Be a Man

Old Spice commercials are some of the most memorable and interesting to watch on TV. For as long as I can remember they have employed this idea that if you do not use Old Spice products, you are not a man. But their advertisements do not appeal to just the male population. In order to illustrate for the public what the "perfect" man is, Old Spice depicts their actors in a way that a woman would consider to be ideal. But their commercials are not at all serious. The humor is partly what draws the consumer in.
In this particular advertisement, Old Spice is telling the consumer that if you want to be a man you must smell like a man, and the only way to do that is to use Old Spice. All of their advertisements send the same message: using Old Spice products will make you a man. These advertisements, in my opinion are very effective. However, they could be argued as being too idealistic and setting an unattainable standard for men. The Old Spice ads depict the perfect man as being hansom, tall, muscular, and having a deep manly voice. But they also show him as being wealthy, creative, smart, and powerful. Unlike ads directed towards women, the Old Spice ads do not focus on physical attributes alone. To me this is what makes the Old Spice ads stand out among the rest.

American Apparel Advertising: Genius or Dangerous?

Whether you shop at American Apparel or not, you have seen or at least heard of their advertisements. American Apparel is widely known for their provocative ads. When advertising clothes, like in the picture to the left, the model usually is just wearing the piece of clothing, sheer or not. The picture to the left is actually one of their modest advertisements too. Most clothing companies would steer clear of using nudity in their ads, but American Apparel is proud of it.

When I saw my first American Apparel ad it was for a lace body suit and the model was just wearing the lace body suit. Honestly, I couldn't believe a clothing company would allow such an ad. From a consumers point of view I was amazed by how daring American Apparel was to publish that type of ad. The ad did not make me want to buy the body suit, but I definitely remembered the ad and talked about it later with friends, which is exactly what American Apparel wanted me to do. American Apparel is proud of their advertisements because it sets them apart from their competitors and also catches the eye of anyone looking at it.

After researching their advertising strategy, I realized how much thought and meaning there actually is in their advertisements, not just to be different and sexual. On their website they state, "Our iconic ads reflect the diversity, individuality and independent spirit this company was founded on, with little regard for mainstream advertising trends." They also explain that all of their ads are made and produced fully by them. They do not hire ad agencies, make up artists, retouchers, or stylists and their models are fans, friends, and employees, not anyone famous. Their unique approach is actually quite genius. They don't produce provocative ads because they want to "be sexy", they produce provocative ads because it portrays their diversity. They also save money by doing it all themselves and not having to pay anyone else to do it. They aren't like a normal clothing company nor do they produce normal advertisements, but that's why they've been so successful so maybe they actually have the advertising world figured out and other companies have yet to catch on.

Advertisement source: http://www.americanapparel.net/presscenter/ads/ad.aspx?i=8979

American Apparel website: http://www.americanapparel.net/presscenter/ads/index.aspx

TIME Names Creepiest Product Mascots

As a way of acknowledging Burger King's recent decision to do-away with the King mascot following a seven-year run, TIME has compiled a list of the Top 10 Creepiest Product Mascots of all-time. These mascots did all they could to keep their products on the minds of the public, but managed to unsettle them in the process.

First on the list is, of course, the King. In his years as Burger King's mascot, millions were exposed to the bearded king with the beatific grin and a penchant for misbehavior. But wait...there's more! Also making the list is Count Chocula, whose "wiry fingers" and "single sharpened incisor hanging from his jaw" failed to scare children away from eating the sugary cereal he was born to promote. Other selections include the original Ronald McDonald (no argument here; I mean just look at that image above), the Dairy Queen Lips (uhh...okay) and The Hamburglar (oh come on...seriously?). The list makes for an entertaining read, if for no reason other than to stroll down memory lane and see some of the characters you saw in old commercials.

The consensus opinion seems to be that "creepy" mascots are a bad thing for companies to utilize, though I'm not sure I agree. These mascots tend to remain in people's minds, ensuring that they think about the product. Furthermore, I'm not certain that Burger King has the right idea when they blame their financial problems on the mascot. In fact, the Burger King mascot had become a celebrity, in his own way. Did they not think it possible to promote the healthier foods on their menu using the king? I don't see this move helping their situation. Perhaps the king will make a return one day.

Here is a link to TIME's list of the Ten Creepiest Mascots