Running head: 4-2 PROJECT 2: OBSERVATION JOURNAL SUBMISSION
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4-2 PROJECT 2: OBSERVATION JOURNAL SUBMISSION
4-2 Project 2: Observation Journal Submission
University
Article Choice
I selected the advertisements because they appeared to show coherent themes that aim to connect people, products and their corresponding effectiveness. A closer assessment revealed the usage of the traditional depiction of genders into either male or females, which is a far cry from how it is viewed in today’s society. Furthermore, I was intrigued to examine how the different advertisements have been utilized to ensure that the products advertised are effective in satisfying the needs or wants of the targeted audience.
Audience and Assumption
Audience. The manner in which each advertisement has been presented is to appeal to a given demographic. Not all of the advertisements have used a human audience. Only two advertisements showed the use of two actors who are clearly shown. The beauty product L’Oreal advertisement used the image of an eye. This shows that the selected advertisements appear to target distinct types of audiences. For example, the land rover advertisement focuses on the Kenyan market, while the Lekker advertisement is confused more on women interested in sports bicycles. Nevertheless, one interesting fact about the advertisements is that they are not focused on specific geographical regions. One ad is specifically for Kenya, while those of beauty and bicycle ads are for the western population. The use of white actors emphasises the point that companies are focusing their effort to target western women. This is the same cause for the beauty advertisement, which uses the image of Caucasian women.
Furthermore, both traditional genders have been symbolised in the advertisement where a man has been used as the main actor in the Land Rover advertisement while a woman had modelled for the Lekker ad. Overall, based on the advertised products, I can conclude that the main audience for the advertisement is middle-aged men and women looking to have fun. But still, they can be able to afford the products being advertised.
Message. The message embodied in all advertisements is based on the need to show connection or synergy between the products being marketed and the customers. The Land Rover ad conveys that the newly redefined land rover enables the customer to overcome the rogue savannah terrain in Africa. The L’Oreal advertisements tell white consumers that they “are the best in the market.” the image of the eye shows consumers what to expect once they use the product. Coherently, The VW ad shows the technical specifications a consumer may be required to know before purchasing the vehicle. Similarly, Lekker’s advertisement message is that, unlike before, women today can own and experience the thrift of sports bicycles, which was traditionally reserved for men.
Relationship between People. Advertising helps to bridge the gap between businesses and customers by providing a platform for companies to present new items to the market (Mills, Pitt & Ferguson, 2019). The relationship of the advertisement is based on the human experiences expressed in the ad. Each ad is likely to focus on various aspects of human affairs, such as adventure, culture, and motivation. Regarding culture, the advertisement is focused on appealing to the modern cultural changes that relate to gender, femininity, and patriarchy as depicted by the land rover, Lekker, and Volkswagen ads. Coherently, motivation focuses on “the desire to do things than the rest.” The traditional approach limits many businesses to marketing. However, the ads selected have biases, which can be controversial in today’s society. Still, the companies choose to use the ads for their products.
Relationship with product. Among the four advertisements, the relationship I chose to pursue is that of products and consumers. In all the advertisements, the products are represented to show their usefulness to the consumer. More specifically, addressing the question “why the consumer should buy the product.”
Effectiveness. The effectiveness of the ad is that it bridges the gap between business and their clients by allowing them to appeal to their needs, which increases brand or product awareness. However, the least effective ad is the bike advertisement that objectifies women although it portrays that women, similar to men can own customized bikes. On the other hand, I believe that if women were not used in the ad, then the product would receive not receive the attention of men perceived to be lovers of bikes. Also, the land rover ad communicates a stronger message that the car is meant for durability even in the toughest of conditions like Kenya.
Social Science Evidence.
To back up my evidence regarding what I have observed from the advertisement. I will use course material and secondary sources such as research papers and journals within social science. From a social science perspective, the evidence will provide sufficient knowledge to elaborate on the relationship between product and consumers (people). I am interested in examining how modern advertisements can use non-traditional gender perspectives and identity to depict the relationship between products advertised and consumers. This is because how gender is viewed or represented plays a key role to inform how advertiser will reach their targeted audience.
Questions
The advertisements are more focused on targeting ads towards a specific population, which is defined by traditional gender perception. Thus the question I seek to answer as a social scientist is that “has advertisement evolved to meet the contemporary social need in respect to definition of gender. How has advertisement influenced social changes experienced in contemporary society? This question is geared towards assessing the evolving nature of gender stereotypes present in the current society. In Today’s society, it is not appropriate for a person to assume an individual’s gender pronoun or identity. A person needs to address other people based on their preferred pronouns.
However, most businesses are still using traditional genders in many advertisements. The last few decades have been characterized by social revolution and changes, especially in areas pertaining to gender, identity, feminism, patriarchy, and inclusivity. Much of the changes have been impacted by the social changes, which are reflected in society by corporate brands and images shared through advertising. With the rise of social media, images through advertisements are scrutinized for any social biases. Thus, examining how many social changes have been driven or motivated by modern-day advertisements is essential. Therefore, the proposed question has been influenced by course material, assignments, and personal experiences.
References
Mills, A. J., Pitt, C., & Ferguson, S. L. (2019). The relationship between fake news and advertising: brand management in the era of programmatic advertising and prolific falsehood. Journal of Advertising Research, 59(1), 3-8. doi: 10.2501/JAR-2019-007