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Wal-Mart is advertising the return of layaway by using an African American man who wants to purchase a big screen TV but wishes they had their layaway plan. The sales girl is trying to get his attention to look at the sign that states, “Layaway is back”.
A Buy Here Pay Here, car dealership in Georgia is promoting how they can finance people with less than perfect credit, so who do they use in the commercials? Yes, African Americans and Hispanics, or should I say, the minority.
Fast food commercials like McDonalds and Burger King advertise their products and show an African American Family having dinner at their establishment indicating that all people of color do is eat in fast food restaurants instead of at the dinner table.
What do all of these advertisements have in common? They all target people who are known to have bad credit, people who can’t afford to just buy a TV outright or people who are unhealthy. It seems that they are making this statement but are they really? Why is it that they don’t use Caucasians in an ad for a Buy here Pay Here Company? To most, it is quite offensive and this is what society believes about the minority. We care nothing about our credit or our health or that we don’t manage money well and in some cases, can’t afford to purchase big ticket items without having to lay them away.
Ads play a major role in what society thinks and, yes there are people out there who don’t manage money well or eat nothing but fast food but should they stick to these types of ads or should they broaden their target market? These ads have made people feel as though their product or services are designed for a certain group of people and advertising stereotyping can be more problematic than they know.
Do the stereotypes in certain ads send the wrong message to society?
Graphic Credit:
Animationfactory.com
1. WMSmith53 |Jan. 29, 2012 @ 9:33 PM
I recall the onset of color television and and was able to see a select few Black people on television in positions other than entertainers. I welcomed the progress although it was still very biased at that time. In regards to the incorrect image being portrayed, I understand that people are going to formulate whatever sterotypes they are programmed to see, and that some of the public will in fact opt for the negative image.
In business it is profitable to market to all races and to make everyone feel that the product is for them as well. It is not an effort to stereotype races but to include them in advertising. I believe the only way to determine if that was the intent would be to discover that from the marketing team. I am not saying that is has not and will not continue to occur, but suggesting that each ad may not have that intent and offering another point of view to this subject.