The show I've chosen is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the reason I've chosen it is because it fits a lot of stereotypical ideas. The show is about a group of friends who just seem to take advantage of every situation they are given. Every time they run into a different racial group they stereotype them. Each person in the group has a different stereotypical: there is a meat head, a pretty boy, a girl, and an older man who just takes advantage of everyone. The show is about a bunch of white friends doing different things in each episode. Usually they are getting into some kind of trouble. There is only diversity when they bring a guest on the show other than that there isn't much diversity because there are many reoccurring characters. Diversity is important in the media because it shows the differences in people throughout the world. As kids age they need to understand that there are different people with different responses to things.
There is a common stereotype in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia with the three guys believing that the girl can't do anything because she is a girl. The interesting thing about the show is the girl in it is a very strong feminist, it seems. The three white guys seem to try and take advantage of other people easily but that might just be how they do things. Not because they are white. The main stereotype that is easy to find is the guys stereotyping the girl in the almost every episode. Another stereotype they did is when they were in the ghetto, they passed up an intelligent looking older black man for a homeless white guy when asking for directions.
I don't agree that it is right to stereotype in advertising. Yes, advertising has found a way to make it seem okay through humor but it doesn't portray people in the best light. Advertising just keeps stereotypes alive and makes every generation skeptical about others. Stereotyping isn't always correct either because many people don't fit into the category they are assigned. I know being a blonde I'm not incredibly stupid. People have stereotyped me but once they get to know me they are surprised that I'm not dumb. I think it is funny though that when I do happen to do something that is stupid, I blame my blondeness for what happened. It's like a stereotype I can fall back on for myself. It silly that even people are believing and using their own stereotypes to define themselves.
I don't think racism in advertising is a thing of the past. Racial stereotypes are slightly racist. They are portraying a race in a certain light that, is seen as funny, can also seem hurtful to others. There is a very fine line between them but sometimes the ads step on the line when they meant to just approach it. Racism is still alive today with everything around this world. People racially profile one another because it seems like it is the world we have made for ourselves.
Advertisers do have ethical principles and I believe they try not to ruin them but sometime what is funny to others is offensive to more. Picky people can find racism in any ad because it was what they were looking for and practically everything is racist nowadays. I don't think the advertisers mean to offend others they just do it to poke fun and some. In this commercial for Burger King, they stereotypes girls eating these little danty portioned meals while men feed on these giant burgers. They also stereotypes an asian chopping a cement brick in half; their stereotype is all asians know kung-fu. These commercials are made to be harmless but they continue to keep stereotypes and worst racism alive today and probably well into the future.
Semiotics are an interesting thing. The ad world would be nothing without the simple but interesting and engaging messages they sneak into their advertisements. One of my favorite is a video from Heineken Beer. It shows girls getting excited at seeing their friends huge closet and all the clothes she can fit in it. Over their excited screams, they hear guys yelling and the camera cuts to them being excited over a huge fridgerator that only hold Heineken beer. The message is that this beer gets men excited and they love it just as much as women love their clothes. They love their beer so much they would devote so much space just to have more of it. It was a funny idea because it is true. You never think of women drinking beer; it's mainly for men. The fact that Heineken brilliantly made this commercial for the Super Bowl last year was just a funny idea that kept people watching and nodding their heads in agreement.
Another Ad is in print that is interesting involves Pepsi. I'm not a fan of Pepsi which is why I picked this ad. This ad shows a Pepsi can and a lime standing over it peeing into the can. This is happening because it has a twist. I'm not sure why this was a positive ad because I'm pretty sure no one would be persuaded to drink this beverage if it was advertised as having lime piss in it. Not very sanitary or yummy...but then again that's Pepsi.
An outdoor ad I found was one for Kit-Kat. I found it sort of clever as all ads. It is a bench with the words Kit-Kat on each little piece of the back of the bench. On the bottom, it says "everyone needs a break," which is Kit-Kat's catch phrase. Looking for the meaning in this ad, I found that when sitting on a bench you are essentially taking a break so why not have a Kit-Kat. It is also the perfect color for the chocolate of the Kit-Kat. I think each piece of the back of the bench looks like a piece of a Kit-Kat. Very interesting how they connected the two very different pieces. This just shows how flexible advertising can be; they can literally fit in anywhere. Now when I see a bench, I'm going to think of Kit-Kat. They make it so they get into our heads in every way possible and make connections between objects and their products, genius.
Why do we buy brands? They say something about us. They say that we are into fashion, that we are sophisticated, etc. The brands, that we have branded with words like hipster or stylish, are actually branding us. We are following the leader when we buy items of clothing or gadgets. I love drinking Diet Coke so I have been branded by my friends as the Coke drinker. I only drink that brand because of their tradition. I have been pulled into the fact that all other brands of soda taste differently. I know that Pepsi is a competitor with Coke products so naturally I side with my brand. Other things like Apple have branded me as well. Apple products are known to be used by "creatives" or the lazy computer person. They are known to be easy. People who play games or are coders for computers always side with PCs because that is what they were made for. They were made to get things done. That's not what I am though. I fit into the lazy category so I have an Apple. It does everything I want to and also looks very sleek. Buying these products say many things about the customer; whether they have enough money to purchase these items or if they fit the person's style. Every brand says something about the person who owns it. These brands are branding us. We made them into the giant that they have become because we fall into the idea that these brands make us who we are.
