Controversy in Advertising

Controversy consumes the world of advertising. Inaccurate perceptions of beauty and body images have been prominent issues for society for centuries and still remain relevant issues in today’s society. False beauty campaigns in advertising encourage women to idealize unattainable body expectations. Models that inaccurately portray beauty through advertisements skew our mindsets and self esteem. Utilizing recent advancements in Photoshop technologies to create a “flawless” look has become all-consuming, which has begun to reflect negatively on women’s health. The pressure for young women to reach a certain weight or fit a certain look has become a worldwide phenomenon. The social comparison theory explains that females will compare themselves to the models in advertisements and become blinded by false perceptions of beauty. Serious health issues and psychological problems are correlated with a lack of confidence resulting from these distorted body images in advertising. For example, in 2011, a Lancôme advertisement for makeup products featuring Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington were banned for misrepresentation. The pictures of the models in the advertisement were clearly manipulated to create an impossible vision of perfection. Loreal admitted the images were "digitally retouched to lighten the skin, clean up makeup, reduce dark shadows and shading around the eyes, smooth the lips and darken the eyebrows."Although the advertisements may be successful in terms of garnering revenue, it also adds to the pressure for young women to conform to very narrow ideals to reach “societal expectations.” Companies like Dove Soap have recognized the importance of promoting body confidence and awareness to spread positive energy worldwide. To prevent future health risks resulting from these impossible standards, it is imperative for young men to embrace and celebrate their natural beauty. Other companies that advertise beauty products should follow Dove’s strategy to save our culture.

Comments: 
I thought Kylie's post regarding controversial advertising was very interesting. Animal abuse has definitely proved to be a prominent issue in society. I agree that it is peculiar that the RSPCA used an image of an abused child to emphasize the importance to stop animal abuse. The advertisement was clearly ineffective as the reader loses sight of the company's focus. 
In response to Taylor's blog, I enjoyed reading her opinions regarding the March Madness advertisements. She analyzed several commercials and identified their main focuses. I especially liked reading about the Microsoft Empowering commercial and how technology is being used to improve the lives of disabled people in America. The description of the commercial was explicit and interesting. 

March Madness

March Madness is a 3-week event for the NCAA post-season tournament. It has been reported that this year’s March Madness will result in one of the highest revenue generators compared to advertising in years past. From an advertising perspective, this event caters to men in their mid teens to mid 50s. This is considered a rather large demographic. Advertisers hope to create a sufficient platform to connect to their target audience. For instance, Dove Men&Care develops an advertising campaign strictly for this demographic. In order to effectively advertise the well-known event, the NCAA has expanded their media coverage to four different television networks, (CBS, TNT, TruTV, TBS) as well as several online channels to view the tournament. In addition, the NCAA is promoted through various sources of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. These marketing strategies are proven to successfully garner revenue, making March Madness one of the most popular sports showcases for both advertisers and fans. 

Super Bowl Commercials

Budweiser – Both Budweiser commercials were right on point this year. I really enjoyed watching the homecoming of Lt. Chuck Nadd in the commercial entitled, “A Hero’s Welcome.” The commercial opens with the Lieutenant running down the stairs to reunite with his girlfriend. The couple is welcomed to a town-wide reception/parade in honor of the hero’s arrival back home. The commercial is emotional, patriotic and incredibly heartfelt, especially when Nadd sees his mother in the crowd. The commercial closes with the phrase, “Every soldier deserves a hero’s welcome.” I think Budweiser was effective in conveying a positive message to viewers by giving our soldiers the recognition they deserve.

My favorite commercial is undoubtedly “Puppy Love.” I thought it was adorable how the puppy and Clydesdale formed such a close bond. The commercial shows several clips of a puppy escaping the farm to sneak into the horse stable. The farmer brings the puppy back to his owner on several occasions but the puppy continuously manages to escape and return to the Clydesdale. I thought the commercial was eye-catching and memorable. The commercial closes with the Budweiser logo and #BestBuds.

Doritos – I thought both Doritos commercials were adorable. The Time Machine idea was original and very funny at the end. The commercial opens with a little boy, Jimmy, who built a time machine that operates on bags of Doritos. Jimmy invites his neighbor, Mr. Smith, to test it out and convinces him to hand over his bag of Doritos.  At the end of the commercial, an elderly neighbor emerges from his home yelling at the two to get off his lawn. Mr. Smith opens the door to the “Time Machine” and believes the elderly man is Jimmy in the future. I thought the commercial was very well done.

The “Cowboy Kid” commercial was equally as cute. A mother is unloading groceries from her car and asks the kids to help out. Both kids refuse until they see a bag of Doritos in the back seat. The older child runs to the car while the younger one jumps on his dog and lassos the chips away from his brother.

Microsoft “Empowering” – This was probably my second favorite commercial of the Superbowl. I thought Microsoft was incredibly effective in its approach to engage the audience by focusing on utilizing technology for the disabled. Often times, people take technology for granted. The commercial opens with the phrases, “What is technology…What can it do?” The viewers were able to see many examples of people with disabilities benefiting from advanced technology every day. For instance, a young child is now capable of walking with mechanical legs, a blind man regains the ability to paint through the computer, another man was given a prosthetic arm and a deaf woman who was able to hear for the first time ever. Seeing the reactions of these people was powerful as they begin to regain hope for their future as technology has changed their lives. I thought it was brilliant how the commercial wraps up with a clip of former NFL player, Steve Gleason, who currently suffers from ALS and is able to narrate the commercial through computer software. 

Coca-Cola – I thought the “America the Beautiful” commercial was a good idea. I noticed this commercial has become quite controversial on social media, however I really liked how segments of the song were sung in different languages. This emphasizes Coca-Cola as a popular, globally accepted product. I thought the “multilingual” aspect of the commercial was cool as it reflects our country’s sense of diversity in cultures and ethnicities.