Reading Response #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TusJ8HSLaUs

The commercial I chose was about Old Spice prescription strength deodorant, and Neil Patrick Harris (who as a child actor played a doctor on a sitcom) was featured as the main character.

It starts out with Harris walking through swinging hospital doors wearing doctor’s clothing. There are people all around him, one woman walks by with a really fake looking amputated arm in her hands. Harris starts speaking once he opens the doors and says “Chronic body odor ruins lives.” Continuing down the hallway Harris says that the deodorant will cure your body odor and you don’t even need a prescription to get it. Right when he says this the camera flashes to a man and a woman making out. Harris then enters the room where his “patient” is located. He walks over with a stethoscope, and says “I used to be a pretend doctor so I can recommend this product” basically making it seem like he knows what he’s talking about. As he says this he places the stethoscope on the patient’s head and you hear a continued beep showing that the patient had died. The final image you see is the product and the words “you don’t need a prescription.”

Old Spice is using a few interesting techniques to grab the viewer in this particular commercial. They first bring in Harris (a popular actor) to make people want the product. This is effective because people might think “since Neil Patrick Harris says it works, maybe it really does work.” The makers of the commercial are bringing someone into the commercial that the viewers trust, in our culture people often look up to celebrities. A myth that was integrated into the commercial was when you see the man and woman making out after Harris says that the product will cure your problems. Implying that because you don’t smell you might get “action.” This is a stereotype that most of us as Americans experience often, the idea that “if I smell good guys/girls will like me.” Although it could get someone’s attention it won’t get you a girlfriend. The commercial was funny but very unrealistic and hopefully people realize that after watching it.