IC w5 Adverts

HildeMaassen
Feb 28, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Aug 15, 2020

Advertisements are very important in creating an image about certain topics such as the woman, origin or disabilities. This often happens without us realizing it because they unconsciously propagate a certain stereotype.

In Belgium they had a special website years ago, which to my knowledge no longer exists where the advertisements were discussed and where the makers were asked for their comments. Often the idea behind the campaign was "to shock" or because it was humorous. The question is of course whether this is also understood by the viewers. Because you not only have the maker but also the viewer. You cannot control what the viewer does consciously or unconsciously with an image.

ree — Divers Adverts for car factories; Fiat, Renauld, Mercedes and Daewoo; Belgium

These campaigns show how car manufacturers often use the woman as a lust object as a decoration. If you go to a car show today, you still often see women in tight costumes walking around. For photography events too. On stage they are often scantily clad women who can be photographed by all visitors to the stand under "to try out a certain camera or lens."

ree — Divers Adverts for Gamma, Eurorent and Vitia. Belgium.

The advertisements above are almost all for hardware stores and they go, at least in my view, a step further. Although they may be less serious for the image of women because it is too thick that it is not serious.

I can get very angry with advertisements like this and often try to show my students how they are being manipulated unknowingly.

A complete investigation has been done into advertising image and tolerance of, for example, women-unfriendly advertising in Belgium. It appears that French speakers are less tolerant and that also applies to people who are not religious. When it comes to man-unfriendly advertisements, this is exactly the reverse, strangely enough.

https://igvm-iefh.belgium.be/sites/default/files/downloads/27%20-%20Beeldvorming_reclame_NL.pdf

In 2018, the wfa (world federation of advertisers) presented a guide to improve gender-specific portrayal in advertisements.

https://wfanet.org/knowledge/item/2018/05/16/WFA-launches-Guide-to-Progressive-Gender-Portrayals-in-Advertising

SIRE

We have sire in the Netherlands. On their website we read the purpose of the advertisements they make:

SIRE, Stichting Ideële Reclame is an independent foundation. Founded in 1967 by the joint communication industry. With the help of campaigns we bring social issues to the attention of the Dutch public, opinion leaders and decision makers. SIRE wants to shake people up, encourage them to think, make difficult issues to be discussed, stimulate the debate and get people moving. Make them realize that some issues that receive little or no attention deserve this. With its campaigns, SIRE wants to make society a little more beautiful. SIRE is independent and has no ties with the national government.

The advertisements that Sire makes can certainly be called shaking awake. Everyone in the Netherlands knows the anti-smoking advertisements and those for (or against) fireworks. On their site they have a timeline with 50 years of campains. https://sire.nl/campagne-overzicht/jaren

It is striking how the advertisements become harder, clearer over the years and how they directly appeal to the target group. I often come across the whatever you think, think the oposite idea (book title Paul Arden).

Fig: Advers for SIRE

1. Strings placed in a cardboard tube .... 2. Watch out for illegal fireworks from Belgium (in a bag of fries because the Dutch associate Belgians with eating fries). 3. Does your mother have to do it for you next year? 4. A hand messed up? Just go get a new one 5. Thanks to a far too short fuse I now finally have a dog

6. Now they do watch

Why I chose to show these ads is because they use disabled people to create a horrible, unwanted image of what a possible future could be if you used fireworks.

During one of the webinars we talked about the image that is presented in advertisements and media of the disabled. In 1990 I was the photographer for the organization (volunteering) during the world games for the disabled in the Netherlands. I will never forget how the first day I looked at all people with a disability and how 2 days later it really didn't stand out anymore, that is how you got used to it. The players had already overcome their handicap and played sport at a high level. Occasionally you got the urge to think that you yourself were disabled, much weaker than these people. It certainly taught me never to pass judgment or underestimate people.