Over the last few weeks, we have learnt a lot more about print advertising- specifically, the terminology one can use to describe these ads, and the common techniques in ads used to sell products, services, and even brands themselves. I will be revisiting this UN Autocomplete Ad, which is one of the first ads I attempted to analyse, to see if I can use my newfound knowledge to analyse the ad more effectively.
This ad was produced in 2013, as part of a social media campaign (under the hashtag #womenshould) by UN Women, to spark discussion on gender equality. In the end, it received 1.2 billion impressions and reached a wide range of people. In this ad, the use of techniques such as minimalism and emotional appeal to highlight the negative cultural expectations surrounding women and argue for the need for these cultural values to change.
The specific technique in this advert is one of emotional appeal- it aims to shock readers and appeal to their compassion of viewers through the use of both lexical and visual elements. The main image of this advertisement features a close-up, eye-level shot of a woman in a hijab, which helps us to see the details of her face and discern her expression. In this case, her expression seems quite neutral, but the anchorage (text provided in the Google search box over her mouth) helps to fix the message and interpretation of her expression. The text here is from real auto-complete responses to the statement “women need to…” typed into the search box. Readers follow a linear downwards reading path as they connect the image of the woman to each of the statements in the box. Some of the key words here have a powerful connotation- words such as “controlled”, “disciplined”, or references to the “place” of women, signify the power imbalance between women, and the expectation and norm for women to defer to men. These statements anchor the meaning of the woman’s expression- here, her expression is neutral because she is (and her emotions are) being suppressed. The ideas here may be seen as horrifying, especially from a Western perspective, which causes viewers to connect and engage with the advert on a deeper level and want to read more. The copy at the bottom is a response to the statements in the search box, which reads “women need to be seen as equal”. This, again, calls attention to the disturbing cultural ideas about power and conformity presented by the advertisement. Most importantly, we see that the search box here is covering the woman’s mouth so that it isn’t visible. The omission of the woman’s mouth, and the fact that it is covered by those oppressive statements, may be a symbol of how women are silenced and forced into submission by these cultural values that don’t allow them to express their own opinions or individuality
This advert deals specifically with the perceived inequality of women and cultural pressure on them to conform to and serve men. These issues specifically link to the prevalent social system of patriarchy, in which men are seen to be the “head” or leader of a family. This, in turn, extends to many contexts and means that it is often mostly men who hold positions of power over women. This advert’s clear and bold message is also made effective by its minimalism- the main image is taken against a black background, meaning there are little outside elements to focus on other than the woman’s face. The logo and signature of the organisation, UN Women, is also quite small and is at the bottom corner of the ad, leaving it at the end of the reading path. This allows for readers to fully understand and process the advert and its meaning before associating it with any organisation, which also allows for powerful emotional connections (borne out of anger or frustration or sympathy) to form before the knowledge comes that this is just an advert.
This advert is simple, but it is made effective by the use of declarative statements and powerful symbolism. Furthermore, it is clear that this advert does not seek to give a definitive solution for gender inequality, but rather sparks conversation on the need for equality for women. This is one of the most important features of the ad, which allowed it to be shared and viewed so widely, generating a wide impact across the world.