Hilarious..Winner of 2010 Best Ad

This ad was hilarious, I had to share. I was disgusted at first, in hysterics the next. This is a very good example of "clean" humor, the kind of ad that is effective because this speaks to a broad audience (people of all ages), especially since this does not offend. While the shock value of offensive ads is effective, it excludes those who are offended. Advertising holds a mirror to society, and in many ways, has a responsibility to be inclusive. 

Sexy Semiotics in Ads

We live in a "consumer society"- Honestly, what does that even mean? Well, to me it means that we give mediums such as advertising more power than we should. The heart of the issue- we don’t see the difference between the imagined future advertising echoes, and the way things really are. We’re often incapable of differentiating between our wants versus our needs, and advertising uses this “against” us!

Which Bubble Come To Mind?We exist in a culture that thrives off of the production, and subsequent consumption of goods. What we buy is oddly a way we express who we are. We gain our sense of self through our purchases, our belongings, and our use of these commodities- and as consumers, we are losing the power behind our “voice” as we give more and more meanings to our lives (based on the car we drive, the brands we wear, how we style our hair) Thus, we are allowing those things we buy to bring satisfaction to our lives that we believe are somehow lacking. Do we feel this way because of ads? Or do ads use these human weaknesses against us? This feeling of never being good enough, or always wanting more is dangerous.

I am awed by American Apparel’s bold campaign- their ads speak to a broad audience, and offer a sense of belonging to many; but they also seriously push the envelope in terms of women, nudity, and objectifying their bodies! Advertising makes us feel as though our wants are our needs…it uses the value we attach to products, to sell them to us. Ads allow us to believe we can actually obtain what we want but really can’t have, and American Apparel has mastered this concept. Maybe we should stop living in a fantasy world and be happy with what we have (oh wait, I mean, who we are!)

   What I love about advertising is that it highlights our human flaws, but also our strengths and weaknesses. Ads not only mirror ourselves, they reveal cultural subtleties ,which we then try and pick apart. I enjoy gazing at ads in attempts to understand how society has evolved.

Sex Sells. It Always will.

         Gender inequalities litter ads, but is it OK? I am conflicted with the notion of whether gender, socioeconomic, and racial inequality have any place in advertising. Is it ever right to be inappropriate and offensive?  I am a bit embarrassed to admit that offensive and inappropriate humor I often find to be hilarious. Am I wrong for thinking this? I think that adevrtising wouldn't be what it is, wouldn't be as effective if it didn't include some kind of controversy. I see it like focussing energy away from seriousness and negative stigma. It's like laughing when you are nervous, or telling a joke when you are sad. It's like a coping mechanism.

          We all know that SEX SELLS. But why? Women are constantly objectified and the focus of attention, but I think it's important to consider the fact that masculinity is also treated like commodity.

Pretty sure this is not how women go about eating a sandwich. Sexually suggestive much?

Ahhh.... good ol' fashioned advertising, with blatant gender biases at play. "The Chef" is the mixer, or the husband. Here, the woman gets no credit for being the chef, she gratefully and graciously credits her husband and her mixer. Thankfully we know better than to circulate ads like this in this day and age. Now we use more subtle nuances to create a very similar effect. Or we bombard the consumer with images of sex such as the American Apparel ads I have included. 

COLONIALISM Lingers in ADS

          In the same way that ads sell a sense of belonging, it also establishes differenences and "norms". Advertising and consumer culture stem from history, colonialism, and the emergence of capitalism. They are part of what make our country what it is (or maybe I am just defending my consumer habits!) Racial stereotyping is not an issue of the past, and is quite prominent today- especially in ads. I can admit in the past I've thought, "maybe we're reading too much into this"- but I am beginning to understand how the presence of racial stereotyping is directly related to history. Traditionally, race has been used in advertising to present a kind of exoticism and foreignness; ironically, advertising seems to encourage conformist behavior through consumption. Increasingly, race and ethnicity are used in advertising to demonstrate social and racial awareness, and give products a sort of cultural awareness. Although some ads seemed to be geared towards racial inclusiveness, we never really know if the intention is truly such. 
          I hope I don't offend anyone by saying I don't necessarily see anything wrong with utilizing stereotypes in ads, but I see where the danger lies- and I don't believe in using stereotypes that are malicious and offensive. The scary thing is if people believe everything they are exposed to. While power struggles are presented in ads, no one is actually superior to anyone else, so why do we chose to depict people in this way? Through advertising, we are helping people shape images of themselves. What kind of image do we want to sell? Are we morally obligated? Is there room for sarcasm and humor in public messages or have we gone too far?

          Some argue that ads condition us to accept stereotypes, which I am tempted to disagree with. Ads don’t create stereotypes they simply reflect them. It is evident that racism and stereotypes are prominent today, thus are also prominent in advertising. Whether it is wrong is another debate. Personally, I enjoy a good laugh when the going gets tough. I believe advertisers have ethical responsibilities when creating ads, but I also enjoy humor and irony in ads that challenge our human flaws- but not everyone gets it, so this puts us in a predicament.

Please visit this link to what business insider considers to be the 10 most racist ads of the modern Era.

ATT&T's GENIUS AD CAMPAIGN

I can’t get enough of the new ATT&T’s “It’s not complicated” ad campaign of children being interviewed by an ATT&T spokesperson. The agency responsible for this hilarious and genius campaign is BBDO, whose goal is to “deliver the world’s most compelling commercial content.”. I loved that the ads are not too serious, and provide a certain realness consumers want to see. BBDO has been in business since 1891; and began with merging of George Batten’s Company in 1928, with BDO (Barton, Durstine & Osborn). Some of their well known clients include Foot Locker, American Red Cross, Starbucks, ATT&T, FedEx, Bayer, REI, SC Johnson, and Hormel.

 

Check out the BBDO Website responsible for this amazing campaign