Stereotyping

Do you think advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people?

I believe that advertisers should have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping, especially as it can become offensive or have negative impact. On the other hand, this is the way companies make their money. Generally, their only duty is to advertise a product in order to have people purchase it, and if people are offended by an advert, they will be less likely to buy this product. It is important that the general audience is persuaded appropriately so that the company can gain more sales. Advertisers must consider the ethical and moral impact on the company. They tend to include stereotypes and take advantage of these. In today's society, our current generation will not take many stereotypes as offensive, however, the older generation tends to do so. Therefore, a large part of the audience would assume that the company promotes immoral and close minded beliefs. By advertising a product with a norm aimed towards people who do not fit this, the audience can disagree with the content of the advertisement and thereby causing them to question the credibility of the advert. It will decrease sales, as the audience purchasing a product might feel they will contribute to promote the beliefs behind stereotyping. Overall, advertising companies care most about making money and profit, and if they can only accomplish this by picking at (considered to be) 'flaws', then they surely will. If advertises do not consider the ethical and social impact of stereotyping, their product sales will not be successful. This means that the advertisers have essentially failed in their role to positively advertise  a certain products using the correct appeals and persuasive language.

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Nivea Smooth Milk

What does the ad reveal about the cultural/ social/ or historical context of its production?

Looking at the social context of this Nivea advert, it implies that once a woman achieves the need of having soft skin, she is able to attract a handsome man. It shows that a woman will be looked up to or seen as the 'better' one by other women and that due to her soft skin she will then attract the man and dominate the relationship. This might also relate to the cultural context in which men and women are seen as more powerful and will leave a greater impact when together. 

According to the ad, what values or characteristics are the most important? 

The advert implies that the message towards women is to show that they care for their beauty. It also shows that once a woman starts using this product, they will be able to grab men's attention, which emphasises the need for prominence enabling her to show off that she is admired towards other women. The ad shows the importance of having smooth skin and how it will make sure to give ''visibly smooth, and touchable soft skin''.  

Who is empowered in this commercial? Who is ignored or marginalized? For what reason?

This Nivea advert empowers women, as the woman is the main focus of the photograph due to her position in the center. Since the man is placed on the edge of the frame, it implies that he is almost hidden. This position emphasises the idea of the product being advertised towards women. The man can be looked upon as an extra accessory to the photo. When looking only at the woman, we can tell that the focus is placed specifically on her face. Her facial expression reveals excitement as well as confidence and pride. She wants to show the other women how she is able to have this man admire her due to her soft skin. This is expressed through the need for prominence. We can say that the man is presented as an accessory, as he is what the woman has 'obtained' due to using the Nivea skin products.  

Advertisment-pitch reflection

The main appeals used in our pitch were humor, logic, fear, and bandwagon. We chose these appeals as they would be most effective towards our target audience, which were the upper-class families who'd like to go glamping in Oregon. We used fear as it would be most effective to create a need to feel safe. This is essential for parents who care about their kids, and thus this creates pathos. The humor and bandwagon were used as they would create a need of achieve as well as the need for aesthetic sensation. We chose to use Ty Burrell in our advertisement campaign as he is from Oregon and is well known as the comedic icon in the series ''Modern Family''. This creates ethos, as the people in Oregon look at him as a reliable person. Since he is from the place that we are advertising, and recommends the benefits of glamping, then it will attract a larger audience as well as creating pathos as they would feel the need to achieve. We used the rational appeal and presented this through the use of logos with statements such as ‘’tents are now 90% waterproof’’ and ‘’the chance of getting mosquito bites has been reduced by 60%’’. This shows parents evidence of the difference between camping and glamping. In this campaign we are targeting the parents in Oregon and nearby who would enjoy camping alone or with their kids, but in slightly higher standards. It pushed us to present this advertisement in a casual campaign containing statistics, logistic, and humor appeals to effectively persuade the audience of this campaign. 

After watching the video, I believe that I should show more emotion and engagement with the audience while presenting. My presentation seems to look slightly staged and uncomfortable. I want to improve my speaking skills as well as the use eye contact in order to fully engage with the target audience to then attract them to the product. Lastly, I will rehearse my speech several times so that I will look extremely confident, which will leave the audience a thrust worthy feel. 

Crest 3D White Ad Analysis

November 7th, 2016

This is a Crest 3D White toothpaste commercial featuring Shakira. This advertisement is targeted at anyone who's dental care isn't at its best and are interested to have whiter teeth in order to feel comfortable. It is applicable to people of any age and gender since the product is advertised in a playful matter. Moreover, featuring Shakira in this commercial implies that the larger audience could possibly revolve on the Shakira fan base. 

Ethos -Featuring Shakira in this ad enhances the credibility of the author. Shakira has grown to now be a popular figure with quite a large fan base in which many of these fans look up to her, and want to look like her. The video shows the pretty side of Shakira, which is all due to the Crest 3D White toothpaste. As Shakira is looked upon as a common role model, the audience will believe that this is a reliable product and that if they use this toothpaste, it will give the same results as it did with Shakira. 

Pathos -The voiceover of this commercial implies that when using Crest 3D White toothpaste, your smile will ''reveal your playful side'', it ''amplifies your creative side'', and shows ''your sophisticated side''. At the end of the commercial it is stated that ''life opens up with a whiter smile''. Many people who have insecurities will easily be sold by these statements. It implies that once you use this toothpaste, your Crest 3D white smile will make you feel just as confident as Shakira in this ad. 

Logos -Towards the end of the commercial, it is stated that the Crest 3D White toothpaste ''removes up to 90% of surface stains in 5 days''. Also, it is said to ''whiten your teeth in just one day''. These statistics imply that the product will give immediate results. They are used to persuade the audience in order to buy the product as fast as they can in the hope to feel or look like Shakira.