Is advertising prostitution?
My initial reaction was yes; I feel that a lot of companies use the opposite sex to sell their products (depending on the branding), which has been proven to work effectively with the general public over the years. This has meant stripping away everything except the model and product, which could be viewed as objectifying males or females in accordance.
Advertising is "often considered as a tool used by capitalism to change established values within society". A powerful advert could change our views on what we need and want - so if used in the right way, we could potentially persuade most of the general public to agree to good policies...
However, a lot of shops use advertising as a way to make people think they want objects/clothing that they don't really need, or will only wear once.
"No short term effect specific to product modifies us over a long period of time." I think Barbara Kruger expresses this quote well with her campaign 'I shop therefore I am', which was shown in shops as customers were browsing.
"No short term effect specific to product modifies us over a long period of time." I think Barbara Kruger expresses this quote well with her campaign 'I shop therefore I am', which was shown in shops as customers were browsing.
Previously, in the 50's, it was women who were objectified to sex. That's because society was different, nobody knew it was wrong to objectify women in this way; Nothing too obvious, just subtle comments or quotes that suggest women should have different values to men
However, more recently the roles seem to have changed, particularly in this poster:
It suggests that men are now being objectified to sex, being stripped naked whereas the women are standing dominant with clothing... But does using sex have an appeal amongst young adults?
The question asked in the lecture hall was if everything I've posted so far is negative (or perceived as negative) what's good about advertising?
1. It drives global economies. I guess this means it creates profits for our businesses,
2. Drives creativity. It allows artists to express their feelings with meaning; which could reach out to others.
3. It's a very powerful form of art. "Art feeds advertising, and vice versa". You can take the popular work of a great artist and use that to advertise something... It reaches out to a wider audience if they already recognise the work that's being shown.
4. It shapes popular culture. Really good advertising can bring everyone together in harmony, sharing festivities or products that show us all as equals.
5. It's endlessly entertaining. You can create humorous, emotional, or relatable adverts that are memorable. The example shown to us during the lecture was this:
This brilliant advert for The Guardian newspaper suggests there's more to the story of 'The Three Little Pigs' and that the reporters of the Guardian are good at uncovering the truth. It's a captivating advert that makes you curious about what happened, which is why this is an example of good advertising.
6. It can enlighten or inspire. Speaking home truths makes a very thought-provoking advert;
7. It reflects values, hopes and dreams. This could represent someone's ambitions to get into the Olympic Games, for example; if shoes are being advertised they could be the 'perfect' shoes to take you to complete your dreams.
8. Challenges you to to something.
9. Questions social norms and attitudes. This could categorise adverts for charities such as GreenPeace and United Colors of Benetton, who strive for human rights.
10. Raises social awareness. It shows how people should respect each other - and animals; using accidents as an awareness of road safety for example.
This question was asked again at the end of the session:
However, more recently the roles seem to have changed, particularly in this poster:
It suggests that men are now being objectified to sex, being stripped naked whereas the women are standing dominant with clothing... But does using sex have an appeal amongst young adults?
The question asked in the lecture hall was if everything I've posted so far is negative (or perceived as negative) what's good about advertising?
1. It drives global economies. I guess this means it creates profits for our businesses,
2. Drives creativity. It allows artists to express their feelings with meaning; which could reach out to others.
3. It's a very powerful form of art. "Art feeds advertising, and vice versa". You can take the popular work of a great artist and use that to advertise something... It reaches out to a wider audience if they already recognise the work that's being shown.
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| An example of combining art with advertising is Salvador Dali's work with the car brand VolksWagen. |
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| For example, creating Santa Claus to remind everyone of the festive period. |
This brilliant advert for The Guardian newspaper suggests there's more to the story of 'The Three Little Pigs' and that the reporters of the Guardian are good at uncovering the truth. It's a captivating advert that makes you curious about what happened, which is why this is an example of good advertising.
6. It can enlighten or inspire. Speaking home truths makes a very thought-provoking advert;
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| For example I think this is an effective advert; The lack of physical harm in a book compared to a gun makes you assume the gun is banned, which is why this poster is so shocking. |
8. Challenges you to to something.
9. Questions social norms and attitudes. This could categorise adverts for charities such as GreenPeace and United Colors of Benetton, who strive for human rights.
10. Raises social awareness. It shows how people should respect each other - and animals; using accidents as an awareness of road safety for example.
This question was asked again at the end of the session:
Is advertising prostitution?
I realised after hearing this lecture there's a lot more to advertising then I originally thought. It can unite people, challenge and encourage people to do things for the better, make people see home truths that we should be striving against. So I could potentially use animating as a way of advertising something meaningful, to get my views across.
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