The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

I chose this advertisement because I found it hilarious. It is an actual commercial, yet it does not take itself too seriously and it seems to bring attention to ads that try to define “proper” gender behavior. The ad features what most women would perceive as the “perfect” man: he is rich, romantic and handsome. This man is aware of his own perfection and instructs women to compare him to their own men. He then blatantly proclaims that “sadly” most men are not like him, but the least they could do is smell like him. And of course, they will achieve so by using the Old Spice body wash that the ad is trying to promote. While this commercial has a tone of lightheartedness, it is still a good example of how ads can make men and women feel insecure about themselves. This specific ad promotes a standard for the “ideal” man, and implies that no man is man enough unless he resembles the Old Spice “prototype”, even if it just on the level of smell.  This way, consumers will buy the product because in their minds it linked to all the male attributes that women apparently find desirable. What makes the ad humorous to me is the deliberately obvious link between buying the product and becoming an ideal man.

(Video taken by the Old Spice YouTube channel)