How can car advertising be reconfigured to target the female unconscious?
Introduction. Explain the direction.
This essay starts of with a brief introduction to psychoanalysis and what effects it has on consumer society looking at how it was used to control the masses. The first chapter gives a real understanding of some of the key terms associated with psychoanalysis, also moving onto some of the key thinkers and opinions on this subject, for example the two pioneers Freud and Bernays. Moving on from here the essay moves onto how psychoanalysis has been applied to advertising and what changes have occurred because of this, this section really focuses in on the key area of interest "car advertising" through research, visual analysis and interviews, this has helped to define and outline the key psychoanalytic techniques used to target the unconscious mind of the consumer. However there where many arguments along the lines of these subjects, this essay shows contrasting arguments and analysis of these opinions. The final chapter of my essay is based around the exploration into the female unconscious. The female gaze, does it exist? what changes when an ad is aimed at a woman rather than a man?
As we are members of a consumer society, all through our life we are continuously confronted and faced with images that are all intending to sell products or services to us. We are constantly persuaded to purchase goods that are not necessities in every day life, but rather commodities that will fulfil our desires. In order to understand this i must look at the way our consumer society works and how persuasion works. I must look into the history behind capitalist culture and in particular how psycoanalysis is used by the advertising industry to maintain and progress with customer demands for commodities.
For there to be a successful capitalist economy, there would needs to be a continuos demeans for commodities being produced. The advertising industry has facilitated the expansion of consumer demand for products by learning what encourages consumer behaviour. As a result of this some techniques used within psychoanalysis are employed by the advertising industry to capture and persuade the consumers unconscious desires.
Psychoanalysis is most commonly used as a tool of therapy with intentions to give the person a real insight into their unconscious desires and motives. This was all the work of Sigmund Freud, Psychoanalytic theory states that most if an adults personality sources from a deep conflict between a persons desire to satisfy their physical needs, but also to function as a responsible part of society. Freud stated that the conflict is carried out in the mind by three structures; the id,super ego and ego. Through this conflict the psyche is organised into functional zones. it is these three models that make up the Freuds structural model of the Psyche.
Freud found that the id is completely based on on instantaneous gratification. It works according to freuds pleasure principle. "Within Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality the pleasure principle is the driving force of the id that seeks the immediate gratification of all needs wants and urges, including hunger, thirst, anger and sex when these needs are not met the result is anxiety and tension." (http://psychology.about.com/od/pindex/g/def_pleasurepri.htm), This quote simply explains how by targeting the unconscious mind a persons desires can be near enough converted into a necessity, and the persons action is guided by the want and wish to take full advantage of this pleasure. On the other hand the superego is the counterbalance to the id and is a persons conscious thought. The ego is the structure that is the real control between the id and the superego. "Lacan returns to the subject of the superego in his 1953 -1954 seminar; he locates it in the symbolic order, as opposed to the imaginary order of the ego: the super ego is essentially located within the symbolic plane of speech. The superego has a close relationship with the law, but this relationship is a paradoxical one. on one hand the law as such is a symbolic structure which regulates subjectivity and in this sense prevents disintegration. And on another hand, the law of the superego has a "senseless, blind character, of pure imperativeness and simple tyranny. thus "the superego is at one and the same time in law and its destruction."
(http://nosubject.com/index.php?title=Superego} Lacan states that the super ego is a the Law, so the super ego is a form of moral guidence that is socialised within us. It is stated that the ego attempts to stabilise the fight between the conflicting forces, by discovering actions to please the id and still be acceptable within society. Freud found that conflicts between the id and superego occurred at an unconscious level, so it is assumed that a person may not know of the motives that underlie all of their actions and behaviours. The ego is the most conscious part of the human psyche within Freud's model. it is the zone where we maintain our sense of self/identity. The ego does not aim to establish a balance so much as it provides a realistic and socially realistic and socially reasonable passage for unconscious motives. this does not specifically mean that we all succumb to our unconscious drives however to some extent we do. But the super ego which tells us what is morally correct this is also very powerful, more so than the ID. Freud went onto explore the mechanics of the unconscious mind in the course of his dream studies and two of his studies have been of real significance to the advertising industry. For example symbolism is commonly used in advertisements just as dreams use symbols that in turn represent a persons unconscious desires. Symbols allow the mind to work in a completely different way to the rational mind, and only at a figurative level does a symbol hold meaning. Freud stated that, the deeper meanings related with symbols are beyond conscious judgment. The Freudian viewpoint implies that 'the ego always relies on the symbolism within products to compromise in between the demands of the id and the prohibitions of the super ego.' Thus, advertising frequently uses symbols to communicate the messages that would otherwise be unmanageable or problematic.
(http://nosubject.com/index.php?title=Superego} Lacan states that the super ego is a the Law, so the super ego is a form of moral guidence that is socialised within us. It is stated that the ego attempts to stabilise the fight between the conflicting forces, by discovering actions to please the id and still be acceptable within society. Freud found that conflicts between the id and superego occurred at an unconscious level, so it is assumed that a person may not know of the motives that underlie all of their actions and behaviours. The ego is the most conscious part of the human psyche within Freud's model. it is the zone where we maintain our sense of self/identity. The ego does not aim to establish a balance so much as it provides a realistic and socially realistic and socially reasonable passage for unconscious motives. this does not specifically mean that we all succumb to our unconscious drives however to some extent we do. But the super ego which tells us what is morally correct this is also very powerful, more so than the ID. Freud went onto explore the mechanics of the unconscious mind in the course of his dream studies and two of his studies have been of real significance to the advertising industry. For example symbolism is commonly used in advertisements just as dreams use symbols that in turn represent a persons unconscious desires. Symbols allow the mind to work in a completely different way to the rational mind, and only at a figurative level does a symbol hold meaning. Freud stated that, the deeper meanings related with symbols are beyond conscious judgment. The Freudian viewpoint implies that 'the ego always relies on the symbolism within products to compromise in between the demands of the id and the prohibitions of the super ego.' Thus, advertising frequently uses symbols to communicate the messages that would otherwise be unmanageable or problematic.
The unconscious mind makes links between the symbols and the desires through association. Freud discovered that two aspects can relate simply because they occur simultaneously. However this association may be forgotten the connection remains within the unconscious mind. Freud's insight emphasises the prospective importance of what we call unconscious motives that are the underlying purchases and how symbolism and the association can be used by the advertising industry to really ensure that there is a constant consumer demand for commodities. The first to apply theses psychoanalytic techniques to consumer society was Freud's nephew Edward Bernays. "Bernays was the first person to take freud's ideas about human beings and use them to manipulate the masses. He showed american corporations for the first time how they could make people want things they didn't need, by linking mass produced goods to their unconscious desires." (The Century of Self: Happiness Machines ep1) From this came a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying peoples inner selfish desires one made them happy and thus docile. it was the start of the all consuming self that had become to dominate today. Advertising successfully communicates meaning by association of symbols that represent individual desires with commodities. From the public perspective it may seem as the ad is displaying two objects with similar meaning, however 'it is only in the advertisement that this transference of meaning takes place.' The advertisement may be using an already existing language or 'sign system', and by appropriating an association this is present in that system between the signifier and signified, advertisements are able to articulate its product in terms of the equivalent relationship. This is all achieved by making the association between the product and the signifier.
The work of advertisements is not to formulate a meaning, but to communicate meaning by way of a 'sign system' that we familiar with. A result of this 'significance in one system can be used to create a new system of significance.' (Barthes, R. (1973). Mythologies, transl. Annette Lavers Palladin Books)
Roland Barthes's work based on images, suggested that the meanings are formed through rules that govern the symbols, and although 'meanings might appear to be natural, obvious and immanent, they are in fact produced...they are constructed through identifiable processes of signification at work in all representations.' This states that advertisements use differences existing in social traditions to produce real differences and distinctions between products.
A psychoanalyst named Alfred Adler stated that the most human actions are provoked by an individuals desire to conquer feelings of inadequacy relative to other peoples. This shows that within a consumer society, 'a person may channel his or her unacceptable desires into acceptable outlets by using products that signify these underlying desires of inferiority' This shows that as consumers, we all buy not to gratify our needs but our desires. We will always continue to buy because according to psychoanalyst Lacan, our desires can never be fully satisfied. Consumer objects and products are best explained by their capability to excite desires and as a result, commodities have now become a way of defining ourselves. Psychoanalytic explanations of advertising and buyer motivations are notoriously reductive and although it gives an insight to advertising techniques and buyer motives it is not in any way the be all or end all of consumerism, as in reality, it does not matter how well constructed an advertising campaign is it is all down to selling the product, if the product is poor the product will most likely not sell.
It is said that most of all psychoanalytic applications within advertisments and marketing are linked or associated with the sexuality of commodities. The most widespread need is to feel sexually attractive, so to relate a product with sex is the best way to sell it. Robert Goldman Gave an example using the L'Oreal ad for lipstick. The advertisement displays female lips against a predominantly white background. The eyes are shielded giving the ad a mysterious feel, her face is flawlessly smooth and the full red lips are slightly parted. The next aspect of the advertisement is very significant it shows a male figure with his back turned to the viewer. The ad supports a prominent ideological version of women that is defined by the male gaze, this suggests that 'male power and womens power over men is constituted through appearances.' In this instance, the woman as an epitome of glamour and beauty and this is commanding the interest of the male by making herself and object of desire to the male.
These techniques are all used within the car advertising sector of society, The 1950's is when these techniques where really put into use, the ads where very effective in targeting the audience which at the time was predominantly the males. The ads did not specifically focus on selling the cars themselves but instead the ads where used to sell a life style, stating that with the purchase of this car you don't just get the product the lifestyle comes with it. And this is still commonly found within a lot of advertisements today. The example below displays this perfectly.
case studies (1.)
Car Ad.
The car ad above was published in 1952 this was a very important time for advertising in general, as war had just finished and their was a real emphasis on the sale of products, The advertising techniques that are used within these ads are used to target the unconscious mind of the viewer preying on the natural urges and impulses of the audience in this case it is the male unconscious that is targeted, sexualisation is the most common technique used and is still used within car advertising today. moving onto the analysis of this 52 Dodge ad there are many elements of psychoanalysis applied to this ad, the most apparent is the direct phallic symbolism that is erect from the car and also perfectly situated to represent the males penis, this is direct sexualisation within the ad, this is used to target the male audience communicating the power and sex appeal that comes with the purchase of the product the placement of the woman within this ad is very significant as you can see she is shown clinging to the male from above with her hand grasping the car wheel or the phallic symbol as it can be interpreted. This depicts an image of the level of attraction achieved with the purchase of the product.
This sexualisation is carried on even within the typographic elements within the ad, "But Darling...... they're staring at our new 52 Dodge" This quote of speech is what the female is saying to the male figure. this to me backs up the sexualisation within the ad, the quote to me signifies that the couple are doing something they shouldn't be, this could be interpreted as dangerous driving or taking part in a sexual act. The female figure is basically reassuring the male that the public are looking at the new car rather than what is happening within it. Another key element to the as is the way the couple that are depicted within the ad are portrayed to be in love and enjoying their life together, this can be seen as a communication to the audience that with the purchase of this car it will improve the the chances or the fact that you will find the perfect relationship? as once again this is not the case. The placement of the couple is significant within this ad, the couple are depicted directly above the car this to me signifies that with the purchase of this product the only way is up this is used to communicate the accent or progression that is achieved with the purchase of this product.
This once again backs up common sayign that is heard throughout advertising Sex Sells. (Argument over sex selling. “I swear to god I will lose my mind if I hear the “sex sells” fallacy one more time. Sex does not sell. If sex sold, we would see penises where we see boobs. Naked men would be on everything that naked women are on. Sex isn’t what they’re selling you. They’re selling you an impossible, pornographically fueled misogynistic idea of the perfect woman.”
in advertising, sex sells. but only if your selling sex. Expand on this.)
case studies (2.)
These techniques are all used within the car advertising sector of society, The 1950's is when these techniques where really put into use, the ads where very effective in targeting the audience which at the time was predominantly the males. The ads did not specifically focus on selling the cars themselves but instead the ads where used to sell a life style, stating that with the purchase of this car you don't just get the product the lifestyle comes with it. And this is still commonly found within a lot of advertisements today. The example below displays this perfectly.
case studies (1.)
Car Ad.
The car ad above was published in 1952 this was a very important time for advertising in general, as war had just finished and their was a real emphasis on the sale of products, The advertising techniques that are used within these ads are used to target the unconscious mind of the viewer preying on the natural urges and impulses of the audience in this case it is the male unconscious that is targeted, sexualisation is the most common technique used and is still used within car advertising today. moving onto the analysis of this 52 Dodge ad there are many elements of psychoanalysis applied to this ad, the most apparent is the direct phallic symbolism that is erect from the car and also perfectly situated to represent the males penis, this is direct sexualisation within the ad, this is used to target the male audience communicating the power and sex appeal that comes with the purchase of the product the placement of the woman within this ad is very significant as you can see she is shown clinging to the male from above with her hand grasping the car wheel or the phallic symbol as it can be interpreted. This depicts an image of the level of attraction achieved with the purchase of the product.
This sexualisation is carried on even within the typographic elements within the ad, "But Darling...... they're staring at our new 52 Dodge" This quote of speech is what the female is saying to the male figure. this to me backs up the sexualisation within the ad, the quote to me signifies that the couple are doing something they shouldn't be, this could be interpreted as dangerous driving or taking part in a sexual act. The female figure is basically reassuring the male that the public are looking at the new car rather than what is happening within it. Another key element to the as is the way the couple that are depicted within the ad are portrayed to be in love and enjoying their life together, this can be seen as a communication to the audience that with the purchase of this car it will improve the the chances or the fact that you will find the perfect relationship? as once again this is not the case. The placement of the couple is significant within this ad, the couple are depicted directly above the car this to me signifies that with the purchase of this product the only way is up this is used to communicate the accent or progression that is achieved with the purchase of this product.
This once again backs up common sayign that is heard throughout advertising Sex Sells. (Argument over sex selling. “I swear to god I will lose my mind if I hear the “sex sells” fallacy one more time. Sex does not sell. If sex sold, we would see penises where we see boobs. Naked men would be on everything that naked women are on. Sex isn’t what they’re selling you. They’re selling you an impossible, pornographically fueled misogynistic idea of the perfect woman.”
Moving onto the specific area of interest looking into the advertisement of cars and how this targets the unconscious mind, The ad below is from the 1950's, when psychoanalysis was introduced to advertising as already stated Bernays attached this to the sale of products a range of techniques where used based on the audience or even the gender.
case studies (2.)
This image from the mass media particularly focuses on the nature of consumerism, desire and the unconscious displaying how car advertisement at this time targeted the male unconscious. As you can see the image displays the product situated in front of a huge house that is placed in the countryside at the time this was where the most wealthy and powerful people would live, this is not only selling the wealthy lifestyle but this is a direct symbol to represent power and in turn the power the purchase of this product will grant, The tower that is apparent at the front of the house is a direct phallic symbol that brings the representation of power, the penis is a direct symbol of this power. Penis envy......... (Argument. "Women never bought Freud's idea of penis envy: Who would want a shotgun when you can have and automatic?" However According to Freud, this occurs when a girl realises that she has no penis "Girls hold their mother responsible for their lack of a penis and do not forgive her for being this put to a disadvantage," (Freud-1933) - Many women find this very offensive and female psychoanalyst Karen Horney and other feminist thinkers have described his ideas as distorted and condescending.")
Other aspects that aim to sell are apparent within this advertisement for example the representation of the American dream, this is communicated through the illustrated family that are placed behind the car, the family is shown looking happy and relationship seems strong this again is a statement that if you purchase this product not only will you become powerful and wealthy but you will live a happy life, looking closer at the image you will notice that the family is of a wide age range the image seems to represent a family of 3 generations looking happy and healthy together, the fact that 3 generations are displayed communicates that with the purchase of this product will not only bring you power, wealth, happiness but also you will live a long healthy life. We all know that these key aspects that are communicated are not necessarily true.
The fact that all of car advertisements of this era where illustrated is a key feature in targeting the unconscious in my opinion, i feel that when the audience where engaging with the advertisement it was seen as more effective if the people within the ad where fictional as it is then easier for the male to see himself as that figure and put himself in that position sub consciously. The fact the Ads where illustrated also meant that colour could be brought into effect very simply for example the image above displays a lot of white especially the car but also in combination with the house white is commonly used as a colour that represents purity, peace and the most associated with heaven this is used within the ad to represent the happiness the product will bring and to represent the quality of life you will live after the purchase of this product.
During the 1950's and specifically after the war, it meant the males who where once at war returned home and rejoined their roles working within society. For the majority of the female community this meant that they would be living much more domestic lifestyles working at home, the male community on the other hand went back to working the manual labour jobs and where the ones bringing the money into the house. All of this had a huge effect on advertising, due to the fact after the war consumer needs rose dramatically. Advertising had specific target market, the male buyer. Advertisements where specifically aimed at men and from the analysis above you can see the psychoanalytic techniques that are used are in many cases re occurring, There are specific themes within psycoanalysis that are used to really target the male unconscious directly targeting the desires of man. For example the main feature being sexual desires in the majority of cases a car ad would feature a dominating male figure that is in partnership with a female figure in all cases a very beautiful woman, now the woman has nothing to do directly with the product being sold however just a psychoanalytic technique to persuade the male to buy the product. The ad is simply selling a lifestyle rather than the product, however this still communicates that with the purchase of the product comes this desired lifestyle. Another reoccurring theme that is commonly found within advertising for men, is the Phallic symbol. this is used to communicate one thing, and that is power. "A representation of the penis and testes as an embodiment of generative power" the use of the phallic symbol within car advertising specifically is very significant. The Phallus is always found to be found erect from the car itself this quote not only backs up the communication of power but juxtaposition within the advertisement always communicating that with the purchase of this car will not only come power but also the prospect of sex.
On the other hand Like Freud said "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." What this is saying is it is very easy to look to deep into advertisements looking for some kind of psychoanalytic technique that may or may not have been used, but to be honest is there any advertisment out there that doesnt contain some sort of subliminal message? Overall it has become apparent that there are two main themes within psychoanalysis that are used during the 1950's to sell cars. However we are not living in the 1950's anymore and women are working the same jobs and earning the same pay roll as the men, So once again their is a change in advertising. During the 1950's it was easy to point out the psychoanalytic techniques used to target the male unconscious. This got me thinking about what techniques are used to target the female unconscious. Would it be the same as the mens but Inverted? or would it be something completely different and taking a different theme or route within psycoanalysis?
Chapter 3: the female aspect, the female gaze does it exisit? would female orientated adverts be the same as male but inverted? or completley different?
Begining by looking at some general examples of advertisement for women, As you can see below are two completely different ads for pretty much the same product, Example a shows a female figure who is the direct focal point of the ad and the back of a male figure. The juxtaposition of these figures is very important, look how the male has his back to the audience he is giving 100% of his attention to the female, she has his attention without even opening her lips, The typography within the ad supports this "Frankly one of the most subtle forms of communication is two indiscreet lips." This communicates the fact that if you buy this product you will have the attention of men without having to open your mouth. This focus on attention is also communicated by the setting within the ad the dark area they are in, however she is lit up again making the focus "the Female" The woman within the ad seems to be in contemplation, communicating the fact she is thinking about what to do with this man. In turn i feel this communicates the power the woman has over the male figure, This ad is communicating the fact if a woman bought this product she would possess the power over man giving this product the element of desirability, This all relates the the pleasure principe targeting the Id. making the product more of a desirable necessity for the woman, The communication of power is again backed up with the title "Dont you just love being a woman?" This is once again just backing up the power the female figure has its as though it is her thought, but you would not know this from her facial expression, giving her an aspect of mischievousness the fact she is in control.
The Phallic symbolism is still there however with some slight alterations, within case a this is much more discreet manor, but is seems to be that the product is a direct representation of the man, The juxtaposition of the the product within both ads is to represent the male penis, about to or in place to perform sexual acts. Again this is selling something that is not anything to do with the product but the communication of what will be yours if you purchase the product, is still very much there.
a)
b)
b)
Case b is a much older ad, and this is instantly apparent with the design of the ad, the initial aspect of this that grasps the attention of the viewer is the female figure, this approach is very different from the last for example the model within this is ad is staring directly at the viewer, directly targeting the ad at them specifically. in terms of sexualisation i feel this is apparent a tremendous amount all over this ad. The simple fact that the woman appears naked but still wearing make up and looking very glamourous its almost as though she has just undressed. But the most significant aspect of sexualisation has to be the juxtaposition of both the female lips an the lipstick itself. The direct alignment instantly communicates the sexual act or preparation to do so, So in turn the Phallic representation of the product represents the male and the Lips and or model represent the female. Note how she has not moved she seems to be comfortable and in a natural relaxed position as if no real effort is taking place on her behalf. I feel this communicates that she is in power and whatever she wants comes to her. The main thing that is found from this analysis is how much advertising changes over time i feel the more modern the ads get, the female figures become much more independent and although they retain their desirability and sexual appeal to the men, they become more independent and more powerful. And it is this power through sexualisation and control over men that becomes the psychoanalytic technique that targets the female unconscious and creates the desirability for the specific product. So it seems that advertising for women in the majority of cases is as we predicted focused within the same psychoanalytic themes advertising for men focus on. With some specific alterations such as the fact Males desire the Sexualisation and power and all that comes with that, and Women desire the power but this seems to commonly achieved through sexualisation and the power they control with this physical attraction. This paints a very sexist picture that is the annoyance of many of women within society that it is seen that women strive to be the fantasy of the male. This is still apparent today but to no where near the extent of advertising in the past.
Advertising for women within the car industry?
Its really quite a difficult task to find any car advertisements directly aimed women from around the 1950's, during this time women where seen within adverts commonly draped over bonnets wearing nothing but ball gowns or bikinis just reenforcing that "cars and women are mens spoils" (The car industries lame attempts to entice women, www.slate.com) This quote simply reenforces that common image that cars where not for the woman it was a male thing. "When carmakers did appeal directly to women, the seesawed between portraying them as responsible capable drivers, and condescending to their supposed preoccupation with frivolities" (The car industries lame attempts to entice women, www.slate.com) this quote here is simply explaining that when the advertisers aimed the ads towards women they took one or two routes the first being to portray the woman as a symbol of power displaying them to be sensible and very capable drivers. The other route however was to run along with the current image of women within advertising. some car manufactures even made handbags that came with the car. as you can imagine all of these products did not sell. This all carried on through to the 60s, During this time Ford went into collaboration with a cosmetics company as they came up with the concept of offering pink mustangs as prizes. "Wear a Mustang to match your lipstick" This groups women into a huge stereotype that its all about looking nice and making them appear as objects of vanity.
The ad effectively explains how wrong advertisers got it when creating ads for women, it was thought that the way to grasp a woman's attention was to basically create an ad that stayed away with the technicalities of the product and focused mainly on the aesthetics of the product. As seen in (fig 5) simply by making the product pink and linking the product to cosmetics the advertisers thought this would be enough to sell the product to the female market. Instead i can see how the female audience would be offended. The stereotype of women within advertising was based purely on sexual attraction and physical aesthetics. It has also become apparent that women where used to sell products to men during this era, However this is not the case in terms of advertising for women. Women where still portrayed the same way and where still used to try and sell the female audience products, it was almost as though the advertisers thought women wanted this stereotype. These products obviously did not sell.
The ad below (Fig 6) This example is perfect in terms of showing how advertising has developed when it comes targeting the female unconscious. As you can see from these images the same techniques have been used to target both the male and female unconscious. This proves that women and men want for the same things. The id is targeted making the buyer see the product and a necessity and really giving the product the desirability it needs in order to sell. Once again the reoccurring theme is based around sexualisation. The idea of sex is what sells the product.................
Advertising for women within the car industry?
Its really quite a difficult task to find any car advertisements directly aimed women from around the 1950's, during this time women where seen within adverts commonly draped over bonnets wearing nothing but ball gowns or bikinis just reenforcing that "cars and women are mens spoils" (The car industries lame attempts to entice women, www.slate.com) This quote simply reenforces that common image that cars where not for the woman it was a male thing. "When carmakers did appeal directly to women, the seesawed between portraying them as responsible capable drivers, and condescending to their supposed preoccupation with frivolities" (The car industries lame attempts to entice women, www.slate.com) this quote here is simply explaining that when the advertisers aimed the ads towards women they took one or two routes the first being to portray the woman as a symbol of power displaying them to be sensible and very capable drivers. The other route however was to run along with the current image of women within advertising. some car manufactures even made handbags that came with the car. as you can imagine all of these products did not sell. This all carried on through to the 60s, During this time Ford went into collaboration with a cosmetics company as they came up with the concept of offering pink mustangs as prizes. "Wear a Mustang to match your lipstick" This groups women into a huge stereotype that its all about looking nice and making them appear as objects of vanity.
The ad above carries on this stereotype through a range of psychoanalytic techniques it shocks me to see how the woman appears in the same role as she is portrayed within advertising aimed at a male audience. she is portrayed as a sexual symbol. but who is this symbol aimed at? it seems again that she is portrayed as an image to grasp male attention, communicating the fact if she purchased this product she would gain the attention of the male. I personally don't think this is the way to grasp the female audiences attention and it is in many ways offensive. As is the colour scheme that is used for this campaign the fact that pink is used to try and make the car more appealing is very stereotypical and in no way is this effective it just places more emphasis on the fact it all about appearance for women, this is simply not the case.
It has instantly become apparent that, it seems back in the 1950's and 60's the ads where mainly created by men, the women featured within the ads where still portrayed as sex symbols. where they seem to care only about the appearance of the product rather than its functionality painting the image of a dosile female character.
However as social changes occurred women are no longer seen as inferior to men, from research i feel this is all down to the fact that statistics show that there are actually more female drivers out there than male. A great example of how advertising for women has changed within the car industry is perfectly displayed in this advert created by Renault. 2 ads where published one aimed at males and the other at females.
The ad effectively explains how wrong advertisers got it when creating ads for women, it was thought that the way to grasp a woman's attention was to basically create an ad that stayed away with the technicalities of the product and focused mainly on the aesthetics of the product. As seen in (fig 5) simply by making the product pink and linking the product to cosmetics the advertisers thought this would be enough to sell the product to the female market. Instead i can see how the female audience would be offended. The stereotype of women within advertising was based purely on sexual attraction and physical aesthetics. It has also become apparent that women where used to sell products to men during this era, However this is not the case in terms of advertising for women. Women where still portrayed the same way and where still used to try and sell the female audience products, it was almost as though the advertisers thought women wanted this stereotype. These products obviously did not sell.
The ad below (Fig 6) This example is perfect in terms of showing how advertising has developed when it comes targeting the female unconscious. As you can see from these images the same techniques have been used to target both the male and female unconscious. This proves that women and men want for the same things. The id is targeted making the buyer see the product and a necessity and really giving the product the desirability it needs in order to sell. Once again the reoccurring theme is based around sexualisation. The idea of sex is what sells the product.................
Summary of what i have found here?
Then Conclude.
References
Reading List for this passage of text.
Barthes, R. (1973). Mythologies, transl. Annette Lavers Palladin Books
Berger, J. (1977). Way of Seeing. Great Britain. Chapter 7
Carlson, N., R. & Buskist, W. (1997). Psychology: The Science of Behaviour. Allyn and Bacon, MA
Debord, G. (1967). Society of the Spectacle. Black and Red, Detroit, 1997
Goldman, R. (1992). Reading Ads Socially. Routledge, 1992
Hebdige, D. (1979). Subculture: the Meaning of Style. Routledge
Marris, P. & Thorham, S. (1996). Media Studies: A Reader. Edinburgh University Press
Solomon, M., R., Dann, S., Dann, S. & Russell-Bennett, R. (2007). Consumer Behaviour: Buying, Having, Being. Pearson Education Group, NSW
Williamson, J. (1978). Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising. Boyars
QUOTES:
"America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance -- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way."
AYN RAND, Capitalism: The Unknown DEAL.
"Social progress can be measured by the social position of the female sex"
Karl Marx
"Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without femenine upheaval. social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex. ugly ones included."
Marx
Argument over sex selling.
“I swear to god I will lose my mind if I hear the “sex sells” fallacy one more time. Sex does not sell. If sex sold, we would see penises where we see boobs. Naked men would be on everything that naked women are on. Sex isn’t what they’re selling you. They’re selling you an impossible, pornographically fueled misogynistic idea of the perfect woman.”
in advertising, sex sells. but only if your selling sex.
LED taxi screen
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