OMO advert Flashcards
What was the OMO advert and what was the historical context
OMO was a popular washing powder brand in the 1950s. This advert was from 1955.
In 1955, British society was still adjusting after WW2 in which women took on many traditionally male jobs with men off fighting. This led to advertising in the 1950s often trying to reinforce traditional female stereotypes of housewives and mothers in order to protect male power both at work and at home
Who is the target audience
The advert targets women, mainly mainstream working class women. It contains lots of things that appeal to women, such as a pretty dress, being happy, and also things that are familiar to women including the washing line.
How does the heading message (‘OMO makes whites bright’) and the typography promote the product?
(1) Large bold font at the top helps to grab the reader’s attention. It is very eye-catching and persuasive.
(2) The letter “B” in the word Bright is capitalized and it helps to emphasize that word. It empathizes the point that buying this product will make your items as bright as possible.
(3) The star/sun graphic acts as a symbolic code, like an explosion, to signify the product will make your clothes explosively or blindingly bright
(4) There is lots of use of the colour white in the heading and throughout the advert which illustrates the way the product will clean and whiten your clothes
The OMO logo is repeated a couple of times in the advert and that helps to add brand recognition from the audience.
How does the colour scheme used through the advert link with the product?
(1) Use of bright colours adds a feeling of fun and positively to the advert
(2) Use of red white blue suggest the advert has a British Patriotic feel to it for post-war audiences.
(3) Powerful colours signal a powerful product particularly Red which is often used to denote power.
Why is a picture of the product added to the bottom right of the advert?
Including an image of the product helps the audience to recognise the brand, particularly when they are going shopping
In terms of copy, anchorage text (the verbal code), what are the key message of the words?
(1) Repetition and Rhyming. Repeated use of the words “Bright” and “White” and “Brightness” and “Whiteness” helps to reinforce the key selling points of the product and make it memorable and persuasive.
(2) Persuasive language: The text “whiteness alone won’t do” is persuasive language that encourages the audience to buy the product, saying being white isn’t good enough - if you buy OMO your clothes will be white and bright.
(3) “Boil with OMO” is an imperative, and instruction. Imperatives leave people little room for argument - ‘Buy our new product now’; it commands you in a subconscious way; it leaves a deeper imprint than the phrase ‘buy our new product’
(3) Use direct address “you can’t say that anymore” - using direct address helps to draw in the reader and feel a personal connection with the brand.
(4) Use of binary opposition. The designers are setting OMO again all other brands “OMO puts ordinary whiteness completely in the shade”. Use of word “ordinary” and “in shade” suggests other brands are linked to ordinariness and darker, duller colours; there clothes will be darker and greyer. OMO will over shadow them, be better.
(5) use Italics to emphasize the word “bright”. layout and design of font can be helpful to emphasize particular features to an audience.
Explain how the advert reflects the historical context in which it was created
(1) In the 1950s, women were expected to do all the domestic housework and chores, including the men’s washing and having supper on the table when they got home.
(2) The advert reflects this reality, shown by the model happily hanging all the men’s clothes out with a deranged smile on her face and also by the red lipstick she is wearing which connotes sex as well as the dress.
(3) There is also a lot of read, white, blue which gives the advert a patriotic feel, which was important post WW2.
What are the connonations of the model’s rolled up sleeves and her facial expressions
(1) The model’s rolled up sleeves shows the women’s job was busy doing her main job, the housework.
(2) The facial expressions shows she is happy to be hanging out the washing ; she’s being a good and happy housewife.
(3) her smile and body language also emphasize how pleased she is with the product and how pleased the audience will be if they buy it.
What representation of women can be found in this OMO advert? Make specific reference to the advert and discuss stereotypes
In most 1950s adverts, women were represented as housewives who love to clean, cook and take care of the children. They were always presented as pretty, by always being white and having blonde or brown hair and never leaving the house,
Why do advertisers use sterotypes
(1) Using Stereotypes in adverts helps provide familiarity to a viewer. In the advert, the use of a women hanging out the washing appeals to the target audience, which is mainstream working class women. The uses a stereotype house wife doing the domestic chores.
(3) Gender stereotypes are the most common in adverts. Men are typically shown as primarily functional, associated with heavy machinery, business decisions, wearing executive suits and watches, being taller than women etc Women are decorative, associated with kitchen equipment and domestic financial decisions, often shown lying down on beds and floors.
List three parts of the advert that show you how women’s rights/expectations/stereotypes in the 1950s and that relate to the advert showing patriotisms after WW2
(1) The woman is happily hanging out washing on the washing line; this reflects expectations that a woman’s role is to stay at home and do all the domestic chores.
(2) The women is wearing red lipsticks and wearing a green dress, to look pretty. Women are expected to look nice for their husbands; they are “owned” by their husbands.
(3) The use of red, white and blue (the colours of the union jack flags) gives the advert has a British Patriotic feel for post-war audiences Also, the model also portrays a stero-typical English housewife (white, pretty), again appealing to the mass British working class.
How might a modern audience respond to the advert and the representation of women here?
(1) A modern audience would consider this advert sexist (it wasn’t until 1972 that women got equal rights in America).
(2) They may also find it potentially racist - the text says “OMO makes white bright” and since the women is white it may suggest without OMO “whites” are not “bright” or “white” people are not smart.
