Do advertisers play on male fear and shame to sell products? You bet they do.
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This video offers several disturbing examples of how companies employ negative advertising—the dark side of emotional branding—to reinforce male stereotypes and leverage male fear and shame. The ads take prevailing societal expectations for men, set up a scenario of failing to meet them, and offer the product as the solution. Messages such as these are insidious because they lead with the expectations as a given and embed sexism, racism, and homophobia into our culture. You can say, that’s business, but our business here at The Good Men Project is questioning the expectations and assumptions that have traditionally been used to define—and confine—men.
Photo—Graeme Newell/YouTube
LOL, one of the first things that came to my mind was “what the heck, a pink drink with a flower?” It is eye opening but at the same time, as much as I hate it, it’s all about sales, what sells? In the old days, having been in sales and marketing, ya do what ya gotta do to keep the numbers. So now my thoughts go to, are they bad because they know their market and what drives it? If you owned a business, you want sales to stay in business, right? Are you going to go against what… Read more »
I was impressed by the comparative analysis of how advertising targets white men vs african american men. The insurance commercials are more sly and insidious in their approach vs alcohol commercials. It’s those less obvious and notorious messages that are really eye-openning. I also noticed that a target word was “sarcastic”. I like some sarcasm when it’s good natured, kind of a dry self-deprecating kind myself, but there is a growing body of insincerity and sarcasm floating around in our culture. Especially online. I spent time with my friend’s three little boys for a couple days and they watched a… Read more »
I was wondering whatever happened with Louis Gossett, Jr.