Introduction to Media Studies Summer 2011: Post 4

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Post 4 - Advertising Messages

Sexism, racism and power hierarchies are often seen in today’s advertisements. In the video “Killing Us Softly,” all the models share some similarities such as: they’re all Caucasian; they’re all skinny and “great looking,” and they’re all sending the viewers a message indirectly, that is, “be like me.” Some of the ads don’t even use the models’ face as if the only thing that matters is the perfect body figure. Yet, people also get the message that they are never going to be in this perfect shape. So confusion, frustration, anorexia, and all sorts of problems arise in teens that have little to no idea of how they’re been manipulated.

Here is an ad for a Taiwanese online game called “Prophecy.” Ads like this are very common in the online game industry.

This woman has straight-long hair, oval face, light-skin, flat-abs, and most importantly, gigantic breasts. These are now like the basic criteria for a woman to be an endorser of a certain online game.

This phenomenon becomes widespread to the point that people started to believe that this is the “true beauty.” Girls in their young age started to feel like they are fat and were unsatisfied about their figure every day. Boys looking at the ads also began to think that this is how woman should look like. The society is then slowly poisoned by the advertisers. After being poisoned, people are in the most vulnerable, and gullible state. At this point, advertisers could sell pretty much whatever they want to consumers because they will buy it no matter what. From a single online game ad like this, conspiracies and manipulations are seen behind the “true beauty.” So is it still a beauty?

Here is an ad for Panasonic battery.

Of course it’s not real that a remote control car can pull the whole recreation vehicle with their battery, but it still impressed people with their creativity. A good ad doesn’t need a hot, sexy female body to make it remarkable. It just requires the advertisers to stop being lazy, get to know their product, think of some highlights of their product, and relate it to something funny that makes people laugh.

Researches show that people learn best when they are laughing, or entertained. This is the strategies that advertisers should consider. If they can make their audience laugh or find it interesting when watching their commercials, then they are successfully making people to memorize about their product, and their brand. At very least, people wouldn’t dislike watching their ads, or switch to another channel if the ads are not boring.

Below is Bose’s advertisement.