Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Gender Roles in Advertising



When it comes to advertising, what many people do not recognize are how gender roles are portrayed or illustrated throughout the ad. Many of us see it and move on with our lives, never stopping to think why it is the way that it is. Before, society has portrayed the men as the dominant role in generally anything, having the women to either be the support or undermining them. Today, that role has changed, however, many advertisers still rely on dominant male roles to get their message across to their audience. Take for instance, cleaning products. When we see generally any cleaning product in the media, majority of the time it consists of a woman using that product around the household. The idea that a woman's role should be to care for the house, husband, and children are still portrayed in today's society through these commercials. Sure, there are commercials where men are hosting or advertising the product, such as Oxy Clean, but the targeted audience usually would be the women. Before, these traditions would be highly portrayed through many households, but in modern society, gender roles have changed to the point where women are successful enough to take care of themselves and become as equal as the men. So why still target women as these cleaning maids? Why can't the men be the ones enjoying the cleaning routines rather than doing it for the women? As the audience, our minds are so used to the fact that women are meant to care have become so distinct that it will never completely fade away, that we may be equal, but we're always slightly beneath the role of men.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

It's a Sign



 Whether it is comedic, bold, or daring, these signs are what captures our attention and sticks in our brains to make us, sooner or later, purchase these products. Signs should be simple and easy to communicate with its audience, and the quicker that the consumer can understand the concept of a sign, the more prone they will be in buying that product. For me, I've always taken the most interest in comedic campaigns because whatever makes me laugh will stick to my mind much longer. The images displayed above are advertisements of a window cleaner and hot sauce.

In the first advertisement, it conveys a very simple message showing the audience that this particular window cleaner works so well that it will look like a person can levitate, when she is really just lying down a very clean and clear box. The advertisement also does not display any texts because the product is so powerful, there are no need for words and it can simply just be shown to convince their audience.

In the second advertisement, it shows us various images of a hand dryer with a picture of a man blowing down to make it look like he is blowing onto their hands. When something is very spicy, we tend to blow and breathe out of our mouths to cool ourselves down from the heat.  Hand dryers are supposed to produce a strong enough force of wind to dry your hands quickly, and in this case, the ad for the hot sauce states that their product is so spicy that the person in the picture will breathe so heavily that it can dry your hands instantly. Very clever and very funny. :-)

With very few to no words, these advertisements were able to easily illustrate their point across to its audience in a very effective way. It's not always the funny campaigns that make us buy an item, but it is surely entertaining. Signs are what stays in our minds and acknowledge the product, making us question whether to buy it or not. It is a very powerful tool in our society because it is what we see everyday and wherever we go-- magazines, clothes, benches, vehicles, on the road, and even in the sky. Signs are the main source to communicate with the public in a quick and efficient manner. Even though listening to reviews is the reassurance and key point to what makes us purchase the product, signs are what starts the chain. Someone else must have seen the advertisement somewhere and bought the product, and from that review, it gives us an idea if the product was a phony or it really works. 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Generic Products. Yes or No?

To further elaborate on my previous point, here's a quick video on the taste test between generic products and brands. Most products are very similar to one another, but when it comes down to money issues, many customers prefer to purchase the generic products because, in the end, they all taste pretty much the same. Think about all the money one could possibly save if he/she decides to buy only generic products! While there are times that generic items can seem a bit suspicious, it doesn't hurt to just try it out. You really have nothing to lose-- if anything, you're saving money. But of course, this case mainly applies to groceries and anything that you can simply replace with just a few dollars. When it comes to technology, people become much more hesitant and highly prefer brand names over generic products since they are dealing with several hundred dollars out of their pockets. An $800 laptop cannot be easily replaced as fast as a bag of pretzels in this case. In my opinion, when it comes to technology, I trust brand names much more but that doesn't mean I want to pay full price for it. I'm always on the lookout, comparing prices, and finding out ways that could get me a reliable product and save some Benjamins at the same time. Point is, generic products could be a great path to saving in the long run, but only if you shop wisely, otherwise you could be losing money. :-)

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Brands

What is a brand, or what does it mean to be branded?
Why are people so into names and the names that are trending even though that product might not be useful? why waste your money on that when you can spend it on something else. You may think that the products and brands that you buy will make you become noticed, but in reality, that does not make a major difference as a whole because EVERYONE around you is trying to be the same. You try to make yourself stand out from the rest by purchasing these certain looks and brands for yourself, but you're really only making yourself blend in with everyone else. In my opinion, I don't really go for the name, but quality because it's the quality that lasts and make us stay committed to that product the longest. It's not that I'm hating on brands, but it's just makes me wonder what all the hype is all over these regular products with a cool name?