Gender Stereotypes in Advertisement

There just never seems to be a balance for man and woman. When it comes to advertisement, women are portrayed in a poorly manner. Sometimes women can be seen as sex objects, slaves to men, or a typical housewife. Men on the other hand are portrayed in an empowering way. Men in advertising are seen as controlling, strong, and above women  in general. Rarely in advertisement, the roles between women and men can be reversed. Women can be portrayed as the powerful figure, while the men are seen as weak, unmanly, and dumb. Even when with this role reversals, these advertisements are still seen in a negative way.  

No matter how you try to depict each person in an ad, there always needs to be some type of equality. Both genders need to be treated equally, no matter what race they are. One gender is not better than the other the opposite gender. 

Stereotypes in TV shows

One show that shows plenty of negative stereotypes in different races is Family Guy. Although the show portraits each race in a comedic way (Keep in mind it's also a cartoon), the creator tries to target each race in a negative way. What surprises me is that this show has not received any negative feedback from its audience.  It makes me think that racism is accepted or is "okay" to laugh at once in a while. This show does reflect racial and gender diversity. I have watches almost all the episodes of Family Guy and they don't target a specific race. They target every race! At least they are not targeting one race, otherwise the show truly would be racist.

The Asian - Family Guy

One example of a racial stereotype portrayed in this show is when they talk about asians. First, they  present the asian as an object, then they talk about the "features" of the asian. Some features may be positive stereotypes, but there are some negative stereotypes. The creator of the show does the same thing with the other races. The stereotypes presented in this show makes me think, "Does our society really accept this type of racism in shows nowadays?" 

Stereotypes in advertisement

I don't believe it is right to racially stereotype for advertising purposes. No matter how the ad is interpreted, no race should be solely targeted. By making a "racial" ad, there is a chance that brands may be seen as a racist brand. Basically, the brand does not like a specific race. The sad truth is racism is still portrayed today.   You still see racial ads whether it may be on the TV, print, or around your environment. Most of it can be seen on the internet. Although companies try to take down these ads, they are still kept somewhere around the internet, forever to be displayed and shown for anyone to see. What I don't seem to understand is these types of advertisements were going on since the 60's, yet brands nowadays believe it is still okay to put into their ads? This is a serious topic and I don't think it should be taken advantage of for advertising purposes. Advertisers do have ethical responsibilities. Before releasing an ad, advertisers should ask themselves, "Will this ad affect anyone in any negative way?" The answer to this question is answered, but only when it is too late. Some ads stir controversy and receive nothing but negative feedback from the public, hurting advertisers in the long run. The answer is simple: Don't add racial stereotypes in ads anymore. It will only hurt your brand.

Is it Racist?

Semiotics

                                                                        Print Ad
In this print ad, a car is basically trying to be sold to you, the consumer. In terms of denotation, the car is being advertised as your "Dream" sports car. What that basically means is that it is the car you have been waiting for to purchase. What makes this sports car a "dream" car you might ask? In the ad, it describes the features of the vehicle. Stated in the ad, the car is smart, low, has European-Styled fiber glass sports body and easily "slips-on" any chassis. With all that said, they are willing to sell you this "dream" car for only $17.47 a month. If you had not noticed yet, it says "puts you in a years-ahead" under the price of the car. This means you will own a car far more advanced than any other car in the market. The price, the features, and the header will definitely catch the consumer's attention. As the consumer reads this ad, they will be thinking "Wow! I want this car! It is affordable, the features are superb, and I have been waiting for this kind of car to be created!". Although you can not put much into a print ad, sellers will put "attractive" words and maybe images (depending on the size of the ad) to draw in their customers.

  
                                                                      Outdoor Ad
In this outdoor ad, the billboard is stating that the people in the vehicle lived simply because they have buckled up. This billboard also contains a wrecked car. The denotation behind this ad is as long as are buckled up while driving a motor vehicle, you are more likely to live. This is a safety sign reminding you to always buckle up. What you may have not noticed is that the billboard is in the color yellow for a reason. In our society, yellow is used on road signs to tell the drivers to be cautious. Before operating a vehicle, make sure to buckle up!
                                                                    Television Ad
In this TV ad (click on the link), the "unsatisfied girlfriend" does not like how her boyfriend is using the Playstation 3 console. The girlfriend rants to the VP of Playstation about her boyfriend's problems. As the girlfriend and VP talk to each other, they talk as if they understood each other. It also seems like they are having a "girl" talk. The VP hears the girlfriend out and is appalled on how the Playstation 3 is being used. The VP also describes the uses of the Playstation 3, which is what should be attracting the consumer. While having a comedic feeling to the ad, the seller is also trying to point out the features of their product. By applying comedic effect to the ad, they believe they would attract people to buying their product.

Semiotics has really caught my attention especially on how it is applied on ads. By understanding semiotics, People are able to interpret meanings behind signs and advertisements. Now that I have better knowledge of semiotics, I am starting to pay more attention to my environment. I try to gain a deeper understanding behind an image, a sign, objects, etc. There truly is a connection between semiotics and advertisements.  

The Connection Between Brands and Relevancy

There are many products in the marketplace that we, the consumers, purchase daily based on brands. What attracts us to these brands are based on many factors such as the brand's image, logo, quality, value, relevance, and emotional visceral. For example, if you were to choose between a regular soda can and Coca-Cola, chances are you will choose the Coca-Cola can. Why is it that we would choose the Coca-Cola can? Well it is because of the brand itself. The first thing we recognize of course is the logo. Everyone knows what Coca-Cola logo looks like. If someone were to put the same logo on any object, the think that would pop into your head is Coca-Cola. The image is simple. All you have is the Coca-Cola logo on a can with its iconic colors: White and Red. We all know Coca-Cola tastes good. The quality of the soda has not changed over the years. This means we already know what to expect when we open the can and take a sip from the can.  By us knowing all of this information, we gain trust on the brand. We know the value of the product itself. Whenever you go into the market and see a simple can of soda and a Coca-Cola can, you will immediately choose the Coca-Cola can. In your mind, you are thinking, "I don't know anything about the other can of soda, but I do know a lot about Coca-Cola." It becomes relevant for you to pick the Coco-Cola can because of the background knowledge you have about the brand. Without a brand, you will most likely be blown away by the competition. You basically have to add "life" into your product. With this given "life" to your product, you will be able to create a connection between your product and the consumer. The only thing the consumer cares about is the brand of the product. If you create a good enough brand in which the consumer feels "safe" and can trust your product, the product will now be relevant to the consumer. Relevance is the key point into making your brand pop out against the other competitor brands.