Media Studies: Component 1 Products

Set Product Fact Sheets

Magazine Advert

Social Context

Overview

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The Old Spice ‘Smell Like A Man’ campaign poster (2010) was a transformative mass market campaign for the aftershave brand. Prior to 2010 the Old Spice brand was associated with a much older, more mature male audience. This magazine advert was a continuing part of a campaign that sought to reposition the brand and make it more accessible to younger audiences.

Early American Old Spice was developed around a colonial theme and therefore often used nautical symbols as its trademark.

Product and campaign in direct competition with Dove Men during Superbowl ad break in 2010; Dove focussed on challenging the dominant attitudes towards masculinity but still spoke into a white, western, heterosexual mass audience.

Wealthy, western, heterosexual mass audience; campaign targeted women. Product aimed at men 18-34.

Reinforces a patriarchal society and heterosexuality as valued.

Significant message for audiences in use of black actor.

Initially targeting sports fans (through NFL reference and Superbowl TV spot) which is reinforced through body type.

Global conglomerate brand.

OCR A Level Media

Set Product Fact Sheets

Cultural Context

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Women responsible for over 50% of men’s body wash purchases. Men’s fragrance global market valued at $9.1bn.

Viral advertising and use of social media becoming an important tool for success in a competitive market.

Traditional forms of advertising influenced by the conventions of social media communication in postmodern era.

Use of celebrity to appeal to mass audience; stars are like commodities and ‘endorsement’ (particularly) that of a celebrity, is more important in a social media society.

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/history-advertising-no-191-old-spices-smell-manman-campaign/1436615

If there was a defining moment when advertisers started to get a proper handle on social media marketing, it was when an ex-American football star called Isaiah Mustafa was drafted in to save Old Spice from oblivion.

Promising women he was "the man your man could smell like", the towelclad hunk fronted what would go on to be hailed as one of the most popular ever viral campaigns.

The campaign was so different from much of the formulaic work that prevailed at the time and helped convince other mainstream advertisers that they needed to push the boundaries if they were going to connect with a younger generation of consumer who had become desensitised to the effects of traditional marketing.

What made its success all the more astonishing was that the campaign was for Old Spice, a neglected Procter & Gamble brand that had lost ground to more hip rivals such as Axe and whose very name seemed to underline how outdated it had become.

Appointed in 2006 to transform Old Spice’s fortunes, Wieden & Kennedy vowed to turn the brand’s weakness into its strength. With a 70-year heritage, surely the brand could not be better positioned to be an expert on masculinity, it reasoned.

Moreover, it discovered that women were responsible for more than 50% of bodywash purchases – an insight that defined the strategy of the first ad that debuted during the Super Bowl on 8 February 2010. W&K quickly followed up with an interactive digital campaign capitalising on the popularity of the "Old Spice Guy" in which he responded to personal video messages from his fans.

Its success went beyond the wildest dreams of agency and client with 5.9 million YouTube views on the first day alone. By the end of 2010, Old Spice had become the leading bodywash brand for US men with sales up 125%.

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The Old Spice commercial scooped the Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix in 2010. Mark Tutssel, the jury president, described it as "the perfect film".

More people viewed the "response" videos on the first day they ran than watched President Obama’s 2008 election-night acceptance speech.

Within a week of the campaign’s launch, Twitter followers of Old Spice increased by 2,700%.

The number of Facebook fans rose ninefold.

OCR A Level Media

Set Product Fact Sheets Hydrating and fuelling the new world's most expensive player. Gareth Bale believes. Do you?

Overview

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Social Context

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This ad was posted on Facebook by Lucozade Sport on 1st September 2013.

The Lucozade ‘I believe’ campaign poster from 2013 was part of a £4m mass market campaign to educate consumers about how the soft drink brand can help improve people’s sports performance, and features footballer Gareth Bale as a key brand ambassador.

Historically a brand sold to mass audience as ‘Glucozade’, a glucose drink meant to provide energy to the sick.

The campaign ran across TV, digital and print platforms with Gareth Bale and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as brand ambassadors. Bale had recently been transferred to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hot Spurs so was becoming an international star.

The TV campaign drew 63 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), including one from the National Hydration Council, challenging the claim that this drink "hydrates and fuels you better than water." The ASA said the phrase did not appear on the list of EU authorised health claims relating to "carbohydrateelectrolyte drinks" and therefore was banned by the regulator.

Western, urban, mass audience; campaign targeted men 25-34.

Reinforces a patriarchal society and heterosexuality as valued; masculinity defined by strength and performance through sport references.

Targeting diverse audience through use of varying ethnicities across campaign.

Gareth Bale is best known for his momentous top goal score and as he started playing at a young age and grew up in a working class family, he is a relatable international star.

Global conglomerate brand.

OCR A Level Media

Cultural Context

Set Product Fact Sheets

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Age of viral marketing through social media causes increased competition and likelihood of bold or even false claims.

Premier League football stars are already globally recognised but Real Madrid is one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Use of celebrity to appeal to mass audience; stars are like commodities and ‘endorsement’ (particularly) that of a celebrity, is more important in a social media society.

Postmodern era influences the non-linear and intertextual approach to campaign.

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/gareth-bale-fronts-4m-i-believe-lucozade-campaign/1193260

The 'I Believe' work uses the strapline, "Hydrates and fuels you better than water," across close-up images of the two footballers, to push owner GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) association with sport.

The campaign, created by Grey London, launches later this week and will run across TV, digital and press platforms, including sampling activity.

It launches with ambassador Bale a hot topic in the sports world, with reports linking the Tottenham Hotspur star with a record £85m transfer to Spanish club Real Madrid.

Both Bale and Oxlade-Chamberlain are being used in the campaign to support the claim that Lucozade Sport helps sports participants across the UK to improve their endurance performance, by drinking the soft drink instead of water before and during matches.

Steven Spinola, senior brand manager at Lucozade Sport, GSK, said: "The ‘I Believe’ campaign will bring the Lucozade Sport 'Hydrates and fuels you better than water' claim to life and reinforce how we are combining our scientific expertise with product innovation to help athletes across the UK and Ireland to reach their sporting potential through nutrition."

OCR A Level Media

Set Product Fact Sheets

Poster Campaign

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Social Context

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The UK based housing and homelessness charity launched an advertising campaign in 2011 that was produced for those at risk of homelessness to point them to Shelter’s free services and guide them to seek advice on issues around homelessness earlier.

Campaign set out to shock but without using gimmicks as the aim was to get people to empathise with real people.

Non-mainstream campaign with a social focus was displayed in ‘hotspots’ for housing problems in the UK. The campaign ran through mobile messaging and Facebook too; a very individualised approach.

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Highlights inequalities of wealth in society and differences in wealth in society.

Targeting both men and women, families; people from ethnic minorities and also those who would find it difficult to seek help.

Cultural Context

Overview

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Current economic struggle and housing crisis.

50% of people don’t seek external advice when they encounter housing problems.

Audiences are arguably desensitized to ‘shocking’ images to draw attention to causes such as this.

Prosumer generation and social media puts focus on individual stories; shows how this type of narrative is having an impact across platforms.

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OCR A Level Media

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Set Product Fact Sheets https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/shelter-campaign-urges-people-seek-housing-advice/1086128

Shelter, the housing and homeless charity, has launched a poster ad campaign to drive people facing housing problems to seek earlier advice.

The campaign, created by Amplify and produced on a pro-bono basis, consists of three outdoor posters showing an extreme close-up of three people.

The posters will be up for six weeks in areas that have been identified as "hotspots" for housing problems. They will be supported by digital and mobile activity, with media buying handled by Manning Gottlieb OMD. Each poster depicts a different challenge that can affect the security of people’s homes when personal situations change, such as losing a job and the impact of paying off debt. The posters use the strapline "We can help".

Shelter aims to measure the impact of the campaign by tracking traffic to its website, www.shelter.org.uk, and by monitoring attitudes to housing in the areas the ads are running in.

Kay Boycott, director of campaigns, policy and communications at Shelter, said: "In these tough economic times, more and more people across the country are struggling to keep their heads above water and are in desperate need of our help.

"Fifty per cent of people don’t seek external advice when they encounter housing problems, so our priority in this campaign is to increase the number of people coming to us for help and reaching a positive outcome.

"Visitors to our online advice pages have increased by over a third in the last year, proving that there’s a growing demand for digital guidance. We hope the campaign will have a significant impact in showing people who have been hit by difficult times that help is just a click away, while raising the profile of housing issues further."

In March, Shelter released a humorous film starring comedian Sean Locke to raise awareness of the dangers tenants can face from rogue private landlords.

OCR A Level Media

Set Product Fact Sheets

Emeli Sande “Heaven” (2011)  

Cultural Context

Social Context

Overview

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Zambian-Scottish background, born in 1987.

Career in songwriting for big British artists inc. Tinie Tempah and Leona Lewis.

Made a big break feat. with Chimpunk in ‘Diamond Rings’ (2009).

The video premiered on Sande’s own Youtube Channel and released as debut single; labelled record of the week by Fearne Cotton on BBC Radio 1.

“I definitely believe in God and I believe in Heaven, although I don’t follow religion. ‘Heaven’ was about trying to be good.”

Virgin Records (US) and EMI Records (UK) Genre: Pop, R&B, Soul In 2014, Emeli Sande launched the Yamaha Community Clavinova Programme to support music in communities; charities, youth groups, nursing homes, schools, etc.

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Urban youth mainstream, audience Mainstream, urban, British artist, marketed and backed by American label.

Audience with social conscience; millennials driving focus on social responsibility and Emeli Sande is emphasising her own ideological view of the world.

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Mainstream artists are often represented as glamorous within their setting.

Significant events: London Riots in 2011 painted a negative image of urban youth in the press. Arab Spring in 2011 (Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, Syria etc.) governments were overturned and war broke out; ‘Facebook Girl’ an activist in Egypt became famous through her first hand reporting on the events.

Youtube important way to promote music and tell individual stories.

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OCR A Level Media

Set Product Fact Sheets

Fatboy Slim “Ya Mama” (2000)

Overview

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Cultural Context

Social Context

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British, born 1963 Recognised as an alternative artist of Big Beat genre, but Fatboy Slim brought this into the mainstream – Brit Award winning artist.

Known for ‘goofy and ironic’ brand image as a DJ. Ya Mama was released on a Double A side with the Chemical Brothers.

Music Video Production Association Awards 2002: Best International Video.

Reached 30 in UK Charts.

Produced by Traktor, Scandinavian company and shot in Grenadine, Caribbean Island.

He says of the name: "It doesn't mean anything. I've told so many different lies over the years about it I can't actually remember the truth. It's just an oxymoron, a word that can't exist. It kind of suits me, it's kind of goofy and ironic.”

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Targeting UK primarily but growing international audience.

Niche audience, festival goers, ravers.

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Song used in Charlie’s Angels (2000) and Spy Kids (2001).

Includes reference to Tom and Jerry and Baby Puss (TV shows from 1940s remade in 80s).

Fatboy Slim known for pushing boundaries with videos.

Influenced the Chemical Brothers Do it Again video,

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OCR A Level Media

Set Product Fact Sheets

Political Context

Cultural Context

Social Context

Overview

The Big Issue Set up by John Bird, made homeless at age 5, lived in orphanages, ended up washing pots in the Houses of Parliament, and how he is a member of the House of Lords!  Launched in 1991, the Big Issue is a niche magazine outside the commercial mainstream. Award winning magazine offers employment opportunities to people in poverty. Inspired by ‘Street News’ in NY.  Is a multi-million pound social enterprise that aims to dismantle poverty by creating opportunity. “A hand up not a handout.”  Great video ‘about’ the company at www.bigissue.com/about/  Company has kept with the times by expanding its online profile and engaging with celebrity culture.  Weekly magazine, Current Affairs/Entertainment genre, £2.50 on the street or subscribe online, released every Monday. Hybrid newspaper/magazine.          

Sold on the streets by those who need income and opportunity to break out of cycle of poverty.

Audience are passing trade in city centres, the masses, commuters.

Context targets and highlights range of social groups, alternative to mainstream.

Not-for-profit organisation; criticised for enabling migrants to access benefits.

Engages with popular culture to appeal to wide and diverse audience.

Mainstream media increasingly able to represent minorities and individual’s stories with rise of social media and demand for diversity on TV; arguably greater tolerance towards those in poverty with mass of social movements.

Criticised by mainstream publishers for emulating commercial styles and stories.

Liberal views and organisational structure.

No direct political alignment.

Represents big political and social issues within the magazine in an entertaining way.

OCR A Level Media