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Advertisements today are directed towards very specific crowds. Young people are often subjected to watch hours upon hours of commercials telling them how to lose weight, how to get better skin, how to buy expensive clothes, and all for what? People today are subjected to commercials and ads telling them that they are not perfect because they are too fat, or too skinny, they’re legs are too long, or they’re hands are too small. Young girls think the beautiful (and rare) models they see on the television are how they should look when they grow up. Young boys are promoted to be muscle meatheads or that they need to wear the most expensive clothes to get the girls. All of these things are frowned upon by the older generations. I know when I was little my parents tried to limit the amount of pressuring commercials I watched.
Most normal women who see Victoria Secret ads are always upset because they never look like the exotic beauties they see on the television screen. The fact of the matter is, no one does! Those models are hunted for all across the world to model for Victoria’s Secret. It is sad that young girls and older women as well feel ugly or self-conscious just because they cannot squeeze into a tiny bathing suit or have perfectly toned abs. Luckily, other brands such as Dove have come up with new ways to solicit their items. Dove commercials consist of several different types of women, all with different body sizes, skin colors, and facial features. They promote a true healthy woman and end every commercial reminding all women that they are beautiful. Dove has also started summer camps for young girls to promote self esteem and value their personality and mind more so than what they “should” look like, according to other commercials.
Another example of promoting material happiness is the Axe men’s deodorant commercials. These commercials promote men to use Axe’s great smelling body wash or deodorant, and they will get women. Women will automatically be drawn to the man just because he is wearing a certain kind of deodorant. I find it pretty pathetic, because in actuality most women do not even think that it smells good and is too strong.
In the actual commercial there is usually a man either in the shower or about to run or workout in a gym. He takes out his deodorant or body wash and puts it on, immediately there are women climbing up the walls of the man’s house to get to him or women jumping over workout equipment to get to him. Seeing it is all very melodramatic I laugh at how ridiculous the girls look and how they are seen as obsessed with the guy…well his deodorant or body wash that is. This ad is aimed at the younger generations. Teenage boys eat these kinds of commercials up. I cannot even begin to tell you how many guys in my middle school and high school wore Axe deodorant and how they would smell up the classroom and half the girls would spend the whole class coughing. Instead of looking at the boys with awe, girls would scrunch up their noses and ask to go to the bathroom to escape the toxic smell. It is pretty ridiculous how gullible younger generations can be.
In a sense, commercials such as Victoria’s Secret and Axe can be seen as false advertisements because if you buy lingerie you are not sexier, and if you buy smelly deodorant you will not have women flocking to you. Yet, these ads are successful, the companies do sell their products in surplus, and generations continue to go on feeling there are one hundred more things that can make them better or cooler. These kinds of commercials usually do not involve any talking. These kinds of commercials do not really need talking in order to display their messages, as they are quite clear. Sexy clothes plus sexy deodorant equals well…sex. You will be able to get all the boys/girls you want with these items. You will “score more” in more age appropriate terms. These two kinds of commercials also downplay the negatives of their product very well. For example, Victoria’s Secret never mentions how much their products are, and for good reason too. Victoria’s Secret is one of the most over-priced stores of our time. They can be because so many people want to buy their products. Another example is in the Axe commercials, the man is usually a gawky nerdy kid who would not usually get beautiful girls crawling all over him, but this ends up happening. That is usually not how things work in most high schools and colleges.
The strategies most companies use to make successful commercials are to aim towards younger crowds and use sex appeal as the main focal point. This is what sells millions of products nationwide every year. The ability to combine several different aspects of making people feel good about themselves is the true success to all commercials.
In the Victoria’s Secret commercials there are a lot of flashing lights and loud music. The models are often laying, sitting, or walking in some sort of sexual way to promote the outfit they have on. It is often dark with just lights on the models. The music is loud and there are usually words to the songs because there are never really very many words in the commercial. Victoria’s Secret commercials are very visual; there is not a need for words to get their message across. Victoria’s Secret flashes across the bottom of the screen and usually the date of their semi-annual sale is also listed. In the rare occasion there is a voiceover in the commercial, and it is usually one of the foreign models with an exotic accent to entice the women purchasers and the men watchers.
In order to create an anti-advertisement for Victoria’s Secret, I would down play the sex appeal greatly, one because the percent of viewers watching usually includes a high number of young children who do not need to be subjected to that much at such an early age, and two because most women do not look like the models do! Women and self-confidence are two words that need to coincide with each other more. Whether it be in their smile or their kindness, all women are beautiful in their own unique way. Another thing I would do is show different types of women in the commercial, whether it be heavier women or petite women. Let the women viewers get a chance to see someone like herself on the television screen. I would also incorporate more talking into the ad, things such as, sales, new items, or even low prices. The viewer should get more of an idea of what they are purchasing before they actually do.
I would want to make the commercial much less intimidating as well. The music in the commercials on television now is loud and almost cocky to an extent. I would want to soften the music and add more laughter and smiling. When women are more confident in their own body, they naturally are more confident in the workplace, with their husband, and even in day-to-day activities such as shopping and raising children. An anti-ad promoting womanhood as an empowering and beautiful thing no matter the shape or size is far more successful than displaying women as sex objects. My anti-advertisement would enable true values to shine through the façade of most generic commercials who seem to have all male writers and are only about promoting one thing. More woman friendly ads need to be found on television, especially since funny enough, there are more women in the world’s population then there are men.
In an anti-advertisement regarding the Axe commercials I would also take out a lot of the sex appeal just because it is inappropriate for younger viewers and very unrealistic. My anti-advertisement would be loud and proud so that men watching would be interested, but they would not be given ridiculous hope that a woman will want them for how they smell. I would make the commercial more geared towards the Axe deodorants practicality. For example, the commercial could consist of a guy getting ready for the day but is in a rush so he forgets to put on his deodorant, then as he is going down the stairs someone passes him and plugs their nose, as the words “Do you stink?” flash across the screen in a bright and bold red because the Axe bottle is red with red lettering. After the words flash across the screen, the man smiles to himself as he pulls out his Axe deodorant and puts it on, then a pretty girl walks by him outside on the street, inhales, and winks at the man.
The music would be quirky and fun, generating a comedic edge to the script of the commercial. I would include sound effects also, for example, the person walking by plugging their nose would say “phewww”. This would be a lot more funny than sexy. The comedy would alleviate the pressures most young men feel when it comes to attracting ladies, they would not have to feel pressured by this anti-advertisement thinking that the only way to get women is by using this certain kind of deodorant. This new commercial would get the message perfectly across without having to worry about giving false hope to young boys or being too inappropriate for young eyes.
I think both of these anti-advertisements would be very successful simply because they are more honest. Honesty may not get you to the top of the political totem pole, but it will surely make television viewers more opt to buying a product they can relate too and not receive false hope from. People would be a lot more appreciative of the company and their products. Dove’s sales have gone way up since they started promoting beauty in all shapes and sizes. I think that Axe and Victoria’s Secret can promote their products with honesty and integrity all while still having a cute sexy appeal to viewers, young and old alike!
Secondary Source
“Campaign For Real Beauty.” Dove Campaign For Real Beauty. Ed. Jan Yager. Dove Beauty Products, 23 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. <http://www.dove.us/#/us_landing.aspx/>.
ENC1101-10 Fall 2009 Paper #3 Project 