The age-old question: what do women want?
Probably the most common techniques advertisers employ are attempts to play
off of existing insecurities
or to create new ones in order to sell us their client's stuff. By doing this they
can position their client's products as the solution you need and have been
looking for. When targeting men, advertisers frequently focus on two main
insecurities. The first centers around heterosexual male interactions with
women, primarily fears of being unable to attract female attention that may also
encompass communication issues or relationship difficulties. The second
focuses on social pressures for men to act masculine. In 2013 as in years past, these
techniques were heavily employed. For example, the ad that started this video
perfectly embodies the first approach. In an attempt to convince men to buy
Gillette shaving and styling products they asked models, that is, women who are
supposed to represent the pinnacle of desirability how hairy they like their men. This is Kate.
She likes a man with a little hair on his chest.
But definitely not on his back. This is Hannah. She likes a guy with a smooth stomach to show off his six pack. And this is Genesis. She likes a man who is completely hairless. She doesn't think that's weird. -I don't.
The ProGlide styler. Trim, shave, and edge. The one tool you need to get the look she wants. The night is yours. So pick a
model, use Gillette to shave the way she likes, she's yours for the night. Of course
Gillette isn't the only one to use these tactics. Take these ads for a clinic that
treats erectile dysfunction, for example.
Give them your money, and women young enough to be your granddaughter will be falling for you in no time. And here
are some more ads that use similar tactics. Both Maxwell and Ted have hail damage to their
cars. Ted is trying to get ahold of his insurance agent. Maxwell is not. He's on Geico.com
setting up an appointment with an adjuster. Ted is now on hold with his insurance
company. Maxwell is not and just confirmed a 5:30 time for Tuesday. Ted is still
waiting. Maxwell is out and about, with Ted's now-ex-girlfriend.
Oh, to suffer with dandruff that keeps coming back!
Women hate it.
But now, sad man, you are saved by a new anti-dandruff shampoo. Clear Men with
mint, ginseng, and tea tree.
Clear Men feeds your scalp and stops dandruff at the source! Ah, look at him now! Admire the scalp. He's heroic. Clear Man!
There was something about him... something that set him apart from the others.
He was different somehow.
I was afraid.
But intrigued. Then in the car.
I never had a chance.
Nice car.
It sure is.
Make a deal with me kid you can have the car and everything that goes with it.
Thanks. But I think I got this. Set your soul free. While ads that targeted older men took the basic use our product, get the girl approach,
ads that are targeted towards teens and younger men took a slightly different approach.
The world is facing one of the biggest crises in the history of history. Girls are getting hotter and hotter.
This is causing guys to lose their cool It's happening everywhere. That's why the people at Axe have developed a new Axe Chill collection. It helps guys keep
their cool before it's too late. Girls are getting hotter. Keep your cool with a new Chill collection from
Axe. Assuming that teens and young men are less experienced and more awkward around women, Axe positions themselves as the solution to that problem in much of
their advertising.
There was a time when guys accomplished great things.
But then women everywhere began getting hotter.
But it's not too late to keep your cool with new
Axe Black Chisel. Use our product and gain more confidence, or get the girl are the most obvious messages being relayed in ads like these
But they're not the only ones.
There are plenty of subtle messages about things like attractiveness, race, gender, socioeconomic status being relayed as well.
I challenge you to play closer attention to the full spectrum of messages in all the advertising you watch.
Next up are some ads that tell us how we should be reacting as men.
Are you just gonna stare at her?
It was weird. Good weird. She tasted like Doritos.
And you just wanted to do it again.
As gender roles evolve,
men are sometimes confused about their role in society.
Advertisers see this as an opportunity to position their product as the way to resolve this confusion.
These Luksusovwa Vodka print ads and the Dr. Pepper 10 and Dos Equis ads you'll see next are examples of advertisers trying to do this using irony and humor.
Dr. Pepper 10. Manliest low-calorie soda in the history of mankind.
Mmm. Bold flavor.
There are better things to fantasize about than teams of men.
It's a chance for the wolves to mingle with the sheep.
If you're a sheep... my condolences.
As you can see, the long-running most interesting man in the world campaign has started giving out opinions that are
at times homophobic, and potentially threatening.
Nonetheless, the James Bond-like, suave and worldly
yet hyper masculine character has started to inspire imitators.
Hello Cuervo.
Have an adventure.
Have an audience.
Have a disagreement.
Make up.
All night long.
Have a souvenir.
Have a sensitive side.
Have some friends over.
Have a second thought.
Just don't have any regrets. Cuervo. Have a story. -These next ads skip the irony and humor and go right to something more aggressive. They basically called the viewer unmanly and challenge
them to man up, by of course using the product being advertised.
Oh hey buddy! It's your great granddad here. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda busy fighting for your freedom
in the second World War.
But now, you're using that freedom to hurl insults at celebrities on
Twitter? Listen hashtag, if you're not gonna fight like a man, can you at least say it like a man?
Stop LOLing everything!
1800.
Before I send you out there, I thought we'd run down what's so new and improved about you.
That 1800 Tequila ad glorified bullying and using social pressure to make others conform.
But I have to give a trigger warning here, because these next set of ads glorify graphic violence and violence against women.
Take a suck.
Obviously it's not your attitude.
Let's begin with your sword work.
We've altered your reflexes, agility, and coordination.
You're welcome. -I've always known exactly where to stick my sword, sugar tits.
Your cyber eye allows you to see the world like never before.
Can I see through your dress with this thing?
No.
Then who gives a shit?
All right ma'am, we got them all lined up. Nail this little sucker. Come on. Which one is he. Point to him.
It's me. You shoulda gave me some more. I'm nasty.
I don't think I can do this.
It's easy. Just point to him.
You better not snitch on a player.
No.
He's wearing a do rag.
Snitches get stitches, boo.
Come on. It's the one with the four legs.
You thought you was gonna catch me. Keep your mouth shut. Keep your mouth shut.
Imma get out of here and Imma do you up.
Keep your mouth shut.
I can't do this. I can't do this. No! No! No!
She's just gotta do it.
You're never gonna catch me!
Remember when I mentioned subtle messages about race?
Well that last ad was far from subtle.
Thankfully, that's not all there was this year.
In 2013, I was able to find a number of ads that depicted men acting in kinder, more gentle ways.
Ah, Lily. She pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. And she's not exactly tidy.
Even if she gets a stain, she'll wear it for a week straight. So I use Tide to get out those week-old stains and Downey to get it fresh and soft. And since I'm the one who has to do the laundry,
I do what any expert dad would do.
I let her play sheriff.
I got 20 minutes to life.
You are free to go.
Would you rather play basketball in a fancy stadium or in a small driveway?
Yes.
A big fancy stadium.
Oh, really. Why is that?
Because you can fit more fans in there!
Oh. Do you have a lot of fans? Yes. Do you believe in yourself?
Mhm.
That's right.
No, I meant to raise my hand.
Oh.
It's not complicated.
We are a team, bound by blood,
man's knitwear,
and our own imaginations.
A team that shares our resources and pools our talent.
Where we each bring something different to the table.
We don't see eye to eye on everything, like bedtimes.
And brussel sprouts.But when we're in the game, we're in the zone. Because the things we
build together live forever.
We conceive the inconceivable.
Bridge the unbridgeable.
And when we've built as far as we can fathom, I see a guy who will always go that extra brick.
With me.
Let's build.
And there you have it. My overview of manly ads for 2013. There are plenty of ads I didn't have time to get to. Some
of which I write about on my blog, HowManly.com.
Head over to HowManly.com
for more thoughts on masculinity
in various forms of media.
If you're interested in trainings or presentations on these topics, or others that I cover, head over to my website, DuanedeFour.com to learn more about the services I offer.