone

The second scene we see is of a North-Korean army rally which is currently a symbol of war as they aren't actually fighting but people relate this type of scene to conflict

The third scene we see is what looks to be a bomb detonator, at this point viewers may be getting worried as it seems the man will push the button and detonate the bomb

The advert then goes back to the tank in the warzone, we see a blonde women who symbolises purity standing her ground to the person in the tank as if she is against or has had enough of the conflict

The person then comes out of the tank and the woman comes to realisation that this is someone that is dear to her, whether that may be a family member, friend or a lover

We then go to another scene which at first looks like the army are going to raid as they are pointing their guns at the residents, we then come to discover that the man is actually in love with one of the people in this village

We then go back to the North-Korean part of the advert and the man who seems to be some kind of general actually creates a very romantic message towards his lover and holding of each others hands symbolize love as a pose to conflict

We then go back to the man who we think is about to detonate a bomb, however, when he presses the button, it actually releases fireworks which seem harmless as a pose to a bomb, then the slogan of Lynx’s campaign appears ‘Make love, not war’ which the whole advert is a symbol of

AnalysisPurpose/concept: the concept Lynx have created here is that love is greater than war and

in aid of Peace One Day, the purpose is that Lynx want to play their part and try and make people stop fighting for just one day.

Conventions/techniques: there are various conventions used such as using actual conflicts that are going on in the world right now to stop and make people think why in fact we are actually having conflicts such as this. One key convention that stood out for me is that when the blonde women meets her loved one, we see a close up of her red shoes, I feel this convention is powerful as although the background including its colour is grey which symbolizes that it is dead and lifeless, the red shoe symbolizes love and that is what keeps people going through hard times such as this.

Target market: the target market is anyone who uses deodorant so is probably people over the age of 12, which makes the advert relevant as people under this age will not be every familiar in the concept of conflict.

Brand values: this campaign will make people want to buy the new Lynx product ‘Lynx Peace’ as they will feel if they do, they are in some way contributing to the end of mass conflicts such as the examples shown. Lynx want to provide their customers with the best quality products they can so they know that customers aren’t wasting their time or money when purchasing Lynx products.

Old Spice body spray

At first we see Terry Crews randomly pop up and start shouting about how Old Spice can make a man feel more powerful, as this is funny and unexpected, viewers will already value the brand even though the advert has just started

We are then shown a man who seems to be very confused, his facial expression here is humorous as he is most probably feeling the same way as viewers

The mans clothes then randomly change to Egyptian clothing which is also unexpected, which the viewer finds funny

Terry crews then changes the man into a vending machine with the power of Old Spice body spray, this is also very random and comical that the man has been transformed into an inanimate object

Terry Crews then breaks the glass and grabs a bag of crisps and shrugs at the camera which portrays to us that there wasn’t really a point in what happened in the advert yet we feel we have been educated in the way in which old spice body spray works as it gives you a sense of power

AnalysisPurpose/concept: the purpose of the advert is to make people remember the

brand Old Spice and by their products as they too could feel as powerful as Terry Crews by using comedy and humour.

Conventions/techniques: the key convention used is humour in order to engage the audience, they have also used explosions and other over-the-top conventions to get across the feeling of power.

Target market: the target market here is men, I know this because at the beginning of the ad Terry Crews explains that Old Spice body spray can make a ‘man’ feel powerful, the advert is also aimed at men as they are talking about power and a man naturally wants to be powerful and act as an ‘alpha-male’.

Brand values: the brand values of Old Spice seem simple, they want to provide customers with an effective deodorant which leaves people feeling in control and not having to worry about perspiration; I feel this is where the theme of power comes in to play.