Download Representations of Homosexuality in Adverts

ADVERTISING
Historical Context
According to A Hint of Homosexuality? author, Dr. Bruce
Joffe, gay intimacy and interaction, references to the male
genitalia, and threats of sexual conquest of and between
men can be documented in adverts as far back as the late
1800s. In fact, he cited the example of an advert for a toy
gun from 1917 with the headline, “I am Big Dick.”
The history of advertising and marketing to Lesbian, Gay
& Bisexual (LGB) people can be divided into five periods:
underground, 1900 to 1941; development of an LGB
community, 1941 to 1969; the Stonewall Riots and going
public, 1969 to 1984; AIDS and retrenchment, 1984 to
1992; and the "gay '90s" and beyond.
Impulse
Chance Encounters 1998:
‘Men can’t help acting on impulse.’ This perfume is so powerful it can turn
Gay men Straight.
Mise – en – scene ~ Small leather clad dogs,
tight white t-shirts, ‘Village People’ style
dungarees, the well known gay writer
Quentin Crisp. All of which are
stereotypical associations within
gay community.
Dyer ~ Stereotypes are how people make ‘sense of a
society through generalities, patterning's and typifications.’
Important advert - 1st Representation of
Homosexuality in British TV Advertising
Today
Perhaps the most visible example will be seen starting
tomorrow, when the home-furnishings retailer Pier 1 replaces
the actress Kirstie Alley in its general-market campaign with
Thom Filicia, the decorating expert from ''Queer Eye.''
Pier 1, which spends $60 million a year on advertising by
Campbell-Ewald, will feature Mr. Filicia in television
commercials, magazine ads and even a training video for
store employees.
Mr. Filicia's sexuality ''never really
entered into our decision,'' said
Phil Schneider, executive vice
president for marketing at Pier 1
Imports in Fort Worth. ''It was not
an issue for us.''
Social Context
The use of celebrities known to be gay and lesbian comes as homosexuals grow
more visible in the popular culture because of shows like ''Queer Eye'' and
''Will & Grace,'' as well as the decisions by stars like Ellen DeGeneres and
Rosie O'Donnell to openly discuss their sexuality. The mainstreaming of
gay and lesbian endorsers also comes after major advertisers like Ford
and Procter & Gamble have sponsored
campaigns aimed at the gay and lesbian
market; after Martina Navratilova
appeared in niche-market adverts
for Subaru of America, for instance,
she also started appearing in the
carmaker's broader campaigns.
Dyer ~ ‘The stereotype is taken to express a
general agreement about a social group.’
Klapp ~ Social types are representations of
those who ‘belong’ to a society.’ The types
produced by different social groups according to their sense of who belongs
and who doesn’t.’
Gay Celebrities
When he was initially approached by Pier 1, Mr. Filicia said, ''the
first thing I thought was, Is Pier 1 going to want someone gay to
represent them? Probably not.''
''It's kind of amazing,'' he added, referring to being hired for the
campaign. ''It's about design, not sexuality, but it's still a big step
for them - and a big step for us.''
''It doesn't matter if he's gay or not,'' said
Lainey Canevaro, vice president at Edelman
Entertainment Marketing in Chicago, part of
Daniel J. Edelman, which produced the campaign.
''We looked at who we could use as a lifestyle
spokesperson, and he's fabulous.''
Popularity
‘The gay identity is now at a level in the popular culture that
it can be accessed for this role in adverts aimed at the
general market, especially showing gays as trend-setters
and arbiters of taste,' Mr. Buford said. 'It runs the risk of
alienating the gay community, which has a much more
sophisticated read on this, but that always has been the
case when something crosses over into the mainstream.
It's a journey.’
Dyer ~ ‘The role of stereotypes is to make visible the
invisible, so that there is no danger of it sneaking up on us
unawares.’
Guinness
Guinness advert – ‘Mess’
A good looking young man gets ready for work, making a mess all along the way.
After his bath, magazines and other articles float in the water. Selecting his
clothes, he sniffs then rejects the shirt by tossing it onto the floor.
Meanwhile, a rubber-gloved hand picks up after him. As he runs out the front
door, coffee cup in hand, he passes his boyfriend, whom we see for the first time,
and the tune "Stand by Your Man" starts. He puts the mug on top of his car
and gets in as his boyfriend waves goodbye, the mug clunks to the ground, and
the ad closes with a glass of Guinness beer.
Brand: Guinness
Company: Diageo
Year: 1995
Themes: Affectionate Displays,
At Home, Couples, Male Kisses,
Some Skin.
Target: Mainstream
Religion
"...sexual orientation is not a choice and cannot be altered. Groups
who try to change the sexual orientation of people through socalled conversion therapy are misguided and run the risk of
causing a great deal of psychological harm..."
Raymond Fowler, executive director, American Psychological
Association.
"At-risk adolescents and parents have a right to know
that homosexuality is preventable and treatable and
the sooner intervention takes place, the better the
prognosis.”
Richard Fitzgibbons, MD; writing for NARTH's web site.
Religion
The battle for the minds of North Americans on the topic of sexual
orientation is not between homosexuals and heterosexuals. It is
mainly between conservative Christians and the rest of society.
Conservative Christian groups have sponsored newspaper and
TV adverts in an attempt to convince the public that homosexual
orientation is a choice that can be readily changed through
trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior and by reparative
(conversion) therapy.
The adverts were followed up with a TV advert
campaign in 1998-October which concluded
‘It's not about hate, it's about hope.’
The major television networks have refused to run
these adverts. Bob Davies, the executive
director of Exodus International, claims this is
because leaders of homosexual-rights groups
pressured the networks.
Reaction of gay, lesbian and bisexual
groups
Demonstration: On 1998-AUG-22, hundreds of gays and lesbians
protested. They waved signs; one read "Don't crucify us with hate." D.
James Kennedy, who heads Coral Ridge Ministries commented: "This
ad campaign is not about hate. It's about hope. Hope for
change...People need to know this [homosexuality] is not a lifetime
sentence. No one has been saying that. Change is possible." Some
people who claim to have been healed of their homosexuality were
present at the news conference.
Bisexual groups' response: The bisexual and transsexual
communities were outraged at the adverts of the religious
right. Some were also not particularly enamored at the
response adverts by lesgay groups which had ignored
bisexuals and transsexuals.
America
The state unveiled two antismoking advertisements that will appear
in publications for gay men and lesbians. It is the first time that the
state has used tax money from an anti-tobacco initiative to reach
gay audiences. Officials said that the prevalence of smoking
among gay men and lesbians was 70 percent higher than among
the general population. ''The state's lesbian and gay communities
smoke at distressingly high rates,'' said Dr. Diana M. Bonta, the
state health director. One advertisement says that smoking is the
No. 1 killer among gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered
people. The other says tobacco
companies promote their products among
gays. Two tobacco companies have
challenged the campaign in federal court.
John M. Broder (NYT)
Britain
In November 1986, the British government finally grasped the scale of the
AIDS problem, setting up a Cabinet Committee devoted to
combating what was rapidly becoming an epidemic. £20 million was
earmarked for a publicity campaign, £5 million of which was to be spent
on television commercials which could be adapted for cinema.
Against a backdrop of icebergs and tombstones, the voice of the actor
John Hurt sounded a chilling warning of an impending Aids epidemic. It
was seen as a classic among advertising campaigns.
Designed to frighten people into practising only safe sex, the notorious
"Don't Die of Ignorance" adverts launched by the Government in 1986
were hailed as a success in raising awareness on HIV and Aids.
But 16 years later, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have soared to
record levels and young people who missed the Aids scare of the late
Eighties and early Nineties are engaging in increasingly risky sexual
behaviour.
Ikea
Ikea advert – ‘Dining room table’
Groundbreaking, famous advert for Swedish furniture maker
IKEA, made news around the world, though it was rarely
seen. It features a male couple shopping for a dining room
table together. The two middle-aged men, who finish each
other's sentences, say ‘a leaf means commitment.’ At the
end, one says, ‘We've got another leaf waiting for when we
REALLY start getting along’ - perhaps implying having
children.
Brand: IKEA
Company: IKEA International
Year: 1994
Themes: Gay couples
Made by
Annabelle
&
Lily