Xmas Task #6

“I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only mysurroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination - indeed, everything and anything except me”.

Critical Investigation: An investigation into the negative representations of black people in the advertising media. What are the contexts that seem to reinforce these stereotypes?

In this essay it will look into the investigation into the negative representations of black people in the advertising media. Black people are not shown that often when participating in the advertising media. My hypothesis therefore is to study the invisibility of black people in the advertising media and the under-representation of them in the advertising media.

“To advertise originally meant ‘to draw attention to something’ or to notify or inform someone or something” (Dyer 1982). 1. Advertising was first broadcasted as a television advert on July 1, 1941. As a result the advertising media has been very successful till this day. However there have been many complaints when the advertising media has been in control, this could be due to ethnicity, gender or age. This essay will mainly be focusing on the complaints within the ethnicity area of advertising.

The essay will be focusing on the black ethnicity and how they are portrayed in the advertising media. " Black people have largely been portrayed as part of the mainstream middle class, which does not accurately reflect the lives of many blacks who find themselves excluded from such a life in advanced capitalist societies",2. This quote could be quoted wrong as the quote is not actually true, due to the media portraying black people as part of the working class society and therefore this quote allows me to show focus on the black culture in today's society and how they are stereotyped throughout the advertising media.

Stuart Hall is a cultural theorist and sociologist. Hall's work covers issues of hegemony and cultural studies.

In addition to this a quote states that: “Advertising promotes unrealistic and dangerous role models". 3. There are many examples of this. Firstly a cartoon advert of Obama in Russian ice cream ad is being called racist. Matthew Creamer states that “This isn’t the first time President Barack Obama’s image has been exploited in international advertising”. 4. This quote shows that even though Barack Obama is a positive black man the advertising institution is still being very racist towards a positive black man. “These images of people are part of the attraction of the advertisement-and it needs to attract attention rapidly”. 5. This quote shows that the advertising institution must advertise products or adverts that will be eye-catching to the viewer and that the persuasion of the advert to the audience is at a high standard.

From the beginning of slavery in the seventeenth century, to the present day black people have fought not only for their freedom but to be understood and respected for their unique and cultural contributions. “Microsoft photoshopped a black man out of one of its ads targeting the Polish market”. 6. This quote states that black people in the advertising media once again are not being shown as positive individuals. In addition to this, the quote shows that even with The Public Order Act of 1986 black individuals are still getting racially attacked in the advertising media. The Public Order Act is when no one can make it an offence to publish anything which stirs up racial hatred, whether or not it is intended to.

Moreover, an American newspaper had published a cartoon image of a cartoon that portrays Ohio State Senator Nina Turner as Aunt Jemima. Stanley Miller, executive director of the Cleveland NAACP civil rights organization quoted that: "It was disturbing to me," he said.Miller said he's not upset about the politics behind the cartoon and accompanying editorial, but by the negative stereotype that dates back decades. 7.
This quote and advertisement shows that this advert being argued against is very upsetting towards Nina Turner. Also the use of the article being from America shows that the use of different countries in the essay shows the diversity of racism in advertisements across world.


Nevertheless "blacks now appear quite often in commercials, although not in the same proportion as in the total population". 8. This quote shows a more positive view to the invisibility of black people in the advertising media, black people now do participate in the advertising media, however this could be argued against due to them not having as much participation as say the white ethnicity will have.

Xmas Task #5

Essay Plan

Introduction

"An investigation into the negative representations of black people in advertising media. What are the contexts that seem to reinforce these stereotypes?".

In my introduction, I will briefly explain my critical investigation and explain why I have chosen to talk about this topic. In addition I will explain my study I will be focusing on and the historical text I will be analysing too. I will talk about why I have chosen to explore this topic and then explore the representations over a history of time within my investigation.


1st Paragraph

In my first paragraph I will talk about the stereotypes and representations of black people within the advertising media. Sociologist Stuart Hall looks at gender and ethnicity and also relates to Marxism in today’s society. I will then Talk about Stuart Halls findings and give examples from different type of texts. In addition Liberalism can be linked with Stuart Hall as I will be referring this to the importance of individual freedom. Moreover the typical stereotypes of black people will be introduced.

2nd Paragraph

In this paragraph, I will be focusing on my historical text. I chose to focus on this text first as it will be easier for me to compare the both texts. Moreover I will be talking about the historical times that effected black people such as the slave trade, nevertheless I wont just be focusing on the negative points I will also be focusing on all the positive points such as Obama becoming of President, Usain Bolt being fastest s100m sprinter and linking this to them being successful role models in today’s society. When talking about the negative past experiences such as the slave trade I will analyse this as a result of the negative representations in today’s advertisements.

3rd Paragraph

In my 3rd paragraph I will compare both my current and historical text. I will talk about how the stereotypes and representations are changing or if they are the same, I will talk about the media and moral panics in which why these stereotypes are this way. In addition I will talk about issues and debates which have led to these positive and negative stereotypes. Moreover I can link this back to hegemony and the social reaction theory. With each ad I will talk about the Mise en Scene and Shep and compare. To sum up the paragraph I will talk about the similarities and differences between both of the texts, and then expand on each point.

4th Paragraph

In this paragraph I will talk about moral panics in dept more, and talk about what is the final stereotype of black people in today’s society. I will explore “what are the contexts that seem to reinforce these stereotypes”. I will sum up all the arguments and explanations of black peoples representations in today’s society. This will be done by me using different quotes and texts and looking at a range of different media platforms.

Conclusion

To conclude my essay I will have finally been able to investigate why there are many negative representations of black people in the advertising media, and what are the contexts that seem to reinforce these stereotypes.

Xmas Task #4

Web Search

Anti-Harold Ford Ad Draws Racism Charges


http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/200601024_harold_ford_ad/

" WASHINGTON—A new Republican Party television ad featuring a scantily clad white woman winking and inviting a black candidate to “call me” is drawing charges of race-baiting, with critics saying it contradicts a landmark GOP statement last year that the party was wrong in past decades to use racial appeals to win support from white voters".

This quote and ad will help me due to me learning about more ads that have a negative racial background behind them.

Microsoft Edits Black Person Out of Ad; Everyone Offended

http://industry.bnet.com/advertising/10003668/microsoft-edits-black-person-out-of-ad-everyone-offended/

"Microsoft photoshopped a black man out of one of its ads targeting the Polish market"

This ad shows that in todays society racism still exits in advertisements in the media, so this therefore will help me compare different decades and if racisim still exits within the black culture within advertisements.

Black Newspaper Portrays Nina Turner as Aunt Jemima

http://www.bvblackspin.com/2009/12/01/black-newspaper-portrays-nina-turner-as-aunt-jemima/?feeddeeplinkNum=0

"Most black elected officials and community leaders wanted further study of the reform and were specifically worried about how changes would impact the education of "50,000 Black school children in the Cleveland School District".

This quote and advertisement will help me due to this advert being argued against in america. By using different countrys as my examples will show me the diversity of racisim in advertisements in the whole world.

Cartoon of Obama in Russian ice cream ad is being called racist


http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/a-conversation-about-race/general-news/2009/03/cartoon-of-obama-in-russian-ice-cream-ad-is-being-called-racist/

"This isn’t the first time President Barack Obama’s image has been exploited in international advertising".

This quote is useful, as it shows that even though there is a change in America due to there being a Black man as president, there is still a negative representation of him due to him being black in the advertising media.


Anti-racist advert in black and white

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1376473/Anti-racist-advert-in-black-and-white.html

"Ken Livingstone and Spice Girl Mel B as they appear in the anti-racism advert".

This advert is very interesting, as most of the adverts i have been focusing on have been negative, however this advert is positive. This therefore allows me to understand both sides of the argument and analyse how anti racism adverts with different races participating in them are very sucsessful.

http://www.prmuseum.com/kendrix/advtg.html

Xmas Task #3

Historical Text






Engadget famously called out Sony’s multi-vignette PSP campaign in 2006 as being clearly racist. The ads were promoting the new ceramic white PSP. The ads featured an aggressive, strong-looking white woman clawing, clutching and otherwise dominating a subordinate black woman. The campaign was universally panned as racist and Sony yanked the ads, apologizing for its lack of sensitivity.


This ad was produced in 2006, I chose to pick an ad in 2006 as due to the slave trades back in the day most of the adverts were racist and was going to stay that way as long as the white upper class people had the upper hand. Nevertheless slave trade has ended a long time ago so there would be no use for racist ads to be shown, this was not the case however in 2006. The world has become a multi-cultural society so when analysing this ad I was fairly surprised that in 2006 the negative stereotypes of black women was portrayed this negative they were connoted as completely useless.

Moreover due to this ad being in 2006 and the Cadbury Dairy Milk advert being in 2009 this shows that with the amount of complaints being showed and heard, the message still is not going through as there are still racist adverts being showing in today’s society.

The black woman in this ad is shown as useless and insubordinate. This can relate to the way black women were portrayed back in the 60s and 70s. As they worked for the upper whiter class as slaves and also the use of them selling themselves for the white upper class men shows they were nothing and the ad shows that black women portrayed as “isolated” and “alienated” from today’s society.

#2

Golly: now we know what’s truly offensive

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/4520977/Golly-now-we-know-whats-truly-offensive.html

Police seize golly dolls

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1002/1002078_police_seize_golly_dolls.html

Xams Task #2

O'Sullivan, Tim, Jewkes Yvonne(2004):Media Studies Reader.London Great Britain:Arnold Publishers

" Black people have largely portrayed as part of the mainstream middle class, which does not accuratley reflect the lives of many blacks who find themselves excluded from such a life in advanced capitalist societies", Page: 155

" Blacks now appear quite often in commercials, although not in the same proportion as in the total population". page: 156

" Advertising has traditionally relied on the use of stereotypes to put across information in a format that is quick and easy for the viewer or reader to understand". Page 154

This book relates to my topic, as i am focusing on the black culture in today's society and how they are stereotyped throughout the advertising media.

Casey Bernadette, Casey Neil, Calvert Ben, French Liam, Lewis Justin(2002):Television Studies. London Great Britain:Routledge.

"Raymond Williams (1980) described advertising as a 'magic system' that promoted capitalism and deflected attention away from social class differences". Page: 5

This quote will help me in my investigation, as it focuses on what other studies have focused on when looking at the advertising industry and the results of this may contribute to my case study.

Nicholas,Joe, Price John(1988): Advanced Studies in Media. Surrey United Kingdom: Neslon Publishers.

" A media organisation's critical independene can sometimes be affected by its relationship with other organisations which need publicity". Page:21

Again this quote is very useful due to how the media and other organisations have the upper hand on what gets shown and what doesnt get shown.

Branston,Gill,Stafford Roy(2003): the Media Student's Book.London Great Britain.Routledge.

"Many men feel that the most compelling advertising respresentations of masculinity are ones that produce real levels of anxiety and inadequacy, even if male culture, with its emphasis on 'strong' silences or loud camaraderie, makes it difficult to talk about or express such feelings". Page: 382

This quote will help me due to it focusing more on a males perspective when advertising.

Hall,Ken, Holmes Philips(2008): Media Studies As & A2. Essex Great Britain.Parson Education.

"Gauntlett argues that the effects model makes many incorrect assumptions such as assuming children cannot cope with violence in the media in any form. page:147

This quote will be useful due to me focusing on young people (boys) in the advertising media.

Rayner,Philip, Wall Peter, Kruger Stephen(2001): As Media Studies:The Essential Introduction. London Great Britain: Routledge Publishers.

" There is a range of organisations whose role is to make sure advertisements are not causing offence or breaking the rules".

" It is very difficult to assess the effect of advertising and the extent to which people are affected by the advertisements to which they are exposed".

" Advertising promotes unrealistic and dangerous role models".

These quotes will help me as they help me understand what the real advertising world is like and what may affected by the advertising media.

Xmas Task #1

Critical Investigation: An investigation into the negative representations of black people in advertising media. What are the contexts that seem to reinforce these stereotypes?

I have chosen this text, due to the stereotypes of the black people shown in this advertisement.

The advertising regulator cleared this Cadbury advert of racism and perpetuating colonial stereotypes of African people. However there are many arguments against this advert that can be seen as racist due to the stereotypes of the black people within this advert used.

It can be argued that that the TV campaign was demeaning to African people and perpetuated racial stereotypes. Nevertheless it can also be positivley argued that the ad campaign was culturally sensitive and developed as a "joyous and uplifting portrayal of Ghanaian culture and something which Ghanaians can feel proud of".

Analysing the Advert

At the start of the advert, two black hands are shown shaking or having a friendly hand shake with each other. This straight away shows to the audience that the advert may have black people participating in it. In addition when the hand shake is over straight after African music is played in the background and then a mask or mascot appears on the screen. This mask may be seen as something from a tribe, however the use of African “facial features” on the mask may cause mayhem for the African audience who are watching it.
Moreover as the advert reaches 20seconds the ad shows a more clear understanding of the mise en scene which shows people walking in the country of Ghana. The cocoa beans shown throughout the advert also show that the setting is in Ghana as Ghana is the original place where cocoa beans were founded and made which as a result makes chocolate such as dairy milk. Furthermore the close ups of the African peoples faces may be seen as a negative thing as everything they did with their facial expressions the mascot will do. To conclude with the advert at the end of the advert a Ghanaian man is shown smiling with a dairy milk chocolate by his side alongside with a logo of "fair trade".

The advert can be seen as perpetuating "colonial stereotypes". This advert as a result has infuriated a number of prominent equality campaigners and Ghanaian leaders in the UK.
The Cadbury's TV advert – slogan "show us your cocoa beam" may also be seen as racist as it features a giant, negroid rotating head that unleashes mass dancing among what appear to be highly excitable people in an African village.

The advert also makes Africans look like buffooning simpletons. The biggest presence on the advert is a giant mask that people fall about in front of. Part of being able to use the Fairtrade brand should also include a responsibility to advertise ethically."

The representations of these people throughout the advert are that they are very happy as they are dancing and singing with big smiles on their faces. This could connote to the audience that the advert cant be racist as everyone in the advert is happy.

The advert is targeted at every one of all ages and races, as it is promoting Cadbury and there are many fans of Cadbury. In addition it can be targeted more at an African culture due to the mise en scene of the advert and also the people participating in the advert.

Socially the advert can be used so people can discuss the advert, whether it being about if the advert is racist or not or if they want to go out and by Cadburys Dairy Milk.

Moreover historically this advert may be seen as a very negative advert with many negative outcomes. In 2007 the ASA banned an ad for Cadbury's Trident chewing gum, which featured a black "dub poet" speaking in rhyme with a strong Caribbean accent, after more than 500 complaints that it was racist. This as result shows a negative view towards Cadbury as their representations and stereotypes of black people are very negative.

Theories

Gender and Ethnicity

Stuart Hall: Stuart Hall is a cultural theorist and sociologist who has lived and worked in the United Kingdom since 1951.

Hall's work covers issues of hegemony and cultural studies. He regards language-use as operating within a framework of power, institutions and politics/economics.
Hall has also widely discussed notions of cultural identity, race and ethnicity, particularly in the creation of the politics of Black diasporic identities.

Liberalism

The importance of individual freedom. This can be related to the reperesentations and stereotypes of black people due to back in the day, which were the war times showing that they were slaves for the upper white class. This as result leads to liberalism, showing that black people in todays society want a change. In addition young black teenagers who are stereotyped as gang members or vilains of knife crime may also be tired of this stereotype and want a change for a positive outcome.