David Gauntlett has argued against the idea that masculinity is 'in crisis’. To what extent do you believe masculinity is 'in crisis'?
In your response you should refer to your Advertising and Marketing Close Study Products: the Score hair cream advert (1967) and the Maybelline ‘That Boss Life’ YouTube advert (2017).
[20 marks]
On one hand, the idea of masculinity in crisis could hold some weight in relation to the changing views of British society.
The score advert, a relic of it's time, uses anchorage text to stroke the viewer's manliness. At the time it was printed, the UK was going through huge social and political change thanks to the decriminalization of homosexuality, threatening traditional masculinity as it was known. This meant advertising had to stroke the fragile egos of men in order to maintain the status quo. The tag line "get what you've always wanted" implies men want sexy women in a general, sweeping statement addressed to all men. In the 60s, there was a solid definition of what a man should be, protected by adverts such as Score Cream. The introduction to new liberal ideologies threatened their masculinity, perhaps suggesting a crisis.
However, it can be argued, according to Gauntlett, that masculinity has simply evolved as a concept. This is exemplified in the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert. The lead actor to the advert is in sharp contrast to the traditional man presented in the Score Cream advert. The use of Manny Gutierrez shows how fluid the idea of masculinity has become in the modern age, going so far as to encouraging men to play with makeup and embrace their sexuality in mainstream media. This shift in ideology could be seen as a very good thing. Men are no longer forced into moulds and characters they must play. Butler discussed this concept in her book "Gender Trouble", describing gender as performance. This could further suggest the more advanced we become, the more evolved our view of gender becomes, the less we feel the need to create labels for ourselves. This goes against the idea that masculinity is in crisis as we are simply becoming more accepting of people not like ourselves.
Therefore, masculinity was perhaps in crisis at one point in time, but not any more.
Monday 4 May 2020
Friday 1 May 2020
Men's Health - Audience blog tasks
Read the Men's Health Media Pack in full to get a good idea of the demographics and psychographics for the Men's Health target audience then answer the following questions:
1) How does the magazine introduce itself?
"Men’s Health is the biggest-selling men’s lifestyle
magazine, both in the UK and worldwide.
It’s success is built on a winning editorial formula which
combines visually-engaging health, wellbeing and
nutrition features with premium content covering
fashion, grooming, watches, tech and travel."
2) What does the introduction suggest about the representation of masculinity in Men's Health's?
They provide traditionally masculine topics for the everyday gentleman.
3) How do the print statistics for Men's Health compare to GQ and Esquire?
It has a higher Circulation and the readership is higher class.
4) What is the difference between circulation and readership?
Circulation- How many copies are being sold
readership- who reads the magazine
5) What was the circulation of Men's Health in thousands at the time this Media Pack was published? What about the readership for ABC1 men? AB men? [Note: this Media Pack was published in 2016 and some of the figures have fallen since then. Up to date circulation figures can be found at the top of this blog post].
"Men’s Health (UK edition) has a circulation of around 120,000 (down 16% year-on-year and including 40k free copies) and a readership of closer to 1 million."
6) How do readers generally interact with the digital version of the magazine?
562,000 monthly users (comscore)
1,200,000 monthly users (GA)
1,924,000 monthly page views
7) How many people do Men's Health reach across social media platforms?
944K
285K
66K
8) What is the audience profile for Men's Health readers?
905K ARE ABC1, AGED 25-44
700K HAVE A DEGREE
200K EARN OVER £50K
9) What is the Men's Health fashion philosophy? How much do Men's Health readers collectively spend on fashion?
Men’s Health readers spend £1.1bn on
fashion a year (more than 3 times that of GQ)*
OUR FASHION PHILOSOPHY
STYLISH
INDIVIDUAL
CONTEMPORARY
WEARABLE
10) What is the average watch collection value for the Men's Health audience? What do the statistics about watches suggest about the Men's Health audience demographics and psychographics?
Suggests they're aspirers in the ABC1 bracket.
£4,123
11) What percentage of Men's Health readers use moisturiser daily? What does this suggest about Men's Health readers' view of masculinity?
73%
Readers are not toxic in their masculinity.
12) What does the media pack suggest regarding the Men's Health audience for fitness and technology?
Men’s Health readers are fitness evangelists and
early adopters of tech.
13) Men's Health luxe is a series of magazines distributed with Men's Health targeting a specific aspect of the Men's Health audience. What are these three brand extension magazines called and what do they cover?
URBAN ACTIVE
Sports-luxe fashion magazine produced in
partnership with Harrods showcasing the
continuing trend for high-end performance
fashion apparel
SYNCHRONISED
Now in it’s 8th year, our annual watch special
is produced with the industries leading
horologists and is a must have buyers-guide
for amateurs and aficionados
EPICURE
Showcasing the best in food, drink,
restaurants and kitchen skills for the man
interested in cooking from scratch,
provenance and fine dining
14) What do the Men's Health luxe magazines suggest about the demographics and psychographics of the Men's Health audience?
They enjoy all the finer things in life, meaning they're achievers and succeeders.
15) What additional brand extensions do Men's Health offer?
They have a fitness and health product range.
16) What are the global statistics for Men's Health?
Global Statistics:
International Editions 37
Countries Published 60
Global Circulation 4.5M
Global Readership 26.7M
Websites 25
Uniques 23.7M
Social Media Footprint 19.3M
17) What does the 2017 calendar editorial specials suggest about the Men's Health audience?
They care about their appearance more than a traditional man would.
March Feb 32pp bound in Guide to Style August Jul Adventure Special
April Mar 32pp bound in Urban Active Sept Aug 32pp bound in Guide to Style
May Apr Tech Special Oct Sep + Urban Active Mag
June May + Gym-free Transformation Guide Nov Oct + Epicure Mag
July Jun 30-Day Beach Ready Countdown Dec Nov + Synchronised Mag
18) What audience pleasures are offered by the magazine?
information/ surveillance about health
distraction
personal identity with the lifestyle on show
personal relationship with the mag itself
19) What lifestyle and job would you expect the average Men's Health reader to have?
high paying job, perhaps a bachelor with disposable income.
20) Why do you think Men's Health has managed to (just) remain profitable when many other magazines have struggled due to the rise of digital media?
Because they diversified into digital media instead of remaining just print.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)