Advertisement Analysis Essay: The Rare Scent

The Rare Scent
Visual advertisements are straight and to the point for some people. People do not take into account the visual messaging going on throughout the ad. It takes companies a considerable amount of time to create advertisements that are somewhat appealing to the human eye. By adding bright colors and large letters the ad will grab anyone’s attention. In fact, people will be able to see it and read it from a distance better. To show that there are many of small details in a visual advertisement, look at the Old Spice Matterhorn shower gel advertisement.
Old Spice, the refreshing shower gel, will make every guy come back for more. The new hydrating shower gel, Matterhorn, turns numerous sweaty men into a “chick magnet” within seconds. Any man can be the best smelling in the world after giving this shower gel a try. Even after a hot day at work or the gym this product will provide you with eight hours of ice, wind, and freedom (Procter & Gamble 1). Advertisements are very descriptive and have a great deal of meaning that people do not

visualize.
In figure 1, Isaiah Mustafa, who was an actor and a National Football League practice squad wide receiver, has earned his name as the “Old Spice Guy.” He has appeared on numerous Old Spice advertisements and in commercials. His participation in the National Football League, may have given him an advantage for selling Old Spice products.
Figure 1 shows a variety of things that go on during a winter wonderland on the man’s body.

All of the people on his body are working together to show that whoever uses this shower gel, others will want to be around. Old Spice’s statement that they put at the bottom of the advertisement flows smoothly with what is going on. The statement does not catch a person’s eye right away, since the snow-covered man is the main feature. After analyzing all the people on the man, then scanning towards the bottom of the advertisement people may finally read the statement, only then will the ad make sense. This advertisement is not so overloaded or extreme that it stresses people out or confuses them. The winter theme works together to show the eight hours of ice, wind, and freedom (Procter & Gamble 1). Especially, when people in the advertisement are skiing, bobsledding, climbing, or sitting in a hot tub during the middle of

winter.
Along with all of fun activities taking place throughout the man’s body, they somewhat create a direction for people’s eyes to follow. Typically humans analyze other people from the face and work their way down their body. This is the way the bobsledders are going in figure 1, as well as the man trapped in the snowball. Old Spice did this to make our eyes work down towards their product and statement at the bottom. The statement color blends into the snow, so Old Spice did not want it to be the main point of attention. Additionally, there are outlines of drifts as the snow goes down the man’s body. The drifts outline his pectoral muscles, as well as some of his abdominal muscles. The advertisement also includes some perspective with the use of the ski lift going off into the distance. It can be assumed that the ski lift is going to get more people to bring them to this magnificent man wonderland.
All of the low intensity colors used in figure 1 are calm and inviting. The sunny, light blue sky makes the snow stand out even more. Also, the sky is clear, meaning the air is clean too. In addition, the background is relevant for the advertisement, since the sky symbolizes happiness and cleanliness. The man’s darker skin color resembles the shell of the mountain. It is better to have a darker skinned man than a lighter skin man, the snow stands out more this way. Also, the top of the man’s head is above the clouds, since the peak of the mountain is above the clouds.
The medium of figure 1 is a poster on the internet, but it includes wording at the bottom. In addition, the statement helps to sum up the overall message of the advertisement. A poster was the best thing to use because a poster gets the point across and it is less expensive. Any person does not want to sit around for thirty seconds to watch an advertisement about a shower gel. It may be beneficial for Old Spice to make a Super Bowl commercial. The commercial would make the product more famous and be viewed by millions more of people. The commercial would be a great idea, since Isaiah was part of the National Football League, people might buy shower gel because he uses it.
Overall, there are many small details in an advertisement that most people do not realize. From colors, the slogans, mediums advertisements take much of time to plan all of those details to make the ad flow smoothly. By adding the light blue sky and snow on the Old Spice guy represents the feeling men will get when they use this product. If Old Spice changed the background to black the advertisement would have a whole different meaning. Every detail is linked to the next detail, which added to the final outcome. The next time one comes across an advertisement, think about all the planning and details that make the advertisement appealing to the eyes.