Gender Press

Of all the advertising concepts that we have delved into I think that gender in media has been one of the most fascinating aspects to explore. Generally speaking, we all have an understanding of the way each gender is portrayed in the media; however, we do not understand the depth of the images that we constantly see nor the impact those images have on our daily lives.

Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender, The Codes of Gender, and Killing Us Softly 4 are phenomenal presentations concerning gender in media. The three highly recommended videos unravel the reality of this thesis:

“The strangest thing about seeing an advertisement is that we think it looks normal.”

Although I believe that men and women were created differently, “We don’t come from the womb with proper gender understanding,” we are taught the code of our genders. As Erving Goffman said, “advertising tells us about ourselves.” Women in advertising are often shot “lying down, submissive, sexually available, and dependent. They are often pictured as being unbalanced, dazed, nervous, infantilized, and even dead.  Men, on the contrary, are often shot with a look of self-assurance, strength and a cognitive, yet, unbothered presence.

There are small, yet, distinctive gender dividing postures in advertising for example: women touching themselves, or “showed in a breathless posture, or in a posture being held.” Women are constantly shown touching their faces, torsos, arms, and even feet. However, men are rarely ever shown touching themselves. In one of the video presentations, this advertising norm was shown for the opposite gender. Men were positioned in ways that we would often see women in advertising. They were in powerless positions where they were off balance, or they were photographed touching themselves. It was even stated that the rare occasions these types of images were shown were in gay magazines. The media tells us that unless you are a man in control with a firm, empowering posture, that you are gay. Likewise, it teaches us that unless you are insecure and ungrounded, that you are not really a lady.

Women Olympics http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7607619464_1a2d920954.jpg

In addition to helping us realize that this bias exists in advertising these videos reveal proof of the strong affects these images have on our lives.  The audience is directed to famous women athletes who initially appear to be strong women completely unaffected by the advertising around them. These women had won Olympic medals, and continue to take control. They are women that appear to be redefining the code of gender. Then, we were directed to images of these same women in advertising. Most of them were in limp powerless positions, or in places of power with only sexuality as their weapon. I found these images most disheartening. Our gender roles have been so deeply ingrained that women of great power, talent, and strength are encouraged to come before the media like vulnerable little girls or objects of sex in order to be seen as feminine.

  Jean Kilbourne also made the point that even are clothing sizes teach women to become completely powerless. We have sizes such as 0, and 00. Media teaches women not to exist, but to be there as zero exists but is nothing.  

We’ve been taught that there is a difference between media and reality, but are we making those distinctions, daily? What postures have we learned without making an effort to learn them? How do we portray our genders, and how are they really?

Like Water

Art & Copy is a brilliant documentary about advertising. It explains the mass impact advertising has in the world, today. The visually pleasing documentary aims to inform, entertain, and encourage much like an ad would aim to do.

Art and copy presented mind blowing statistics about advertising and media. In addition to many other figures, the documentary stated that:

·         People see 5,000 advertisements/day

·         People watch over 8hrs TV/Day on average

·         75% of homes have 3 TV’s or more

·         The average child sees 20,000 commercials/year

·         It costs $750,000/30 second commercial on American Idol

·         And that it costs 2.7 million for a 30 second commercial at the Super Bow

When it comes to the vast impact that advertising has on the world, the statistics speak for themselves. If advertising was not important companies would not pay millions of dollars to advertise and if their advertisements were not impacting consumers, than companies would not have millions to spend.  Although seemingly almost unbelievable, the statistics present a much clearer idea of the cost and benefit of TV commercials. After reading these figures, no one could factually claim that commercials are ineffective.

The documentary stated that, “advertising entertains society using client’s products”.  This video entertains too. It entertains society through the use of client commercials, and short stories. The sneak-peaks are both insightful, and fun to watch. Art & Copy said that, “You can manufacture any feeling you want to manufacture”. Throughout the documentary advertising was put in a positive light as though the documentary was advertising for advertising. The fun commercial clips made advertising look fun, and the side story about the man who put-up billboards made advertising look like a wholesome family event. The ad-ons enhanced the video creating a fun, and inviting atmosphere into a world that is generally perceived as cold, and ‘all about the money’.

Art & Copy also appealed to pathos. The documentary uplifted, and encouraged its viewers. “Fear is a powerful depressant”. In order for viewers to walk away from this documentary feeling empowered by advertising and not manipulated, and scared the documentary gave viewers a sense of control, and encouraging words. Toward the end of the documentary the creative and risky aspect of advertising was mentioned. Rather than making creativity and chance taking look bad, the documentary inadvertently, or perhaps intentionally and not obviously said, ‘jump aboard and do advertising with us.’ They quoted Michael Jordan when he said, “I failed over and over and over again and that is why I succeed”, and they said, “The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones that do.” The documentary used profound statements to build-up its viewers.  Advertising is “not a truth about a product” it is the emotions people think they are buying.  Even if advertising is all a manipulative lie, we want the emotional empowerment this documentary makes us feel.  “When people “People don’t mind being sold to if they understand what is being done”

Art & Copy said that “Everything is an ad like water”. It informs, entertains, and encourages us just like the documentary.

Century of Self

The Century of The Self quotes Sigmund Freud describing "primitive sexual and aggressive forces hidden deep inside the minds of all human beings [as] forces [that] if not controlled, [would] lead societies into chaos and destruction. The focus of the documentary expands on Freud's theory in the direction of "How those in power have tried to control the dangerous crowed in an age of mass democracy"

One of the most interesting aspects of The Century of The Self is that it reveals the progression of advertising.

A starting point for advertising as it is presently known would have been during WWII. Propaganda took Freud's theory and used it to manipulate people for political purposes. Propaganda was one of the first active illustrations of using people's inner desires for a purpose. For example people wanted an honest, relatable, yet strong leader in Germany, and videos such as Triumph of the Wills were created to portray Hitler in such light.

After the war Bernays said,"If you could use propaganda for war you could certainly use propaganda for peace." Bernays instantly became a Pioneer in persuasive advertising. First, he changed the word propaganda to 'public relations' because it had such a poor connotation. Today, public relations includes all mass media, but from the documentary it sounded as though the original thought of public relations was about "making money by manipulating the unconscious", otherwise known as advertising.

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 Bernays set out to get women to start smoking. He created this idea of "Lighting up torches of Freedom." The idea was to press in on the desire of liberty and equality. If everyone has freedom in America, then everyone is equal. Since women wanted equality and the cigarettes were selling an idea of freedom, then they would sell. Bernays said "It made him realize that it was possible to persuade people to act irrationally if you linked products to their emotional desires, and feelings. The idea that smoking actually made women freer was completely irrational, but it made them feel more independent; it meant that irrelevant objects could become powerful emotional symbols of how you wanted to be seen by others."

There is a clear progression from Freud's theory, to the use of his theory for  propaganda,  for public relations, then for advertising as it is known today. The same thought existed all along it simply expanded from a political force to a consumer force.

“Do you feel lonely when you eat bread?”

As ridiculous as it sounds, it was not until the market researcher in the Persuaders asked “Do you feel lonely when you eat bread?”, that I understood what really sells in the market.

Marketing sells an emotion, not just a product. We associate foods, kitchenware, music, colors, tools everything to a certain emotion. When people buy bread, they are not only spending money on a food to fulfill their nutritional requirements, they buy comfort. They buy tenderness, and they buy acceptance.

To logically think about trying to sell a intangible product, it seems impossible. However, when researchers ask if “you feel lonely when you eat bread”, and the answer is 'no', then the marketer has indeed sold a sense of fulfillment.

Repih believes that “consumers are driven by unconscious needs, and impulses.” This being said, if shoppers are feeling trapped, then marketers are going to want to sell the word, or idea of 'adventure'. If shoppers are feeling stressed, products will be marketed as 'relaxing'. The same sweater could be marketed as adventurous, or as relaxing. The tag could have a photo of a woman outside hiking, or the woman could be curled-up reading a book. Depending on the area the sweater is being sold, one idea would sell better than the other. A single mom might never have an opportunity to curl-up, and read, so the sweater might seem like a dream product. An instantly gratifying escape from her busy reality into a cozy day of relaxation, and peace if she sees the tag of the women reclining. Likewise, a house-wife who has read every book on her shelf might look at a woman enjoying the great- outdoors on the sweater tag, and be more inclined to spend money because the product will 'give her' adventure when she does not have any.

They next time I think about buying a product, or selling something I will ask myself “What emotion am I buying with this?”, “Do I feel lonely when I eat bread?”

Oreos

         Aside from the free public stations that played Arthur, The Magic School Bus, and Bill Nye, I did not watch much television as a child. As a young adult I chose Netflix over commercials, so compared to most Americans my television exposure is quite limited.  Granted, I saw this Oreos commercial, once, and I have never been able to forget it.

  

    This commercial is wonderful. Oreo’s remain in this man’s life as a constant and a comfort. No matter how old he is, he will always have his Oreos and milk. When people think about Oreos, they probably think – “comfort”. They sell the emotion and the security.

     All of a sudden this man’s norm is shattered and he is terrified. People are often afraid of change and the advertiser plays off of that idea. Rather than having the man try the product immediately, the advertiser exploits the reality so that the viewer can relate.

    Finally, the man tries the product, and his shout of discomfort, becomes one of great happiness. The commercial openly says it is all right to be skeptical, but we "will surely exceed your expectations."  

    The commercial doesn’t just sell the excitement of the new product, it reinforces the comfort, and goodness of the original product. 

I suppose no matter how little television one’s been exposed to, they will still remember something.