Wells Fargo Stereotypes

Expectations for youth have been reinforced by the media since its conception. Millennials are constantly belittled for not following in the traditional footsteps of their parents by refusing jobs that support them financially, but do not fulfill their emotional expectations or needs. In a world where we tell children they can be anything they want, there are stiff restrictions on what is truly accepted. Young adults are expected to assume roles mirroring those of past generations although the world around them is changing dramatically. However, many companies try to market against this progress by continuing to promote antiquated stereotypes. One striking example of this comes from an advertisement produced by Wells Fargo. In such, a young

woman is depicted practicing engineering. In front of her, a bright block of text reads, “A ballerina yesterday. An engineer today.” Wells Fargo isn’t only advertising their Teen Financial Education Day, they are selling the outdated idea of success only being achieved through the pursuit of traditional careers.
A fresh-faced, young white girl in her mid-teens. You’re not quite sure what she is doing, but the ad seems to imply it can change the world one day. Bright orange and teal graphics draw your attention and you can’t look away. They remind you of the fleeting nature of your childhood. The phrase repeats in your mind “A ballerina yesterday. An engineer today.” while her youthful yet mature smile burns holes through your mind. “Let’s get them ready for tomorrow,” the advertisement urges in a clean, prominent font. This advertisement has caught your attention. While there is the “undeniable aesthetic component” you’re used to seeing on a daily basis , this one seems different (Fowles 67). You lace up your ballet slippers and mindlessly run through the motions of your routine as if none of it even matters. You might have not remembered it. You might not have even seen it if the vibrant colors and astounding clarity hadn’t pulled you in at first glance.
These components catch the eye and appeal to an audience’s need for aesthetic sensation. This advertisement is Wells Fargo’s attempt to communicate their Teen Financial Education Day and there is “very little chance of good communication occurring if [this] ad is not visually pleasing” (Fowles 67). The colors utilized are youthful, showing the endless opportunities that childhood brings; their futures are (quite literally) bright… if they participate in careers surrounding science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). In the name of this minimalistic aesthetic, however, the ad distinguishes nothing about engineering except that it is not ballet. Rather than exploring the possibilities and excitement of the career they’re trying to steer kids towards, they simply say it is better than being an artist. (Lee 4) In doing so, they denigrate ballet as a viable career option by promoting scientists as the epitome of success.
Wells Fargo makes a bold move in their attempt to define success.

They pander to the need to achieve by providing consumers with not only a definition of accomplishment but the expectation of a clear guide for getting there. Wells Fargo specifically advocates for STEM fields while targeting the arts as the lesser choice because there are more job opportunities and flexibility within STEM. Author for Forbes.com, Emily Willingham writes “The message here is, of course, that the future is science” (2). This promotes a very narrow and specific vision of success for children to follow. Not only are these careers ones that take an abundance of practice and studying, but they require a certain type of worker to be done correctly. No person is the same in their strengths and values meaning not everyone will find success by becoming a scientist. While STEM can benefit from an increased headcount, it will only continue to advance with people proficient in these

fields.
Achievements are subjective, making them an ambiguous area to use in advertising. This is why the message of the campaign becomes so complex. Through this advertisement, Wells Fargo not only reinforces the notion that success can only be achieved through entering STEM fields; they imply that ballet and similar art forms are for children and that it is up to adults to pursue more “serious” careers. This was recognized in a tweet by actor, Jeff Kready who created the hashtag “#GrownUpsCanBeActors”. While Wells Fargo attempts to foster a love of science early on, they create an unnecessarily strict divide between roles of children and adults. The implication is that art is for children; science is for adults.
Moreover the ad appeals to the audience’s need for prominence. The first heroes in a child’s life are their parents. By being told that if they participate in STEM fields they can be as successful as their parents want them to be, children are manipulated into thinking this is the best path for them. The fact of the matter is that everyone is built for different careers. One of the biggest strengths in contemporary society is that “different people are able to do different jobs” (Hagenbuch 1). We tend to believe that these traditionally lucrative positions are more important than others when in reality we couldn’t function without many parts to a greater purpose.
While there are careers that do not contribute as tangibly and instantaneously as engineering, they are able to provide in other, equally important ways.

By isolating two very opposite careers and trying to compare them, Wells Fargo implies that only one can be useful in society. This, however, is ironic due to the fact that a majority of the people we celebrate in popular culture actively pursue careers in the arts. Many of these celebrities spoke out against this Wells Fargo advertisement in an attempt to reverse the effects their message. Television personalities such as Josh Groban, Donna Lynn Champlin, and Zachary Levi cleverly fought back on Twitter to prove that there are people who are successfully fulfilling their passion. They authenticate the community of artistic supporters by using terms like “totally shameful” to describe Wells Fargo and questioning the success in the promoted scientific fields as opposed to that of actors. This is why I chose to analyze this ad. By proving the legitimacy of these careers, we can erase the stereotypes that allowed this advertisement to “slip past the editors in the first place” (Wilson

1).
When we force people who aren’t apt to certain professions to partake in them, we erode the progress society has made so far. Wells Fargo’s primary intent is to sell their Teen Financial Education Day, but in doing so they promote the idea that monetary success and permanent happiness will only come from jobs in STEM fields. This advertisement catches the audience’s attention through their need for aesthetic sensation and holds it through the need for achievement and prominence. Children are very specifically told that all their dreams of happiness can be achieved through entering a STEM field rather than an artistic one.
For decades society has revered these scientific careers as the brightest futures for youth. Due to this new set of expectations are set upon children. The isolation of two very specific passions target children to believe that their dreams are outlandish and thus not worth pursuing. They feel the need to strive for these lucrative positions that will not feed their emotional needs. Wells Fargo excludes artistry as a viable career by implying that it’s childish. No matter what the profession, each part of society works in tandem to create the effective process this country is founded upon and that is what Wells Fargo must express in order to effectively advertise their Teen Financial Education Day.