Masculinity and Feminist Elements in Advertisement
The advertisement features four primary characters. It starts with a sexy, fit middle-aged guy washing up at the swimming pool. A young sexy girl in a nearby building appears to be attracted to the gentleman at the pool. In addition, there is a young man in the same building who is drawn to the pool man's body and beauty. The girl and boy in the building realize that the pool man's physique and appearance. The girl and boy in the building realize that the pool man's fresh, sexy look is as a result of drinking a bottle of coke and they both rush in the refrigerator to grab a bottle of coke for themselves.
Impact of Advertisements on Purchasing Decisions
Rebecca Feasey (2009) indicates that there are a growing number of male grooming products where as such, men are continuously used to advertise those products in a shift from the popular feminine, sexist ads that feature women. Of late, there are ads that are built on masculinity. Feasey (2009) highlights that advertisements have a huge impact on people's purchasing decisions; for that matter, they continue to drive sales of popular brands, and at the same time, helps us understand the role of gender in society. This ad is fitting into Feasey's analysis.
Showcasing Masculinity in the Ad
The gentleman at the pool side is showcasing the masculine features. He is tall, handsome with an amazing physical appearance that is easily recognized the lady and boy in the nearby building. They are stolen by the superior masculine representation of the pool guy and that has been executed well by the brains behind the advert. In other words, the gentleman has been used to showcase male power, male beauty and influence. What is so interesting here is that the masculine nature of the man in the ad or the role of a male figure are used to attract the attention of both genders (male and female).
Shaping Purchasing Decisions Through Masculinity
The young girl in the nearby building is attracted to the gentleman's masculinity, tall, handsome and strong built body. She realizes that secret behind the man's strength and masculinity is because of drinking coca cola. Similarly, the young man in the same building is amazed at the physical strength and appearance of the gentleman in the ad at the poolside and quickly realizes that it is because of drinking coca cola. The two quickly rush to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of coke hoping that they too would magically become like the pool guy in the ad. This is a god representation of how masculinity is used to shape people's purchasing decisions because the young boy and girl in the nearby building have been made to believe that if they drink coca cola, they will be like the guy at the pool.
The Shift in Advertisement towards Masculinity
Feasey (2009) is emphasizing the growing trend in which masculinity is now becoming dominant in an industry in which feminist ads were the order of the day. Masculinity is now taking shape and its rightful place and is competing well with the feminist nature of previous ads in which the female body and looks have been commercialized. The advertisement industry has realized an introduction of various products that target the male client such as jewelry, toiletries, style and grooming goods. The male customer is now taking notice of their self-image, with bad breath, personal freshness, and body odor being the three issues that modern male clients care about in the modern age. Feasy (2009) is indicating that the gap between male and female growing has decreased significantly. This can be attributed to the changing sexual and cultural attitudes and the emergence of the metrosexual. Men aged under 25 years are being brought up in an area where male magazines have gained their rightful place in the social domain and men overall outlook has become a highly fancied endeavor.
The Use of Male Features in Marketing
Masculinity and looks, physical prowess, and male power are some of the main male features that current advertisers are using to market their products. Like in the ad under evaluation, it is clearly shown that male physical built, looks, and power are exploited to market the Coca cola drink. In other words, the advertiser is seeking to show potential clients that should they wish to amass physical strength, better looks, and freshness, they should not look further than the coke drink. This message is driven home as it can be seen clearly from the ad that the two people who were watching the pool guy are fascinated about the gentleman's looks and they realizes that the secret behind it is a drink of coke. They rush to the refrigerator to grab a bottle for themselves, and this is a perfect example of how the modern male features are being exploited by advertisers.
Changes in Masculinity and Coping with Social Change
Feasey (2009) further shows that an increase in sales can be attributed to the changes in masculinity, with increasing uncertainty regarding the male role within the home, workplace, family and wider gender unit. In addition, it has been suggested that the practice of lifestyle construction, which should be seen to include a focus on appearance and attractiveness for the contemporary male, might be seen to serve and important function as a means of coping with social change for the contemporary male. Additionally, one might choose to look at the aggressive economic model that the current beauty industry is based on. Feasey (2009) has explored the use of male body and its surrounding environment and notices that the male figure has taken a more important role in the advertisement world of today than it used to do in the previous eras.
Conclusion
In condition, this paper has evaluated a video ad through the leases of Feasey analysis of the role masculinity is playing in modern advertisement. Rebecca Feasey (2009) indicates that there are a growing number of male grooming products where as such, men are continuously used to advertise those products in a shift from the popular feminine, sexist ads that feature women. This phenomenon can be attributed to the changes in masculinity, with increasing uncertainty regarding the male role within the home, workplace, family and wider gender unit. Similarly, Feasy (2009) is indicating that the gap between male and female growing has decreased significantly. This can be attributed to the changing sexual and cultural attitudes and the emergence of the metrosexual. The coke ad is a succinct example of role of the male figure in the advertisement world of today.
Reference
Feasey, R. (2009). Spray more, get more: masculinity, television advertising and the Lynx effect. Journal of Gender Studies, 18(4), 357 — 368. DOI: 10.1080/09589230903260027
