Racial stereotyping

   I personally don't believe that it is the right thing to racially stereotype for advertising purposes. However I do feel that the reason why advertisements work and are sometimes funny is because of stereotypes. Stereotypes are basically something that most are aware of and it brings a connection between people because it is well known "fact". For example the stereotype that all women want is to lose weight. In the progressive commercials it is a key way to get consumers by advertising that progressive helps people lose weight. The stereotype comes in when the woman buying the progressive for weightless reasons is always a girl. If they are promoting a healthy heart and low cholesterol it is always man. Stereotyping is not just a thing of the past. As far as racial stereotyping in today's society one example would be the one we saw in class. The two men were on the beach and one was white the other was Jamaican. The Jamaican one was only copying what the white man said. The stereotype is that Jamaicans are not very smart and they can't think for themselves.
   Advertisers do not have ethical responsibilities. The only responsibility they have is to make money. This is where the problem arises because the advertising companies don't care if you have been offended. The only thing that they cre about is money. After all they are a business and they do need money to make a living. What may not always be realized is that there are a few people that are deeply offended when it comes to racial stereotyping and they don't take it as a joke. Those are the select few that will try to sue the company costing them loads of money.

Semiotics

Semiotics allow us to incorporate meaning into the piece of advertising that we are looking at. We are able to make the associations between meanings of one thing and connect it to the other. This is the idea with advertising. The whole goal is for the consumer to remember what they saw and have it mean something. Something with meaning is a lot easier to remember versus something without. The more you remember a product the more likely you are to purchase it. For example if all I hear is of people talking about the brand Kleenex, when it comes to the moment when I have a runny nose at Target and I need a tissue I am going to grab a Kleenex.

For example this Tommy Hilfiger Billboard, the first connection we make is with the Hollywood sign.The Hollywood sign itself is iconic. Therefore what to take from this is that the brand Tommy Hilfiger is iconic. It is so big that the words are being put on a mountain top for everyone to see.

 Next in this magazine ad the words say picture perfect. At first glance the connection being made is with the woman in the background. A perfect women with perfect skin and a perfect body. At second glance you notice the phone. Here we make the connection that the phone's quality is as perfect as a women. It has perfect features.

 The last tv advertisement is that we can make the connection with the mans voice to Bob Marley and his song don't worry be happy. Also that not worrying with everyday things are exactly what the car does. It just makes you happy and everyone wants to be happy.

Brands and their Impact

Brands are all around us! They are an experience, a part of our lifestyle. To show the importance of how brands make an impact on our lives one can imagine a life without Johnson and Johnson. They are one of the main competitors in the health essential aspect of life. They represent gentle care, and family, as well as cleanliness. Johnson and Johnson have control over Listerine (mouth wash), Acuve (contacts), One Touch,(glucose mini monitor), Band-Aid, Benadryl, Tylenol. In addition to adult products they also are a major provider in the baby world. They are a reliable brand that parents and even hospitals reccommend to use because their products are safe. The products are so safe that a new born baby can use them. All in all brands make a big difference in our lives. For Johnson and Johnson in partiular they just make our lives easier because we know that their products will work and they will be gentle, they will not harm us. Johnson and Johnson make it easier on consumers that their reliability is one less thing they have to worry about.