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I never took the time to watch and analyze commercials from
this time period or from an early time period to really understand what the
message was that was trying to be conveyed. In the late 60’s early 70’s when
this commercial was aired the purpose was to get women to have softer hands by
using the dishwashing soap “Palmolive” instead of other dish washing
detergents. The moto that was used for this product was, “Softens hands while
you do the dishes” which was displayed on the front of the container included
with a picture of a women’s hand. Not only does this commercial introduce the
idea to use Palmolive to clean dishes, but it also has the ability to soften hands
just by soaking one’s hands in it like Madge had done in the nail salon. The
version of reality that it is selling is that when using a different
dishwashing soap other than Palmolive you will have dry unappealing hands, just
like the woman’s in the nail salon before being introduced to Palmolive.
The intended audience of this commercial is strictly women. In the time period of this commercial, women were responsible for doing the house chores such as washing dishes, which, when not using Palmolive, caused their hands to become dry and unappealing to their husbands. Information is conveyed through a women’s eyes in this commercial (Madge) as a manicurist. When she is looking at the women’s hands she made a comment that her hands made her want to become a nurse. After the women explained it was due to washing dishes Madge explained to her the benefits of Palmolive dishwashing soap. In addition to the manicurist’s perspective, we receive the perspective from the house wife and how the washing of dishes has caused her hands to be unappealing and dry. Two weeks later when the women saw Madge out while shopping, the women thanks Madge for introducing her to Palmolive and that she is absolutely in love with it. Madge made a remark where she questioned the women if her husband had known about it. This helped put into perspective the husband’s perspective as well because the woman’s hands are now appealing to those around her and not just herself.
People/figures are portrayed in this video by taking on different roles to display the difficulties that other dishwashing soaps give the consumers. I think these figures such as the manicurist and wife were singled out because when being a manicurist you really pay attention to the condition of one’s hands which is what this video was trying to sell with using the Palmolive product. Additionally, I think the wife in the commercial was singled out because she was a typical house wife and it displayed the hardships she has with washing the dishes every day and having very dry hands that were appealing to her, her husband, and even the manicurist. I think if the video producer were to recreate this commercial using male actors, instead of women, it would not portray the same message that this commercial had.
From the perspective of a video producer I think some of the most important design decisions used in creating this ad was the clip at the end when the woman sees Madge out while she is shopping. The video producer could have simply ended the commercial right after discussing how the Palmolive suds last from the first glass to the last greasy casserole dish. However, by including the clip where the woman thanks Madge and explains how she is in love with Palmolive really helps to sell the product and make it desirable for all consumers to buy.
References
Palmolive Company. (n.d.). Call
the police! These hands are a crime! [Image]. Retrieved from
http://potliquor.blogspot.com/2008/12/palmolive-soothes-burns-while-you-fry.html
Palmolive Company. (1979). Madge
in the '60's [Image]. Retrieved from
http://clickamericana.com/eras/1960s/palmolive-ads-featuring-madge-the-manicurist
sideshowcarny. (2006, September 6). Palmolive commercial [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bEkq7JCbik&feature=related
References
Palmolive Company. (n.d.). Call
the police! These hands are a crime! [Image]. Retrieved from
http://potliquor.blogspot.com/2008/12/palmolive-soothes-burns-while-you-fry.html
Palmolive Company. (1979). Madge
in the '60's [Image]. Retrieved from
http://clickamericana.com/eras/1960s/palmolive-ads-featuring-madge-the-manicurist
sideshowcarny. (2006, September 6). Palmolive commercial [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bEkq7JCbik&feature=related
Hi Paige,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post! I think its very interesting how this commercial appealed to women and that standards women were given during this time period. This commercial makes me conclude that perhaps women were objectified in that if their hands weren't soft, they were not seen as feminine. I also think it is interesting that this commercial appeals to home makers and the working class women are excluded from this commercial. I thought perhaps during this time period the working class women were frowned upon and not seen as "womenly". I agree with you when you mention that this commercial is portrayed in a women's eyes. This commercial creates a false reality of being able to complete house work and managing self care as well.
Thank you for your post, Paige. I also focused on this commercial and enjoyed reading your observations. It is fascinating to see the ways in which the values of time periods are captured within commercials. I actually looked up the character of Madge and discovered that she was used as spokesperson from 1967 until the early 1990s. It is interesting to see later commercials and the ways in which the character is the same, but the commercials are updated to reflect the changing values. This is especially apparent as we see that in later commercials women want their hands to look good for big job interviews. The long run of the character shows how effective this spokesperson is in reaching the targeted audience even through changing times.
ReplyDeleteWow, it's fascinating that you can track changes in cultural values and perceptions just through one marketing campaign.
DeleteHi Paige! Great post! I agree with your point about this ad wanting to appeal to housewives. The thing I find most interesting about these ads are how reflective they are of what was going on in society at the time. Women were typically stay at home moms who took care of the house while their husbands are at work. This ad appeals to a woman's sense of wanting to look good for when their husband came home. By using Palmolive, a woman could keep her hands soft and attractive for her husband. It also tries to be appeal to a more affluent section of housewives by showing a woman getting a manicure. It is presumed if a woman has money for a manicure that she wants to look her best and by using Palmolive she can achieve that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for researching the Madge character Jessica! That is actually very interesting that she was a spokesperson for that long!
Hi Paige,
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point about the women in this advertising being the archetypes of femininity for that era. I think it's interesting that Madge, as a manicurist, is put into the position of a hand expert, in a reality where this construct is equated with being a real woman.
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