The advertisement I decided to explore features a well dressed young man who is holding a large hammer across his shoulder. At first glance it may seem as though this young man is modeling for a high end clothing company of some sort. However, once you take a closer look you realize that the advertisement is actually made by Viagra and it is directed towards men with erectile-dysfunction, more particularly young men. The advertisement attempts to communicate to the audience what the optimal male should resemble. The main focus of this advertisement is on what the optimal male is capable of rather than focusing on selling the actual product, which is done at the bottom of the advertisement in much smaller print. By portraying a young man who is well dressed and holding a large hammer across his shoulder, Viagra attempts to get young men to feel insecure about their own sexual capabilities and to seek a way to enhance them.

The advertisement displays the slogan “Man Up” in bold letters across the young mans chest. It conveys the message that in order to be considered a real man, you will do whatever it takes to achieve that status, no matter the health risks. It also implies that if you can’t get erect that you are not man enough. For a condition that is uncontrollable for most men, Viagra is creating self doubt amongst young men. They are trying to persuade young men to consider using their drug in order to become more like the optimal male. However, what they don’t address when releasing the advertisement are the health related problems that young men who take this drug will inevitably face as they get older. It ignores communicating the major side effects such as possible loss of vision, seizures, deafness, bone pain, and trouble breathing. There’s a lot of pressure on men to live up to a certain standard that is considered “socially acceptable”. For Viagra to promote the recreational use of a drug that is meant for older men to a younger audience is socially and morally unacceptable.