Blog Archive is listed from oldest post to newest post while blog entries are listed from newest post to oldest post. The website for Super Bowl videos is http://superbowlads.fanhouse.com/

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Snickers, "Betty White"

by Sheldina Henderson



The commercial portrays actress Betty White partaking in a game of football. Yes… Football! Now everyone knows that elderly women such as Betty White are not equipped with the physique and strength of a football player. This is not to say however, that they are incapable of playing it.

Basically the commercial is saying that due to hunger, the player was unable to perform as well as he normally would. Therefore, he was “playing like a girl”. There is no doubt that the commercial is indeed hilarious, but think about it, why does the player have to be compared to an old woman?

Most elderly women are weak, frail and unable to move around as much as men, especially young and fit athletes. The commercial intentionally (Yes intentionally!) downgrades women. The commercial is basically saying that women are basically useless when it comes to male dominating sports such as football. In fact football was actually intended for men to play! In an article entitled “Football…For the Girls” that was posted on http://yoursdaily.com, Jennifer Jordan stated, “The football obsession is only limited to the male species.”

Even the girlfriend of the “girl-like” player portrayed women in a certain sense that in a way shows the men’s superiority. The girlfriend, in a hurry, ran up to her boyfriend, whom she refers to as “honey”, and lets him take a bite of the snicker bar. At first glance, you probably found nothing wrong with this right? Well let’s just see about that

Why is it that the woman has to “run to her boyfriend’s rescue”? Why couldn’t he simply stop the game and go get a bite of snickers himself? He knew he needed snickers, because after the girlfriend gave it to him, he replied, “Much better”. So my point exactly, is why does he wait for his girlfriend to act the submissive role, and run out to the field? Also, why is it that the players start making fun of the way the other player was playing after he falls down? You mean to tell me they didn’t realize that his “A-Game” wasn’t on point until he fell? So basically women are not able to withstand such a “manly tackle”. Yeah right! I don’t know about you, but a tackle is light weight for me!

And of course, as any good sponsor, they would have to make it seem as if the commercial was not targeted at the strength of women by “throwing in” the old man. But, what some people fail to realize is that the commercial still focused solely on Betty White. Why couldn’t the old man be the main focus of the commercial? I know! Because according to them, whether old or young, boys are still better than girls…Well if you ask me…YEAH RIGHT!!

Audi, "Green Police"

by Winnie Wong



After watching the commercial, it is clear to see that the point is that the new Audi car is good for the environment. In fact, all other cars are held in the line to be checked if it is environmental friendly as this car is the only one free to go. This is such a simple easy to understand message but must stereotypical gender roles be incorporated for certain unknown reasons? If anyone watched it only once, they probably wouldn’t think any more about it besides that it is “just another Audi car commercial”. I have identified the many ways sexism is found in this short thirty second advertisement aired during the Super Bowl season.

There are both men and women in this commercial but that is merely another marketing strategy. If no women were shown, then people will start questioning about the sexism in the commercials. Sexism, however, goes beyond the simple appearance and usage of women characters in a commercial. All the main lead roles in this commercial are played by men. It goes from the one who was arrested for requesting a plastic bag, to the one who installed the incandescent light bulb, to the young men arrested for possessing plastic bottles. All the roles that women have are the innocent looking ones who have not much to do with the crime of not being “green” enough.

Taking a closer look at the specific gender roles that society has placed into our minds, men have certain roles in the house hold. Noticing carefully, it was the husband who was arrested for installing the incandescent light bulb and not the wife. This only goes back to the fact that society has made it seem as though all the heavy work such as climbing a ladder to twist on a light bulb are done by husband only. Also, the scene with the woman in the hot tub with the man fits into a very typical stereotype of women. As the police came to arrest them for having the hot tub water at a temperature too high, the woman stayed in the tub looking all helpless as the man dashed for an escape. This goes to show that society has made it seem as though women are the accessories that the man can leave behind and they aren’t smart enough to dash for their own escape as the man could. Only men are capable of escaping and protecting both themselves and the woman.

What left me in more disbelief was the article I found on the Audi website of a sneak preview of the commercial itself. In this article, author Jeff Kuhlman compliments how Audi workers can be as clever as to using an anteater in this commercial. Nowhere in this article can I find any trace of criticism about the use of stereotypical gender roles in this Green Police commercial. This may only be due to the fact that even the author himself doesn’t see it as a problem as many viewers don’t as well. Although this may be unfair to the rest of the viewers, but it is safe to assume that many people just fail to detect these stereotypes in various commercials. People can notice a strange anteater in this one second frame of the commercial but they fail to detect that the commercial itself fits snuggly into the modern stereotypes of gender roles. Is the sexism in this commercial a product of the Audi commercial makers or a product of all the viewers who obviously see no problem in stereotypical gender roles?

GoDaddy.com, "Danica Patrick Interview"

by Noopoor Akruwala

http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/null/godaddycom-interview-with-danica-patrick/65503145001

For the past few years, I’ve noticed recurring ads for some web domain called GoDaddy.com. Most of us probably wondered, what is GoDaddy.com and why are there sexy girls posing in tight t-shirts for this website domain? It turns out that these girls bear no relevance to GoDaddy.com. In fact, they are just used for luring and provocative advertising. I mean, the only thing they do is sit there, look pretty and say “Go Daddy.” Now, is it just me, or is this just a low way to advertise any sort of product or scheme? In reality though, this is isn’t the first time sexy women were used as product sellers. They are purposely used as “devices” for attracting consumers into looking at products that they would never lay eyes on in the first place. GoDaddy.com ads exemplify what the media thinks sells. The media feels that society can be controlled by altering the people’s perceptions and finding their weaknesses. In this case, using girls with superficial bodies and overdone makeup is the way to go (shocker? I think not!)

This particular GoDaddy.com ad features the new face of this company, Danica Patrick. She has actually been in multiple GoDaddy ads, but in this one, she is being interviewed by a woman who thinks the ads are “too sexy.” Danica then questions the “too sexy” part and the interviewer goes on to strip of her glasses and loosen her hair to show her what sexy is. Although this ad is really not meant to be taken seriously, many people have questioned this company and its use of women as their base for advertisement. Danica Patrick herself strayed from social norms and became one of the greatest NASCAR drivers while competing with the most competitive male drivers out there on the tracks. Ironically, she is the new face of GoDaddy.com-a company which seems to use women only for the purpose for grabbing the interest of males.

Bridgestone, "Future Car"/"Your Tires or Your Life"

by Jessica Diamond



Bridgestone Tires displayed sexism in several different ways throughout their 30 second commercial. While targeting a male audience, the commercial portrays a woman as an inferior being. It began logically, focusing on a speeding car in a rainy, dark setting with post-accident, abandoned cars on the shoulders of the high way. However, the essence of the commercial revolves around the comparison of worth between a vulnerable, young woman and the Bridgestone tires.

After the speeding car breaks before the roadblock, “tire bandits” demand for ownership of the Bridgestone tires. They threatened the driver to hand over the tires or “your life”, meaning that the driver would have to choose between the product and life. However, the driver misunderstood the deal and threw his wife out of the car. First of all, the idea of choosing tires over a human being is very insulting and disrespectful. It places a higher value on the product than on the woman and brings the woman down to a materialistic level. The way the woman was pushed out of the car, indifferently and without hesitation, was very offensive as well. Further, the woman does not fight back. She allows herself to be tossed into the street as if she had no control over herself. Her only reaction is a weak cry. Her bent posture and shocked facial expression make her look vulnerable and defenseless.

Aside from being bartered off, sexism is also evident in terms of how big her role is. The tire bandits have all the dialogue in the commercial. The woman, on the other hand, does not have a single line. In addition, the young woman fits society consensus of what is attractive. The woman is tall, blond and thin with a large bust. To emphasize her body type, her costume is form-fitting and very revealing. Her wide-eyed expression and innocent appearance contribute to the image of female vulnerability. On a separate note, the woman was thrown out of the passenger seat. This means that the man was driving the car, perhaps symbolizing power and communicating the idea that women can’t be the leader; they can only sit back, and follow the man’s lead.

Lastly, after the driver leaves his wife and drives off, the tire-bandits are disappointed. They are upset that they received a woman instead of the tires (the product). This again places a higher value on the product rather than on the woman. Not even a woman who fits society’s definition of beautiful, can satisfy the men. Further, the “tire bandits” were not particularly good looking. They were relatively short, bald and heavy. The woman, who is evidently “out of their league”, does not spark their interest at all. What if a shorter woman with a curvier body type and a splotchy face complexion was thrown out of the car? One could only imagine how the tire bandits would react.

The commercial concludes with the men being disappointed with the outcome of the trade and the woman standing alone and disregarded in the rain. This commercial is dripping with sexism, and yet, the audience finds it comical opposed to offensive.

Bud Light, "Two Ladies"/"Book Club"

by Angela Yu



This Bud Light commercial is a good example of an ad that capitalizes on gender stereotypes. The ad begins with a man saying goodbye to someone we assume is his wife. The wife is having a book club discussion with her friends who are all women. Just as the man is about to leave, he notices a bucket full of Bud Light beers. Because of this, he changes his mind and decides to stay instead. The scenes that follow portray the man behaving in various stereotypical behavior. First, he asks what story they're discussing. The dialogue is as follows:

Woman: We were discussing the relationship of two women thrust together by war.
Man: Ooh, thrusting. Okay I'm with ya.


The man says this while removing the book from the hand of the woman, showing that he's clearly uninterested in the story itself. He only responds to the part which could be construed as sexual. This behavior goes along with the stereotype that men are only interested in sex and not much else. After this, he talks to another woman who isn't his wife and says, "I'd like to hear you read some words" in a suggestive manner. The woman doesn't know how to react and just looks away. The man doesn't care that his wife might hear him hitting on another woman, again displaying another stereotypical behavior. The last scene features a different man from the beginning although they are wearing the same outfit so we're to assume that it's the first man's teammate. He has a discussion with another woman that goes like this:

Woman: So then do you like Little Women (referring to the book by Louisa May Alcott)?
Man: Yeah, I'm not too picky...no.


We're supposed to laugh because the man has never heard of the book and misinterprets the woman's question. See, he thought she was asking him if he liked little women! Isn't it funny? Not really. This type of dynamic between men and women has been played out over and over again that there's nothing really clever about it anymore if there was anything clever about it to begin with. It's possible that the man has never heard of "Little Women" because he's a man and men aren't supposed to like reading. It's also possible that he's never heard of "Little Women" because it's a story about 4 sisters and their lives and relationships and men aren't supposed to be interested in that kind of thing. Either way, it doesn't paint a very flattering picture of relationships between men and women because they're not allowed to share the same interests simply because they have different genders. If we subscribe to this idea, then a lot of people will miss out on experiences for completely insubstantial reasons.

Monday, March 22, 2010

1st post (Introduction)

by Jessica Diamond

Every year, the National Football League plays its championship game and, every year, people across the United States participate in this American tradition as they tune into Super Bowl Sunday. Since companies know that the Super Bowl attracts more viewers than any other program during the year, they pay great sums of money to advertise their products during the Bowl’s commercial breaks. These commercials produced for the largest television audience of the year have become famous for being funnier and more outrageous than regularly shown commercials. In fact, only new, never- before seen commercials are shown during the Super Bowl. With a predominantly male audience, these commercials often exhibit sexist remarks and use stereotypical depictions of gender roles and masculine and feminine traits in order to market their product.

As viewers fight over the salsa dip and excitedly argue over the touchdowns scored, the offensive sexism embedded in these commercials, often goes unnoticed. Attempts at eliminating sexism, as when a director gives a woman a minor role in a commercial, or selects a male character to be the target of a prank in a vignette, tend to be few and insignificant so that sexism continues to be a feature of broadcast marketing .

Commercials, particularly those advertising cars, beer and candy, have become increasingly offensive to women each year. By analyzing and interpreting the media’s portrayal of women, society can become more aware of, and confront, the disrespect inherent in marketing and communication strategies.

Super Bowl 2010 was not only the most watched Super Bowl in history, but it was also the most watched television program of all time in US history. Further, recent statistics show that the majority of viewers watch the Super Bowl to see the commercials rather than the game! With companies paying up to 3 million dollars to run 30 second ads, it raises the question: How effective is the use of stereotypical gender roles to sell products and, more so, why is sexism tolerated?

Bearing in mind that not all the companies that ran ads in Super Bowl 2010 had commercials which featured sexism as a marketing device, a great deal of companies did. By analyzing each 2010 Super Bowl commercial, we can break down and point out where gender roles appeared and how sexism was used. Perhaps after identifying and bringing attention to these findings, people can then realize that sexism is present throughout the American media today.

Jessica Diamond
· Introduction (first entry)
· In-depth analysis: Bridgestone Tires: Tires or Life
· Short analyses: monster.com (starring the beaver), Bridgestone tires (saving the whale from bachelor party), cars.com (With Knowledge Comes Confidence), Late Show (James Leno, Oprah and James Letterman), careerbuilder.com (no more casual Fridays), Dockers (Wear the Pants), Hyundai starring Brett Favre, Dove( You Are a Man), NFL (NFL Draft), NFL(The Who) and Teleflora.com (rude flowers).

Angela Yu
· Conclusion
· In-depth analyses: Dodge Charger (Man’s Last Stand) and Bud Light (Book Club)
· Short Analyses: EA (Dantes Inferno), Anhasuer Busch (Clydesdale Friend), Honda Accord (Crosstour), Dennys (Overworked Chickens), Taco Bell (Five Buck Box), Doritos (Weight Room), Bud Light (Two Ladies), Hyundai (New Sonata), E-Trade (Take Charge), Dennys (Birthday Breakfast)

Sheldina Henderson
· In-depth: Snickers (Betty White) and Bud Light (Survivor)
· Short Analyses: Homeaway.com (hotels), KGB (Sumo Wrestling), Coke (sleep walking), E-trade (Jealous Girlfriend), Census Bureau (snapshot of America), Google (Parisian Love), Kia Sorento (Joy Ride), Select 55 (Lightest Beer in the World), NFL (Lift Off), Vizio (Beyonce), Diamond Foods (Nuts and Popcorn).

Winnie Wong
· In-depth: Budweiser (Bridge) and Audi (Green Police)
· Short Analyses: Bud Light (Light House), Focus on Family ( Tebow and Mom), Hyundai (New Car), Boost Mobile (Super Bowl Shuffle), Doritos (Dog Gets Revenge), Universal (Robin Hood), Doritos (Play Nice), Bud Light (Observatory), Coke (Simpsons Moving), Godaddy.com (Danica Patrick), Doritos (Miracle), Bud Light (Voice Box).

Noopoor Akruwala
· In-depth: FloTV: Spineless and GoDaddy.com (Danica Patrick Interview)
· Short Analyses: Papa Johns (Better Pizza), Dr. Pepper (Mini Kiss), TruTV (Punxsutawney Polamalu), Universal Orlando (Harry Potter), Intel (Lunchroom), FloTV (My Generation), NFL (Always Football), Motorola (Megan Fox), VW (Punching Game), Dennys (Grand Slam), Michelbob Ultra (Lance Armstrong)