Magazines: Industries & Men's Health

Monday, June 10, 2019

Magazines: Industries & Men's Health

To explore the Industries context for Men's Health we need to study Hearst publishing and look at the impact of digital media on the print magazine industry.

This means interrogating why the internet has had such a devastating effect on certain print brands and why some other magazines are continuing to thrive in the digital age. We also need to spend some time on the Men's Health website and consider the similarities and differences to what we've found in the print version of the magazine.

Notes from the lessons

Men's Health UK is published by Hearst Publishing UK, a subsidiary of Hearst Communications.

Hearst Communications is an American media conglomerate based in New York that is over 130 years old and is still owned by the Hearst family.

It owns a range of media and business information brands including American newspapers, magazines (e.g. Cosmopolitan), half of the A&E Network TV channel and 20% of US sports broadcaster ESPN.

It employs 20,000 people and its 2016 revenue was $10.8 billion.

Hearst Publishing UK

Hearst UK publishes over 20 magazine titles including Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Inside Soap and more.

Hearst UK brands reach 30% of UK women and 25% of UK men. They sell over 4m magazines a month and have 17m UK digital unique users.

Hearst UK has also diversified into events and other licensed brand extensions (e.g. Esquire Townhouse pop up members club, Country Living sofas and Men’s Health home gym equipment).

 

The impact of digital media on the magazine industry

Some key questions:

• Why has digital media (the internet) had such a devasting effect on the magazines industry?
• When did YOU last buy a magazine?
• Who IS buying magazines?

Suggestions for SWOT analysis of the impact of digital media on magazines:

• Strengths: Magazine brands are well established to diversify online, audiences already know and like them.
• Weaknesses: Print publishers do not have the expertise or knowledge of digital – it is a very different medium.
• Opportunities: Magazines can find new audiences online.
• Threats: Audiences will stop buying paper products and expect everything online for free.

Digital media has had a devastating effect on the print magazines industry. 

• Print sales fell by 42% from 23.8m to 13.9m between 2010 and 2017. 
• Back in 2000, sales were over 30m – signalling a 55% decline in just 17 years.
• Advertising in consumer magazines has fallen from £512m in 2010 to £250m in 2017. 
• Google and Facebook now dominate online advertising (they account for 65% of the UK digital ad market).

As a result of these changes, many magazines have closed.

Digital media: Hearst and Men’s Health

Hearst UK has posted losses in recent years due to the decline in the magazines market.

Men’s Health has also declined in recent years from a circulation high of 228,000 in 2008 to 146,000 now. However, it has moved up and down in recent years (dropping to 160,000 in 2016 before going up to 180,000 in 2018) which shows decline is not necessarily inevitable.


Men's Health - Industries case study blog tasks

This is a comprehensive case study covering a range of Industry contexts. It is divided into three sections: Hearst publishing, the impact of digital media and Men's Health online platforms. You will need to allow for at least two hours to work through the following tasks.

Hearst publishing

Research Hearst publishing by looking at the Hearst UK website and the Wikipedia entry for parent company and conglomerate Hearst Communications.

1) Hearst UK is part of Hearst Communications. What is Hearst Communications and where is it based?

Hearst Communications, often referred to simply as Hearst, is an American mass media and business information conglomerate based in New York City.

2) What media industries and brands make up the Hearst Communications conglomerate?
Hearst owns newspapers, magazines, television channels, and television stations. It owns 50% of the A&E Networks cable network group and 20% of the sports cable network group ESPN, both in partnership with The Walt Disney Company.

3) What was the global revenue for Hearst Communications (in dollars) for the most recent year on record?

The global revenue for Hearst Communication in 2016 was $10.8 billion.

4) Focusing on Hearst UK, what other magazine brands are part of Hearst UK publishing? How many UK people do they reach in print and online?

Hearst Magazines UK comprises 19 magazines and 26 websites including media super brands, Cosmopolitan, Digital Spy, ELLE, Esquire, Good Housekeeping and Harper's Bazaar.

Read this Campaign interview with Hearst UK CEO James Wildman.

5) What is James Wildman's plan for Hearst UK?
His aim is to grow share in print to stem decline, accelerate growth in digital, diversify revenues through events and partnerships, and look at acquisitions. 

6) What percentage ad decline are consumer magazines facing?
That will be tough when consumer magazines are facing ad declines of more than 10% this year, money is flowing to Google and Facebook, and online influencers are chipping away at print brands.


7) What Wildman think about premium content and paywalls?
Wildman admits "the headwinds are tough" for online advertising. "I think we should charge for our premium content," he says, citing "the most extraordinary recipe archive" at Good Housekeeping as an example. But he says no paywalls are planned yet.


8) How has Hearst used diversification to grow the business?
Diversification looks the best way to grow. Hearst runs about 100 events a year and he plans to focus on fewer, bigger events such as Esquire Town House. Merchandising deals such as a Country Living range of sofas with DFS have been a money-spinner.


Read this Hearst UK press release for their late 2018 ABC figures.

9) Is Men's Health increasing or decreasing in circulation?
Cosmopolitan continues to be the highest circulating monthly young women’s glossy. Its combined ABC shows a -20.55% pop decrease, predominantly due to a price increase from £1 to £2.


10) What does the press release say about recent successes associated with Men's Health?
Men’s Health is up 0.51% pop with a combined ABC of 146,785. Men’s Health’s #MendTheGap campaign continues to help redress the disparity between attitudes toward mental and physical health, whilst its range of home gym equipment is the best-selling premium gym range in Argos
The impact of digital media on the print magazines industry

Read this BBC website feature on the print magazine industry and then this Guardian feature on the demise of NME magazine and print magazines in general.

1) Why are traditional print magazines struggling?
Magazine sales have generally been falling since the day the inventor of the internet said: "Hey, why don't I invent the internet?", due to the rise of digital media, traditional print magazines have been struggling.

2) What genre of magazines is currently bucking the trend and increasing sales? Why is this?
The economist and the Spectator. The titles that seem to be benefiting from this Trump bump include The Economist and The Spectator. Between January and June this year both sold more per issue than they did in the same period in 2016.

3) In contrast, what magazine genres are struggling? Give examples of magazines that have declined or stopped printing altogether.
Also losing sales: Star (down 14.3%) Vanity Fair (10%), Marie Claire (6%), OK!(3.5%) and Vogue (3%).

4) Look at the Guardian article in detail. What statistics are provided to demonstrate the decline in the print magazines industry between 2010 and 2017? What about the percentage decline from 2000?

Sales of top 100 magazines have declined by more than half in the UK and Ireland since 2000. Sales of top 100 actively purchased print titles (those that readers buy or subscribe to), millions.

5) What percentage of ad revenue is taken by Google and Facebook?

Google and Facebook account for 65% of the $6.5bn (£4.7bn) UK digital display ad market.

6) What strategies can magazine publishers use to remain in business in the digital age?
Have live magazine events or have websites advertising these magazines. This will increase readership and circulation.

7) Why does the Hearst UK CEO James Wildman suggest that the magazine industry is not dead?

Wildman says for magazines to survive they must build a brand beyond the core print publication.

“It is overly simplistic to say it is just digital versus print,” he says. “Magazine businesses are much more diverse.

8) What examples from the Guardian article are provided to demonstrate how magazines are finding new revenue streams? What is the Men's Health branding used for?
Nevertheless, mounting pressure on the traditional print magazine business, which still drives most revenues, is forcing consolidation as publishers seek scale to survive.

9) What signs for optimism might there be for traditional magazine brands?
 magazine publishers, like their newspaper counterparts, sense an opportunity as brand safety and measurement issues have prompted advertisers to closely scrutinise the once unquestionable value of investing in digital media such as YouTube and Facebook.

10) How does Men's Health fit into this picture? Why do you think Men's Health has remained successful in the digital age? Do you think Men's Health will continue to publish for many years to come? Why?
Men's health fits in with this image because I think that the demand for ' men's health in society ' is still at its peak, whether it's staying fit or attempting to lose weight, also the introduction to more delicate subjects has meant that men's health has remained effective in the digital era.


The Men's Health website and social media

Visit the Men's Health website, Twitter feed and Instagram. You may need to complete this part of the case study at home if it is blocked in school.

1) What similarities do you notice between the website and the print edition of the magazine?
The cover star can be viewed as the masculinity epitome. The lines of the cover appear to be very essential. Due to their fame and fanbase, famous celebrities were used.

2) What is the Men's Health daily newsletter and what does it include? How does this help Hearst UK to make money?
Daily dose of health news, advice on weight loss and routine workout. To motivate individuals to subscribe to the magazine, to make Hearst subscription cash.

3) Look at the menu bar along the top of the website. What are the menu options? What does this suggest about the representation of men and masculinity associated with Men's Health?
All menu choices focus strongly on men's physical appearance, which demonstrates that Men's Health still represents masculinity in a very hegemonic manner, for example.

4) Choose one of the menu sections and write a list of the features in that area of the website. What target audience are these features aimed at?
Under the watches menu, there are two articles showing their audience budget watches along with three papers recommending long-lasting watches, which indicates that Men's Health watches may be more middle-class as these articles recommend which watches are most worth it for the cost, as well as recommending budget watches.

5) Do you think the Men's Health website is trying to sell the print version or simply build a digital audience? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a 'digital first' strategy?
They try to make their sophisticated group of viewers as it would allow them to concentrate on a wider audience. Either way, people probably won't read it because they like the print type because that's what they're known for.

6) How does the Men's Health Twitter feed use 'clickbait' to try and get users to click through to the magazine's website? Give examples of tweets that are designed to get the audience to click through.
one system is to manufacture a brand past their center print distribution. 

7) How does the Twitter feed uses images and video content alongside text and links?
Men's Health uses images of men with the ideal type of body and videos along with motivational captions to get their audience to aim to be in the best possible shape.

8) What does the Men's Health Instagram suggest about the Men's Health brand? Is this appealing to a similar audience to the print version of the magazine?
Instagram from Men's Health suggests they're inspiring others and helping them find self-confidence.

9) Is the Men's Health social media designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?
It is intended to create a digital crowd so that if something bad happens they can still have a backup, making them a brand that is more stable than any other.

10) Evaluate the success of the Men's Health brand online. Does it successfully communicate with its target audience? Will the digital platforms eventually replace the print magazine completely?
The target audience when online advertising is more of a younger audience, subverting from the initial target audience of the print magazine as it was more of an elderly target audience

There is a lot of work here but you'll have plenty of time to do it (particularly with exams on at present). 

Magazines: Magazine cover production learner response

1) Add your finished magazine cover as a JPEG image.

2) Type up your feedback from your teacher. If you've received this by email, you can copy and paste it across - WWW and EBIs.

WWW:

 This is a very good front cover that is not far off the professional standards we’re looking for. The image is effective and feels like a Men’s Health cover shot. The language of the cover lines also feels appropriate for Men’s Health too and the colour scheme is consistent across the cover which is another nice design touch. With a few additional elements, this could approach the professional standards required for A/A*. 

EBI:

 This is close to an A grade – it’s just the overall design finish that falls slightly short of professional standards. You are also missing a few conventions – date, price – and the text feels crammed in at points (e.g. ‘Nothing beats pure muscle’ in the top left). It’s good to see you’ve used a drop shadow to make the text more legible in places but I wonder if the layout of the cover lines could be a little more professional (e.g. there’s a lot of empty space across the bottom of the magazine cover whereas it feels squeezed in other places).

3) Consider your mark against the mark scheme above. What are the strengths of your production based on the the mark scheme? Think about magazine cover conventions and the media language techniques you have used to communicate with your audience (e.g. mise-en-scene, camera shot etc.)

My magazine communicates clear meaning due to the clear understanding of my cover lines 

4) Look at the mark scheme again. What can you do to move your mark higher and, if required, move up a level?

By making the Poster original including all the cover lines. This is because the brief highlighted that it must be completely a new idea for it to reach an A grade or A*

5) What would be one piece of advice you would give a student about to start the same magazine cover project you have just completed?

Read the brief properly and fully understand what the poster needs to consist as it may loose marks if one aspect is not involved. 

Year 12 Media PPE: Learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).
WWW:
There is a lot to build on here... you've clearly revised some of the theories (e.g gender) and many of your answers are written in impressive depth. Where you lose marks, exam technique is a factor and this is something you can work on
EBI:
Postmodernism a clear weakness: Q4 seriously holds you back. 
The essay questions are weaker: you need to plan and write clear topic sentences that use words from the question. 
Written English + handwriting

2) Read the mark scheme for this exam carefully, paying particular attention to the 'indicative content' for each question. This is some of the best learning you can do all year as it gives you an idea of what the exam board is expecting. For your LR blogpost, identify ONE point you could have added for the first three questions in Section A:

Q1 additional point/theory: 
Intertextuality: cover creates intertextual reference to King Kong stories/movies of 1950s
which engages audience using narrative.

Q2 additional point/theory/CSP reference: 
Propp’s character types reflect traditional gender roles in wider culture – active male hero,
passive female heroine (‘damsel in distress’).

Q3 additional point/theory/CSP reference: 
Jean Kilbourne’s work on the representation of women in advertising can be found in the
Score hair cream advert. This presents women as objects and reinforces many of the
negative, reductive stereotypes seen with regards to women in advertising from the 1950s

until at least the 1990s (and arguably to this day).

3) The final question in Section A was a 20-mark essay that required an extended response containing a coherent argument. Using the suggested content in the mark scheme, write an essay plan containing five paragraphs/points that answer the music video and postmodernism question.
paragraph 1:
-Billie Jean uses polaroid photos and moving billboards to create a ‘screen within a screen’

postmodern effect.
-Repeated intertextual references to old movie genres, and indeed a blurring of genres (film

noir, Hollywood musical etc.) could be seen as postmodern aspects to the music video.
Paragraph 2:
-Classic 1950s film noir detective narrative combined with light-up pavements

much more in keeping with 1980s aesthetic.
Paragraph 3
-The reflective, floating black square in Letter to the Free arguably offers an example of
hyperreality.
Paragraph 4
-Common educates audiences about slavery, mass incarceration and Amendment 13 through the song and video. But is this an accurate representation of history ?
Paragraph 5 
Common letter of the free doesn't include all aspects of postmodernism since there is no pastiche of an original movie or 

4) Section B began with two questions testing your knowledge of industry terminology. Make sure you know the answers to these (get the answers from the mark scheme if you have to):

Two benefits of vertical integration:
Increases revenue and profit 
Lower costs could lead to lower prices for consumers 

Definition of diversification:
The process of expanding business opportunities through additional market potential of an existing product.

5) Question 8 (TV industry) was arguably the hardest question on the exam. Write a new paragraph that answers the question referring to either Capital or Deutschland 83 and the global TV industry. Use the indicative content in the mark scheme to help you.
Dueschland 83 was created in germany and set in germany, however focused on drawing international audiences. Therefore, they were able to attract european audience but got recoginition from germany as they believe there was a lack of success due to it not being entirely based on the cold war. Dueschland 83 was distributed on many platforms suchas netflix and walter presents. Netflix is a good platform for dueschland 83 to be streamed on as it allows the audience to bindge watch Dueschland. 

BFI Study Day: follow-up work

1) Type up your notes from the day.

Samaritans links to hooks theory as it shows women being objectified. Gender is inbuilt and socially constructed."Gender becomes a set of connotations that have become naturalised"
Gender fluidity is reinforced in the music video 'Stay Where You Are'. Women are sexualised since the skirt kept lifting up. The main singer is dressed to appeal to others. Van Zoonen said media is quite male dominated.
Denotation is what it is and connotation is it may be or what its  inferring. 
Barthes says meanings aren't fixed; they're open to interpretations. Denotation is actually just a dominant connotation.
Key postmodern ideas:
There is no essential 'truth' instead there is a multiplicity of 'truths', each equally valid 
Nothing is 'original' - art, style, even values 
Meta-narrative means a totalising cultural narrative, that organises thoughts and experiences into a grand 'story' that makes sense of our lives. 
Simularca- iimitation that seems more real than the things it is imitating.
Readerly texts- fixed meaning, passive reception. sit back and enjoy
Writerly' texts- spectators contribute to their experience. "lean forward".

2) Write a one-sentence summary of the ideas of the theorists Matthew Daintrey-Hall covered (you can use your notes from task 1 here if relevant):

bell hooks:
"Gender becomes a set of connotations that have become naturalized." Gender roles are constructed, men and women are victimised from a patriarchal society.  bell hooks believes that traditionally masculine attitudes and behaviours aren't natural but rather constructed by a patriarchal society.

Liesbet van Zoonen:

Believes that treatment of women hasn’t changed since the 1960s and we still need equality between men and women. Van Zoonen also believes that in a patriarchal society, woman bodies are sexualised and vulnerable whilst men's bodies are sexualised through power and strength.

Judith Butler:
Butlers main theories about gender is that gender is a performance: series of gestures, actions, behavioural and dress codes that construct an imaginary 'man' or woman.

Saussure:
Saw society as a system of institution and social norms that form a collective system that provides conditions for meaning-making and hence decisions and actions for individuals.

Barthes:

Roland Barthes believed that signs we assume are denotations are actually 'dominant connotations' that hide ideologies. He called these 'myths'.

Stuart Hall:
'Authors' encode their work with meaning audiences decode it in often very different ways.

Lyotard:
Lyotard believes a totalising cultural narrative, that organises thought and experiences into a 'grand 'story' that makes sense of our lives.

Baudrillard:
Baudrillard states “Hyperreality – a condition in which ‘reality’ has been replaced by simulacra.” ◦ Simulacra –when a sign loses its relation to reality, it begins to simulate a simulation (the process in which a representation of something comes to replace the thing which is actually being represented.


3) Choose one of the films we saw extracts from and watch the whole movie: Captain Fantastic (2016), Pulp Fiction (1994) or Inception (2010). Write a 300 word analysis of your chosen film using theories from the study day (use the exam paragraph structure we were shown on the day - theory introduction, examples from text, why this 'proves' or 'disproves' the theory).

The narrative of inception is a protagonist named Cobb who has his own unique of finding or stealing intel from somewhere. This is not done by hacking a computer or causing harm to civilians to gain valuable information, instead its done by tapping into someones thoughts and dreams to steal information. Cobb is given an opportunity to reunite with his children therefore agrees on taking on the mission to implant something, something known as inception. Inception inhabits stuart hall's reception theory in its narrative since the audience may have a different point of view. The preferred reading is the director is trying to deliver not a standard spy genre film that consists of robberies however, subverts normal spy genre movie as everything is done through manipulating thoughts in the mind. Whereas, the oppisitional reading is the audience may think this movie is too unrealistic and can not be generalised in real life since you can't really enter into someones mind. Personal identity may not be created since its all based on a fictional story.
Postmodernism can be applied to this movie since you see a lot of simularca where the imitation is more realistic than the thing that being imitated. In inception real life locations are created in the mind however altered to look more appealing to the audience. 

Blog task: Maybelline 'That Boss Life' case study and wider reading

Blog task: Maybelline 'That Boss Life' case study and wider reading 

'That Boss Life' close textual analysis

Use your notes from class to write about the connotations and representations created by the following technical and audio codes. Write at least a paragraph on each:

1) Narrative & genre: narrative theory and sub-genre
Equilibrium- The new equilibrium is established by using the mascara and going out in New York.
Prop: character types- hero: The mascara, Bellboy:helper/donor- masculine/sexuality, very male stereo-typically reflects his transformation with gender fluid times. 
Barthes: Gold suitcase- Action/Adventure element to prop
Genre- intertextuality 'Sex and the city'
 
2) Cinematography: camera shots and movement
Close-up of putting mascara on- illustrates that you're rich/prestigious/luxury when using mascara. Manny + Shayla 
Crane shot- Bellboy- at the beginning, the bell boy was in uniform. When he used the mascara at the end of the advert, he was in a gold suit.
 
3) Mise-en-scene: costume & props
The use of Mise-en-scene, especially the use of costume and props have been used effectively. The use of costume is used to effective. The use of glamours and eye-catching colours does this. For example, the use of the golden suits and the glittering outfits makes it stand out, which grips the audience. The use of props had to be used effectively, as essentially the whole advert is based on a prop, the mascara, and the use of colour and glittering effects again makes it more eye-catching, also the golden suitcase, creates a striking image for the image, as it is gold, which catches the audience eye, aswell as the mascara. 

4) Mise-en-scene: actors, setting, lighting and colour
The use of Mise-en-scene is effective, especially with the actors, they have used a "gay man" to advertise this advert, this is very good from Maybelline as it subverts gender stereotypes as men being masculine and also, advert like these always tend to be just women, but two of the characters are men, which subvert gender stereotypes. The use of setting is used to represent how glamours the mascara is, as it set in New York, which is an iconic city, and this advert tries to implement the glamour into the mascara.  The use of lighting is effective aswell as it mostly natural light used, but the glittering lighting is also used to present the mascara and also the suitcase, to portray it as glamours, this done through the colours, as they have used a glamorous gold colour to portray these objects, which catches the audience's eye.

 5) Editing: pace, transitions and visual effects
Throughout the advert, the pace of each shot varies. When the stars are applying the mascara, the pace is quite fast. This is backed up with the background music. However, at 0.23, when they through the suitcase in the air, the use of a slo mo, creates tension for the audience, as they want to know what happens next. Also it puts further effect on the mascara as the editor wants that to be the main focus. The use of sparkling effects is used when the mascara is applied, which could have connotations of how you feel better when you apply the mascara.

 6) Graphics: text/graphics on screen
Maybelline is across the screen throughout the clip, however it is very subtle, as you don't really notice when watching the advert. Right at the end, the big slogan of "Big Shot Like A Boss" is presented on the screen to present the brand, and essentially engages people to buy it as, it subtle suggesting if you use if you will become a "boss." The use of the big slogan is a contrast from the actually mascara, as it is shown to be more tachy, and different colours, however the product is gold and different font, which could be more appealing to a youthful audience. 

7) Sound: dialogue, music and sound effects

The use of music is matched with the face paced editing. The background music is face paced and creates an upbeat mood for the audience. The use of the glitter sound effects is used throughout the advert, to show how good the mascara is. The use of dialogue is over-exaggerated from Manny, which indicates how amazing he thinks the mascara is.

Maybelline 'That Boss Life': wider reading

Read the following articles on this campaign:

Glamour: Manny Gutierrez Is the First Man to Star in a Maybelline Campaign, and It’s a Huge Deal
Your Story: Cosmetics giant breaks gender stereotypes by choosing male model as a face of the brand
Adweek: Maybelline Recruits Manny Gutierrez as Its First Male Beauty Star

Complete the following questions/tasks:

1) Why was this campaign such a landmark for beauty product advertising?
Maybelline was a landmark for beauty product advertising since they use the male star and digital influencer, manny Gutierrez. He subverts typical male stereotypes as he is not seen as very masculine and takes on a very feminie role, also the digital influencer manny gutierrez brings about gender fluidity.


2) What do the articles suggest regarding the changing representation of sexuality and masculinity?
This article suggests that masculinity is evolving as it is adapting to the idea of gender fluidity, neutrality and different interpretation of hyper masculinity.

3) Read this WWD article: Maybelline Taps Digital Makeup Influencers for New Mascara Campaign. Why might 'digital influencers' be so attractive to companies?
One reason why they are attractive to their companies is that Gutierrez and Mitchell share a combined Instagram following of 5.1 million followers and a YouTube subscribership of 2.5 million.the digital influencer phenomenon has already spread to the mass market, and Maybelline is certainly not the first mass brand to add a male makeup enthusiast to its system — last year.

4) Why do you think Maybelline chose to use MannyMUA and MakeUpShayla in particular?
Due to their large fan base,  by using these two digital influencer, it will allow maybelline to be more recgonised, also maybelline is taking a different approach by using you-tubers than actual actors. As i said before, Gutierrez and Mitchell share a combined Instagram following of 5.1 million followers and a YouTube subscribership of 2.5 million which helps when promoting this advert as they already had a hold of a larger population that are interested. 


5) What does the WWD article suggest is the crucial factor for brands regardless of whether they use influencers or more traditional celebrities?
The crucial factors for brands depends on how larger their target audience is and the social media following. If they have a large target audience, it would make it easier to advertise their product and if they have a large social media following, it would allow them to reach younger consumers. As said: “It tends to be a younger brand attracting younger consumers for which the power of the influencers is really strong,” noted Liebmann. In today’s consumer climate, said Liebmann, celebrities aren’t totally out — but it helps if they have a social media following.
Media Magazine: The Changing Face of Masculinity

Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature 'The Changing Face of Masculinity' in MM63 (page 15). This will allow us to compare our two advertising CSPs - the Score hair cream advert and the Maybelline digital campaign. Answer the following questions:

1) What message does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert is trying to communicate to the 1967 audience?
The ‘Score’ ad uses a large image of a grinning man dressed like a hunter with a rifle nestled in the crook of his arm. The advert is using female sexuality to show men they can have power: you can conquer, you will be desired.

2) How does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert uses narrative to sell the product?
The ‘Score’ ad uses a large image of a grinning man dressed like a hunter with a rifle nestled in the crook of his arm. He is held aloft on a tiger- skin platform by five women dressed in sexualised hunting costume: short skirts, tied-up shirts and ammunition belts. Four women look up at him adoringly (one reaches out longingly) while the fifth, with a sultry expression, looks directly at the consumer.

3) What 1967 stereotypes does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert reinforces?
The advert is using female sexuality to show men they can have power: you can conquer, you will be desired. This reinforces the gender roles that men are much more superior than women. Also this advert followers the patriarchy society where men are dominant over women. 

4) Applying Stuart Hall's reception theory, what does the article suggest the preferred and oppositional readings could be for the Score hair cream advert?
The preferred or dominant reading is that if you apply this score hair cream product, you will gain all the attention from woman and this will raise your confidence and self-esteem. However, the oppositional reading is that woman are being sexually objectified and are being shown to be obedient towards men. The women dressed in sexualised hunting costume: short skirts, tied-up shirts and ammunition.

5) Moving on to the Maybelline advert, why is the background of Manny Gutierrez and Shayla Mitchell significant?
The background of both of the YouTubers is important, because it helps to emphasise how much the advertising industry has changed and developed over time. Also, Manny Gutierrez, a Mexican-
Spanish-American beauty vlogger and Instagram sensation. The video ad touches on issues of gender
representation, ethnicity and lifestyle, which has been a major talking point in society.

 6) What is the narrative of the Maybelline advert?
The advertisement tells the story of two YouTubers, Manny Gutierrez and Shayla Mitchell checking into a
New York hotel room with stunning views of the city. They open up a gold, glittery suitcase and out tumbles the product that everyone wants, the ‘Big Shot’ mascara. By simply applying the mascara, the wearer – female or male – is instantly transported to a more sophisticated cosmopolitan life surrounded by the finer things.

7) What does the article suggest the Maybelline advert's message is?
The ad, like its 1960s counterpart, uses an aspirational image showing two friends who do not conform to masculine and feminine ideals but are nonetheless powerful: happy in their own skin, confident in their bodies and their sexuality.

8) The final section of the article focuses on masculinity. What do the Score advert and the Maybelline advert suggest regarding the changes in society and media between 1967 and 2017?
The striking difference between the two advertisements is that ‘Score’ is celebrating everything believed to be great about a patriarchal society, while Maybelline is applauding the breakdown of hyper-masculine culture. The Score advert reflects the old, traditional values and ideologies that are currently being deconstructed by advertisements such as the Boss Life beauty campaign, which indicates how society has evolved over the years.

Advertising assessment: Learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).
WWW:
There are occasional flashes when you make some good points using media theory. 
EBI:
You simply don't know know the theories or CSPs well enough.
Written English is very confusing: many of your points aren't clear or simply don't make sense. This is particularly important for topic sentences.
Lack of focus on the question... you need to use the key words from the question in every paragraph   

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.
Q1: Monochrome (black and white) – stylish, sophisticated, reinforces traditional heterosexual meanings; consistent with aspirational branding. Low-key lighting, ‘chiaroscuro’, back lighting visible in shot – suggests stage lights/spotlights, fashion show?
Q2: Hypermasculine representation reflects traditional view of gender roles in 1950s and 1960s. Emphasis on traditional hegemonic masculinity perhaps a reaction against the gains made by women during the 1960s culminating in the Equal Pay Act in 1970.
Q3: Gauntlett argues that gender representation and identity is constantly changing (a “moving target”) but does not agree masculinity is in crisis. Instead finds that men are finding their place in a changing world – Manny Gutierrez provides a compelling example of this.

3) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment?
I would put my self as on 1 on the scale as i did no revision and my blog was incomplete therefore, lead me to gain such a low mark. 

4) Look at your answer and the mark scheme for Question 1. What aspect of technical film language (camerawork, mise-en-scene etc.) or advertising persuasive techniques do you need to revise to improve your response to this kind of question in future?
Mostly, i need to revise advertising persuasive techniques since i already know how to embed camerawork and mise-en-scene pretty fluently. However, i need to completely focus on revising the case studies such as the score cream advert and the Maybeline advert to gain full understanding to what i am referring to in each question.  

5) Look at your answer and the mark scheme for Question 2. What aspects of the cultural and historical context for the Score hair cream advert do you need to revise or develop in future?
 i need to revise hyper masculinity representation and the representation of women. Also need to know which each stage was and when did it occur such as the objectification of woman. Last but not least, revise the representation of gender also linking to Judith butler's theory on 'gender is a performance'.

6) Now look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 3 - the 20 mark essay question on David Gauntlett and masculinity 'in crisis'. Write a completely new paragraph for this question based on the suggested theories/answers in the mark scheme. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed paragraph focused on the question and offering examples/textual analysis from the Advertising CSPs. 
I believe that masculinity is in crisis as during the increase in equality has had an increasingly abnormal impact on men. This is because woman outperform men in every task, mainly in education. in the last 20 years there hasn't been much change in society as it is still quite patriarchal with men holding a lot of power over women even though women are constantly protesting for their rights. This reinforces the reoccurring stereotype of men being superior over women and shows how masculinity is not in crisis at all because of how men constantly abuse their power over women to get what the want and do what they want. This indicates how masculinity is in crisis, and in the last 10 to 20 years nothing has really changed in which that it still is a patriarchal society and men hold dominance over women, which reinforces the stereotype of the male dominance, and somewhat a coping mechanism in which they deal with 'masculinity being in crisis'