Sunday, October 30, 2016
Blog Post #4
I am very interested in advertising -- the mechanics, the process, the outcome, and the perspectives. Notably, I was captivated by a lot of the ideas described by James B. Twitchell in his essay, "What We Are to Advertisers." He says "mass production means mass marketing, and mass marketing means the creation of mass stereotypes." I find this statement very intriguing because the writer connects mass production with mass marketing with mass stereotypes, three important factors of advertising that each build off of each other. In fact, it is interesting that the writer acknowledges the link between advertising and the formation of stereotypes because propaganda is one of the most defining aspects of advertising. For example, during the World Wars, every Rosie the Riveter advertisement was a propaganda attempt to show the strength and power of women during this time. Advertisers use ads to spread ideas and often these ideas implement stereotypes about the object or group being depicted. And, these blown up stereotypes are often created because of the exaggeration of certain ideas, the focus on specific colors, and the strategic attempt of the advertiser to hone in on specific aspects that will capture the attention of the masses.
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ReplyDeleteJolie, I find the bit about war propaganda and advertisements of your post really interesting. In my last year of high school, we analysed a lot of war posters, slogans and advertisements during our History class. I think most of the ads at that time were hugely bizarre, losing all sense of subtlety when it came to recruiting young lads into the army. The very famous Uncle Sam "I want you" ads seem to be the least strange, amidst those ads which almost glorified war and attracted zealous, clueless boys to join in without them having any idea of what they were in for.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very interesting that advertisements often create stereotypes. How many common conceptions (or misconceptions) that we acknowledge everyday are rooted in manipulative advertising? It is almost scary to me when I think about how much power advertisers have; small groups of people sitting in board rooms over coffee can manipulative an entire country. Not only do advertisements create stereotypes, but they almost always create misconceptions. For example, an advertisement that emphasizes a masculine stigma in relation to beer creates the notion that beer is a masculine drink. However, women are equally qualified to drink beer as men are because gendered association with a drink is nothing more than a social construct. It is scary to me that people have the power to create these constructs and perpetuate them to the point where they are believed and followed by most of society.
ReplyDeleteJolie,
ReplyDeleteI agree that quote is very interesting. However, do you ever think that these stereotypes that are produced and promoted in advertisements would not be as prominent in our society if ads did not include them? I am curious to know what you and our other class mates think.
This is an interesting point, because we often times tend to make the mistake of assuming that advertisers and marketers use stereotypes within the context of their ads when in reality they are the creators of these stereotypes. In other words, stereotypes don't come prior to the advertisement --- the stereotype and the advertisement go hand-in-hand. I like that you used a historical example to demonstrate how this is deeply embedded in American society. It strengthened the point you were making, however, I think your point could've been made even stronger by using advertisements that sell products as opposed to a propaganda poster. Overall, this is an interesting idea and your blog post got me thinking.
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