11th November 2016

"Sell and Spin a history of advertising" notes

• Originated by the Middle english word "advertisen"
• Each day the average person is exposed to 3000 ads
• Moving a series of images through a culture
• Nothing more powerful that advertising
• Tapping into desire and creating need
• Getting out a message and sifting the product
• Using images + words
• Creates illusions that are directed to you, the individual viewer
• 3000% increase in sales for Marbolo
• Coca cola's branding has led to global recognition
• Leo Burnett created personalities as products. (e.g. Tony the tiger -> Frosties)
• 30 million dollar advertising campaign was spent for a car
• No matter how much money you throw in the advert, if the product itself has flaws, all its going to do is emphasise the flaws
• Advertising can end bad
• Iconography - the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these. A visual short hand
• Printing advertising (technology and invention) enabled advertising to conquer the streets of london
• It's more efficient and easier to use that copying things down by yourself, printing consumes less time. Once you've got the design in the metal, you can print as many as you like. Mass communication
• The real need of advertising explodes when there is a merchant class

Rosser Reeves:

Simplistic, repetitious boasts= "the hard sell "

Direct and student= repetitive

"Imitate your way into people's consciousness"

Unique selling proposition (use) = reason why

Highlighting how product was different from others on market.

Repetition of the USP. = association

(Driven by companies financial people)

Bill Bernbach:

More sophisticated audience = more sophisticated advertising

Recognises audience has a brain

Blending creativity and art with marketing and commerce

Broke wall between viewer of ad and product advertised

(Driven by creatives)

Female representation in advertising

Jean Kilbourne - Deconstructed Ads

What are the links with women objectification, pornography and pressure faced by young women via social media? How are men encouraged to view women?

• Constructs stereotype - ideal female beauty or standard
• Impacts self esteem, causes eating disorders and violence against women.
• How ideal is unattainable
• girls and women identify with images and learn what it is to a girl/women within a given society
• Messages to a women are negative (you are not good enough)

Rep test results

Mines: Always ad

Each question is worth one mark

The main character is a female

The film/ tv series is about something other than a man

No hate between the women

The women in the movie have different body shapes ( 2 marks)

The film has at least 2 women in it

The women and men are treated equally

The characters in the film are women of color

At least 3 women have a speaking role

At least 1 women that is over the age of 40

The film is written/directed by a women

Total: 9/11 Grade: B

Partners rep test: carls junior ad

Rep Test for assessing the objectification of women in advertising

Pick an ad with a woman in it:

Check all that apply with a ✓:

The woman is an object

The woman’s limbs are removed (not attached) to her body

The woman is a fruit or vegetable

The woman is supposed to be a type of fast and unhealthy food (e.g. a burger or beer )

The woman is not wearing a lot of clothes or her clothes are inappropriate

There is a man in the ad

The man is staring at the woman

The woman is skinny

The woman is supposed to be a “sex toy for the man”

The woman is supposed to be something that the man wants

The woman is a home cooking and cleaning the house while the man does his work

The woman is white (not of colour)

The man is white (not of colour)

The woman and man are making some kind of physical contact

They are smiling at each other

SCORING:

13+ points = A (You got an A! The ad is clearly trying to make the woman work for the man and act as a sex toy for the man.)

10-12 points = B (You got a B! The ad does a good job of trying to make the woman look bad and is trying to make her into something that no one can be.)

7-9 points = C (You got a C! The ad must think women are something they’re not.)

4-6 points = D (You got a D! The ad kind of thinks women are objects.)

1-3 points = E (You got an E! The ad isn’t really about women. )

0 points = F (You got an F! The ad must not be about women and objectification)

The grading system is flipped around: Grade: E

Male representation in advertising:

• Rise of male glamour mels
• Objectification
• Consctruction of ideal male body
• Focus on abs, pecs and crotch
• Male gaze and female gaze

5 things I've learnt about male representation in Advertising

- The main focuses on the Male body are the abs, pecs and crotch

- Breadwinner

Abercombrie and fitch

Gender representation - This ad represents men as being muscular and athletic., the man in this ad is holding onto a rope and he is half naked.

Ethnicity- The man in this ad is a white male and even though the ad is in black and white, you can still see that his hair colour is quite bright which means he is a blonde.

National identity- There is an American flag at the back of the ad, this shows how an ideal American man is supposed to look, this constructs a stereotype for male models and Americans.

Youth- The male in this advert looks pretty young, he has nice skin and he's clean shaven without body hair.

Glossary for advertising: https://docs.google.com/a/webmail.sis.edu.hk/document/d/12T9styY4Gy4-d8INYKHv5_69xYS4AlcKZepngE2SgEE/edit?usp=sharing

Advertising and censorship

Maltesers 1950s "Choose the chocolate that can help you keep slim..."

This advert is selling chocolate. It claims that its a slimming product and that if you are slim, you are more attractive to men. It also claims that it is fun because the man and woman in the advert are both laughing. It mentions "choose the chocolate model girls love", this is targeted to men because they believe that men love model girls. I don't think that companies can make the same claims for this product nowadays because in the modern era, we have raised more awareness for the LGBT community and feminism(gender equality). The expectations that the society has for women include very high standards such as being slim and being naturally pretty and I think that right now a lot of people are fighting against those stereotypes.

Craven 'A' 1930s

This is advert is selling a pack of cigarettes. It claims that it is a good thing because the women in the advert is smiling happily, where as right now, in our society, smoking is considered as a negative thing. I think that the companies wouldn't be able to make the same claims today because there are new rules are regulations implemented in order to prevent more people from harming themselves.

Advertising Regulations Task

1. Children and people will illnesses

2. drugs or cigarettes because they could be harmful

3. Might cause children to misuse products that might be unhealthy

4. 10 rules

- no showing content that includes innapropraite content to children

- no sexism

- do not objectify women

- be real and not photoshop

- no racism

- no stereotyping and offending the audience

- state facts and don't make false claims

- be honest and truthful to your audience

- do not mislead

5. Benetton Ads

1st image:

2nd image:

3rd image: This could be controversial because the girl blonde hair is the only one white amongst all of the black kids and she stands out. I also noticed that the black kids were all staring at her.

4th image: This is clothing of a real soldier's clothes and there are blood stains on the shirt. The way the clothes are laid out look like the soldier died. This can cause some people to feel uncomfortable because there is blood and the way the clothing is laid out might lead some people to be sad because when someone passes away or seeing someone in pain it isn't a happy thing.

Advertisements should be legal, decent, honest and truthful

Exploring the work of the ASA

Most complained ads of 2015

1. Moneysupermarket.com Ltd

How many complaints were received?

1513 complaints were recieved

What was the nature of the complaints (link to the advertising regulations)?

The complaints said that the ad was offensive and because the guy was wearing clothes that are usually worn by women such as high heels and a skirt, the viewers also believed that the dance moves in this video were sexual.

What was the ruling (upheld or not upheld)

The ruling was not upheld

What explanation was given for the ruling?

Because they didn't find it offensive and it didn't break the code

2. Booking.com BV

How many complaints were received?

683 complaints were received

What was the nature of the complaints (link to the advertising regulations)?

The complaints said that the ad was offensive and it encouraged bad language amongst children by using the word "booking" in place of a swear word

What was the ruling (upheld or not upheld)

The ruling was not upheld

What explanation was given for the ruling?

ASA said that it was a "light hearted play of words" and they couldn't mistake it for an actual swear word and the ad was unlikely to encourage swearing amongst children