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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
VII. Special Topics and
Perspectives
22. Evaluating the Social,
Ethical, & Economic
Aspects of Advtising &
Promotion
commercials found that Asian male and female models are overrepresented in terms
of their proportion of the U.S. population (3.6 percent), appearing in 8.4 percent of
the commercials. However, Asian models were more likely than members of other
minority groups to appear in background roles, and Asian women were rarely
depicted in major roles. The study also found that portrayals of Asian-Americans put
more emphasis on the work ethic and less on other aspects of their lives. 75
There is little question that advertising has been guilty of stereotyping women and
ethnic groups in the past and, in some cases, still does so. But as the role of women
changes, advertisers are changing their portrayals to remain accurate and appeal to
their target audience. Advertisers are also trying to increase the incidence of minority
groups in ads while avoiding stereotypes and negative role portrayals. They are being
careful to avoid ethnic stereotyping and striving to develop advertising that has specific
appeals to various ethnic groups.
Other Groups While the focus here has been on women and ethnic minorities,
some other groups feel they are victims of stereotyping by advertisers. Many groups in
our society are battling against stereotyping and discrimination, and companies must
consider whether their ads might offend them. It is increasingly difficult not to offend
some segment of the public. Creative personnel in agencies are feeling restricted as
their ideas are squelched out of concern that they might offend someone or be misinterpreted.
76 However, advertisers must be sensitive to the portrayal of specific types of
people in their ads, for both ethical and commercial reasons.
One area where significant changes have taken place recently is in advertising targeted
to gay consumers. In 1995 Ikea broke new ground with a TV commercial featuring
a gay couple shopping for furniture. For years beer companies targeted this market
by placing ads in local gay media to support or sponsor AIDS awareness, Gay Pride
festivals, and the Gay Games. However, a number of beer companies, including
Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing Co., now run gay-specific, brand-specific ads in
national gay publications. 77
A number of other companies, including IBM and
United Airlines, also now run ads with gay themes,
although they generally confine them to magazines and
newspapers targeting the gay market. While a TV commercial
or print ad with a gay reference occasionally runs
in the mainstream media, it usually is so subtle or
ambiguous that many heterosexuals do not perceive it as
a gay message. However, in 2000 the Gay Financial Network,
an online company (gfn.com) with a gay-friendly
financial news and information website, became the first
gay-oriented company to advertise in major U.S. business
news and entertainment publications. 78 The gfn.com
ads take a gentle swipe at homophobia in the business
world (Exhibit 22-15).
More advertisers are turning to gay themes in their
mainstream commercials, though often subtly. However,
few run these ads on network television; they limit them
to spot TV and local stations in more gay-friendly cities
such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The
Miller Brewing Co. did take a bold step recently by airing
a gay-themed commercial on network television. The ad
was for Miller Lite beer and showed a gay couple holding
hands in a straight bar to the dismay of two women who
are interested in them. 79
Advertising and the Media The fact that advertising
plays such an important role in financing the media
has led to concern that advertisers may influence or even
control the media. It is well documented that economic
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Exhibit 22-15 The Gay
Financial Network broke
barriers by becoming the
first gay-oriented company
to advertise in the
mainstream media
769
Chapter Twenty-two Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects
of Advertising and Promotion