Question

1. The first advertisement comes from Dove in the medium of print. The message behind the ad was that the product would effectively clean your skin. The target audience would be those who have delicate skin and care very much about their appearance. My guess is that the target audience would be young to middle-aged women.

2. The problem with the ad is that the depicted three women standing alongside each other depicting before and after results of using the product. Each woman had a lighter and lighter complexion beginning with an African American woman and ending with a white woman. The ad was blatantly racist and played off the stereotype that African Americans are dirty and white represents cleanliness. It also represented that their product can solve that issue of being perceived as dirty.

3. The advertisers might have justified the ad by saying that the depiction was supposed to show how it can help all complexions instead of comparing the complexions against each other.

4. Instead of comparing the complexions against each other, I would have used one woman with a facial shot split in half. The before side would show her with actual dirt on her skin while the after shows her cleaned and flawless skin. On both sides, she will remain the same complexion but the only difference is that she is clean. This way the ad is still accomplishing the same objectives but is not being racists in doing so.

before after Visibly more beautiful skin from the most unexpected of places-your shower dove.co

1. The second advertisement comes from Hyundai in the medium of a television commercial. The ad depicts a man trying to commit suicide by locking himself in his garage with a running car inside. The man is unsuccessful due to the car's 100% water emissions. The commercial ends as he sadly walks back into his home. The target audience is people who are environmentally friendly and those who want a safe car. The objective of the ad is to show that the car safe for the environment.

2. The problem with the ad is that it used shock advertising of people potentially losing their life to catch the audience's attention. The ad is extremely distasteful to everyone and offensive to suicide survivors. While the car did not successfully kill the man in the commercial, it did not help his situation for his mental health at all which is the bigger issue in the scenario.

3. The advertisers may suggest that the ad is trying to depict the car as being as safe as possible and people with the car are not capable of issuing any real danger to themselves or the environment.

4. Instead of painting the sad scenario of a man wanting to kill himself, I would have portrayed a man going to several dealerships trying to find the right car. The man does little activities on his journeys such as picking up trash and recycling. Finally, he tells the salesperson that he wants something safe. The salesperson then leads him to the Hyundai where he then explains the 100% water emissions. The buyer's eyes light up and the final scene he's driving away in the new car. This way the ad still accomplishes the same goal for the ad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgffnYlAe9c

Comment in the Discussion Forum: Do you agree/disagree that the identified advertisements have negative social consequences? Do you agree/disagree with the alternative strategies recommended? Can you come up with a better strategy?

Answer 1

i totally agree with the discussion that the identified advertisement have negative social consequences because they are racist and giving a bad message to the public that being beautiful  means to be white, which is totally wrong. in the second advertisement also its giving a bad message to the society by potraing a suicidal act. the alternative strategy provided are definitly better than the initial ones and it is totally capable of satisfying the goal of the firm in selling there product.

there can be a lots of aternative strategy to sell the product for example instead of depicting fairness they can depict good skin as a parameter of beauty and can claim that the product is capable of making the skin more healthy and fresh and every skin colour and type is beautyful as it is it only need is to take good care of it to make it stay healthy and fresh. in the second case the car company can advertise by depicting a scenario where a person riding there companys car is saving a lot in petrol price because the car gives good milage and so the carbon emission is also way lesser than others which is why it is much environment friendly.