Rhetorical Analysis of Old Spice Commercial

English 101

14 November 2014

Rhetorical Analysis of Old Spice Commercial

Old Spice commercials are typically known for their demonstration of masculinity through humorous portrayals of their product. Their commercial titled “Questions” is no different. The commercial begins with the familiar Old Spice face, Isaiah Mustafa, also known as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” standing on an open beach. He is wearing nothing but a towel around his waist and holding an Old Spice product in his hand. He is standing next to a shower, symbolizing that the product, body wash, is used in the shower. Mustafa begins by greeting the audience in a low, smooth voice and addressing them as “ladies” (Old Spice). He asks the ladies, “Does your man look like me? No. Can he smell like me? Yes” (Old Spice). Then the landscape of the commercial transitions into a lake, where Mustafa is rolling on a log and then proceeds to walk on water as he asks the audience, “Do you like the smell of adventure?” (Old Spice). Then he walks and the landscape changes once again to a scene where Mustafa walks through a beautiful kitchen, receives a homemade cake with the words “You’re Beautiful” written in icing. He the magically obtains an electric sanding tool and drags is across a unfinished wooden table as he says, “Do you want a man who smells like he can bake you a gourmet cake in the dream kitchen he built you with his own hands? Of course you do” (Old Spice). The commercial ends with Mustafa taking a swan dive off of a waterfall and into a wooden hot tub. He then says, “So ladies, should you man smell like an old spice man? You tell me” (Old Spice), and the walls of the tub fall down to reveal Mustafa sitting on a motorcycle in jeans, once again holding the Old Spice product seen in the beginning of the commercial. Then Mustafa holds his pose while looking into the camera as the words, “Smell like a man, man. Old Spice” (Old Spice) appear on the screen.

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