Category: Advertisement

How Did Pop Art Movement Influence Modern Branding and Advertisement?

This essay will explore how specific art pieces from various artists within the Pop Art movement have contributed to the birth of branding and advertising and what influence it still has on modern design. It will identify how brands use the Pop Art style within their current marketing tactics to sell products, ideas, or services.

Argument

Art and graphic design are connected to the development of modern-day technology, our media and politics around the world. Because of this, graphic design is constantly being moulded by the world around us at the same time as having the power to influence it.

Designers are commonly inspired by current political themes, cultures, and religions that surround them, either intentionally or unintentionally. They use their art to express opinions, emotions and to tell stories. In today’s modern society, companies have harnessed the use of art to express ideas and trigger the emotions of their audience to influence and even manipulate their consumers.

There is no other art movement that understands the power of consumerism and advertisement than Pop Art. To understand how Pop Art has greatly influenced brand advertising we first need to look at where the movement has come from. One of the first famous art pieces to emerge from the post-war art movement was Richard Hamilton’s collage ‘Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?’ in 1956. The idea of the collage was to mimic a poster and catalogue advertisement. Hamilton combined cut out advertisements from popular magazines where he removed images from their original context and placed into an entirely new composition but still managed to hold some of the original meaning.

The title of the collage asks the audience a question and the images within the design allow viewers to come to their own conclusion, addressing the idea that consumerism was creating a fantasy world that promised escape from the post-war life in Britain. There was this idea that new advancements in domestic products, such as vacuum cleaners, allowed consumers to have more free time to experience other pleasures such as watching talking films on television due to the advancement in technology. The beautiful, glamorous couple portrayed as the type of people living in today’s home also contributes to the fantasy that consumers desperately want and feel they can achieve if they own all those objects around them. Although Hamilton suggests that consumerism is being used to fill a void or used as a form of escapism, he also recognized that mass production and mass consumerism was a fact of life.

Hamilton also wanted to remind people that modern art frequently takes inspiration from previous movements, and he did this by repurposing images to create something new. By doing this, Hamilton highlighted that mass media was no longer a place that only included art from Western culture that was thought to be highly ranked and believed this idea had become outdated. He became aware of new trends within the market being engineered through advertising as people began to have access to art and culture through magazines and fashion instead of museums and galleries.

The shift in art becoming more easily accessible and inclusive combined with the awareness of post-war austerity and culture of mass production led to the birth of the Independent Group. Rationing from the war extended into the mid-fifties, so the idea of exciting new products and technologies emerging would have been exciting to the younger generation of artists. Advertisements were harnessing the influence they had over consumers by playing on the huge range of consumer choice and sense of escapism. This IG was a group of young artists, including Hamilton, that believed modern art should mimic mass production and the idea that everything should be inclusive and easily accessible. The Independent Group are arguable known for constructing Pop Art.

Lawrence Alloway, a member of the IG, said the group discovered it wasn’t art, architecture, design, or art criticism that they had in common, but states “mass produced urban culture, movies, advertising, science fiction and pop music”. We felt none of the dislike of commercial culture standard among most intellectuals, but accepted it as fact, discussed it in detail, and consumed it enthusiastically. One result of our discussions was to take Pop culture out of the realm of ‘“escapism”, ‘sheer entertainment’, ‘relaxation’, and to treat it with the seriousness of art” (1966, ‘Pop Art’, p.31-32). Alloway believed Pop Art was “a friendly way of saying mass media” (1966, ‘Pop Art’, p.31-32). The term was first introduced between 1954-1955 and originally used to describe products of mass media. It wasn’t until the term began being used in frequent talks within the Independent Group that they turned it into a label for the movement.

Because of its sociological intentions, pop was mostly disapproved of by society in Britain and America in its first stages. Andy Warhol was criticized for stating he wanted to be a machine, possibly because society misunderstood Pop Art and still felt threatened by mechanization and mass production.

Andy Warhol was one of the core pop artists to emerge from America. At the time, they had no group of fellow artists unlike the IG formed in Britain and no manifesto. Both groups worked independently from one another, although they did all vaguely share a similar style of vibrant designs and made use of existing materials taken from the commercial environment.

Warhol was an advertising and magazine illustrator who focused on creating mass produced commercial goods. Warhol’s art not only focused on the new America formed by great economic growth, but also revealed the darker aspects of American culture such as troubled celebrities and tragic events by conveying “symbols of the harsh, impersonal products and brash materialistic objects on which America is built today” (1996, Warhol). His keen interest in celebrity culture and mass media has been described as obsessive, which ironically made him complicit in the perpetuation and manipulation of celebrity culture.

Warhol’s obsession likely developed during his childhood when the neurological disorder he suffered from often left him bed ridden. During this period, Warhol would draw and read comics or celebrity magazines for entertainment and as a form of escapism. The media he was consuming began to influence the topics of his artwork.

Pop Art’s role within media expanded into anything that could be consumed in popular culture, from magazines, newspapers, television, music, and fashion. The movement is a constant cycle of being influenced by the media by drawing themes from popular mass culture such as advertisements, comic books and consumed products, and influencing the media by continuing to feed into popular culture. This is something Warhol was aware of very early on and is reflected in the type of subjects he used for his art. A great example is his ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’. A seemingly mundane, every day, mass produced object that is instantly recognizable. Emerging younger artists like Warhol were interested in creating art from cultural icons that was familiar or had some sort of meaning to them. Warhol used product labels and celebrities for his imagery. This may have contributed to Pop Art’s popularity, because the audience could relate to the things, they saw in their everyday lives more than the fine art being produced from previous movements. ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ became a series of artwork exhibited in a Los Angeles exhibition show in July 1962. The collection of artworks was presented in a line as if placed on a shop shelf. The paintings were created using a printmaking method originally used for advertising. Using this process, Warhol was able to print the can design repeatedly onto different canvases and then paint the finer details on after. The process of creating the art itself, and the way in which it was exhibited creates a literal depiction of mass consumption. The repetitiveness of imagery reflects the way in which advertisements are used to infiltrate the consumers consciousness.

When reflecting on his art, Warhol said the ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ was his favorite piece. It was created in the same year Pop Art began emerging as the new and exciting main movement. The idea was inspired by a friend who suggested Warhol painted something that everybody would recognize.

Pop Art became a movement that showed advertising was a form of art and consumed all areas of popular culture from fashion to music. At the same time artists such as Warhol were emerging in America, Peter Blake was breaking into the Pop Art scene in Britain. Blake is a well-known artist who designed album covers for musicians such as The Beatles and Elvis Presley. His most famous cover being for The Beatles’ 1967 album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. The cover is a collage of 70 different popular culture personalities, from musicians, celebrities and sports athletes. This was a theme frequently used by Blake in his work and many other artists within the Pop movement. The broad use of popular culture from different industries symbolizes the seemingly limitless possibilities at the time with mass consumerism. The album cover itself ended up becoming a piece of artwork that was mass produced and distributed world-wide. Peter Blake is said to have only been paid a one-off payment of £200 for the album artwork which he said, “wasn’t fair at the time”, however, he was successful in creating artwork that became genuinely popular and enjoyed by the masses.

Like other artists within the Pop Art movement, Blake was inspired by his immediate environment, taking ideas from culture and advertisements. During the early sixties, he began experimenting with collages. Jann Hamworth watched Blake’s style evolve whilst working alongside him and recalled that “early in the sixties Peter had done some things, cutting out Victoria heads, engraving, sticking them down, then doing a circus act in front of that” (Peter Blake, Natalie Rudd, p.55).

Playing with collage has inevitably influenced the outcome of his Beatles album cover design. The idea of taking imagery from various popular sources and combing them together to build something new is prevalent in Pop Art and can be linked back to Hamilton’s ‘Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?’. The Pop Art movement allowed artists to repeat previous ideas and use existing media to produce new ones. It also allowed art to cross over into all creative industries. Blake and Jann’s cover design is a great representation of art being created by bringing together various elements. The set they built was a mixture of 2D and 3D figures. Madame Tussaud’s generously lent them some famous figures and others were cardboard cut outs created by Jann. It not only became a collaboration with art and music, but with different creatives within the art industry.

Pop Art and the ideas that fueled the movement are still prevalent in today’s society. Art is regularly re-purposed by brands and advertisements because it is familiar, and a sense of familiarity makes consumers more likely to view them as being trustworthy. Comparably to Blakes album cover design for The Beatles, today’s brands will use imagery of likeable celebrities within their adverts and designs to their advantage. In our current online culture, they are known as ‘influencers’. If you associate a brand with a popular celebrity that you are a fan of, you are more likely to trust their product or services.

The use of Pop Art style is used as a tool in marketing. With people constantly being exposed to advertisements online, and in the real world, the competition is tough. Brands need to stand out in the visual world and catch the attention of their audience within seconds. This is not only achieved by using well known products and celebrities, but the bright, bold colors that are associated with the movement as well as the use of mixed media. Advertisements need to be eye catching and leave a lasting impression on their audience.

Today, artists and advertisers have moved into the more recent Contemporary Pop movement. This type of Pop Art still focuses on the use of mass media and popular culture, but without the vibrant colors and literal use of objects. The most recent style of art to emerge is the ‘meme’, made popular by social media. Meme’s are usually humorous and focus on mundane issues within everyday people’s lives to big political news stories. Christine Wang, a contemporary pop artist, has established herself as the ‘Meme Girl’. One of her most popular paintings is ‘Americans’. The idea behind it is comparable to the ideas behind Warhol’s work as it humorously highlights the glamorous side of America as well as the ugly.

Conclusion

The Pop Art movement essentially became the thing its artists were trying to depict; a mass produced, commercial image. Warhol’s ‘Campbell’s Soups Cans’ and Peter Blake’s ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ have become overproduced artwork that is well known globally. Artists within the movement had an infatuation with glamour, branding and consumer products, and their artwork accepted narcissism and greediness. For Warhol, art was just as important as self-promotion. “Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art” (1975, Warhol). He understood how to capitalize from brands and their products and as a result built himself as a successful brand.

The movement is still very relevant today as we continue to live in a world of mass consumerism. Further advancements in technology have increased the amount of product advertising we consume daily, and social media has made art more reachable than ever. In a way, social media allows us to mass produce and show our own artwork on a huge scale. Our goals of constantly owning more or achieving fame and fortune are perpetuated by current businesses through their branding and advertisements. Warhol’s statement that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” has become a reality with social media platforms, YouTube and reality TV.

Pop Art today could be explained through the fact it predicted and announced the interests of modern-day society in an intimidatingly accurate way, intentionally or not. It’s like Pop Art artists started this phenomenon of image abundance, obsessions with material things money can or cannot buy, celebrities in forms of singers, actors, actresses, dancers, socialites, public figure in general we still want it all, we still want it now, and there is never enough of it.

The advertising industry is still greatly influenced by Pop Art. The trend of combining popular culture with a brand hugely impacts an audience’s opinion of a business. If a brand can associate themselves with a likeable, well-known celebrity or a hit song, consumers are more likely to invest in their product.

With the introduction to the Metaverse and other virtual realms, NFT’s have become increasingly popular. These virtual art pieces are often digitally drawn representations of real-life consumer products and can sell for millions. Coca-Cola produced a 3D branded jacket that sold for over £500,000. As we move more towards a world being consumed by online activities there is no doubt Pop Art will continue to influence the way brands advertise their products. In a way, the Metaverse will allow us to merge with the technology we’ve created, and we might move closer to becoming a type of machine that Warhol fantasized about.

Issue of Underage Drinking in Australia and Reactive Advertising as an Effective Way to Combat It

The World Health Organization defines public health as “the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society”. Health campaigns are generally designed both to increase awareness of health threats and to move target audiences to action in support of public health.

Reactive advertising is when the advertisement creates a fear in you, but does not teach them how to prevent it happening. Whereas proactive is more positive and comical, audience may not remember them or not giving them a big shock about it.

Underage drinking is a big issue in Australia, as 90% of Australian teenagers above the age 14 have already tried alcohol. Drinking alcohol at a young age can cause problems with absorbing vitamin B, which can prevent the brain from working properly. 13% of all Australia’s deaths are because of alcohol related causes.

Drinking in general can cause a lot of health problems and can even lead into a car accident. Underage drinking is an issue because below the age of 18 is when we go their brains are still developing. Drinking in teenage years can cause memory loss, learning ability and attention span. Even worse they could get worse grades, skip school.

Reactive advertisements are more effective than proactive advertisements because proactive advertising are harder to remember and won’t give you a shock, whereas reactive will give you a shock and it will remain in your head because it is showing the consequences of doing a certain thing. You won’t do it because you will create a fear inside that if you do it then what they showed in the advertising will eventually happen to you.

‘Mates Motel’ is an example of a proactive advertisement. It is comical and positive about not drink driving, so it wants you to stay at someone’s place until the morning. This is very had to keep the advertising in your mind because it is funny and is not showing the seriousness about it. ‘I see’ is an example of a reactive advertisement. The advertising is showing what can happen if underage people drink alcohol. It is shoeing the seriousness about drinking and what it can lead to in the future. It will create a fear inside you because you don’t want the same sort of thing happen to you in the future after drinking excessive amount of alcohol or even drinking at a young age.

In conclusion, underage drinking is a big problem in Australia. 60 teenagers are being rushed to hospital, and one of them die due to alcohol each week. The best advertising method is using reactive advertising because it can give you a big shock which can make you not want to do it because the advertising remains in your mind reminding you what can happen if you drink alcohol.

Makeup Advertisement Analysis: Critical Essay

Reading Our Lips: A Reflection of Lipstick Advertising from 1920-2019

What makes something beautiful? Each culture has a set of general beliefs about what constitutes femininity and beauty (Frith et al., 2009, p.193). Beauty is a discourse of society and it is constantly changing and reflecting societal values of the given time period. For example, Marilyn Monroe was the beauty ideal in the US in the 1950s and then replaced by Twiggy in the sixties (Frith et al, p. 194). Therefore, beauty is partially defined and represented by the cultural and social beliefs of a given time period. Advertisers, specifically for makeup, promote the ideal beauty of the time period in order to reinforce this societal construct, which women are striving for. For an advertiser’s message to resonate with a target audience, marketing theory is used to reflect the social and cultural norms (Frith et al., p.196). Within Western patriarchal societies, women’s bodies are for the objective of the male gaze – which is depicted in makeup advertisements. Throughout the waves of feminism, advertisements have changed and reflected the societal value of women. When comparing lipstick advertisements from North America, starting from the post-suffrage movement, advertisements have mirrored the changes in the advertiser’s perceptions of beauty, and is outlined below.

First-wave feminism was the time of the 19th and 20th centuries when women fought for equality and within this time period, the United States was becoming a consumer society (Sangster, 2016, p. 10). Women became the primary consumers during this period, as the new economy was producing mass amounts of goods that needed to be purchased. Commodities were being advertised as a way “to fill the cracks of a shattered world and promised to make that world secure in an exciting new way” (Ascher, 1987, p.51). Playing with an emotional tone, advertisers began to sell their products to women. Prior to the 20th century, makeup was only worn by prostitutes and movie stars and was referred to as paint (“Flappers”, 2018). During the post-suffrage movement came the rise of flappers, who represented sexually liberated and independent women – and women that wore makeup (Fox, 2016, p. 372). Applying makeup was a way to be noticed which brought the inclusion of red lipstick, as it represented being bold and free.

The advertisement titled “New Kind of Permanent Lipstick” is a painting of a young-looking girl (See Appendix A for the advertisement). This advertisement came from the 1920s era and represents the idealistic beauty of this period – which was a fair, short-haired, young woman. The ‘Flapper’ girl strived for this look as it was going against previous beauty standards which had included long hair, but now they wanted to have a more boyish look (“Flappers”, 2018). The ideology of wanting to look young came from the flapper girl culture that was breaking the old norms. In the writing of the advertisement, it discusses how this new lipstick will stop your lips from wrinkling and being dull. Both of these could be described as older characteristics that flapper girls wanted to avoid, incentivizing women to buy this product.

Ironically, the advertisement is a painted image, representing a product that was once referred to as paint. When beauty products began to come out in this time period, there were limited shades, which gave an unnatural look to makeup (“Flappers”, 2018). Having the women in the advertisement painted can be looked at as unobtainable, as no one will ever be able to match this complexion or coloring. Red lipstick was seen as an accessory to represent strength, calling colors “fighting red” and “patriot red” (“A History of Red Lipstick”, 2014). The way in which makeup had been advertised in this period demonstrates the political, social, and cultural changes that were happening in society. Women were becoming liberated and free, and this was mirrored in the advertisements and the ideals of beauty of the time period.

After the roaring twenties, there was an economic shift – the Great Depression. Consumer spending and investment began to drop with many people losing their jobs. Women’s employment began to increase due to the ability to be underpaid. From 1930 to 1940 the employment number for women in the United States increased by 24 percent (Remy, 2015). Although women’s employment rates increased, the societal value of their jobs was viewed as less. The discourse of society placed white males in front of women, as they had a seemingly higher value. In the 1920’s we began to see women feeling liberated and free, but the economic downturn of this period brought financial insecurity and many women had to depend on men to survive.

In a lipstick advertisement from the 1930s, the caption reads “He Doesn’t Kiss Me Anymore!” The woman in the advertisement is seen crying because she is not getting kissed, as he said her lips were too red and smeary (See Appendix B for the advertisement). The red lips that were worn in the 1920s represented bold women, which was no longer the case during The Great Depression. As the advertised lipstick color changed, so did the gender role. Men were frustrated by women taking their jobs, and the freedom they were finding. 26 states had laws prohibiting the employment of married women, as men were tired of the “backward world” of women being the breadwinner (Remy, 2015). This advertisement symbolized men controlling the ways in which women should be acting through the makeup she is wearing. The Tangee Lipstick that is enticing this woman with a kiss, is presented in an orange shade, which is far from the “rebelling red”.

In the 1930s natural makeup was presented for women, as it was representing safety (Souhami, 2018). Advertisers had to present natural makeup in a clear way, as natural can be confused with no makeup, which is not what they were trying to sell. Many advertisers played with the relationship between men and women throughout their advertisements, as they made cosmetics seem like a factor to guarantee marriage. Advertisements played on the ideology of makeup as a way for men to love the way you look, which in this period was done through natural-looking makeup. This advertisement is also displaying women wearing makeup for male approval. This is reinforcing the time period that this was created, as women were wanting male attention and a husband in order to survive this economic downturn. The way the advertisement is presented through a drawing presents the male in a business suit and the woman in a house dress. This is reiterating and reinforces the ideology of this time period – males should be at work and women should remain pretty at home tending to their man and his whims.

Moving into the 1960s, we experience a second wave of feminism. As more women were entering the workforce, there was an increased dissatisfaction with the amount of pay and respect women had (Walsh, 2010). This brought the women’s liberation movement, that was fighting for equal rights and opportunities. The attitude of the American culture during the sixties represented sexual inequalities. As an example, women had to get their husbands to sign on their credit cards, and if they did not have a husband, they might not be able to get one (McLaughlin, 2014). The women’s liberation movement was also fighting for issues that included reproductive rights as thirty states had made it a criminal offense to sell contraceptive pills (Walsh, 2010). As women began to stand up for their rights, the sixties became a time for the sexual revolution – which began to change traditional sexual roles. 80% of wives had begun to use contraception, and in 1965 the Supreme Court established the right for married couples to use contraception (Walsh, 2010).

Advertisers began to play on this ideology of the sexual revolution and created advertisements that portrayed women in a sexual manner. In a lipstick advertisement by Cutex, they named the product “Forbidden Fruits”, which correlates with the freeing nature of sex in the sixties (see Appendix C for advertisement). the analogy of forbidden fruit represents something that is desired but not allowed, prior to the contraception pill, sexual intercourse was seen as a way to have a baby, but the pill changed this. The picture of the woman in this advertisement is positioning her to be looking up, showcasing how women are beneath men. The text found in this advertisement reads “Could you ask for a newer, cooler way to collect men?” This displays that wearing makeup is for men and a way to be seen as pretty. The woman in this advertisement is a white, blonde, blue-eyed lady. This was the idealistic woman in this time period, as a Twiggy-girl was what was deemed as beautiful (Frith et al, p. 194). This was the look of sporting a short haircut, dramatic eyes, and light-colored lips. It is noteworthy that in this period there were very few advertisements for women of color. This was a period of sexist advertisements that portrayed women buying products, such as lipstick, in order to get a male’s attention.

Fast forward, to 1990, and into the third wave of feminism. The goal of third-wave feminism was to fight for the end of violence against women. This was started by Anita Hill testified against Clarence Thomas for sexually harassing her at the workplace (Black and Allen, 2018, p. 33). This sparked many women coming forward about sexual harassment that they had experienced. 1992 was deemed the “Year of the Women” with 24 women-owned seats in the House of Representatives and an increase in women in the House by 5% (Charleswell, 2015). This brought women to fight for their equality and to stand up against violence that had been occurring for way too long. Third-wave feminism allowed women to embrace makeup and femininity. During the 1990s lipstick for women was red again or frosted with a pencil outline. The red lips were brought back, as women were supposed to be seen as equals, and in working positions just as men were.

The Revlon advertisement from the 1990s displays working women (see Appendix D for the advertisement). As this time period was when women used their voices and worked alongside men, their makeup was portrayed in the same way. The line was called “Street Wear”, which shows the changing representation of women as they were leaving the home, and heading to work, just like men. The colors that Revlon used were all bold, just like the women in this period. This again displays how advertisement reflected the political, cultural, and social movements of the period, with this advertisement being very different than previous periods.

Fourth-wave feminism is viewed as 2010 and on, which takes us into advertisements today. The focus is on sexual harassment, body shaming, and the inclusion of women of different ethnicities. This is reflected in today’s advertisements with more empowerment and diversity being exemplified. This is displayed in numerous makeup brands, as the ideology of beauty has significantly changed. Fenty Beauty has showcased the beauty of women of all skin tones in a great way with their campaign using women of all ethnicities and cultures to present them within this campaign (see Appendix E for advertisement). This demonstrates inclusion marketing as women are being represented equally and this change occurred due to the culture of society –although we are not perfect, there is becoming a higher representation of minorities in the media. Today the way makeup is being sold is more about the power of the women, rather than wearing makeup for a male’s approval like yesteryear.

The L’Oréal advertisement reads “This is an Ad for Men” in bold letters (see Appendix E Figure 2 for the advertisement). This draws the attention of both males and females, which leads to the second line “Hire more women in leadership roles. We’re all worth it”. The advertisement portrays lipstick coming out of a tube and representing a graph, that states 15% more revenue is achieved with female leaders. Although this advertisement is selling red lipstick it also delivers a potent message that matches society today. Despite women having become more accepted in the workforce the discourse of society still puts them behind males in leadership roles. The ideology of fourth-wave feminism is to fix this issue, which is shown in this L’Oréal advertisement – another powerful illustration that the social, cultural, and political elements of the era are being reflected in the current-day advertisements.

In the future, we will see more advertisements for men and makeup. As the ideology of gender is becoming more fluid, men wearing makeup is becoming more normal. Recently, Covergirl used their first man, James Charles, to portray the issue (See Appendix F for the advertisement). With a full face of makeup, Charles is representing the change of makeup. In a Tom Ford advertisement, the caption reads “Lips and Boys”, and shows a man getting lipstick put on (see Appendix F Figure 2 for advertisement). The lipstick in this collection is named after males, but not with the intention for them to be wearing it. As this becomes more mainstream in society it will be more reflected in advertisements – as advertising is an agency of reflecting social, cultural, and political norms.

Advertising places a major role in shaping our society, as we see thousands of advertisements every single day. It is estimated that we are exposed to 4,000-10,000 advertisements each day (Pounders, 2018). Advertisements have the ability to shape how we view ourselves in society, as they display what the perceived beauty standard is. Culturally, the beauty standard is constructed, and advertisements reiterate this on multiple platforms. Previously, the advertisements have a lot of text and provided a description of the product. They also used paintings and comics to advertise. Throughout the century, advertisements have become more sexualized. In the past, lipstick advertising had a lot to do with kissing men and making them happy. Now, we are seeing advertisements about empowering women, and equality. Although society is not perfect, we are seeing more advertisements about wearing makeup to be beautiful for ourselves and less about impressing men. Throughout the past century, women in society have changed their roles significantly as they have worked hard for equality. This is seen through the advertising of lipstick, as the way women are portrayed in the past was for men, and sexual – now in more enlightened times, it is for themselves and empowerment.

References

1. A History of Red Lipstick: From Suffragettes to Coco Chanel: The Takeaway. (2014, June 17). Retrieved from https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/history-red-lipstick-representation-female-strength.
2. Ascher, C. (1987). Selling to Ms. Consumer. American Media and Mass Culture, 43–45.
3. Black, A., & Allen, J. (2001). Tracing the legacy of Anita Hill: The Thomas/Hill hearings and media coverage of sexual harassment. Gender Issues, 19(1), 33-52. doi:10.1007/s12147-001-0003-z
4. Brown, J. K. (1993). The Nineteenth Amendment and Women’s Equality. Yale Law Journal, 102(8), 2175–2204.
5. Charleswell, C. (2015, March 5). Disproportionate Representation: A Look at Women Leadership in Congress. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from http://www.hamptoninstitution.org/women-in-congress.html#.Xe_7Jy0ZPUo.
6. Flappers. (2018, March 6). Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/flappers.
7. Fox, E. R. (2016). Baby, You Can Drive My Car: Advertising Women’s Freedom in 1920s America. American Journalism, 33(4), 372–400. doi: 10.1080/08821127.2016.1241641
8. Frith, K., Shaw, P., & Cheng, H. The Construction of Beauty: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Women’s Magazine Advertisements. In the Advertising and Consumer Culture Reader (pp. 193–207). New York.
9. McLaughlin, K. (2014, August 25). 5 things women couldn’t do in the 1960s. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://www.cnn.com/2014/08/07/living/sixties-women-5-things/index.html.
10. Pounders, K. (2018). Are Portrayals of Female Beauty in Advertising Finally Changing? Journal of Advertising Research, 58(2), 133–137. doi: 10.2501/JAR-2018-021
11. Remy, C. (2015, November 19). Employment of Women in the 1930s. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-thirties/employment-of-women-in-the-1930s-5998fd255f5.
12. Sangster, J. (2016). Suffragists After Suffrage: Continuing Waves of Feminism. Canadian Issues, 10–14. Retrieved from https://libproxy.wlu.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.wlu.ca/docview/2212624653?accountid=15090
13. Souhami, D. (2018, February 4). The 1930s: ‘Women had the vote, but the old agitation went on’. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/04/the-1930s-women-had-the-vote-but-the-old-agitation-went-on.
14. Walsh, K. (2010, March 12). ‘The 1960s: A Decade of Change for Women’. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/12/the-1960s-a-decade-of-change-for-women.

Extra Gum Origami Commercial Song: Critical Essay

The commercial shows the aging of a daughter and a father from a young age in chronological order. In every scene, the daughter becomes a little older and takes an origami crane from her father that he made from an Extra gum wrapper. By the end of the ad the father finds all of the origami cranes his daughter kept that he had given her. The author of the ad used ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade viewers to buy the brand Extra Gum.

The establishment of ethos was used to maintain the credibility of the brand. With the aging of the young girl in each scene, there was also a change in location. Each location was similar to one another in that they were all family-friendly locations that any family would attend together. Also, in every scene as a child, the young girl always received the origami crane with great excitement. It wasn’t till the scene when she is a teenager that she basically ignores her father. That scene right there demonstrated how not all fathers have a perfect relationship with their children, just perfect moments.

The first example of pathos is the concept of time. Viewers of all ages had the opportunity to make a connection with the aging of the little girl. Such as some young girls watching the commercial can probably relate to spending time with their fathers. Also having the viewers see the young girl grow before their eyes makes them be familiar with the young girl allowing them to have some sort of connection with both of them. Pathos was also displayed with the style that the producer decided to use. The commercial consisted of scenes of the daughter without narration allowing the viewers to be alone in their thoughts and the rising feeling of nostalgia.

Once ethos and pathos capture the attention of the audience the producers then use logos at the very end of the ad with the message: “Sometimes the little things last the longest” and “Give Extra, get extra”. These two lines were the only quotes used throughout the entire ad to persuade the viewers to buy the gum. The first quote connects to the ad displaying the emotional appeal. While the second quote reinforces the first quote, by emphasizing that if you buy the gum, you will have special moments in your life.

The ad does a good job of selling its product by using ethos, pathos, and logos. This ad conveys a message without saying any words. It got the attention of consumers by displaying the idea that life is too short and you have to savor every moment you have with one another. This is an idea that any viewer can relate to making the ad very personal to them making them reflect their values.

Semantic Analysis of Coca-Cola Advertisement: Critical Essay

In this essay, I am going to do a semantic analysis of the Coca-Cola advertisement. In this ad, Coca-Cola introduces a new flavor of the drink called ‘Coca-Cola Zero Calorie Cherry’. A woman holding a bottle of Coca-Cola and there is clearly written ‘Coca-Cola Cherry with Zero Sugar’ in the ad in white color.

Connotation

‘Coca-Cola Cherry with Zero Sugar’ is presented at the top left of the appendix with a simple white font – easy to read and directly emphasizes the advertised product.

Bottle

The label on the bottle reinforces the information provided by the text at the top left, with the subtle difference that ‘zero calories’ are added. Coca-Cola branding is a popular house style in companies.

Logo

At the bottom right of the photo, is the famous Coca-Cola brand, which re-emphasizes the importance of branding in this brand.

‘Taste the Feeling’

Below is a photo of the Coca-Cola brand showing that this message is important to the product, really ‘taste’ the popular advertising slogan used by Coca-Cola that effectively enhances the level of trust in what is shown in the ad.

The Woman

Across the bottle, a picture of a smiling woman looks like someone giving us a Cherry Coke. Although we can clearly see a woman a few clues elevate her appearance and the relationship between her and the man who received the bottle. First of all, her smile is wide and real, she is obviously happy with the natural instincts that make her a person who can be fun to spend time with, she also enjoys praising and sharing a Cherry Coke herself. The suggested story is that this is a product she enjoys and is glad she was accepted by an unknown recipient. Other clues are long hair that looks good – she is a person who cares about her appearance. Her arm is bare and she looks like she is wearing a vest top, which shows confidence in her body and her appearance, but does not mean that she is attractive. There is a view of youth without age specificity, which allows the viewer to apply his or her thoughts on the possible age of the woman. Her nails look good with a bottle, neatly trimmed and painted red. This reinforces the ideas already made: the image is of a woman, who cares about her appearance and is probably very attractive, and she has some kind of relationship with the recipient of the bottle – very good, maybe romantic, she is romantic, happy, confident. The red cherry on the nails also echoes the taste of Cherry Coke, the color of which cannot be separated from the usual Coca-Cola. So that’s the motive of their first cherry-flavored fizzy drink.

Forearm

The forearm can only be assumed to be masculine; the shallow depth does not allow for a clear visual indication of this, although the size of the hand is a factor associated with a slight darkening of the arm which can be the result of the hand. Conditions to lighten or show black arm hair. Nails are the point of difference because they are not painted compared to a woman’s hand, a loose belt wedding ring can be made on the left – this style of ring can be worn by a man and emphasizes the idea that we look at communication between spouses. The hand reigns in the lower left corner of the ad without overcoming the image, placed on the Coke bottle receiver in the viewing area and made to identify his point, making it a logical extension that we should enjoy Cherry Coke equally. The way is that trying a product will not only be fun but will also lead to a desirable life and the approval of our closest friends.

Framing

The placement of each language message helps us to direct the reader to the ad itself: the eye is drawn in the upper left corner and the words ‘Coca-Cola Cherry with Zero Sugar’ before labeling the bottle and ending with standard branding, bottom right with the corresponding slogan. This has the effect of moving away from something new (or at least unusual) Cherry Coke Zero to a safe familiarity with the Coca-Cola brand and motto. The result of this is to establish trust among consumers who may be familiar with Cherry Coke Zero but unfamiliar with and enjoy other Coca-Cola products.

Props

There are two sides to the ad. The image in the ad shows a hand from the bottom right to the Cherry Coke bottle in the center. The viewer is placed in the viewing area of the owner of this hand, it is immediately suggested that access to the bottle ourselves may be something we would like to do. The Coke bottle itself and the hand we hold are the only part of the image that is effective in directing our attention to the product being sold. This result reflects the common values portrayed in photographs and films and the style commonly used in glossy magazines that reflect a life-long lifestyle. This works at the level of cultural perspective and humbly suggests that eating this product is desirable and important.

Message

The sex ideas played here are subtle but important – Cherry Coke as a product may be more appealing to women than men, especially the zero-calorie difference, as it is assumed that women are more aware of the health and weight loss benefits of food products. In this way, they support feminism. Apart from this, the ad can reverse the common propaganda that this product of women, suggesting that all men need to do it to enjoy it, to put aside baseless prejudices and cunning and give the opportunity – they will not just be pleasantly surprised. But they will also have additional lifestyle and relationship benefits suggested within the message with the ad code. Aside from this subtle distortion, the extreme ad view is traditional and reflects the home environment among a heterosexual couple who suggest that Cherry Coke is not something to blame but a product to be enjoyed by ‘ordinary’ people.

Focus and Reality

This ad is mainly focused on people who are health conscious. Because there is clearly mentioned that the bottle is sugar-free and also has a good flavor. As beverages are not good for health so they make it clear that this will not harm the health and they targeted those people who are health conscious but wanted to drink Coca-Cola, but due to sugar quantity they are unable to do it. So, the writings in the image are directly linked with the image because they make a sugar-free drink and that’s what they wanted to show to the people that the drink is containing no more sugar and the flavor is also good as the cherry is a very tasty fruit, so they make their product more attractive with the flavor.

Conclusion

This was my analysis of the Coca-Cola Zero Calorie Cherry advertisement. Even though it’s not that low in calories, it tastes good and isn’t too spicy or too sweet. The caffeine level is also not as high as regular soda. I think this is a very good drink and I recommend it to anyone who wants something refreshing.

Media Analysis of McDonald’s Failed Advertisement

In 12 May 2017, McDonald’s posted an advertisement to their social media and UK TV, but this video advertisement did not get good feedback. And it caused a lot of discussions and arguments about McDonald’s.

In this video, a boy was talking with his mother about his dead father and imagining what they had in common with the boy’s dead father. Then, they walked into a fast-food restaurant which looks like it is McDonald’s, and they ordered some food which includes a fish filet burger to share with each other. When the boy began to eat the burger, the mother said this kind of burger is also the favorite food in the dead father’s choice list.

In this video, McDonald’s tried to use a touching story to cause another people’s sympathy, and then they hope this could enhance customer satisfaction with them. Because you can see that this is a single mother who has lost her husband, and her son, the boy in this video, also loves and misses his father. They talked to each other and try to think all things which is related to the dead father. When they walked into McDonald’s and ordered the food, now the main part of this ad appears, although it was built on a sad story. McDonald’s tried to use that the dead father loves their food to make other people to accept that their food is valued and delicious. Because the mother and son try to use this to memorize the dead father, this idea would be put into everyone’s mind, and then everyone might could use the similar ways to do the same thing for their relations. But this is just what McDonald’s think, and the reality sometimes is not like what they hope.

In McDonald’s video, they use a story which is about a mother and a son try to memorize the dead father by talking about a lot of the dead father’s all favorites. The main view the ad maker wants to use is that we often try to memorize those relations who have died, and this is very common and formal thing in everyone’s mind. Everyone would do that, we memorize them because they are important in our life. McDonald’s was taking advantage of this very common view and put it to be the video’s main topic. But why do not they use an example of friend, colleagues or neighbors? Why do they use ‘father’ as an example but not use grandparents, aunt or uncle? Because father or mother have the closest relationship with us, except our own kids. If you use others as the protagonist, it would not have the same effect as using father, even it would reduce the effect of the topic. So ‘father’ in this case would be the best choice, which get more attentions from the reader group. So, from here, we can see that McDonald’s has designed this ad with a very deep thinking.

As we know, social media marketing is the company use social media platform to run marketing activities. In this case, McDonald’s use a video story advertisement to strength their relationship with their customers into a positive direction, and they hope to use this video ad to continue recommending their brand more to all customers. In the case, McDonald’s post a very touching ad video to the social media, and they tried to use this as a new marketing planning for welcoming more customers. This is a good idea for posting a video ad to the social media, because every social media both have a lot of users, and the company could use this platform to develop more customers. But it should be mentioned that social media is different from the used and traditional marketing channels. In social media, there are more than millions of updates would be posted from different user in a second. So, it decides that the post you made must be attracting customers’ eyes, and it could be easier to be found in a huge number of updates. As a successful leading brand in fast-food industries, McDonald’s also need to follow the trend to use this information exchange platform to promote their brand. This is a right way, and it is also what most big and famous companies are doing. McDonald’s also did this in this case. However, they were also remembered by its readers because of its details of the video, and these effects this video ad had made was opposite to what a good social media marketing defines.

After many people have watched this video, a huge number criticizes were posted back to McDonald’s. A lot of people who have watched this video or have known the details of this video from others mentioned that this video’s story they think is a kind of invisible damage for those children who have lost their parents or just one of them. Then, after many common people have given their views, some professional people in business and sociology also joined the group who oppose this video’s ideas, and they complained that this action of McDonald’s is an irresponsible view for their customers and the common society. Even these professional people also criticized those social media and TV who have posted or planned to post this video in their platforms, and they thought these platforms also have duties to avoid this kind of controversial video would be posted by their platform. After receiving a lot of criticizing pressures from everywhere, the spokeswoman of McDonald’s said that they would be careful about all reviews and feedback, and they would go back to discuss them. After a few days, McDonald’s deleted the video and continue to remain silent for this issue.

Based on all above issues, I think this is a failed ad. It seems to me that at first they did not choose a good and right topic. I admit that a touching story could give everyone an attention. But I do not think any touching story could be made as an advertisement. Because this might arouse controversies in different people with different views. Although sometimes it might could be used in an advertisement, it might not fit in appearing in a business advertisement. If it is used in a business way, it might make your customer feel uncomfortable, because you cannot make sure this fit in their value. Secondly, I think they know social media has a huge number of audiences, and they could use this to put the advertisement to publicize themselves. But they ignore that those people have different needs, and they also have their own different views. If you put anything which is not good enough, it sometimes could not give you any benefits, even it would bring bad effects to you. Based on the bad ideas of the topic, it would be dangerous for a business to use social media. It would double the damage which caused by the bad topic, because the audience of social media is too broad, you cannot make sure your idea would be the common idea, so that ask everyone should be careful.

Based on all of the above, I can conclude that McDonald’s advertising video, despite the depth of its content, failed. This case is very instructive in that, when creating a media advertisement, one must not only be careful with the feelings it can potentially evoke in the audience.

Should Artists Music Be Used in Advertising Essay

Introduction

The use of music in advertising has become a common practice in the modern world. It adds an emotional appeal and helps create a connection between the brand and the target audience. However, the question arises: Should artists’ music be used in advertising? This essay will argue that while there are benefits to both artists and advertisers, the use of artists’ music in advertising can have negative implications for artistic integrity, authenticity, and the perception of the artist by their audience.

Artistic Integrity

Artists pour their creativity, time, and effort into creating music that reflects their unique style and vision. By allowing their music to be used in advertising, artists risk compromising their artistic integrity. When their songs become associated with commercial products, the original meaning and intention of the music may be overshadowed or distorted. This undermines the artist’s ability to express themselves freely and could lead to a loss of credibility among their fan base.

Authenticity

Authenticity is highly valued by music listeners. When an artist’s music is used in advertising, it can create a perception of selling out or commercialization. This perception may diminish the authenticity and credibility of the artist. Listeners may start to view the artist as someone driven by financial gain rather than a genuine passion for their craft. This can erode the connection between the artist and their audience, leading to a loss of trust and support.

Commercialization of Art

Using artists’ music in advertising contributes to the commercialization of art. Music is a form of artistic expression that holds intrinsic value beyond its commercial worth. When it is employed solely as a marketing tool, it reduces the art form to a commodity. This commodification undermines the essence of music as an art form and can lead to the dilution of its cultural and emotional impact.

Ethical Considerations

The use of artists’ music in advertising raises ethical concerns. Artists may not have full control over how their music is used or which products it is associated with. This lack of control can result in their music being linked to products or brands that go against their personal beliefs or values. Artists may unintentionally endorse products or messages that contradict their artistic expression, causing confusion and disillusionment among their audience.

Impact on Music Consumption

The overexposure of artists’ music in advertising can also impact the way music is consumed. Listeners may associate certain songs with specific brands, making it difficult to separate the music from the advertisement. This association can dilute the emotional impact of the music and hinder the ability to connect with it on a deeper level. Moreover, excessive use of artists’ music in advertising can lead to listener fatigue and an aversion to the artist’s work.

Conclusion

While the use of artists’ music in advertising can provide financial benefits for both artists and advertisers, it comes at a cost to artistic integrity, authenticity, and the perception of the artist. The commercialization of art and the potential compromise of the artist’s values should be carefully considered. Artists should have the autonomy to decide whether their music aligns with the message and values of a brand. Ultimately, preserving the integrity and authenticity of artists’ music is vital for maintaining the emotional connection between the artist and their audience, and for safeguarding the cultural significance of music as an art form.

Essay on the Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity

Nowadays, there is a controversy about whether or not fast-food advertisements that target children can affect children’s health negatively. While it is undeniable that fast-food advertising can have detrimental effects on children’s children’s health, this issue can be tackled by several solutions.

Fast-food commercials have led to a number of issues on children’s health issues. The main issue is that fast-food advertisements can lead to childhood obesity. Fast-food advertising because they draw childrens’ children’s attention [to their high-calorie and low-nutrient foods by using visual exaggerations.] Good vocabulary usage here Consequently, fast-food ads can increase fast-food consumption among children and mislead and encourage them to develop unhealthy eating habits. Health experts have consistently stated that children classified as obese report eating fast food and foods high in fat and sugar content much more frequently than children who are at a healthy weight. This suggests that there is a significant correlation between children’s fast-food consumption and childhood obesity. Good explanation and sentence flow! For example, according to recent data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in South Korea, in contrast to the children who eat McDonald’s at least once a week on a regular basis, children who eat a balanced diet including proper servings of fruits and vegetables showed a much lower rate of prevalence of obesity. Thus, fast-food advertisements can have a harmful impact on children’s health.

To address this problem, several solutions can be offered should be proposed. Firstly, the government can lead educational campaigns in order to decrease the obesity rate among children. For example, in South Korea, various campaigns and promotions have been implemented in schools nationwide. Over the decades, these efforts have gradually raised public awareness about the importance of healthy dietary habits among children by encouraging them to eat more fruits and vegetables. Add this to be more specific’ This shows that government measures at a government level need to be taken enacted when dealing with children’s health issues like obesity. Secondly, the government needs to make restrictions on should restrict fast-food advertisements on television or the Internet. The reason is that this is because children cannot distinguish right from wrong in the media, so they need protection from unhealthy food advertising. For instance, several countries in Europe have banned or taxed companies that show fast-food television commercials during children’s prime time hours to protect their children’s health. Also, recent research showed these measures helped to decrease the obesity rate among children in those countries. Thus, the government needs to be actively involved in dealing with fast-food ads and childhood obesity.

To sum up, even though fast-food advertisements can have negative effects on children’s health, this issue can be resolved by enacting a number of measures.

Essay on Promotion of Tourism through Celebrity Advertising in India

In the 21st-century competitive market environment, advertising has played a vital role. Nowadays, advertisements have become a model to persuade, to influence, to attract, to inform the people or the audience. In advertisements, the themes remain the same, but it ensures not only selling the product but also the visibility of the product and business. Celebrity endorsement means tying the relationship between three points: the star, the product, and us. Here the Internet or media brings all of its participants closer and so closer together. It has become the trending domain of advertising. The manufacturer, seller, advertiser, and even the viewers think that celebrities could be the influential elements to manage and communicate about the product or service to reach the people easily. In the same way, both central and state governments in India take advertising as a tool to promote tourism nationally and also internationally. This way, the Gujarat tourist campaign brings a celebrity to influence tourism and its importance to the people. The state endorsed Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to advertise a tour of state tourism in order to make an imprint on the importance of tourism very quickly among the people.

Concept and Application

Celebrity endorsement stimulates the customer to purchase and influence purchasing decisions. People believe strongly that the product advertised by the celebrity will be the most trusted brand which makes them admire and relate to them personally to choose certain products that promote business in market success.

Celebrity Endorsement Role in the Media

In this new century, people get entertainment through social media and also spend most of their time. Therefore, without a doubt, celebrity rules our lives and also has an impact on our lives. As we all know, India is rich in terms of its own culture, tradition, tourism, etc. To create awareness and influence people on tourism globally as well as nationally, the government of India has taken action in its tourism advertising campaign.

Celebrity Endorsement Role in Advertisements

Celebrity endorsement in advertising creates trust among the current potential customer and gives them the chance of utilizing the uses of a brand to make it be remembered and also build the way to have new customers. Advertising has strong beliefs in celebrity endorsement because the celebrity enhances the power of customer desire for a product and also hopes that the celebrity will enhance the choice ability of the product among people and a more likely to have a fast connection with customers through some competitive strategy.

The Marketer Chooses a Celebrity Based on Certain Parameters

Celebrity endorsement has become an important factor for advertisers if they choose a celebrity for certain parameters to reach out to a particular brand. While selecting celebrities, advertisers should know about the value of celebrities because they carry an important role. It creates a strong impact on consumers to choose the brand safely. It builds a good rapport between consumers and celebrities. If an advertiser hires a celebrity to have a strong brand match up with certain qualities of the celebrity like his fame, media popularity, global appeal, belongingness in culture and heritage, word keeping, trustworthiness, social awareness, fashion, kindness, etc., then automatically the consumer attracts towards a brand very effectively. If he chooses wrong, his efforts will undoubtedly fail.

Amitabh Bachchan’s Role in the Gujarat Tourism Campaign

In this way, particularly, the state of Gujarat initiated its advertising campaign to motivate state tourism under the name of ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’. Governments endorse a celebrity in a way to attract people in order to influence and reinforce them to visit the state, particularly for tourism. The government has chosen the well-known Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to promote the importance of tourism. Bachchan has been considered a world star in the cinema for many years, and he is among the very popular people. His fame, popularity, cultural belief, known face, etc. are the factors that could make consumers trust him, and he will likely be a choice for brands to look for a good rapport with consumers very quickly. Here, the reach is analyzed through different parameters like audio and video and also by counting people’s likes and dislikes of the advertisement. The advertiser chose his media platform YouTube. In this advertising campaign, the appearance of Bachchan adds more value and makes Gujarat tourism reach a new milestone. The Gujarat campaign by Bachchan in advertisements promotes tourism differently: his traditional dress speaks about Indian culture and his acting in the advertisement stimulates the change in the perception of tourists about the desert in a positive way. He suggested people feel good about asses because only in the state of Gujarat we found 4500 different species and he also advised not to insult any other animal. He also promotes the reality of spirituality and devotion. He not only encourages tourism in the aspect of food, clothes, culture, and visiting places, but more than that, he provokes his tourist visibility in a sense of unity.

Conclusion

The Gujarat tourism campaign is endorsed by Amitabh Bachchan which emerge the reach of state tourists to the milestone. After the reach of the advertising campaign, tourists visiting the place increased spontaneously. Here, the celebrity endorsement speaks about the popularity of faces. As we all know, Bachchan, the world star who led the advertisement, fully took his task with successful reach. Bachchan’s calm face, dynamic actions, and the simplest way he carries and owns himself in the advertisements empower the viewer to take part easily. We should remember that only the celebrity factor alone will not bring the advertisement success, but the theme, social responsibility, creativity, and strategy in advertising will also play an important role.

Essay on McDonald’s Obesity

There are several relevant facts in the case of “Should Ronald McDonald Retire.” For example, McDonald’s continues to be a very popular fast-food chain that has been in existence since the 1960s and is well represented by a popular and colorful legend – Ronald McDonald himself. Although polls indicate it is time for the legendary clown to retire; Ronald just may not be going anywhere anytime soon. His presence continues to entice kids to eat his very popular Happy Meals with cool toys. McDonald’s is certainly entitled to advertise their burgers and fries directly to kids, but at the same time, it continues to be a parent’s moral responsibility to promote healthier eating habits. McDonald’s now offers healthy alternatives as part of their Happy Meals; however, does not prove to be beneficial when parents continue to make unhealthy eating choices not only for themselves but their kids as well.

Fast-food giants such as McDonalds specifically target children because it is effective. So, is advertising directly to kids ethically risky? Many advertisers realize that the best way to gain loyalty is to market directly to young children as their consumers, but is it morally wrong to do so? Many critics may question the ethical, moral, and social values of advertising strategies that are designed specifically for children. At the same time, such strategies should also include the negative effects of eating too many Happy Meals or other fast food by focusing on making healthier choices and childhood obesity. Parents must begin to assume authority and be held morally responsible for the overall choices they make for their children.

In a deontological view which is a principle of duty and moral obligation; a parent should take every precaution necessary to prevent obesity and diet-related illnesses directly attributed to unhealthy eating. Parents are responsible for fulfilling their own obligations. Advertising targeted at children does not agree with the deontological ethics of morality because it wrongly allows them to become vulnerable and easily manipulated into eating unhealthy fast food. McDonald’s strategically advertises Happy Meals and free toys which does undermine parental authority. For example, kids beg their parents to take them to McDonald’s and parents listen because of busy working schedules and lifestyles. Even though Mcdonald’s makes a concentrated attempt to also recognize the increasing obesity rate in children by offering healthier alternatives for kids, it continues to be the parent’s responsibility to teach their children to adapt to a healthy lifestyle at a very early age.

Bad marketing is both immoral and unethical; therefore, the moral theory of deontology would solve the moral dilemma because society has rules to follow; therefore, should abide by those rules. Every human has choices, but everyone must learn from the truth with or without consequences. Morals will never change until changes are made to a person’s lifestyle and social awareness. Although McDonald’s has the right to advertise freely by promoting Happy Meals and popular free toys, it is ultimately about personal responsibility and making the right choices. In this specific situation, it is the parent’s responsibility to take the initiative to speak to their children about the unhealthy effects of eating fast food and obesity because, from a moral and ethical standpoint, it is the right thing to do. Children definitely deserve to know the truth about the increasing epidemic of childhood obesity and diet-related diseases. As a result, parents are morally responsible for making good or bad choices for their children.

In conclusion, advertising fast food specifically to grab a child’s attention is morally unethical because eating unhealthy may potentially have harmful effects on a child’s well-being in the long run. Children are easily influenced by advertising, and in turn, McDonald’s uses this to make a big profit without thinking of a child’s health. As part of their advertising, bigger importance must be placed on better health choices and alternatives such as juice, fruit, and low-fat milk also offered. Even more importantly, if McDonald’s is determined to truly catch the attention of children and parents alike by using the power of advertising, featuring Ronald McDonald as a positive role model and icon ambassador for the Ronald McDonald House Charities would be ethically and morally correct. Allowing the very colorful and popular Ronald McDonald to promote hope, love, and goodwill through the eyes of a child would definitely highlight the importance of teaching children about helping less fortunate children who are critically ill and in need of medical miracles. Overall, passionate and encouraging advertising will definitely have a more positive influence on children.