Stereotypical Car Ad
Stereotypical Beer Ad
Stereotypical Necklace Ad
The above texts are all examples of advertising that plays upon stereotypes to get its message across, being a car ad, beer ad, and necklace ad respectively. They rely on advertising conventions and are safe in their approach, all playing upon standard industry tricks to sell.
The car ad plays upon the age-old trick of selling cars not as products, but as experiences. The car market is one where consumers are spoilt for choice and don’t really care much about the engine or gearbox specifications of a car as much as they care about its overall image. This is why the most successful car ads aren’t ones that delve into the precise details of the car’s construction, but are ads that take one or two key features/selling points of the car and use them to sell something bigger than just the car; to sell a lifestyle. The landscape in car ads are often as important as the car itself, which is why Renault chooses to depict a clear blue sky against a wide open road, signs of freedom and liberty when driving. Additionally, celebrities are often involved in car ads, and this ad is no exception, with the popular Indian music duo Vishal-Shekhar appearing in this Renault ad. 4 out of 5 consumers won’t be petrolheads and probably instead see cars as something mundane, which is why attaching the product to a desirable experience and a known figure is something advertisers look to do.
Selling experiences as opposed to the product itself is yet again seen in the Heineken beer ad. Nowhere in the frame is anything about the beer itself mentioned, and it doesn’t say anything about why consumers should choose Heineken over the plethora of other beer brands out there. However, this ad is selling the experience of having a good time with friends, via the medium of Heineken, advertising the product in the process. It would be hard to advertise alcohol purely on its virtues considering what we know about how it affects us, which is why it makes sense for advertisers to advertise experiences that alcohol can help bring about. This is a common stereotype in beer advertising, and for good reason that too. Ads like these help create a bandwagon effect and establish brand loyalty, since the brand and not the product itself is what’s really being advertised here.
The necklace ad plays upon the stereotype that women are slaves to the allure of jewelry, and paints an overtly sexual and patronizing picture of something that could have been depicted otherwise. Women being objects and at the mercy of men is an idea that has unfortunately been perpetrated by many ads, and this ad builds on that concept, since we see the woman lustfully gazing into the camera, enamoured by all her silverware, likely a gift from the man about to kiss her. This depicts the idea of women being materialistic and men exploiting this, potentially even to the extent of possession and abuse, as shown by the chain-like nature of the necklaces around their necks. The power dynamics also explore this concept, as despite the fact that the woman occupies more space in the frame, the man is the one very much in control, as he is the one leaning in for the kiss and making the move, while the woman is on the receiving end. These stereotypes are commonplace in ads for fashion, and only contribute to the sexualization of women in the media.
Ultimately, these ads beg the question: “Are stereotypes effective or not?” This depends on how one looks at it. Stereotypes can be seen as overdone and mundane, which is perfectly reasonable. None of these ads are truly memorable in the way that the Tide ad is, and that’s because they don’t tread on new ground like the Tide ad does. However, stereotypes exist because there is always some truth to them, and advertising stereotypes exist because they are at least partly effective. This raises the question: “Do these ads play upon existing stereotypes or help create them?” Stereotypes are created over time and are only consolidated by every ad that conforms to them, making ads like these just more bricks in the wall of the advertising machine.