English 103: Writing Portfolio

Meaning Essay



"The Scent that Makes a Difference"

           
            Whenever a product is coveted and wanted at a high demand, it is likely the advertisers used faulty logic in order to appeal to the consumer’s emotions.  In other words the advertiser probably used misleading logic, which lead to the consumer’s purchase of the product.  This is commonly known as a logical fallacy and can be seen everyday in advertising.  In this commercial, Old Spice uses intertextuality in order to create a logical fallacy to persuade teenage boys into purchasing their product.  It is vital that the audience understands the relationship between this commercial and Brian Urlacher’s background to be affected by the fallacy.  Evidence of this fallacy can further be viewed on Old Spice’s revamped web site.  Fallacies like the one used by Old Spice can be seen in almost every advertisement and commercial throughout our society today.

            Old Spice, a company that manufactures male hygiene products, created the commercial that I chose to analyze.  The purpose of the commercial is to promote their new fragrance of body spray.  The promotion begins with a clip of a teenage boy dressed in medieval attire challenging a guy to a sparring match.  Unfortunately, he is denied and is laughed at.  Then the scene cuts and Brian Urlacher admits that he was the sad teenage boy in the clip, until he started using Swagger by Old Spice.  After carelessly tossing the deodorant cap and taking a whiff, Urlacher asks the question, “Who’s laughing now” (Old Spice: Body Spray)?  This comment is an example of intertextuality, which is a relationship between texts.  For a viewer to understand and feel a greater impact from the humor at hand they must be aware of Brian Urlacher’s background.  The audience must realize that Brian Urlacher is a professional football player that gets paid millions of dollars to intimidate his opponents.  The statement is funny because it basically claims that the use of Old Spice’s body spray transformed Brian Urlacher into an amazing football player and a well-known celebrity.

            The audience is more likely to be persuaded by this commercial if they understand the intertextuality that the promotion holds with Brian Urlacher’s background.  The relationship between these two things is a springboard for the logical fallacy that Old Spice uses in its promotion for its new fragrance.  The company is using misleading logic to persuade teenage boys into purchasing their product.  They are attempting to persuade teens by misleading them into thinking that if they use this product it will change their life.  This commercial tries to do this by depicting Brian Urlacher as a loser until he began using Swagger, which had an impact on his life.  The commercial doesn’t show how the new fragrance affected Brian’s life, but the audience is suppose to assume that it will transform them into a celebrity with huge muscles, that makes millions of dollars.  Obviously this is impossible, because no inanimate thing can transform you, or change who you are. 

            On Old Spice’s recently refurbished website you can view this commercial and view other promotional ads for the new body spray scent.  Beside this commercial on the web page is a caption that reads, “Real life stories from famous persons LL Cool J and Brian Urlacher” (Old Spice).  This caption only makes the commercial more believable for the targeted audience, so that they have more incentive to purchase the product.  Old Spice increases the consumers’ motivation to purchase the body spray by making the commercial appear to be based off real life occurrences, when it truly isn’t.  Another element that adds to the persuasion of this promotion is a slogan on the side of the web page that reads, “The scent that makes a difference” (Old Spice)!  Although it is difficult to view, this slogan is also in the very last frame that you see in this commercial by Old Spice.  It seems that Old Spice is once again trying to persuade their audience into thinking that this fragrance will make a huge difference in the life of it’s user, even though it won’t.

            Looking at the commercial through Old Spice’s point of view and other viewers’ eyes, there is an arguable side to this promotion.  Old Spice may simply be magnifying the results that the consumer will receive with the use of their product.  The company may be trying to state that with the application of their new body spray fragrance you will become more noticed in public.  The consumer may become more popular due to the pleasant aroma that people around him may be experiencing.  This increase in popularity would be obvious to the user because of the number of people that would be commenting on the particular user’s odor.  This could be someone asking him what cologne or fragrance he is wearing, or simply someone telling him that he smells nice.  However, as I previously stated, this body spray by Old Spice will not have a huge impact on the lives of its users.  No nonliving object has the capability to transform you, or change who you are.

            I have actually had a first hand experience with the new fragrance, Swagger, by Old Spice.  Like many other teenagers and young adults I tend to use body spray, and I have tested Old Spice’s new scent.  I have to admit that it has a brilliant smelling aroma, but I didn’t experience the effects of the use like they were portrayed in the commercial.  If the commercial were true I would be on my way to stardom just because of the use of their product.  However, all I experienced was a pleasant scent for about an hour, and then the fragrance wore off.  This is evidence that Old Spice is using a logical fallacy in order to persuade their audience into purchasing this spray.  Ironically, like the target audience I once was a young and immature teenager that needed help being popular.  Unfortunately, there is more to being popular than smelling great.  I learned that a body spray can keep your hygiene in tack, but it isn’t going to change who you are.

            Logical fallacies are used in almost every advertisement and commercial in today’s society.  As a matter of fact some of the most popular products and brands are advertised with misleading logic.  Air Jordan shoes are an example of a modern product that consistently uses logical fallacies in order to reel in consumers.  Air Jordan produces commercials that send misleading messages to its audience by convincing the viewers that these shoes will make them play like Michael Jordan himself.  A fallacy can also be created if a consumer credits his or her success on the basketball court to the use of Michael Jordan’s shoes (Alfano and O’Brien 47).  Commercials of Michael Jordan soaring through the air and making spectacular dunks is what gives the audience the wrong idea about these shoes.  Nevertheless, Nike and Air Jordan continue to use this false logic because it allows them to be one of the wealthiest brands in the entire world.

            In turn, Old Spice uses intertextuality to establish a logical fallacy that appeals to the targeted audience’s emotions.  Although this body spray may result in you smelling pleasant for a while it won’t have the huge impacts on your life that this commercial portrays.  It is also important that you realize that as a consumer you will not be transformed or completely changed because of the use of an inanimate object like Swagger.  However, understand that companies like Old Spice tend to use fallacies in advertising and commercials to get you to purchase their products, so beware.  


"The Scent that Makes a Difference"


                Whenever a product is coveted and wanted at a high demand, it is likely the advertisers used faulty logic in order to appeal to the consumer’s emotions.  In other words the advertiser probably used misleading logic, which lead to the consumer’s purchase of the product.  This is commonly known as a logical fallacy [E1] and can be seen everyday in advertising.  In this commercial[E2] , Old Spice uses intertextuality[E3]  in order to create a logical fallacy to persuade teenage boys into purchasing their product.  It is vital that the audience understands the relationship between this commercial and Brian Urlacher’s background to be affected by the fallacy.  Evidence of this fallacy can further be viewed on Old Spice’s revamped web site.  Fallacies like the one used by Old Spice can be seen in almost every advertisement and commercial throughout our society today. [E4] 

            Old Spice, a company that manufactures male hygiene products, created the commercial that I chose to analyze.  [E5] The purpose of the commercial is to promote their new fragrance of body spray.  The promotion begins with a clip of a teenage boy dressed in medieval attire challenging a guy to a sparring match.  Unfortunately, he is denied and is laughed at.  Then the scene cuts and Brian Urlacher admits that he was the sad teenage boy in the clip, until he started using Swagger by Old Spice.  After carelessly tossing the deodorant cap and taking a whiff, Urlacher asks the question, “Who’s laughing now” (Old Spice: Body Spray)?  This comment is an example of intertextuality, which is a relationship between texts.  For a viewer to understand and feel a greater impact from the humor at hand they must be aware of Brian Urlacher’s background.  The audience must realize that Brian Urlacher is a professional football player that gets paid millions of dollars to intimidate his opponents.  The statement is funny because it basically claims that the use of Old Spice’s body spray transformed Brian Urlacher into an amazing football player and a well-known celebrity.

            The audience is more likely to be persuaded by this commercial if they understand the intertextuality that the promotion holds with Brian Urlacher’s background.  The relationship between these two things is a springboard for the logical fallacy that Old Spice uses in its promotion for its new fragrance.  The company is using misleading logic to persuade teenage boys into purchasing their product.  They are attempting to persuade teens by misleading them into thinking that if they use this product it will change their life[E6] .  This commercial tries to do this by depicting Brian Urlacher as a loser until he began using Swagger, which had an impact on his life.  The commercial doesn’t show how the new fragrance affected Brian’s life, but the audience is suppose to assume that it will transform them into a celebrity with huge muscles, that makes millions of dollars.  Obviously this is impossible, because no inanimate thing can transform you, or change who you are. 

            On Old Spice’s recently refurbished website you can view this commercial and view other promotional ads for the new body spray scent.  Beside this commercial on the web page is a caption that reads, “Real life stories from famous persons LL Cool J and Brian Urlacher” (Old Spice).  This caption only makes the commercial more believable for the targeted audience, so that they have more incentive to purchase the product.  Old Spice increases the consumers’ motivation to purchase the body spray by making the commercial appear to be based off real life occurrences, when it truly isn’t.  Another element that adds to the persuasion of this promotion is a slogan on the side of the web page that reads, “The scent that makes a difference” (Old Spice)!  Although it is difficult to view, this slogan is also in the very last frame that you see in this commercial by Old Spice.  It seems that Old Spice is once again trying to persuade their audience into thinking that this fragrance will make a huge difference in the life of its users, even though it won’t.

            Looking at the commercial through Old Spice’s point of view and other viewers’ eyes, there is an arguable side to this promotion.  Old Spice may simply be magnifying the results that the consumer will receive with the use of their product[E7] .  The company may be trying to state that with the application of their new body spray fragrance you will become more noticed in public.  The consumer may become more popular due to the pleasant aroma that people around him may be experiencing.  This increase in popularity would be obvious to the user because of the number of people that would be commenting on the particular user’s odor.  This could be someone asking him what cologne or fragrance he is wearing, or simply someone telling him that he smells nice.  However, as I previously stated, this body spray by Old Spice will not have a huge impact on the lives of its users.  No nonliving object has the capability to transform you, or change who you are.

            I have actually had a first hand experience with the new fragrance, Swagger, by Old Spice.  Like many other teenagers and young adults I tend to use body spray, and I have tested Old Spice’s new scent.  I have to admit that it has a brilliant smelling aroma, but I didn’t experience the effects of the use like they were portrayed in the commercial.  If the commercial were true I would be on my way to stardom [E8] just because of the use of their product.  However, all I experienced was a pleasant scent for about an hour, and then the fragrance wore off.  This is evidence that Old Spice is using a logical fallacy in order to persuade their audience into purchasing this spray.  Ironically, like the targeted audience I was once a young and immature teenager that needed help being popular.  Unfortunately, there is more to being popular than smelling great.  I learned that a body spray can keep your hygiene in tack, but it isn’t going to change who you are.

            Logical fallacies are used in almost every advertisement and commercial in today’s society.  As a matter of fact some of the most popular products and brands are advertised with misleading logic.  Air Jordan shoes are a great example of a modern product that consistently uses logical fallacies in order to reel in consumers.  Air Jordan produces commercials that send misleading messages to its audience by convincing the viewers that these shoes will make them play like Michael Jordan himself.  A fallacy can also be created if a consumer credits his or her success on the basketball court to the use of Michael Jordan’s shoes (Alfano and O’Brien 47).  Commercials of Michael Jordan soaring through the air and making spectacular dunks is what gives the audience the wrong idea about these shoes.  Nevertheless, Nike and Air Jordan continue to use this faulty logic because it allows them to be one of the wealthiest brands in the entire world.

            In turn, Old Spice uses intertextuality to establish a logical fallacy that appeals to the targeted audience’s emotions.  Although this body spray may result in you smelling pleasant for a while it won’t have the huge impacts on your life that this commercial portrays.  It is also important that you realize that as a consumer you will not be transformed or completely changed because of the use of an inanimate object like Swagger.  However, understand that companies like Old Spice tend to use fallacies in advertising and commercials to get you to purchase their products, so beware. [E9] 

 [E1]good
 [E2]Don’t say in this commercial. Introduce the commercial. You could say “in one Old Spice commercial”
 [E3]Great use of info we went over in class
 [E4]This is great, but you may need  to introduce the entire commercial and explain it before you say this. You might not need to give all the details but at least a brief overview.
 [E5]Try not to make it sound like you are writing an essay for class. You can leave this out.
 [E6]Great explanation.
 [E7]Great sentence
 [E8]Well you have been on ESPN J
 [E9]Good conclusion


"The Scent that Makes a Difference"

                
            Whenever a product is coveted and wanted at a high demand, it is likely the advertisers used faulty logic in order to appeal to the consumer’s emotions.  In other words the advertiser probably used misleading logic, which lead to the consumer’s purchase of the product.  This is commonly known as a logical fallacy and can be seen everyday in advertising.  In one particular commercial Brian Urlacher, an all-star football player, claims that Old Spice’s new body spray made him who he is today.  Old Spice uses intertextuality in order to create a logical fallacy to persuade teenage boys into purchasing their product.  It is vital that the audience understands the relationship between this commercial and Brian Urlacher’s background to be affected by the fallacy.  Evidence of this fallacy can further be viewed on Old Spice’s revamped web site.  Fallacies like the one used by Old Spice can be seen in almost every advertisement and commercial throughout our society today. 

            Old Spice, a company that manufactures male hygiene products, created a commercial with the intention to promote their new fragrance of body spray.  The promotion begins with a clip of a teenage boy dressed in medieval attire challenging a guy to a sparring match.  Unfortunately, he is denied and is laughed at.  Then the scene cuts and Brian Urlacher admits that he was the sad teenage boy in the clip, until he started using Swagger by Old Spice.  After carelessly tossing the deodorant cap and taking a whiff, Urlacher asks the question, “Who’s laughing now” (Old Spice: Body Spray)?  This comment is an example of intertextuality, which is a relationship between texts.  For a viewer to understand and feel a greater impact from the humor at hand they must be aware of Brian Urlacher’s background.  The audience must realize that Brian Urlacher is a professional football player that gets paid millions of dollars to intimidate his opponents.  The statement is funny because it basically claims that the use of Old Spice’s body spray transformed Brian Urlacher into an amazing football player and a well-known celebrity.

            The audience is more likely to be persuaded by this commercial if they understand the intertextuality that the promotion holds with Brian Urlacher’s background.  The relationship between these two things is a springboard for the logical fallacy that Old Spice uses in its promotion for its new fragrance.  The company is using misleading logic to persuade teenage boys into purchasing their product.  They are attempting to persuade teens by misleading them into thinking that if they use this product it will change their life.  This commercial tries to do this by depicting Brian Urlacher as a loser until he began using Swagger, which had an impact on his life.  The commercial doesn’t show how the new fragrance affected Brian’s life, but the audience is suppose to assume that it will transform them into a celebrity with huge muscles, that makes millions of dollars.  Obviously this is impossible, because no inanimate thing can transform you, or change who you are.  

            On Old Spice’s recently refurbished website you can view this commercial and view other promotional ads for the new body spray scent.  Beside this commercial on the web page is a caption that reads, “Real life stories from famous persons LL Cool J and Brian Urlacher” (Old Spice).  This caption only makes the commercial more believable for the targeted audience, so that they have more incentive to purchase the product.  Old Spice increases the consumers’ motivation to purchase the body spray by making the commercial appear to be based off real life occurrences, when it truly isn’t.  Another element that adds to the persuasion of this promotion is a slogan on the side of the web page that reads, “The scent that makes a difference” (Old Spice)!  Although it is difficult to view, this slogan is also in the very last frame that you see in this commercial by Old Spice.  It seems that Old Spice is once again trying to persuade their audience into thinking that this fragrance will make a huge difference in the life of its users, even though it won’t.

            Looking at the commercial through Old Spice’s point of view and other viewers’ eyes, there is an arguable side to this promotion.  Old Spice may simply be magnifying the results that the consumer will receive with the use of their product.  The company may be trying to state that with the application of their new body spray fragrance you will become more noticed in public.  The consumer may become more popular due to the pleasant aroma that people around him may be experiencing.  This increase in popularity would be obvious to the user because of the number of people that would be commenting on the particular user’s odor.  This could be someone asking him what cologne or fragrance he is wearing, or simply someone telling him that he smells nice.  However, as I previously stated, this body spray by Old Spice will not have a huge impact on the lives of its users.  No nonliving object has the capability to transform you, or change who you are.

            I have actually had a first hand experience with the new fragrance, Swagger, by Old Spice.  Like many other teenagers and young adults I tend to use body spray, and I have tested Old Spice’s new scent.  I have to admit that it has a brilliant smelling aroma, but I didn’t experience the effects of the use like they were portrayed in the commercial.  If the commercial were true I would be on my way to stardom just because of the use of their product.  However, all I experienced was a pleasant scent for about an hour, and then the fragrance wore off.  This is evidence that Old Spice is using a logical fallacy in order to persuade their audience into purchasing this spray.  Ironically, like the targeted audience I was once a young and immature teenager that needed help being popular.  Unfortunately, there is more to being popular than smelling great.  I learned that a body spray can keep your hygiene in tack, but it isn’t going to change who you are.

            Logical fallacies are used in almost every advertisement and commercial in today’s society.  As a matter of fact some of the most popular products and brands are advertised with misleading logic.  Air Jordan shoes are a great example of a modern product that consistently uses logical fallacies in order to reel in consumers. Air Jordan produces commercials that send misleading messages to its audience by convincing the viewers that these shoes will make them play like Michael Jordan himself.  A fallacy can also be created if a consumer credits his or her success on the basketball court to the use of Michael Jordan’s shoes (Alfano and O’Brien 47). Commercials of Michael Jordan soaring through the air and making spectacular dunks is what gives the audience the wrong idea about these shoes.  Nevertheless, Nike and Air Jordan continue to use this faulty logic because it allows them to be one of the wealthiest brands in the entire world.

            In turn, Old Spice uses intertextuality to establish a logical fallacy that appeals to the targeted audience’s emotions.  Although this body spray may result in you smelling pleasant for a while it won’t have the huge impacts on your life that this commercial portrays.  It is also important that you realize that as a consumer you will not be transformed or completely changed because of the use of an inanimate object like Swagger.  However, understand that companies like Old Spice tend to use fallacies in advertising and commercials to get you to purchase their products, so beware.


Works Cited


Alfano, Christine L. and O’Brien, Alyssa J.  “Logical Fallacies.”  Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments.  2nd ed.  Ed. Lynn M. Huddon.  New York:                           Pearson Education, Inc., 2008.  47.

Old Spice: Body Spray.  Advertisement.  Television.  3 November 2008.

Old Spice.  Procter and Gamble.  2008.  3 November 2008 <http://www.oldspice.com/>.