Essay

Advertising doesn’t sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel.

This essay is going to discuss the way advertising campaigns changes people’s way of thinking about the given product. It concentrates efforts to looking at sexism within the advertising media and converse in-depth about three advertisements, which connotate women in a sexist way. Focusing on three quotes to depict these chosen sources. The included quotes; “A publicity picture suggests that if we buy what it is offered then our lives should be different from what it is”, (John Berger – Ways of seeing documentary, 1972). Secondly, “Usually, women have been defined in relation to the various soci-political objectives that were proposed and served the needs of men.” (Claudia Moscovici – From Sex Objects to Sexual Subjects 1996, p23). And the third “In the grip of an emotion, a person not only feels differently, but tends to think differently. Advertising that resonates emotionally stands more chance of inducing a change in beliefs and values/ motives/ wants and desires than one based on logic alone.” (J & N O’Shaughnessy – Persuasion in Advertising 2004, p.27). This essay will show different stereotypes such as the classic 1950’s housewife’s role and women perceived as sex objects. It will discuss advertising theories as a basic template seeing if they apply to the three chosen advertisements.

The first advertisement selected is a 1950’s Van Heusen advertisement. The advertisement is promoting a new selection of patterned ties, for men’s ware. Involving a man been served breakfast in bed by his wife or girlfriend. At first appearances it instantly screams a notion of sexism with a concept of men’s superiority over women. Forcing individuals to look at this illustrated advertisement as if it where the perfect household picture. For example to begin, the slogan, “show her it is a man’s world”. Automatically sending the viewer to looking at the basics ascetics of the imagery. An attractive women knelt next to a successful looking male character who is propped up in men being served breakfast. As John Berger’s puts it “Fabulous rewards people, objects” (1972 documentary). The advertisement is selling a future of successfulness of life apparently achieved by purchasing their tie. The advertisement is trying to urgently sell you their tie along with their perfect outlook on life, ‘man’s world’. This advertisement has a very specific audience, who will plunge in to the idea of what this product could offer them long-term. If information is extracted from this advertisement in a negative manner there are multiple unrealistic features. The man is in bed but wearing his Van Heusen tie and a crisp shirt. The women is in her night gown as if she has got out of bed, with perfect formed hair wearing pearl earing’s. The whole picture is inaccurate, but still sells as a perfect picture. This view agrees, “A publicity picture suggests that if we buy what it is offered then our lives should be different from what it is” (John Berger, 1972 documentary). The illustrated advertisement is allowed to have these mistakes due to the artists/designers ignorance of the basic roles of individual’s in a functioning household. Also to be considered about the era in which this advertisement was first introduced was around the time when finishing schools were apparent, for example The Lucie Clayton in London. They were thought that they had a specific role in society and their life. But during the 2^nd World War women were needed to replace the male roles in industry, which for a short period stopped men being chauvinistic and condescending towards females. Which contradicts the view that “Usually, women have been defined in relation to the various social-political objectives that were proposed and served the needs of men.” (Claudia Moscovici,1996, p23). But after the war males were back and women weren’t needed except for what they had been previously, this is when the ‘baby boom’ occurred. Implies that couples have been reunited and that everyone is ready to go back to “normal”. This product would have sold also simply because it is bright and patterned which due to rationing individuals would have missed, it screams we’ve won the war and life is back to the norm.

These suits are from a Dutch based company called, Suit Supply. They have coursed a lot of controversy with a few of their campaigns using a “shameless” tactic to sell male suits. The advertisement involves a women sprawled indecently across a stairway which appears to be just outside of a sophisticated residence area. Meanwhile a man is stood curiously looking up her dress revealing her underwear whilst wearing one of the Suit Supply suits. The man’s look is giving a deliberate appearance of being unimpressed with his given situation. However on the other hand the woman is in a state of voluntarily not being in control, not even of herself. “The idea that sex is repressed thus prepares the way for our confession, and it is confession that we apparently savor most”, (Judith Butler, 2004, p162). The advertisement is selling you the idea of men’s superiority and of their sex appeal. It shows that even when a man should be at their weakest you are still entitled to ‘pick and choose’ and remain strong, is this due the façade of the suit? Every man would and should be able to admit that they would want this to be their perfect day/average day. Which obtains how John Berger puts it “the state of being envied constitutes glamour”, (John Berger, 1972, documentary). He has been branded as ‘shameless’ giving us as the viewer the idea of a dominating alpha male, “lads lad”. This advertisement is in photographic form, which gives you more of an insight into the scene set. There is no excuse for inappropriateness because it is all very much real unlike the 1950’s advertisement. It shows a very different form of glamour to the 15^th century according the John Berger, “In oil paintings glamour did not exist, grace, elegance authority was viewed as something similar”. (John Berger, 1972, documentary.) The authority and glamour here is far from graceful and elegant.

The final advertisement is from a Post-it note campaign. The scene depicted is of a female and a male in the early morning fast asleep in bed. All that is in camera view of the bedroom is the top half of the bed, a side chest of draws and the bottom corner of a window. The room has no character or personality as the main colour is white, leaving us with no indication as to whose bedroom this could be. This picture looks desirable, as the two people have attractively fallen asleep. Having another is desirable, “relationships become radiant because of our new possessions” (John Berger, 1972, documentary). Shock occurs when you recognize the yellow Post-it note stuck on the female’s forehead, reading ‘Jane’. The recognizable slogan that is shown out of the images context at the bottom of the page, “for the little things you forget”. This is now not a desirable scene as you begin to form your own assumptions of what has happened over the course of the evening the night before. Is this promoting good? “it is possible to influence society good as well as for bad’ (Guy Cook, 1992 p.2). There is this same idea as in the first two advertisements of the “Alfa male” concept still in a modern society. “The highest value o this civilization is the individual ego” (John Berger, 1992, documentary). The advertisement will mainly appeal to this generations males and a small minority of females who a willing to accept this is a non-harmful attempt of sensitive humor. “Women began to reject the definitions which had confined and distorted them and they began to become aware of the void which existed where their own meanings could have been”, (Dale Spender, 1980, p.65). If the advertisers wanted to appeal this to a larger audience including older generations they could have simply replaced ‘Jane’ with ‘remember milk’ or something along those lines stuck to the males forehead. This would reverse any controversy about sexism towards women. It wouldn’t necessarily make the product any less at an advantage to sell. The idea would have to accept not being perceived as adventurous, risking pushing the boundaries. Which are the key elements of being remembered as good advertisements.

To conclude, the concept of a product been sold for its idea rather than is esthetics is comparable. The creators of these advertisements are using women, as a distracting figure that will sell a product, acting as ‘red heron’. There is a fine line of sexism running though all the advertisements. Are they acceptable forms? The first advertisement of the 1950’s Van Heusen tie campaign, look at it as only a notion of women’s behavior towards men. It is suggested the actual imagery could be offensive because it is only an illustration. But the slogan could be debatable. The second is the Suit Supply campaign, “shameless’. This has created controversy, which is easy to see why; it portrays women as the weaker, “easier” sex. But the slogan almost counter balances this by branded his in kinder words as a chauvinistic individual. And thirdly the post-it note campaign again makes the man look ignorant of the women by not even remembering her name. It gives us the sense that the woman is far more intelligent, she can remember. But the man will receive the most points for wit, iconic “lad points”.

Bibliography

John Berger’s, TV documentary. 1972. Ways of seeing – Advertising [online] (updated 14 March 2008) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=john+berger&aq=6

Cook, G. (1992) The Discourse of Advertising – Section edition, Abingdon: Routledge.

Butler, J. (2004) Undoing Gender, New York: Routledge.

Moscovici, C. (1996) From Sex Objects to Sexual Subjects, New York: Routledge.

Spender, D. (1980) Man Made Language, London, Pandora Press

O’Shaughnessy, J. and O’Shaughnessy, N.J. (2004) Persuasion in Advertising, London: Routledge.

http://www.genderads.com/Gender_Ads.com.html