advertising makes the world go round.
The messages relayed through advertising may range from the straightforward ("Buy this now - it's cheaper!") to the subtle ("Buy this now - it will make you attractive to the opposite sex!") but they all cost money to put "out there". A lot of money. The giants of the corporate world (Nike, Coca-Cola, Proctor & Gamble) all pour millions of dollars into advertising on an annual basis. They want their messages to be heard, and as a by-product of all this, they support financially the media through which we hear or see their messages. Without advertising there would be no television except re-runs, magazines would be thin, colourless and prohibitively expensive, and many internet sites would not be able to afford their server space. When big companies cut down their advertising budget (as happened after 9/11) the effects are keenly felt by the media which rely very heavily on revenue from selling advertising space. The money simply stops coming in and the economic effects are drastic: magazines fold, TV stations slash original programming, and dot.com companies crash out of existence. This is worth remembering next time you complain about the way a movie on TV is broken up by commercial breaks: if those commercial breaks weren't there you wouldn't have any local news story coverage.
If you look around you, you will find your world filled with advertising - on huge billboards in the streets, on the pages of magazines, between the tracks played on the radio, on the walls of the subway, on the pages of internet sites, at the bottom of emails, on the backs of cinema tickets, on the shirts of football players. It seems that any surface that will hold still long enough to be read is considered a potential advertising medium. The fact that there is so much advertising out there means that it is part of our daily cultural experience - it's almost impossible to avoid it. Therefore the study of advertising is not just about WHAT manufacturers say to consumers, but it about HOW it is said. Advertisements can have an influence far beyond a simple message about a product. Advertisements can introduce characters to the public imagination, make icons out of actors, have everyone repeating a catchphrase ('Wassup" anyone?), get audiences arguing over plot points or waiting for the next instalment, and generate news stories. Advertisements often take on a cultural life of their own, and occupy space in the media beyond that which has been paid for. This, of course, is great for the advertisers!
This adidas ad, featuring David Beckham, made headlines as the largest ever piece of outdoor advertising in the UK, possibly the world, in May 2002. Fort Dunlop is a Birmingham landmark, and can be seen from the M6 (which is often completely jammed with traffic) although it was claimed that the ad could be seen from up to a mile away on a clear day. The ad itself was larger than a football pitch, with the image of Beckham's face measuring 20m x 20m (cue lots of Football Bighead headlines from the UK tabloids). As well as having a huge (sorry...) impact on the local environment, the ad generated press coverage around the world on account of its size.
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Are the above ads sexist? If so, why? Which gender is being stereotyped unfairly? | |
As well as being part of the news agenda, advertisements are a reflection of a society's wants and needs at any particular point in time. They also, through the way that they represent gender, age, wealth, success, happiness etc provide excellent material for historians and sociologists researching social attitudes of an era or a culture at a particular point in time. Advertising reflects the values of a society - all the things that people want to have or to be - and can be used as a measure of dominant hopes and fears. Our own appearance-obsessed culture will provide plenty of fruit for future investigation. The Wallis ads shown (from a campaign entitled "Dressed to Kill") tell us a lot about attitudes to women - from both a male and a female perspective - and the power of sexuality in our society. They also show what we find acceptable to laugh at, even though the images involve certain death and destruction.
Therefore the study of advertising is essential for a Media Studies student. As well as analysing form and content, you need to understand how advertising allows other media to exist, and how it generates cultural identity. A world without advertising would be a very different place to the one that we know.
Source: http://www.mediaknowall.com/gcse/advertising/analysis.html
Original Problem
Design something that can serve as a reminder for designers of their moral responsibility towards the society in advertising.
Redefined
Instead of preaching fruitlessly, prove that "good" advertisements are just as effective or even more effective than "bad" advertisements.
Bibliography & References
Ads of the World - "Some people collect stamps. I collect ads. Ads that are above average. Ads that strike conversation. Ads that push the boundaries of the industry. And, I make them public for the creative professional and the general public. I hope the site will be useful for creatives who want to see what their colleagues are doing around the world. I hope the ads featured on this site will inspire you, the creative, to do better work. Hopefully with time this site will serve as a reference point for your new projects. For example you would look up the financial services category to get an understanding about what people have come up with for this sector in the past, so you can take it a bit further." The Ads of the World Research database currently has 2,720,051 ads, spanning 5 media types, 51 countries, and 27 languages.
Ad Access - The Ad*Access Project, funded by the Duke Endowment "Library 2000" Fund, presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.
Adaholic - Visit the Adaholic art gallery and find your favorite 100% original print ad and get a piece of fabulous history to enjoy and collect!
Ad Flip - Adflip brags to be "the worlds largest collection of classic printed ads" and has some "Gallery of the absurd" style comments in the top ten section. Collection is huge - from the 40's onwards - neatly categorised and searchable. Good as well as "so bad they are funny" ads in here - as well as just bad
Ad Parade - Advertising Inspiration Archive
Ad Forum - AdForum is the Internet’s leading portal to the advertising, marketing and communications industry
Ad Land - the beyond-a-blog, commercial-laden delirium of heaven and hell for advertising addicts 'round the world.
Advertising Archive - Buy or sell old ads here, they have ads dating from the turn of the century, on the first page you are greeted by the Heinz Ketchup Ad where a woman exlaims "you mean a woman can open it?" about the new twist off cap. Oh dear! From the ad-pre-historic to clasics, visitors can search and download adverts from all eras in the vast database
Ad Slogans - Database of advertising slogans, marketing slogans, catchphrases, straplines, end lines, claims and taglinesAmerican Package Museum - The primary objective of this site is to preserve and display specimens of American package design from the early decades of the 20th century.
Coloribus - Repeated AD Nauseum.
The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850 - 1920 (EAA) - Presents over 9,000 images, with database information, relating to the early history of advertising in the United States.
HAT Archive - Provides a vast and unique research resource. The collections consist of every kind of advertising and public relations material, including original artwork, posters, point of sale promotions, brochures, proofs, press and magazine cuttings, complete consumer magazines, direct mail, photographs, transparencies, audio and video tapes,
Parody Ads - A Gallery of Parody Ads
Reclame Aresenaal - Dutch advertising collection site - museum of old ads combined with new articles.
Tic Toc Toys - Crazy ad galleries, kids food packaging, cartoon charachters and animated 1950's ads in this retro collection.
Other blogs and advertising related websites worth visiting:
Ad Goodness
newcreatives
The Inspiration Room
10ad
Coolzor
Fubiz
Creative Section
Beyond Madison Avenue
Adverblog
Advert News
Adverlicio.us
Brentter
BriefBlog
DOWEIRDO!
advertising for peanuts
advergirl
Ad Blog Arabia
exitcreative
AdArena
Adrants
Invisible Red
ibelieveinadv
Ad Freak
Ad Blather
Ad Jab
Ad-dict
Direct Daily
Stratégies
Joe La Pompe
Elmaltshift
Toma e Embrulha
Portfolio - a pasta de Portugal
AdPunch
The Ad Feed
iyi fikir! / good idea!
blog publicitario
The RanchThe Ad Mad!
Mi Blog de Mercadotecnia
Rage Creative
AdParade
Master Com
Adverbox
madisonavenew
Eugens
Marketing, Advertising & Creativity in the UAE
Indra Sinha blog
Andy Jacobson Design
Tattoo Projects
Advert-eyes
Advertising etc
Dr_Who
A source of inspiration
Bicho de Goiaba
Casa do galo
Media ME
Lies by Joselin John
Creative Crusade
Pedestrian Typography
AntiSanti
AdMad
Partfaliaz
Brainposse
Guerrilla communication
Ad seduction
Ad of da Month
Dem Studio
ptFOLIO
Bliss
Critical Intent
Amo La Publicitad
The Brainchild Blog
Beneath the Brand
Ad(dicted)
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