Tide's got What Women Want

Advert Analysis 1

This advert was published when women played a stereotypical role in the household of a cleaning lady. It is aimed at middle class women who still do their own washing yet they have a solid income from their husbands and can afford for their clothes to look as good as new. 

The way she is hugging the red box suggests it is her new love, that it is all she wants. The red box suggests that she relies on this product like she relies on a man. It is colourful and bright which suggests that the product will lead to a better, optimistic life. The advert is blunt with no hidden meanings, it suggest that she does the job - she is the washing machine.

The advert has a lot of text, unlike modern adverts and the z line would miss out a lot of information. It has to be sat down and read, it couldn't be read quickly on the side of the street as you were walking to work. The style of the advert is not like that done today, no actual real life pictures are used, it is more cartoony.

Tide is an American product with an American advert (1946) and was the most purchased brand of washing powder in america then and still is today. Owned by Procter and Gamble, one that people loved and used. Used aggressive advertising to build familiarity with the brand. Consistently used this housewife character. Customers loved and adored tide - loved by women and the public.

Textual Analysis:

The housewife hugging the box of washing powder suggests that she is about to do the washing as it is washing day (Proairetic Code) This could also suggest that she is going to run off in a romantic relationship with it because she loves it so much. The close up shot of the housewife suggests that she is the main audience/focal image of this product and that she won't want to let the product go once she gets some. The red box has connotations of a sexual nature which suggests she is going to become more attractive by using this product and so that she can attract men. It suggests that she will become a better housewife by using this product and the title is derogatory to them that they are only there for cleaning and sex. The symbolic code of the white in the background has connotations of cleanliness, purity and innocence - everything that would have been expected of a housewife in the 50s.

We get the impression that the advert was printed on print due to the fact that TV wasn't that popular at that point, however there is a 3 part narrative storyboard which is TV like.

The red lipstick and the eyeliner makes her look like she is ready to go out, which suggests that using tide is an exciting experience. This makes the assumption that women are vain, insecure and have to wear make up to attract men.

The lexis of he blunt, patronising text of the the three things tide does suggests the women are uneducated and not worthy of anything other than cleaning - they are only good enough to be told what to do. It uses direct address to make the audience feel more personal with the company and their product. It makes promises to the target audience "you women". Women were used to the condescending and sexist language used to were not bothered by it,but it made the nature of the product seem real. The advert makes the advertisers seem like they had more power than these week women (They know best). - If you are using any other product you are an idiot. "Sudsing Whizz" was used as an informal thing to suggest you are smart if you use Tide - it is a working class thing to say.

"Miracle" is used in hyperbole to suggest that this product is the best thing you will ever buy. The women in the advert are stereotypical looking women of their time, they are white and dressed up all the time - the advert shows no diversity. The advert is aimed at straight, white women. The advert is racist as it suggests that the whiter you are the purer you are. 

Ideology:
Not only does this women clean - she wants to clean. Women should want to want to clean thanks to this product, men should not want to or have to clean, women should be the ones to do it. Women are the sole household cleaners.