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advertising and its impact
Effects of advertisement in our modern world
advertising and its impact
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Advertisements by foreign firms may conflict with a regional or global value. The billboard advertisement in Amsterdam, “PlayStation Portable White is coming” by Sony, has caused global outcry about its racial implications. Evidently, a Japanese person born into a more homogenous society without the cultural background of today’s anti-racists western world will not consider the advertisement for its potentially racist features; however, an American citizen, who has been living in a society that defies the act of being racists, will more readily interpret the advertisement for its potentially racists elements. The visual of the two women, the placement and syntax of the text, and the use of shock all give reason for two different readers, Japanese and American, to interpret the advertisement differently.
The visuals of the two women is the most overwhelming feature of the advertisement that beholds to some an explicit racial implication, which may force readers into interpreting the advertisement as predominantly racist rather than promotional. Although Sony’s aim was to promote this product, the visual of the white woman strangling the black woman may cause audiences to interpret the ad as a racial superiority statement rather than a mere ad campaign. The difference in size between the product (bottom lefthand side) and the visual of the two women calls for more attention to the image of the two women, which depicts a dominance of white over black. A Japanese audience where due to the homogenous aspect of society, the introduction of a new color such as white is special as it is something new and distinct compared to what was then previously available. On the other hand, an American audience will be discomforted by the way in wh...
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...ion to the advertisement. It is commonly said that ‘no publicity is bad publicity’ and therefore Sony may have decided that through a controversial ad they might be able to reach a broader audience despite its potential short-term drawbacks of making them look ‘bad’.
Overall, Sony has created an advertisement, which may be easily interpreted by different audiences as racist from. Audiences whom are affected by an ethical value against racism will condemn this advertisement for its inconsiderate use of imagery, misleading text, and use of shock. Different audiences will always view advertisements from different perspectives; however, advertisers must consider the ‘taboos’ of today’s world from a global perspective when creating advertisements to avoid such hysteria or in order to evoke it in order to receive more attention, which may have been Sony’s true purpose.
This advertisement shows us logos by making people think about domestic violence. When you look at the big boot, obviously worn by a man is stepping on top of a small women’s shoe, it automatically makes you think about domestic violence. As quoted, “When he controls your life, it’s no longer your life.” This quote is powerful and directly speaks to the women who are in controlling abusive relationships. It also speaks to people who know someone who is being abused and that they should speak out. It pulls you into the sad scene with the dark lighting all around almost making it seem suffocating, which causes the small woman’s shoe to seem unimportant, compared to the big muddy boot that is trapping it. It logically makes someone
The text at the bottom of the ad chosen reads, “The lighter way to enjoy chocolate. HERSHEYS.” The left side of the image depicts the back of a larger African American woman who is not wearing any clothes. On the right we see rippling heresy’s chocolate syrup. Hershey’s is trying to make a correlation between the colour/shape of the women on the left, and Hersey’s chocolate syrup on the right. Throughout this paper I will be taking a look at how women are affected by advertisements that promote dehumanization, body shaming, objectification, and the negative portrayal of African American women.
Often in advertising, there are images of women that offend some people, who see them as degrading, while others think they are harmless. However, upon a closer examination of the facts we will find that it is truly demeaning and not just a situation propelled out of proportion by ultra-feminists or what some people term “femi-nazis.” Although it is a feminist issue, it is also a family issue. Everyone has a sister, a mother, a grandmother or female friend who could potentially be harmed by being objectified in these ads. This can incite violence against a woman, damaging the woman as well as her family or friends. In Jean Kilbourne’s “Killing us Softly 3,” Kilbourne advances the idea that the advertising industry makes “. . . deliberate choices,” and “. . . tactical decisions designed to sell their particular brands by selling particular brands of femininity . . . undermining the way girls and women see themselves, while normalizing the violence done to them by men” (mef pp 3). Nevertheless, why do people, including women, still till tend to buy from the stores/retailers who advertise in this fashion? As we attempt to answer this question we will look at the biases created by these ads, and their affect on the people who are looking at them. With this evaluation, we shall discover that it is not just feminists over-reacting, but an issue for all humanity with ramifications for women’s rights, health and safety for years to come.
U.S. media history has been plagued with limited representations of Asians and Asian Americans. Specifically Asian American female roles have been limited to stereotypes such as the Lotus Blossom/Madame Butterfly and the dragon lady. The Lotus Blossom and the Madame Butterfly stereotypes are seen as being sexually attractive, alluring, passive and obedient. On the other hand the Dragon Lady is seen as sexualized, sinister and conniving. These stereotypical representations of Asian females are what Darrel Hamamoto refers to as “controlling images”. The repetition of these loaded representations within contemporary media has created a limited perspective of Asian American images. According to Hamamoto in “Monitored Peril: Asian Americans and the Politics of TV”, controlling images involve the process of objectification, subordination, and justification. These images are used to create a hierarchy of gender, race, and class; this hierarchy can also be understood as media racial hegemony. In their book “Asian Americans and the Media” Kent Ono and Vincent Pham articulate media racial hegemony as the way people think about how race is represented through media and how media representations help guide and regulate beliefs and actions of those within society in indirect ways.
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” aired a segment on the controversy behind the Coca-Cola half time commercial during the Super Bowl. The commercial featured “America the Beautiful” sung in different languages by people from different nationalities. Americans on their social media websites, such as Twitter, went into an uproar. Many Americans tweeted things similar to, “What an f***ing terrible commercial. The majority of it was not even in English and was sung by a bunch of foreigners. Just more multicultural, politically correct, liberal s**t” (CBS Atlanta). On the “Daily Show with Jon Stewart”, Stewart highlights the controversy of this commercial on Twitter. Stewart jokes about how ironic the backlash this comm...
American Indian images, music, and food logos have been incorporated into many American advertising campaigns and products images. Many products such as butter, honey, malt liquor, and tobacco packages provide images of American Indians who often are categorized as stereotyping. Racial and ethnic images are parts of the American advertising for more than a century. For example, white images of Native Americans ware always constructed through children’s game...
In conclusion, we can see how everything presented in an advertisement can actually have an impact in the people. Although the company’s target was to sell their product, their way of transmitting the message to the people also fortifies the stereotype. Thus, the media today does abuse the power of stereotyping in order to gain a favorable reputation. Everything they present in the ad, from symbolism to the lifestyle of the characters, race, age and gender, has an effect on strengthening the stereotype. In this case, women are perceived as emotionally drained, weak and incapable, although now a days that characterization is trying to be broken because women are much more than that and can actually get to achieve greater things.
While watching this film I gained greater insight into the intricate process that goes into the ads in which I come into contact every day. This film revealed the vast amount of advertising that surrounds me every day which I may often miss. I am now more aware that each ad I see from location to color to size has a purpose behind the choices made to create it.
In the essay “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” author and philosopher Susan Bordo discusses the history and current state of male representation in advertisements. While using her feminist background, Bordo compares and contrasts the aspects of how men and women are portrayed in the public eye. She claims that there has been a paradigm shift the media with the theory that not just women are being objectified in the public eye, but also men too. Since the mid-1970s, with the introduction of Calvin Klein commercials, men have started to become more dehumanized and regarded as sex symbols. In a similar fashion to how Bordo describes gender, race plays a similar role in the media. People of all different ethnicities and cultures are being categorized into an oversimplified and usually unfair image by the media over basic characteristics.
The documentary Killing Us Softly 4 discusses and examines the role of women in advertisements and the effects of the ads throughout history. The film begins by inspecting a variety of old ads. The speaker, Jean Kilbourne, then discusses and dissects each ad describing the messages of the advertisements and the subliminal meanings they evoke. The commercials from the past and now differ in some respects but they still suggest the same messages. These messages include but are not limited to the following: women are sexual objects, physical appearance is everything, and women are naturally inferior then men. Kilbourne discusses that because individuals are surrounded by media and advertisements everywhere they go, that these messages become real attitudes and mindsets in men and women. Women believe they must achieve a level of beauty similar to models they see in magazines and television commercials. On the other hand, men expect real women to have the same characteristics and look as beautiful as the women pictured in ads. However, even though women may diet and exercise, the reality...
Counter-hegemony, cultural appropriation and generalisation can be seen in advertising, by wording and visual representations. The following example harnesses the power of sexual or pornographic elements to sell milk. There, however, is a subtle underlining of religious iconography and reference that has been manipulated as a sexual innuendos, as a means to sell their goods.
For every Super Bowl, millions of excited fans tune in to watch their favorite teams compete and enjoy the ecstatic atmosphere. One aspect of the Super Bowl are the usual entertaining advertisements. During the 2014th Super Bowl, an American based company, Coca Cola, had advertised their product in a rather different way causing some political controversy. Coca Cola’s advertisements always highlights the theme of people enjoying a moment of happiness and can be united while drinking a delightful Coke. In this case, their 60 second advertisement, “America the Beautiful” featured visuals of people of different ethnic or racial background all drinking a coke living their daily lifestyles while enjoying a Coca Cola. The music featured children singing the well-known national song, “America The Beautiful”, not only in English but in seven other languages. Xenophobic comments and a boycott against Coca Cola caused the controversy, but this advertisement was met
A photograph of a Muslim woman of color in a hijab; eyes sad; mouth covered by a google pull down search menu with the words “women need to” entered into it; darkness surrounding her; these are all the pieces of a powerful ad. U.N. Women’s “The Autocomplete Truth” advertisement aims to showcase modern day sexism, and to make a clear statement that women need to be seen as equals. The advertisement achieves this intended impact, not only through the use of rhetorical appeals, but also through visual aspects such as being spare, calm, carefully organized, subdued in color, and through the contrast of traditional versus cutting edge elements.
Curry and Clarke’s article believe in a strategy called “visual literacy” which develops women and men’s roles in advertisements (1983: 365). Advertisements are considered a part of mass media and communications, which influence an audience and impact society as a whole. Audiences quickly begin to rely on messages sent through advertisements and can create ideologies of women and men. These messages not only are extremely persuasive, but they additionally are effective in product consumption in the media (Curry and Clarke 1983:
This small advert has produced so many stereotypes and discourses for discussion and debates. The first thing we see is a celebration, there are mostly white people all drinking and happy, in the advertisement it states that it is wedding. This is producing a discourse of ethnicity becau...