Unpacking the Impact of Advertising: From Racism to Relevance
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In an era where social media rules all, it can be easy to disregard what we see online. This is often done subconsciously, without a second thought. Realizing this, is our blatant disregard toward certain media, especially advertising, giving advertisers free range over any content? There will always be people who feel personally attacked or challenged by the media — sometimes rightfully so. In the text Media Effects Research by Glenn Sparks, an example of an extremely racist ad campaign for a new Cadbury chocolate bar made headlines, and not for proud reasons. This particular ad targeted famous black Supermodel Naomi Campbell, and compared her to a new Bliss chocolate candy bar with the slogan, “Move over Naomi, there’s a new diva in town”. Upon seeing the ad, which she was blindsided by, Campbell released a statement about how “insulting and hurtful” it was to be compared to a chocolate bar. She also acknowledged that while this campaign targeted her specifically, it spoke negatively toward the black community as a whole.
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The decision to go public and run the ad makes one wonder who’s on the advertising committee and why didn’t they see a problem with the ad? While their intentions were probably humorous, it was ultimately overshadowed by racism. The advertising committee didn’t even make an effort to communicate with Campbell before publicizing the campaign. To make matters worse, Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) didn’t even investigate the ad. Luckily, Cadbury stepped up, removed the ad and released a public apology.
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This brings us to the issue of advertising overall. In a 2015 Ted Talk, George Nimeh discusses the question of What if there was no advertising? Ads have been around since the start of media and yet over 200 million people a month (maybe even more now) use an ad blocker. So, what is keeping advertising around?
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Ultimately, advertising is what funds the internet. As much as people hate it, ignore it, and wish it didn’t exist, without ads, we wouldn’t have access to all the media we use day in and day out. The problem lies in how the advertisements are being presented, whether it be in the case of the offensive Cadbury campaign or as a disruption in the middle of a YouTube video. Changing how the ad is presented could be a way around this issue. People tend to be drawn to stories — a method which can make ads more relevant and less of a nuisance.
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The next time you see an advertisement — and you probably won’t have to look very far — study it. Examine what company it represents and the ideals it stands for. We can dictate the kinds of things we want shown and we must stand up against campaigns that only work toward tearing down groups or individuals. It’s clear that advertising is here to stay and as Nimeh said, “There’s ways to do it, you just have to look”.
