Fallacies in Old Spice Questions Video

Logical fallacies mean “does not follow” in Latin, Non Sequitur saying the statement and the conclusion are not matching what they are saying.  I chose one of the Old Spice Body wash commercials with Isaiah Mustafa – The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.  Mustafa is a former NFL football player and American actor. The target audience for this Old Spice Body Wash commercial are females and males.  I believe the most important point in this commercial are for men who believe they would smell good by using Old Spice Body Wash and charm their ladies at the same time.  This commercial makes me giggle all of the time and have some logical fallacies.   

The first fallacy I saw in the commercial was the bandwagon.  Bandwagon fallacy mean appealing to popularity or the fact that many people do something as an attempted form of validation. The former NFL Football player and American actor is standing on a beach with a white towel wrapped around his waist as he shows off his handsome body, muscles and six-pack in order to sell Old Spice Body Wash.  Since he is a former NFL Football player and American actor this indicates this product must be good and many consumers will purchase this product because of Mustafa is well known.  The commercial starts off: “Hello Ladies.  How are you?  Fantastic!  Does your man look like me?  No.  Can he smell like me?  Yes. Should he use Old Spice Body Wash.?  I don’t know.  The well-known NFL football player and American actor indicates all men should smell like him and if so they could charm their way into female’s heart.

The Second fallacy I saw in the commercial was false cause which is presuming that a real or perceived relationship between this is that one is the cause of the other.  The very attractive NFL Football player and American actor asked Do you like the smell of adventures?  Do you want a man who smell like he can bake you a gourmet cake in the dream kitchen he built you with his own hands?  Of course, swan dive into the best night of your life.  So ladies should your man smell like and Old Spice Man.  You tell me.”  Mustafa is making the assumption that a man who uses Old Spice Body Wash will be able to sweet talk the ladies.  Also, Mustafa indicates if you use Old Spice Body Wash you will be able to bake gourmet cakes and build dream kitchens.

The Last fallacy in the Old Spice commercial would have to be appeal to authority.  Appeal of authority is “also known as an argument from authority (Latin: argumentum ad verecundiam), it is argued that something is true, because someone of authority (like an expert) says it is true. “ The football player Mustafa is selling the old spice and since he is a football player and is in great shape. Men should go buy the old spice so they can be like him and the ladies would go after him. Since Mustafa is saying the product is excellent and women want their men like him. People would go out and buy the product.  Appealing to authority is valid in this case because the authority is actually a legitimate authority on the facts of the argument.

Their significant other and they will be just like him.  This is a false cause fallacy because using Old Spice Body Wash doesn’t mean you can bake, build your dream kitchen or work your way into female’s heart.  The attractive young man believes if you use something other than Old Spice Body Wash you couldn’t win a lady’s heart.