Masculinity is a topic that advertisers like to exploit among males.  Notice how they always choose the popular male athletes to represent their brand. When one thinks about sports drinks, gatorade and powerade usually comes to mind.  However, in the Mark McGwire milk ad, milk is represented in a way that makes it appear better for you than those energy drinks.  The key to any successful ad is not only the spokesperson, but also the colors, the clothing, and the caption if there is one.  In the Mark McGwire milk ad, he is wearing a sleeveless shirt and jeans while holding a bat against his shoulder.  The intended message in the ad is that if you drink milk every day, one will be like Mark McGwire.  One can clearly see that the target audience for the ad is adult males.  By looking at the spokesperson, the clothing, the lighting, and the caption we can see that the ad is specifically targeting adult males which most people do not see.  This is important because the ad is distinguishing itself from sports drinks by saying that it is a healthier option for males, while also giving one the same amount of energy and strength.

Mark McGwire was chosen to be the spokesperson for this ad because he was a skilled, well-known baseball player, and also because he appeals more to men.  One can clearly see this because he is dressed in a sleeveless shirt and jeans to appeal to men. In his career, he hit 583 home runs and he is the fastest player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs as well.  This is important because the ad wants you to believe that drinking milk gives you more strength which is why they chose the all-star slugger Mark McGwire as their representative and also why McGwire stands.  The way that McGwire is standing is also important to consider.  He stands straight up with his shoulders back to project a strong, confident appearance.  This is important because it suggests that milk will make a person confident and strong.  In addition to his confident appearance, McGwire also has a welcoming look on his face.  The ad not only wants you to believe that milk makes you strong, but also that it is an enjoyable experience for men to drink milk.  Through McGwire and his assuring appearance one can see that this ad was designed to appeal to adult males because it advertises milk as a stronger option than sugary sports drinks.

Another main component of any ad is the coloring because it is used to create the tone of the ad.  McGwire stands in front of a black background while wearing a black shirt and jeans as well as a black belt.  The use of black in the ad is clearly used to convey a more serious tone, while appealing to men in the process because men generally like the color black.  Notice the stark difference between the coloring for this ad and another milk ad featuring Taylor Swift.  In the Swift ad, white is the primary color used in order to represent females.  In this ad, black is primarily used to appeal more to men.  By using a more serious color such as black, the ad specifically aims to relate to men and also make milk appear more masculine.

Clothing is also very important in this advertisement because McGwire is dressed like a common man to appeal to the common man.  In the ad, McGwire wears a black, sleeveless shirt with blue jeans and a black belt, while holding an empty glass of milk in one hand and a baseball bat in the other.  The purpose of the sleeveless shirt is to show off McGwire’s large muscles in order to convince someone that they can have muscles as big as McGwire’s if they drink milk.  Blue jeans and a black belt are utilized to make McGwire appeal more to the common man.  Notice how the ad does not show McGwire in a baseball jersey.  They do not want people to think that milk is meant to be consumed only by baseball players.  They want to attract as many males as they can and not just baseball players or fans.  Additionally, McGwire holds an emptglass of milk to indicate that he drank the milk and is enjoying it.  Lastly, McGwire holds a baseball bat in his other hand so that those who are not familiar with him can at least assume that he is a baseball player.  Through McGwire’s outfit, we can see that he is being portrayed as a strong, common man who enjoys a glass of milk.  This provides more evidence that the ad is representing men as strong humans who enjoy a glass of milk.

The lighting is another important part of a successful advertisement because it is used to highlight certain features of the spokesperson.  In this ad, the lighting is focused on McGwire’s face and his muscles.  They highlight his face to show both the confident, and welcoming look that he exhibits.  His muscles are highlighted to once again show the strength one can possess if someone drinks milk.  This is important because by highlighting certain features of McGwire, we can see that the ad wants us to believe that drinking milk will make us strong and confident, which are things that every man wants.  

Lastly, the caption gives us the biggest evidence to support the idea that the ad targets men.  It says “Time for more milk.  Its got stuff leading sports drinks don’t – like protein, potassium, and calcium.  That’s why I always have an ice cold glass…  as soon as I get home.”  The caption informs us that milk is a healthier option than a sports drink, while giving us specific ingredients of milk.  Then it uses the words ice cold to give us the sense of refreshment that one would feel after coming home from a long days work.  At the top of the ad, it also says “Going, going, gone.” which is usually a phrase that is used to describe a home run, but in this case it is used to describe how quickly McGwire drinks the milk.  Through the caption, one can see that milk is portrayed as a healthier option to sports drinks, but is just as refreshing and enjoyable as a cold glass of water.  This is important because milk is portrayed as having good taste, while also being good for you which is important to men.

The main message of the ad is that drinking milk can be an enjoyable experience for men as well as women.  Through the use of the spokesperson, the colors, the clothing, the lighting, and the caption, one can see all the different ways that milk is portrayed as a drink that every man can enjoy.  Most milk ads that are shown have a lighter and more playful tone.  However, this ad  stands out and as a result is more memorable than most milk ads.  While the ad may not convince men that drinking milk exclusively will make them look like Mark McGwire, it just may persuade them to have a glass of milk a day.
