Gender Stereotyping

Gender stereotyping still occurs in society. Although not as often, advertisers still sometimes objectify or use women as a sexual appeal. The ads I think perfectly depict this are the three ads here. American Apparel and Abercrombie & Fitch are known for their scandalous ads. The ironic part is although both are clothing stores, the models in their ads are barely wearing anything. In the American Apparel ad, the female model is laying with her legs open and next to her face are the words "now open." The combination of her pose and those words scream sexual innuendo.  The Abercrombie & Fitch ad also portrays ritualization of subordination as the woman lays on the floor and the male model is on top of her. With the phrase "young and sexy," it begs the question how does this ad sell their clothes when they are barely wearing anything? I work at the Abercrombie & Fitch in San Francisco, and our store is filled with posters like this –– men or women half naked. The other ad I chose is the Burger King ad for the "super seven incher." The combination of the name of the buger, the other phrase using the word "blow" and having a woman with her mouth wide open in front of it is another sexual innuendo. Ads like these force me to question the integrity of the companies sometimes and wonder if this level of appeal is necessary or even productive.

Racial Stereotyping in Television

Racist slurs are not taken lightly, but appear in comedy shows on television more often than some realize. Shows like "South Park," "The Simpsons," and "Family Guy" thrive on using racist stereotypes as a source of comedy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLEyAHhzHHE

This video has multiple clips of racial stereotyping. Although "Family Guy" has received countless arguments that their comedy is not suitable for television, they continue doing so. In almost every episode, one of the characters, such as Stewie, makes a racist joke and everyone just laughs or move on to the next thing. You can tell that the producers address certain situations with an attempt of light- hearted humor, but sometimes they cross the line.

Stereotypes

Racial stereotypes can –– unfortunately –– be found almost everywhere.  One commercial I found that portrays racial stereotyping is one of KFC from Australia that was later withdrawn due to its content.

This particular commercial starts with an Australian man surround by a black crowd. He asks "need a tip when you are stuck in an awkward situation" and then takes out a bucket of KFC chicken. Once he does that, everyone around him begins to be friendly and takes some of the food and he states "too easy." This ad was withdrawn because it stereotyped that fried chicken will calm a black crowd. 

Although there are still sometimes racial stereotypical ads displayed on television, there are also ads attempting to break away from them. 

In some of Dove's advertisements they addressed how every woman –– no matter what race or age –– deserved to feel beautiful and confident in their own skin. In each of their ads addressing this topic, there were a variety of women of different races. Ads like the Dove campaign ones demonstrate that advertising should have ethical responsibilities. They should be responsible because wherever we go, we are surrounded by advertisements and should help address the problem as solvers, not promoters. 

Semiotics

A sign can convey any meaning to you depending on your past experiences, present ideals, or future ambitions. They allow us link concepts to specific meaning. Personally, I think advertising takes advantage of encoding certain messages in ads in print, billboards or TV ads.

American Apparel Print Ad

American Apparel
Denotation: This ad portrays a young woman laying on a white bed. She is wearing a white tank top, you can barely see her bottoms and thigh high socks. She's facing the camera, and is blowing a bubble with her bubble gum. On the bottom right, there is a list of the three articles of clothing the model is wearing from this store.

Connotation: This ad, among others, represent the controversy some ads demonstrate now. This ad implies that "sex sells," and upset many viewers.

GAP billboard ad

GAP
Denotation: Two mean appear to be wearing to be inside the same gray shirt. There are two simple phrases on each side of the ad. One phrase is "Be Bright," and the other is "be one."

Connotation: By stating those two phrases, Gap is implying that wearing their clothes means we can all be equals. To further this statement, the two people wearing the same shirt also two men. This can also promotes everyone having legal  equal rights by having a "pro-gay" ad. In this manner, Gap also made a statement that the company supports this cause by making this ad part of its "Be Bright" campaign.

"Viva Mas" Taco Bell commercial

Denotation: Taco Bell's commercial starts with a group of elders escaping their retirement homes to go on a night adventure. Some activities included clubbing, making out in the bathroom, getting a tattoo and ending the night with a midnight snack.

Connotation: The ad is effective because it appeals to joy, surprise, humor and tells a simple story of a group of elders breaking the traditional image they are portrayed as. Using a group of elders doing unconventional actions, accompanied with the spanish version of “we are young,” the ad ends with the simple phrase “live mas” and the Taco Bell sign. Instead of using teenagers, Taco Bell used elders, implying that age is nothing but a number and that anyone can have a crazy adventurous night.

What Makes a Brand?

Mac or a PC? Starbucks or the local cafe shop? 

Personally, I sometimes fall victim to popular advertising of well-known brands –– whether becaise it caught my eye or makes a statement about myself.

A brand isn't just the logo, or  random company. As stated in the lecture, a brand can stay relevant, design consistency, invents or reinvents a category, is long term and can tap into the audience's emotions. In most cases, there are a lot of similar products on the market, but one or two will dominant sales. 

For example, which watch would you choose to wear around?

Honestly, I would choose a Michael Kors watch for many reasons over the watches on the left. (I actually already own one:)). One reason is because it is a well known brand, and I can feel comfortable that if anything goes wrong with my watch, I can always go to a local store. Another reason is because Michael Kors is in fashion and makes a statement that I can afford a little luxury in life. Personally, I bought myself a Michael Kors watch because I worked hard for my money and wanted to reward myself. The brand name itself lured me in the store and it's design consistency sold it.