Macintosh doesn’t just sell computers, it sells a personality.  When you buy a Macintosh computer you’re not just buying electrical parts, you’re buying something that signifies that you’re young, liberal and hip.  When you pick up your daily Starbucks coffee, you’re saying, “hey world – I’m professional, I’m urban – look at me!”  People often buy products in order to form their indentity and to set themselves apart from the crowd.  These products, marketed to provide said identity and uniqueness, have a paradoxical effect.  Buying these products, in the search for individuality, results in conformity to a group.  Buying a Mac and drinking Starbucks lumps you in with millions of other Mac buying, Starbuck drinking people out there.  True individuality is not something that can be purchased with a Visa card.  Luckily for advertisers, there are a fair number of consumers who have yet to realize this.

In a world where children are the most computer savvy among us, their virtual playground maybe needs a bit of a clean-up.

Condom AD

Axe Commercial

These are two banned commercials.  Both commercials contain explicit, or not so explicit, sexual references. It seems that most of the commercials on YouTube that have been banned from certain parts of the world have the same component: sex.

Being an individual looking for entertainment, watching these commercials satisfies that need completely. They are filled with humour that is really easy to understand and appreciate. They also target a specific audience, which includes students. That is why we are most likely to stumble upon these kinds of commercials rather than any other kinds. We also take the time to search for these videos, so not to miss out on “the buzz.”  That is why these commercials are so popular. The advertisers are able to create a momentum to the commercial that no one is willing to miss out on. It also gives individuals the opportunity to appreciate the creativity that the world has to offer. How else are people from Canada suppose to know about an infamous commercial from Sweden if it isn’t posted on YouTube? People are now, slowly but surely, becoming more aware of what new trends are happening in different parts of the world.

Surely, there are two sides to a medal. Some individuals disagree with what children are exposed to with these types of commercials. It is easy to understand that parents, who want to protect their children from viewing these kinds of commercials, cannot count on the Standards of Broadcasting alone anymore. They now have to start monitoring their child on YouTube, which gives them one extra medium to keep an eye on. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to information about these types of websites. It is an extra task for parents to understand the purpose of these websites and to educate both themselves and their children about proper use.  Ultimately, guardians and parents have no other choice, if they are worried about what their children are watching, than to monitor their children’s activities on YouTube.

Centraal Beheer Ad – Europe

Here we are presented with a video that deals with homosexuality. This commercial has been banned in various different countries. Homosexuality is a subject which individuals still need to make peace with. It is a subject that many people do not want to broach because of the strong reactions it can illicit.

These adventurous advertisers, who decided to attack the subject matter in full force, are clearly playing with fire. They must recognize the chances of their commercial not being aired because of the subject matter. It is the same dilemma with bisexuality, transsexuals and trans-genders. Notice that the commercials that dare to approach these subjects always do it with a touch of comedy. The comedic theme seems to be the best approach to address sensitive issues. It lightens the general mood that people have towards the topic. However, will always approaching difficult subjects with humour end up having a negative effect?  By exaggerating homosexuality, the audience may never capture or understand the serious message that is being transmitted.

This is, at the same time, a great way of desensitizing the population to the issue of homosexuality. To include it in their advertising is to approach the consumer with a more open view of the world today. Even though it has always been present, homosexuality is getting greater attention in the past years due to people, especially public personalities, coming out with official statements. People have had to face the fact that homosexuality does exist and it is not going away. The LGBT, (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-gender), community includes individuals that represent our governments, media and educations system, among other things. It has been a process of de-stigmatisation. People still have to be convinced that homosexuals, bisexuals, trans-genders and transsexuals are just as capable of leading normal lives as any other human beings.   Censoring Advertisements about homosexuals is a step in the wrong direction.

This commercial, banned in the United Kingdom, is pretty racy.  On one hand, bureaucratic advertising councils seem overly conservative and rigid.  One could make the argument that these councils are a form of censorship.  On the other hand, when viewing ads, like this levi’s ad, it is important to think about the scenarios in which the ad may be seen.  Children and youth are easily impressionable, and an ad like this, in most people’s opinion is inappropriate for people in that age range.

European Ikea Ad

North American Ikea Ad

Ikea, the world’s largest furniture manufacturer, has stores in 36 countries throughout the world.  As such, they need to market to different audiences.  The two Ikea commercials, while both humourous, reveal a difference in both advertising standards and cultural norms in Europe and North American, respectively.

Though the ad is very comical it never aired due to North American standard councils deeming it too risky.   This commercial is one in a number of banned commercials that have been created for Bud Light. Despite not always having all the ads air on television, Bud Light advertisers continue to “push the envelope” in order to capture the consumers attention.  All is not lost; with the introduction of YouTube, Bud Light has found a new medium in which they are able to “push the envelope” without being concerned about standards councils.  The aforementioned commercial has been watched over 100, 000 times on YouTube.  This ensures that DDB can continue to make us laugh, whether their ads make it on television or not.

Throughout the course of history women have had to fight for liberty and equality.  From the first wave of feminism to the modern “Sex and the City” feminist movement, women have proven to be as capable as men in all aspects.  Some would say that we finally live in a society, in the Western world, that has equality amongst the genders.  Inequality, however, still exists in the advertising world. 

In advertising, women are constantly objectified and often dominated by men in ads.  Even in ads directed towards women, the male dominance factor is still present.  Male dominance over women in advertising is nothing new, as we can see with the 1952 ad for Chase and Sanborn coffee. 

While the coffee ad of the 1950’s is relatively sanitized, it still depicts violence against a woman at the hands of a man.  The modern ads shown are much more egregious and clearly imply sexual aggression towards women.  The ads; one portraying strangulation after a presumed sexual assault, the other giving allusions to gang rape, are a slap in the face to the basic tenets of feminism and  equal rights.  Dr. Scott A. Lukas, a professor of gender studies, who started the website Gender Ads, believes that even the way models are positioned in ads can signifiy inequality.

“The varied dimensions of posture, position of bodies, location of body parts, height and depth of figures, all suggest that women are inferior, and men are superior. The trope that often runs through the ads I have collected is one of men in control. The concept that I develop here is that the hegemony of the gaze, the hegemony of the visual, the hegemony of the positioning of individuals in the ads parallel the hegemony of men within political, economic, and social sectors of society.”

These observations can make one wonder, how far have we come?  Is it a level playing field or is inequity still rampant?  Has this last wave of feminism brought us to where we need to be or is it all just smoke and mirrors?

 When I first heard the phrase “The American Dream” I automatically thought of fast cars, nice clothes, a beautiful wife, 2.5 kids, and the big house with the white picket fence.  I later found that this was not the case.  The term, “the American Dream”, was first used by author James T. Adams in 1931 in a book entitled, “The American Epic.”  Adams explains that the American dream is, “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”  Adams writes of a land of freedom and opportunity that will provide everyone with an equal lifestyle.  How did “The American Dream” become less about freedom and ideals and more about personal possession and social standing? It happened through the power of advertising. 

 The American culture consumes more than any other culture in the world.  The U.S. consumes 24% of the world’s total energy supply a year.  This obsession with consumption did not happen by mistake.  In the early 1900’s advertising was informative, describing all the features a product had to offer, but then there was a shift; and so began the age of persuasion.  Advertisers stopped selling “the product” and started to sell “The American Dream”.  “The American Dream” was a fantastic utopia that promised status, romance, sex, and even the perfect family.  The problem is “The American Dream” is a farce and is always just out of everyone’s grasp.  Advertisers create a goal that can never be reached and that’s the point.  In doing this, the American culture will continue to strive to reach its unreachable “American Dream”, consuming more and more by the hour, until there is nothing left to consume.

 Where do you stand?

In today’s society there are a set of underlying rules that determine the proper way to conduct one’s self.  Maintaining a job, respecting other people’s rights and living accordingly to the letter of the law, are values that are deeply embedded into western culture.   If someone follows a basic set of standard rules they are considered a contributing member of society.  Every person, however, deep in the darkest corners of their soul, has a deviant side.   Everyone at times has urges of violence, sex, and thoughts of going against the grain of the social order and “letting loose.”  Most people choose not to indugle these urges in order to avoid chaos.  Advertisers understand these urges and use them to strategically sell products.  One example of this type of advertising was done in an ad for Xbox, Microsoft’s gaming system.

The commercial depicts a busy train station that suddenly turns into a mock gun fight between everyday citizens.  With only their fingers, pandemonium erupts and people are “killed” in the cross fire.  This ad shows deviant behavior from law abiding citizens in an ordinary public place.  The selling point of the ad is the idea of excitement through deviant activity. The product serves as a way to release the consumer’s dark urges without producing anarchy in the real world.  Dr. Strangelove describes this strategy in advertising as an attempt by advertisers to normalize deviance.   In other words, sometimes through the use of a specific product, bad is good.