Assignment Two
Compare and contrast the form and content of ads
for the same product (or a closely-related product from
the same manufacturer) which are aimed primarily at women with those which
are aimed primarily at men.
Guidance
For general guidance see the
guidelines for writing essays and reports.
What Key Features Do I Look For?
- Familiarity with relevant texts
- Evidence - the stronger the better
- Argument - coherent and balanced
- Theoretical discussion - relation to relevant theories
- Understanding of relevant concepts
- Reflexivity - reflections on methodology
- Examples - insightfully analysed
- Style - readability and effective presentation
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Please remember to avoid footnotes and to include an
alphabetical list of 'References' which have been cited in the text
(not a Bibliography of anything you have read for the essay). This list should include
author's names, date, book titles (in italics), place of publication and publisher.
Within the text always cite author's surname, date and page number. Double-space your
text and number your pages. For more detailed notes on writing essays in this
department, click
here.
For examples of essays by UWA students click
here.
Advice for this particular assignment:
I'd prefer you to consider only one product sector (e.g. alcohol, chocolate, cars, fragrances - or your own choice).
However, you do not have to stick to one manufacturer.
You may perhaps need to consider a 'related product' rather than an identical one
in order to find an equivalent for men or for women. Be sure to compare like with like in terms of
the apparent demographics of the target market (other than sex) (e.g. if one is 'upmarket' they should both be).
You may discuss print ads and/or TV commercials.
Note that there is some tendency for gender differences to be blurred in more upmarket contexts (gender-bending
and blurring may flatter the intelligence and sophistication of the consumer).
The choice of examples is of the utmost importance but it is ultimately down to your judgement.
Consider both visual practices and rhetorical appeals. We have already covered Goffman's detailed observations on
gender stereotypes in the 'body language' represented in ads; show your understanding by alluding to such
observations where appropriate (note that in my lecture slides,
most of the relevant page numbers in Goffman's book are included in the corresponding
'notes' at the bottom of each slide within Powerpoint's editing mode).
Comparisons between
ads are often more fruitful than analyses of single ads in isolation.
Careful and detailed comparisons and contrasts are expected.
Focus on detailed analysis
rather than on broad generalisations.
My
notes on the analysis of ads may help you to notice differences. However, do not simply
answer the questions listed in those notes: focus very closely on the way the current assignment has been framed.
Relate your account to any relevant existing
studies. If you are looking at TV commercials you are very strongly advised to consult
Chandler and Griffiths (2000) - see
Suggested Reading (below); this paper outlines key differences in production techniques between male- and female-targeted
commercials and so you have a published framework for the kinds of differences to look for (you may cite this paper
where appropriate).
Do not slip into a naive gender essentialism (do not equate sex and gender). This is not a matter of 'political
correctness' so it won't help to replace all references to 'sex' with references to 'gender'.
If you mean 'male/female' or
'men/women' then say 'sex'; if you mean 'masculine/feminine'/'masculinity/femininity' then say 'gender'. For instance,
if you are talking about how advertisers target males and females then you may refer to the sexes. If you are talking about
how certain traits tend to be associated with masculinity and femininity (such as dominant notions of
masculinity as 'active' and of femininity as 'passive') then you should refer to 'gender stereotypes'.
Consult the relevant
Powerpoint slides for the lectures touching on issues of gender. Back up all claims about gender with whatever relevant
academic studies you can locate. While acknowledging the widespread recognition of gender stereotypes in
ads and in culture generally, do not appear to blindly endorse gender stereotypes.
Note also that this is an assignment for which the
inclusion of relevant pictorial illustrations is important. Ads should, wherever possible, be dated and sourced
(e.g. in which magazine(s) did the ads appear?).
If you discuss commercials, submit a CD containing those discussed (keep a copy because CDs are retained).
It is also advantageous to include a
'shot-by-shot summary' for each commercial in an Appendix. If you include print ads, these should be scanned and
inserted as Figures within the text or in an Appendix. In the case of commercials, selected stills should also
appear in the main text as Figures; these should then be explicitly referred to and discussed within the text.
In the case of print ads, you are strongly advised to included cropped details from the ad in order to help you
to make particular points of comparison.
For guidance on capturing stills, click here.
Some suggested reading
- Anderson Digby C & Michael Mosbacher (Eds) (1997)
The British Woman Today: A Qualitative Survey of the Images in Women's Magazines.
London: Social Affairs Unit [see Redfern below for a critique]
- Barthel, Diane (1988)
Putting on Appearances: Gender and Advertising. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press
- Basow, Susan A. (1992)
Gender: Stereotypes and Roles. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole
- Beasley, Ron, Marcel Danesi & Paul Perron (2000)
Signs for Sale: An Outline of Semiotic Analysis for Advertisers and Marketers. New York: Legas
- Benwell, Bethan (Ed) (2003)
Masculinity and Men's Lifestyle Magazines.
Oxford: Blackwell
- Chandler, Daniel (1998): 'Notes on "the Gaze"'. [WWW document] URL
http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/gaze/gaze.html
- Chandler, Daniel & Merris Griffiths (2000):
'Gender-Differentiated Production Features in Toy Commercials',
http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/short/toyads.html
- Channon, Charles (Ed.) (1989)
20 Advertising Case Histories. London: Cassell (Chapter 19)
- Cook, Guy (2001)
The Discourse of Advertising. London: Routledge
- Cortese, Anthony J. (2004)
Provocateur: Images of Women and Minorities in Advertising (2nd Edn). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield
- Costa, Janeen Arnold (Ed) (1994)
Gender Issues and Consumer Behavior. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
- Courtney, Alice E & Thomas W Whipple (1983)
Sex Stereotyping in Advertising. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books
- Craig, Steve (1992): 'Men's Men and Women's Women: How TV Commercials Portray Gender to
Different Audiences'. In Robert E Kemper (Ed):
Issues and Effects of Mass Communication: Contemporary Voices. San Diego, CA: Capstone Publishers pp. 89-99; [WWW document] URL
http://www.rtvf.unt.edu/people/craig/menmen.html
- Dines, G. & J. M. Humez (Eds.) (1995)
Gender, Race and Class in Media: A Text-Reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
- Dyer, Gillian (1982)
Advertising as Communication. London: Routledge
- Ferguson, Marjorie (1983)
Forever Feminine: Women's Magazines and the Cult of Femininity.
London: Heinemann
- Floch, Jean-Marie (2001)
Semiotics, Marketing and Communication. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave (Chapter 5)
- Goffman, Erving (1979)
Gender Advertisements. New York: Harper & Row
- Griffiths, Merris (2001): '"The Industry Perspective" in Children's Toy Advertisements'
(Unpublished PhD Thesis) [WWW document] URL
http://www.merrisgriffiths.co.uk/PhD/chapter_6.html
- Gunter, Barrie (1986)
Television and Sex Role Stereotyping. London: John Libbey
- Heller, Steven (Ed) (2000)
Sex Appeal: The Art of Allure in Graphic and Advertising Design.
New York: Allworth Press
- Henderson, Emma (2004)
'Ralph Lauren Ads for Men and Women: A Semiotic Analysis' [WWW document] URL
http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Students/elh0101.doc (student essay)
- Hermes, Joke (1995)
Reading Women's Magazines. Cambridge: Polity Press
- Hill, Daniel Delis (2002)
Advertising to the American Woman, 1900-1999.
Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press
- Hubbard, Rita (1994) 'Sex and the Selling of Male Fragrances', in
Manca, Alessandra & Luigi (Eds.) (1994)
Gender & Utopia in Advertising: A Critical Reader. Lisle, IL: Procopian Press, pp. 67-94
- Hupfer, Maureen (2002) 'Communicating with the Agentic Woman and the Communal Man:
Are Stereotypic Advertising Appeals Still Relevant?' Academy of Marketing Science Review; [WWW document] URL
http://www.amsreview.org/articles/hupfer03-2002.pdf
- Jackson, Peter, Nick Stevenson & Kate Brooks (2001):
Making Sense of Men's Magazines. Cambridge: Polity
- Jhally, Sut (1990)
The Codes of Advertising. London:
Routledge
- Kitch, Carolyn (2001)
The Girl on the Magazine Cover.
Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press
- Leiss, William, Stephen Kline & Sut Jhally (2005)
Social Communication in Advertising. London: Routledge
- Leymore, Varda Langholz (1975)
Hidden Myth: Structure and Symbolism in Advertising. New York: Basic Books
- Manca, Alessandra & Luigi (Eds.) (1994)
Gender & Utopia in Advertising: A Critical Reader. Lisle, IL: Procopian Press
- McCracken, Ellen (1993)
Decoding Women's Magazines: From 'Mademoiselle' to Ms'. Basingstoke: Macmillan
- McRobbie, Angela (1991)
Feminism and Youth Culture: From 'Jackie' to 'Just Seventeen'.
London: Macmillan
- McRobbie, Angela (1996): 'More! New Sexualities in Girls' and Women's
Magazines'. In James Curran, David Morley & Valerie Walkerdine (Eds.):
Cultural Studies and Communications. London: Arnold, pp. 172-194
- Messaris, Paul (1997)
Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising. Thousand Oaks: Sage
- Millum, Trevor (1975)
Images of Woman: Advertising in Women's Magazines. London: Chatto & Windus
- Moog, Carol (1990)
'Are They Selling Her Lips?' Advertising and Identity. New York: Morrow
- Popcorn, Faith and Lys Marigold (2001)
Eve-olution: The 8 Truths of Marketing to Women. London: HarperCollins
- Redfern, Catherine (2001): 'The British Woman Today: A Qualitative Survey of the Images in Women's Magazines
[review]' . In The F-Word: Conteporary UK Feminism [WWW document] URL
http://www.thefword.org.uk/reviews/2001/06/the_british_woman_today_a_qualitative_survey_of_the_images_in_womens_magazines
- Reichert, Tom (2005)
Sex in Consumer Culture: The Erotic Content of Media and Marketing. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
- Reichert, Tom & Jacqueline Lambiase (Eds) (2003)
Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
- Robinson, Mark (2000)
100 Greatest TV Ads. London: Harper Collins
- Scanlon, Jennifer (Ed) (2000)
The Gender and Consumer Culture Reader. New York: New York University Press
- Strate, Lance (1992)
'Beer Commercials: A Manual on Masculinity', in Steve Craig (Ed) (1992)
Men, Masculinity and the Media. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, pp. 78-92
- Vestergaard, Torben & Kim Schrøder (1985)
The Language of Advertising. Oxford: Basil Blackwell
- Wernick, Andrew (1991)
Promotional Culture: Advertising, Ideology and Symbolic Expression. London: Sage (Chapter 4)
- Woerner, Peter & Egon Oelkers (1989)
Fragrance Guide: Feminine Notes; Masculine Notes.
Hamburg: Verlagsgesellschaft R. Gloess
- Yarborough, Melanie (n.d.)
'Gender-Pitched Advertising: Do Men and Women See the Same Things?' [WWW document] URL
http://village.fortunecity.com/carnival/383/adverts.htm
Note: Treat with extreme caution sources labelled with this symbol!
Relevant Weblinks
Key Module Links