Dedication:

 To the candle who is spending herself until

my dreams are fulfilled, to

you mother.

 To the one whose blood runs through my

veins, to you father.

 To my siblings, Nadia, Mohamed, Ahmed and

Hicham.

 To the friend whose cheerful smiles guided

my ambitions, to you

R. Nisrine.

 To the most eleemosynary friends K.

Abdelkrim, O.Meski, I. Sakhi,

M. Salhi.

 To the spring of knowledge and wisdom, to

all my professors.

1
 Acknowledgment:
I would like to cease this opportunity to
express my great admiration and total
respect to everyone who supported
me throughout my educational
career. A special thanks to Mr.
Abdellatif Khayati my supervisor and
whose classes were the source of my
inspiration and creativity. Also, I want
to thank both Jasmine Brubaker and
Abigail Spurrier for supporting me with
their continuous pieces of advice.

Table of contents:

2
Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................
... 4

I- A General overview for TV ads

.................................................................................................................... 6

A- Introduction to TV ads
............................................................................................................................. 6

1- Critical overview of TV ads

.................................................................................................................... 6

2- Techniques used in TV ads and their effects

.................................................................................... 12

B- Cultural aspect of TV ads

....................................................................................................................... 16

1- Ethics in TV ads
........................................................................................................................................ 16

2- Stereotypical function of TV ads

......................................................................................................... 20

II- Our lives in relation to TV ads

.................................................................................................................... 23

A- Sexism in TV ads
..................................................................................................................................... 23

1- Women’s representation in TV ads

.................................................................................................... 23

2- Men’s representation in TV ads

.......................................................................................................... 29

B- Designing gender roles in TV ads

....................................................................................................... 32

3
 1- Women’s roles in TV ads
...................................................................................................................... 32

2- Men's roles in TV ads

............................................................................................................................. 36

Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................
39

Works cited ..........................................................................................................................................................

41

INTRODUCTION:
Advertising in general is a very crucial issue that is of a great importance for different
scholars all over the world. “Current ads reflect radical changes in our technologies and
media, our social and economic relations, our sense of personal and group identity”
Cook, Guy, The Discourse of Advertising. In a simple way, advertising as a whole has a
deep hand in molding our perception of the world, in addition to our personal and social
identity. TV ads are the most notorious form of ads thanks to the value they inherit from
television. TV ads are one of the most important influences in our lives as they take part
in framing our perception of the world, this is resulted for the fact that TV ads are more
reaching and spread than any other form of ads, as some people may not have access to
newspapers or magazines, added to this, TV ads make it gentle and leisurely even for
non-readers to know about new products and merchandise; thence, everyone can be
easily enmeshed or ensnarled by TV ads.

The spur that urged me to write this paper has the same purpose which unifies all
writings that aim at deciphering and decoding media texts in order to unravel their
mischievous intentions. This paper is also the produce of the fact that I am one of the
4
audience who are bombarded all the time with TV ads that look nonsense and silly, but
unstoppable. Another target area of this paper, which mostly unifies all counter-currents
that diagnose media discourse with a critical view, is to unveil the dehumanizing
treatment of media towards human race, specifically, men and women, who are
manipulated, behind the screens as objects and marionettes and outside the screens as
lethargic minds and "docile bodies", which helps serving the benefits of the adman who
is unable to convince the audiences in an honest way rather than resorting to deceitful
techniques to invade people’s both affective and cognitive filters in order to stimulate
them to adopt the culture of consumerism.

TV ads sneak into people’s mind and affect the way they think and their behavior as
well, that is why my interest is to provide a critical reading via which we can acquire
some strategies that may help us face the messages we receive from TV ads. This paper
looks really different for the fact that it raises some issues concerning TV ads which are
neglected and underrated in other writings.

For me to achieve these purposes, I followed a certain order so as to help the readers
proceed in a logical progressive way while reading this paper. "Is there nothing more
practical than a good theory?" Rothman, A.J. (2004). In every field, the theoretical part is
very essential since it enhances our understanding of phenomena and issues we raise;
therefore, theory has its own share in this paper as a gateway for readers to be initiated to
the practical part in which we are involved in a critical analysis for different aspects
related to TV ads.

The first part of the paper is devoted to a general overview about the progressive
movement of ads in general and TV ads in specific. It also attempts to provide a critical
5
description for the functioning of TV ads in society. The main purport of this part is to
spark the reader's critical cerebration vis-à-vis media messages.

As for the second part, it is committed to diagnosing different TV ads and their effects
on the audience. It is the beating heart of this paper since it aims at deciphering concrete
examples of how TV ads take part in constructing our social and personal identity. The
selected ads for analysis belong to different social and cultural contexts so as to make my
analysis applicable to different vicinities.

I. A GENERAL OVERVIEW FOR TV ADS:

A. INTRODUCTION TO TV ADS:

1. Critical overview of TV ads:

The world we live in has become a battleground where phenomena, innovations and
ideologies campaign to enslave the human mind. One crucial sample of this fact is the
hegemony of media nowadays, which has sneaked into people's mind and reshaped both
their way of thinking and life style. This media predominance is simply the offshoot of
the ubiquity and unprecedented dissemination worldwide that characterize this latter and
contribute to its strength.

Television, newspapers, Internet, magazines, etc, are all artilleries rigged by

corporations, conglomerates and the state to serve as pillars to their ideologies, profits
and by the end as a middleman between media holders and the consumer's purchase. De
facto, no one can traverse the extent to which media has become an empire with its own
rules, culture and ideologies. Many people are aware of this, that's why this part will not

6
be confined to just enumerating and giving statistics concerning cons and pros of media
hegemony and its function in societies; more than this, it is to tempt the reader to be
eclectic whilst decoding and decrypting media texts especially those which are
transmitted via TV; to a great extent, the ones that are passed around by TV ads, because
TV as we know it is no more just a machine with a remote control or a virtual window to
the world as many people think of it; in fact, it has become an indispensable member of
the family, it is also a means through which transnational cultures are transmitted to
achieve the so called “global culture” which is truly a monolithic culture.

For an effective study of different phenomena and issues that are of a great importance
in our daily and social life, a look back at their origins is essential. Ads have a rich
history thanks to the various forms they took and stages they went through. Let us take
the flying carpet to see how advertising has shifted from being an oral, inanimate,
ephemeral and less spread activity to becoming an audiovisual, animate, continuous and
widespread activity.

The spirit of advertising dates back to the medieval era. The concept of advertising as
we know it is not something new that belongs to the late centuries. In reality, it is just an
extension of ads that existed in the Greek and Roman era. At that time, there was only the
so called "public crier" who was the only means and agent to inform businessmen and
traders about new trades and products. The public crier used to walk the streets and
between shops shouting out so that to sensitize people about news not only related to
merchandise, but also politics and social matters including weddings and funerals. The
“public crier” was censored by merchants and businessmen to help them sell their
products. From this point, we may conclude that the “public crier” was a walking ad that
could not reach everyone.

7
 Years later, in the 17th century advertising as we know it took its place with the coming
of newspapers. At this place, ads started to be published in a written form and becoming

more spread among people in an easier way than before. During the 17th century and
mainly in the middle of the century was the appearance of small or classified ads ( known
as "mercuries" in the past); They are a kind of printed ads that deal with different
products like medicines and they also include announcements. "Mercuries also printed
ads for lost horses and runaway slaves, and offered rewards for their capture" Cook, Guy,
The Discourse of Advertising, p.16.

Retrieved on 29/05/2009, http://www.bible.ca/evangelism/enewspaper.htm

8
 Example of mercury: Dyer, Gillian, Advertising as Communication, p25.

From this point, we can visualize the way people benefited from advertising not just as
a commercial activity, but also as a way to solve social and personal problems.

In the 18th century, newspapers increased in number with the growth of their
readership; thus, ads were given the chance to be well known and readable by more
people than before. The situation of the press in that period encouraged ads to buy more
space in newspapers so as to become well spread. Despite this forward step, ads were still
printed and lacking illustration and colorfulness that might add flavor to their function.
Though the situation of ads was miserable as far as means and infrastructure are
concerned, they succeeded in attracting people’s attention and making them active
consumers. As a result of their development, ads became more important for the fact that
they started to look like a window to the news and innovations for people. This was not
the last phase where ads took control of everything.

The 19th century was in itself a memorable period in the advertising diary. New
advertising forms emerged to make it more effective and familiarize people to it. With

9
the coming of television, ads could reach every house and took the leadership in guiding
people’s lifestyle, choices and tastes. The fact that ads occupied all TV channels boosted
their effectiveness.

Modern advertising in today’s society takes many forms. New technology, social
development and other factors contribute immensely to the great progress of advertising
at all levels (form, content and power). In the past, advertising used to be separate from
other fields and disciplines. Today, it has become a kind of laboratory with the green
light for all kinds of studies and domains. Among these disciplines we may find science,
art and engineering. This harmonious fusion is meant to make from ads more
comprehensive and well tailored to serve the benefits of the adman. Besides this,
advertisements are no longer just written words and static images. Instead of recruiting
painters or writers, companies now pay advertisers to design an overstated audiovisual
representation for their products to be broadcast on TV.

" In a world beset by social and ecological problems, advertising can be seen as urging
people to consume more by making them feel dissatisfied or inadequate, by appealing to
greed, worry and ambition" Cook, Guy, The Discourse of Advertising, p.16. The
conclusion we can draw out from this quote can be a summation of the purpose behind
every advertisement which is to snare as many people as possible by taking advantage of
their foibles, worries and desires.

What is worse about TV ads precisely is that, they are not meant just to lure individuals
appealing to their needs and wants, more than this; they tend to render unessential things
fundamental elements of human life. If we take the example of cell phones, no one can
deny that they are a part and partial means of communication today, but what about the
accessory and add-ons?, do we really need a mobile phone that has a groovy camera and

10
integrated java so that we can communicate?, if we want to make a phone call does it
really matter if we have a 3G mobile phone or any “antique” one?.

The answers to these questions can be determined either by TV ads that depict people
who have old fashioned mobiles as backward compared to the ones who own
sophisticated mobiles, or we can ask our critical mind for help so as to support us in
providing fair answers. Starting with TV ads, while watching an ad for cell phones, it
makes us feel that being a member of those who possess that cellular phone is being a
feebleminded person unable to catch up with innovations and new technology. Once our
critical mind starts processing rationally, we will be able to unknot the thread that leads
us to logical answers for the lately asked questions and the reasonable deduction we will
come up with is to be applicable to all similar TV ads that picture vanguards of society as
individuals possessing products of different brands.

It is agreed upon that a product without ads will be incapable to survive, and a TV
channel without ads can never exert its presence and standstill amongst other channels,
especially with the phenomenon of proliferation of TV channels, which gave birth to a
kind of rivalry between them to accommodate more ads as they represent a primordial
source of financial gain and support for them to win media war waged by the various
ideologies and unlimited messages transmitted in every laps of time. In Morocco for
example, from 1956 up to 2003 there were only two national TV channels (RTM and
2M), and from 2004 to 2009 there was the emergence of about five more channels.

The super powerful esteem given to TV advertisements is the termination of the fact
that they comprise a big part of media output, since every single advertisement is
perpetually repeated in different channels along the day. This means that even if we want
to escape watching an ad in a specific channel, we will turn out by watching it in another

11
one. In general ubiquity and omnipresence are the two features that take part in
magnifying and aggrandizing the predominance and propensity of TV ads.

Before putting hand on the main issues of the paper, we have first to be
knowledgeable about the coded facade of advertising, because advertisements in general
and TV ads in particular are double layered, meaning that they have a displayed level
(informing people about a certain product and pushing them to buy it), and a hidden layer
(confirming, perpetuating or foregrounding a culture and manipulating people's thoughts
for profit).

Rita Clifton a media critic stated in one of her invitations to people's critical mind to
transcend the superficial view of advertising as a simple thing in our society, she said "It
is important […] to move beyond the traditional position of considering advertising as a
separate or district sphere, with quite distinct boundaries which mark it off from TV
programs or newspapers' articles, and to begin to see media content and advertising as
inextricably bound together".

TV ads are considered to be one of the biggest and important influences in our lives as
they are always loaded with embedded messages directed to the audiences; therefore,
there is a sort of organic linkage characterized by a communicative function between
society and TV ads, as stated in this quote, "In order to understand advertising as a form
of communication and as an influential social institution, it is important to see it as a part
of [...] social process” Dyer, Gillian, Advertising as Communication, p.15; simply put,
advertising has a communicative and influential function that is not accomplished
accidentally; systematically, this reveals the concept that TV ads go through different
stages and adopt various techniques for it to be effective and indelibly encroaching.

2. Techniques used in TV ads and their effects:

12
 After being introduced to the progressive movement of advertising from the 17th
century up to now, we come up with the conclusion that advertising in today’s society
needs to catch up with the technological development that changed the way we perceive
the world around us. This need gives access to any other field so as to make advertising
effective. Graphic designers, artists, scenarists and others are all participants in the
making of a TV ad and this shows the importance of being an open sector to all fields.
TV ads lay under the category of audiovisual form of ads; this means that a lot of effort
and money is to be invested for it to be admired.

“Advertising is now at a point of transition, making the present unsecure, the future
uncertain and the past not always relevant” Cook, Guy, The Discourse of Advertising.
Simply put, the audiences now have developed a kind of dependency on TV ads because
they have succeeded in overwhelming us with the illusion of satisfying our needs and
wants.

Advertising is a broad discipline. It can be considered as one of the most complex parts
in the world of business. For a TV ad to be successful and achieve its desired goals, it
must undergo different phases and make use of different techniques so as to be more
influential. When dealing with TV ads, we are supposed to investigate the techniques
they use to keep the current consumers and target potential ones.

Media critics such as Gillian Dyer and Guy Cook invite us to move beyond the traditional
way of considering advertising. Technically speaking, advertising refers to the process
whereby an advertisement is carried out; but in reality, it is one of the most important
influences in our lives. TV ads in specific are the most influential forms of ads due to the
combination of audio and visual features which have a deep hand in making the effect
more indelible. Verbal and visual signs used in commercial TV ads increase the
audience’s passivity, gratify their desires and activate their purchasing behavior.

13
 TV ads carry messages that target specific segments; this automatically indicates that
when designing a TV ad, the techniques used should differ according to the potential
audience. Association in TV ads that are designed for young children is an important
technique, especially when it comes to cartoons. Advertisers benefit from cartoons by
integrating cartoon figures like spider-man and Barbie in their ads in order to attract
young children’s attention. Whereas in TV ads meant for adults exploit celebrities
including singers, sports people and actors so as to transfer all the good qualities of these
celebrities to the products.

Man in general is gratified and overwhelmed by entertainment which is also a major

technique resorted to by admen. The entertaining aspect of TV ads is simply the ultimate
fruit of the combination of a multitude of other things. Among these things we find
humor.

Humor is a part and partial component of a successful TV ad. In psychology, humor is

considered as a cure for stress and anxiety. This makes from humorous TV ads a “cure”
for the audience. If we look at humor in TV ads with a critical view, we will end up
saying that it does not aim at just releasing us from our anxiety, but also shaping our
behavior and dictating for us how we should see things. In the Moroccan context for
example, there is always a tendency to use famous Moroccan comedians such as
Mohammed Aljem and Hassan Fed who are very famous in Morocco for their comic
sense.

The reason behind using humor in TV ads is done because of the fact that humor and
comedy are inspirational and free from materialism or bad intentions. As a result, naive
audiences believe that comic TV ads are benevolent and freehearted. While watching a
TV ad, the scenes presented lure the audience to the extent that they begin to identify
themselves with the ad; thus, they feel it, experience it and believe in it. The notion of

14
satisfaction in TV ads means that the fusion of sound and images makes us view the
world the way we think we want. Our dreams that can not come true can be realized
when watching TV ads.

Before the coming of TV, people used to read newspapers and listen to radio stations
which were the two major means for advertising to be spread. Reading and listening are
two cognitive processes that need an effort; but when it comes to watching, it is more
enjoyable and less demanding from the part of the audience. That is to say, passivity and
complete state of lethargy will be the consequence. Verbal and visual signs make it easy
for people to understand the ads and appreciate them more and more because music and
movement in TV ads make the audience sway while watching ads that include beautiful
sounds and nice scenes. The effective use of audiovisual support in TV ads can even
hypnotize the audience and switch off their critical resistance to what they receive. All
TV ads aim at inducing more consumers. For this to happen, advertisers recruit designers
and artists to help them work out very successful TV ads. In most TV ads, we find a lot
of people in a hurry to get a product before it is over; this image implicitly seeps into the
audiences’ unconscious mind, then they find themselves doing the same thing as those in
the ad. With the use of audiovisual techniques, TV ads started to look more realistic and
people take for granted the actions done by people in TV ads; consequently, they imitate
them blindly.

“If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me

you should use their language, the language they use everyday, the language in which
they think” Oglivy, David, Confessions of an Advertising Man. Language is a very
important instrument that contributes to the success of TV ads. Again another Moroccan
example which makes use of language in order to be effective is the TV ad where Hassan
Fed advertises Meditél (a Moroccan telecommunication agency). In that ad, Hassan Fed
uses a combination of Moroccan dialect and standard Arabic in a very funny way. This ad

15
has a big effect on Moroccan audience for they started imitating him in their daily
conversations.

The different analyses to TV ads tend to put more focus on the pictorial and visual part
and undergrad the auditory one; whereas music and sound are of the same importance.
The choice of songs, pace and volume represents an essential constituent for a TV ad.
The cadence and rhythmic melody in a TV ad make the audience duped and forget about
the messages in the ad. Most of the music in TV ads is memorable and easily
remembered so that it can leave an impact on people even when their televisions are shut.

Another important technique in TV ads is narrativity. Many TV ads are in a form of

brief-stories. In other words, they are “[…] mini-dramas which compress a large number
of narrative events into a very short space of time through the highly stylized gestures
and facial expressions of extremely skilful actors.” Cook, Guy, The Discourse of
Advertising, p.47; that is to say, TV ads make an excessive use of narrativised stories so
as to make the ad look real and likely to happen. A story needs good actors to carry it out;
this is what makes from acting the beating-heart of TV ads. Sometimes people like to
watch TV ads not for the purpose of knowing about products, but rather to enjoy the
scenes in them.

The better acting is, the more admired a TV ad can be. What shows the value of acting
in TV ads is the use of famous actors; consequently, while watching an ad featuring Van
Diesel or Brad Pitt we have the feeling as if we are watching a real movie. This leads us
to talk about celebrity ads where celebrities are used as a hook to get the admiration of
the audience and gain their sympathy by pushing them to buy the products.

Last and not least, for TV ads to be influential, they tend to mirror real life so as to
make the audience believe that what they are seeing can happen to anyone; and as a
result, they respond to them in a submissive and blind way. TV ads that are verisimilar

16
get more support from the audience because people in general know that the media is
never saying the truth; therefore, whenever they see that something is real, they live with
it.

B. CULTURAL ASPECT OF TV ADS:

1. Ethics in TV ads:
The complexity of TV ads is not just about how to interpret their messages. Whenever
we try to answer question about how TV ads work, we end up asking more complex
questions. After having some ideas concerning techniques used in TV ads, we now find
ourselves interested in knowing about whether TV ads are ethical or not and do they
really take into consideration all that is moral.

Media holders know no limits or barriers that may hinder their success and fame; thus,
it is difficult to speak about media ethics in a world governed by the spirit of profitability
and materialism. In an ideal world, morality is one basic element that everyone should
abide by if they want to prove their good intentions and set up their own territory,
whereas in our world, TV ads resort to all means for the sake of having more impact on
people.

The reason behind raising this issue is to prove the truth that TV ads do not have bona
fide and philanthropic intentions because their only and one aim is to make commercial
gains. Honesty and credibility are both important ethical aspects TV ads must abide by.
In theory, advertising agencies claim that their aim is just to provide connections between
the consumers and the companies; however, in practice, things are different. A successful
advertising agency is not the one which is able to inform people about products, but it is
the one which is able to attract more consumers and help companies make more profits.
That is to say, TV ads can violate social norms, break taboos and use all means to be
effective.

17
 To illustrate more, TV ads for Sauna Belt and products against hair loss are vivid
examples for the transgression of ethics. People who believe that their hair will grow up
after using a product for about six weeks, they are easily tempted and convinced to buy
products which can not help growing up a hair on a bold head. This means that
truthfulness and credibility are sacrificed for the sake of profitability. TV ads are known
for being opportunist; meaning that, they sacrifice all that is ethical and moral for the
purpose of convincing the audience to buy a specific product. Our weaknesses,
obsessions and desires are all taken into account by TV advertisers; this consideration is
not meant for satisfying our needs and wants, on the other hand, it is a search for a way to
control our mind and affection in order to make us act in a certain way. Sauna Belt is also
an interesting case for study. No one can deny the fact that we all want to have a well
shaped body, fee from fat and muscle deficiencies. Sauna Belt ads on TV introduce us to
a magic solution to help us solve abdomen problems in an easy and quick way without
any efforts or training program. The following are pictures for Sauna Belt and Provillus:

Sauna Belt Provillus

18
 “A creative hook is an emotional trigger that attracts the buyer” Dahl, Gary,
Advertising for Dummies, 2nd edition, p.283. This quote justifies the absence of ethics in
TV ads. During the process of designing TV ads, agencies do not pay attention to the
effects and damages those TV ads may have on the audience.

TV ads use all means to achieve their purposes. They can violate social norms in
different occasions. The “damaging depiction” of society and people is in itself an act of
the lack of ethics in TV ads. “Let us look at three common assumptions about ads:

• They are unrealistic

• They always portray a bland and problem-free world
• They eulogize a product, stressing its advantages, while ignoring, or distracting
attention from, its disadvantages.” Cook, Guy, The Discourse of Advertising,
pp.218-219.
Previously, we saw that TV ads portray society in a way that sounds real; the realistic
aspect of TV ads is limited to the process of acting, but the content of the ads is very
platonic and fake.

TV ads play on people’s psyche by targeting their ambitions and wishes. Apart from
media, the world we live in is inundated with troubles, worries and wars; all these make
us search for a better place where there is nothing to worry about or to be scared of. This
type of life is to be found in TV ads which introduce to us a world free from problems.
The absence of ethics in TV ads can be also exemplified in the fact that they inflate and
praise products for their advantages at the expense of telling the truth and revealing its
shortcomings. This truly misleads the audience and makes them believe in the sweet lies
they see in TV ads.

19
 TV ads use many techniques to make the audience see them as ethical; however, these
techniques are themselves unethical. Advertisers hire people to help them make up
interviews and show them to the audience as public opinion. You can never find in a TV
ad someone saying something like this product is not good or do not buy this product just
because they are all the mouthpiece of companies themselves.

The absence of credibility is also shown in the use of testimonies; in other words,
detergents are famous for the exploitation of labs to assert and prove the “efficacy "of
their products. The questions we may ask here are, to what extent are these labs true or
not? Are the people in these labs professionals or actors put there to overwhelm the
audience?

2. Stereotypical function of TV ads:

Advertising is a world where various ideas and phenomena take place. It is a tool in the
hand of the media whereby it can create and perpetuate stereotypes. Different studies
asserted that TV ads do not act as just a means to bridge the gaps between companies and
consumers; they also have a stereotypical function. The moment we are watching TV ads,
we are watching a representation of a culture, this representation might be true or not
depending on the ideology and agenda of the TV ad makers. Audiences are always at
stake because not every one of us is equipped with enough media savvy to detect the
stereotypical aspects of TV ads.

Sometimes it is not so clear that TV ads represent stereotypes which unconsciously

affects our view and perception of the world around us; more than that, it can even
impose on us how we should interpret a specific culture whether it is our culture or not.
20
 “We look for major effect, that’s why! Too often, we look for the ability of an ad to
persuade us, we look for a major effect rather than subtle, minor effects” Sutherland, Max
and Alice, K. Sylvester, Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer, Second Edition, p.6.

If we take this quote into consideration, we will end up saying that even those who are
armed with media literacy may be the victims of the hidden messages transmitted via TV
ads. The most frequent stereotypes we can come across are the ones that represent the
white race as superior and the rest as inferiors. Beauty care products have succeeded in
distorting our perception of what beautify is because it seldom happens that we see a
black or dark skinned girl advertising crèmes or whatsoever; that is why we started to
believe that everything which is white is beautiful, whereas it is the opposite for what is
non-white.

Backwardness is no more a matter of being intellectual or not. “Thanks” to TV ads that

up-to-datedness can be achieved simply by buying certain products. TV ads for
technological instruments merely depict the ones who own certain products as the
vanguards of society as opposed to those who do not have these instruments and who are
portrayed as atavistic and unsuccessful.

“When our kids are growing up we don’t notice their physical growth each day but
from time to time we become aware that they have grown” Sutherland, Max and Alice,
K. Sylvester, Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer, Second Edition, p.6.
The problem about stereotypes in TV ads is that they are not salient. Stereotypes we
acquire from TV ads take sometime before being part of our way of thinking. When
watching an ad showing someone who does not have something as unwanted and misfit,
then after finding the same image in different TV ads, that image becomes stuck in our
mind till we start to believe in it and support it.

21
 TV ads assume that they take into consideration all cultures and that they do not impose
themselves on the audience. But, in practice they serve the benefits of one monolithic
culture which is the western culture. To explain more, the fact that ads need more
sophisticated equipments, staff and ideas necessitates a kind of favoritism in the selection
of what to represent and how to represent it; this pushes the admen to resort to western
culture as a medium via which they transmit their messages and they no more consider
the different cultures as being equal.

Identity crisis may be one serious consequence of this cultural favoritism. People who
are not aware of the imported cultural representations in TV ads may run the risk of
adopting a culture that does not fit their social context. This can be felt in the changes
societies undergo in every laps of time. Cultural relativism is something denied in the
world of media for that most TV ads represent modern culture as the best and superior
culture urges the audience imitate it and criticize their own culture for being atavistic. In
general, a TV ad is a package where stereotypes and cultural deformity are integrated and
injected in the audience's mind.

22
II. OUR LIVES IN RELATION TO TV ADS:

A. SEXISM IN TV ADS:

1. Women’s representation in TV ads:

The great importance given to TV ads today is not only the offshoot of their
participation in commercial gains. TV ads are approached from different scopes
according to the field they are entangled in. In this part, we are going to delve into one of
the major mischievous and immoral aspects in TV ads; this aspect is considered as a
weapon used by the adman so as to enmesh more costumers. The more curious you are to
know about this weapon, the more hypnotized naive audiences are when watching ads
that include this weapon.

In fact, sexism has become a technique in TV ads; more than this, it is “the magic
bullet” that triggers our uncontrolled sexual desires and pushes us to buy a product not
because we need it, but because of the erotic impact it leaves and the sexual connotations

23
it has. The criticism that advertisers may face is mainly concerning the relationship
between the product and the way it is advertised. For this criticism to take place, we need
to ask questions such as, does an ad for men clothing need a sexy girl? Does an ad for
toothpaste need a girl to smile in front of her boyfriend to show us the efficacy of the
product?

The aim behind addressing sexism in TV ads as a weapon is to highlight its effects and
the damages it may leave as far as audiences are concerned. Nobody can deny the truth
that people in general have sexual desires which can not be controlled. The nude girls,
high heel shoes and sexual actions that take place in TV ads unleash people’s voyeuristic
appetite and abolish the role of reason and morality in controlling our repressed desires. It
has become a rule that an ad which addresses men should feature beautiful women even
if they are not that important in introducing a product.

In TV ads, women’s body is used as a tool to sell products. The idea behind showing
the woman as a sexual object is not innocent because the aim of advertisers is to address
“society’s most formidable weakness, desire to sell a simple product” Kyle, Teater,
Eroticism, Marketing and Abercrombie & Fitch, p.1. Women’s role in TV ads is not only
a housewife or a slave to her cosmetics, more than this; they are exploited and victimized
in every single TV ad as naked or half-naked bodies. In many occasions, there is no need
for the presence of a woman to sell or present the product, but the spell women’s body
casts on the audience makes the adman unable to attain his objectives without women’s
objectification.

Once there is a sporting event on TV, most of its viewers are males; at this time,
random ads featuring beautiful girls start to pop up. In the Moroccan context for example,
ads for Gillette (a company for shaving equipments) emerge during the sporting events,
most of these ads show a handsome man with bared chest shaving his beard; then, a

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beautiful girl comes from the back and hugs him, caresses his shaved beard and gives him
a kiss. The effect of these ads is not restricted to just making men buy the product, but
also the focus on their uncontrolled sexual desires makes them focus on the actions in the
ads rather than the products themselves. As a result, men no more watch the ads to know
about new products, but they enjoy gazing at the idols and half naked girls as their target.

Retrieved on 11/05/2009, http://www.metacafe.com/watch/536137/mobinil_3/

The snapshots we have here are taken from a TV ad for Mobinil, an Egyptian
telecommunication company. The ad as you see in the first snapshot begins by putting
25
great focus and zooming in the bared ankle with the bracelet of the attractive woman.
Later on, the woman keeps walking in a very titillating way which attracts the attention of
the fishermen and woke them up from their siesta. The impression we have after
watching this TV ad is that women are a source of pleasure for men, because the
fishermen were having their nap at a time when the beautiful and sexually attractive
woman popped up to feed their appetite.

The only authority women have in TV ads is the sexual one. “Her height, accentuated
by her high heels, puts the man in the submissive position of being below her” Coulter,
Whitney, Feminizing Fred. From this description taken from a TV ad for Calvin Klein,
we can picture the effectiveness of the objectification of women in TV ads. Ads like this
one aim at conveying to us the message that women’s body is accessible if we own
certain “qualities” (products).”These advertisements present women as a goal, a trophy if
you will” Sadiq, Shafeeq, Racism and Sexism in Advertising. The sexual description of
women in TV ads is not just about being nude; women are also portrayed as being
obsessed with sex and unintelligent since their only interest is to gratify men’s suppressed
desires. This misrepresentation of women in TV ads also affects women’s situation even
in real world. When a woman watches different ads where there are only beautiful and
extremely attractive girls, her identity is lost which is referred to as “crisis in women’s
identity”. The effects of sexual TV ads where women are simply a commodity find its
prey in the mind of female audience who are unsure about themselves. The value of the
woman as an active member in society is reduced in TV ads as they highlight the idea
that for a woman to exert her identity and presence, she must look like models and idols
in TV ads which is something that can never be attained.

Computer retouching is a cunning technique whereby advertisers fabricate their own

models. Women we see in TV ads are digitally forged with the help of softwares such as
Photoshop and After-effect. The use of these computer programs helps designers make

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from a normal woman look like a “very perfect model” and the audience start to believe
that beauty is what they see in TV ads. In fact, “our perception of beauty has been
distorted”. A beautiful woman is no more the one who knows how to protect herself from
the outside world and respect the norms of society; instead, she is the one who dresses up
half-naked and whose body is observable to the public. Women’s objectification goes
beyond the TV screen and becomes applicable in real world due to the hegemony of TV
ads and their power to control our society.

TV ads tarnish women’s image and reputation via mirroring them as men’s properties.
The most notorious ads specialized in the implication of sexism are ads for perfumes.
Hugo Boss for example, in one of its ads there is a man, who wants to befriend a cute
girl, but she does not care about him; suddenly, one of his friends introduces him to Hugo
Boss and it is his salvation and perfect solution that helps him have her. After spraying
the perfume, they show them hugging each other while the girl is moving her nose around
his neck admiring his perfume. For boys, it is a glory to win the girl they want, whereas,
for a girl it is loss to obey to a boy because of his perfume. In general, sexism in ads
highlights the idea that possessing specific products is the perfect and easiest way to start
a relationship.

Nudity in TV ads enhances the culture of eroticism in societies. Ads make the
impossible look possible and normalize taboos as a means to attain their goals. When we
watch an ad today, we begin to see that girls are not just actresses in the ad, more than
that; they are a part of the product. Advertisers take advantage of sexism to sell their
products and not just to propagate it.

Women in TV ads are introduced as sexual objects and puppets maneuvered by men
who own specific products. Celebrity advertising is also a vivid illustration that indicates
the erotic weapon and its effect on the audience. The difficulty we may face when talking

27
about this type of ads is to justify the truth that even girls could not escape the contagious
effects of celebrity ads. While talking about celebrity ads, we should not skip an eye
from the way the camera focuses on the idols’ body parts. Every one of us wants to be
famous; this feeling empowers the effects of celebrity ads because the audiences believe
that if they use the advertised products, they will become like those celebrities. Our main
concern here is not celebrities themselves, but we are invited the dwell on the way they
are presented and the effects their bodies leave on the audiences. Since celebrity women
have become the heroines and legends of today, their ads grab more attention in a very
powerful and effective way than any other type of TV ads.

As mentioned before, the ever presence of women in TV ads makes them the goal of
watching TV ads instead of the product itself. The discourse of TV commercial
advertising is a complex discipline in today’s world, this pushes us to be more cautious
and tactful when analyzing and interpreting advertising messages. A superficial analysis
of the way women are depicted in TV ads is going to restrict our criticism.

Jean Kilbourne in her film “Killing Us Softly 3” invites us to some critical readings to
different advertisements including TV ads which depict both men and women in a hyper
sexualized way. The major ideas we get from that video can be summed up in different
ways. When we ask people whether they pay attention to TV ads or not, most of their
answers are negative; this does not mean that they have succeeded in repelling the
countless number of messages they are exposed to when watching TV ads. Their situation
is worse because they submit to TV ads and accept their whole package with its cons and
if there are any pros. “What is important about women is how we look” Jean Kilbourne.
TV ads educate women that they should invest all their money and energy to achieve a
certain physical status. What is more interesting about “Killing Us Softly” is when
K.Jean said that the objectification of women in TV ads makes them deprived of their
pleasure by transmitting their sense of satisfaction to the audience especially men; That

28
is, when we see a woman half-naked with her face covered up with make up, for the
audience it is a pleasure to such things whereas in reality, that woman is in a complete
deprivation of her sense of being as a human being. In her analysis to some TV ads,
K.Jean highlights the presence of sexual violence against women which constantly takes
place in TV ads. Women in TV ads are often described as vulnerable in a way that they
are seen as subject to harassment and exploitation

2. Men’s representation in TV ads:

Women in TV ads are introduced as sexual objects and puppets maneuvered by men
who own specific products. On the other hand, men are portrayed as sexual animals
whose dreams are confined to sexuality and women. Men in their turn could not escape
being objectified and “thingified” in TV ads. Their body is also used as a sexual
attraction to lure the audience and mainly women. “There is no longer a simplistic single
masculinism, but, rather, many and changing masculinisms” Reichert, Tom and
Lambiase, Jacqueline. Sex in Advertising, p.215. When dealing with the representation of
men in TV ads, we should first know what is meant by being a man. This is because
masculinism is no longer as we know it. For people who do not know what a man is, if
they watch TV ads where men are portrayed as sexual animals whose dreams are
confined to sex and women. The constructed image they will get about man is that of a
monster obsessed with desires, materialistic and empty minded.

Sportswear, underwear and others are samples for products that resort to sexism from
the part of both male and female to attract more consumers; moreover, Their effects are
everlasting and profound; when watching an ad like Hawaii (coke), men are invited to
transcend the real world they are in and travel in mind to an island full of beautiful girls
with colorful underwear dancing and enjoying their time with men. This ad transmits the
message that once a man drinks Hawaii, he will be elevated from his place and sent to the

29
heavenly island; Alas! Even if you drink a pool of that coke, you will remain where you
stand. This type of TV ads aims at making us believes that men are blinded with sex and
lust. TV ads are more complex than any other form of ads; this complexity is due to the
powerful effects they exert on us. To some extent, some TV ads may have the effect of a
porn movie because of the erotic desires they may arouse.

Many people think of sexism as a female matter with the exclusion of men. In reality,
women’s body is the most objectified and sexed up in TV ads, but as a matter of fact,
both sexes could not escape being manipulated by the adman who prioritizes profitability
at the expense of morality and decency.

The effects of men’s erotic representation in TV ads shape our attitudes towards men as
unprincipled human being. In fact, the social shortcomings of this misrepresentation are
less and softer than women’s commodification in TV ads. There are many TV ads that
show men longing to have sex with different women and for that to happen, they must
own certain products. Media scholars put more emphasis on the effects and reasons
behind men’s objectification rather than the representation itself. “The male ideal’s facial
and bodily beauty signified superiority, harmony, measured movement, and moderation
in contrast to counterpart whose physical ugliness was equated with inner deformity,
perpetual movement, and excess.” Reichert, Tom and Lambiase, Jacqueline, Sex in
Advertising, p.220. In TV ads, it is not just women who care about having a fair
complexion, soft skin and fine-looking. Men in their turn are shown in TV ads as the
serious version of women since they both compete about who is going to look more
beautiful than the other.

First, let us dwell on some TV ads which feature male characters and analyze the way
they are represented.

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 Retrieved on 10/05/2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ySo29c-Gg

This TV ad begins by showing a naked man having a shower with Axe gel; after a
while, the ground under his feet collapses and he finds himself in front of many girls
dancing aerobics. He stands in the position of their trainer with his naked body, crosses
his legs to hide his orgasm, then the girls start to do like him. The man finds it enjoyable

31
and lovely to be in such a situation; He keeps dancing while the girls imitate him in a
humorous way. After that, he opens a door where he finds a half naked women waiting
for him to come.

This TV ad like many other ones emphasizes the misconception that men are lead by
their sexual drives without taking into consideration social norms. The scene where girls
start to laugh at him inculcates in the audience’s mind the belief that men should be
mocked at by society for the fact that they are ridiculous and “carefree”. The purpose
behind putting a naked man in the leading position is very important. As we have seen
previously, nothing happens by chance in TV ads. A stupid naked man in the front of
women signifies that men are bad leaders because they are easily tempted and corrupted
by sex.

B. DESIGNING GENDER ROLES IN TV ADS:

1. Women’s roles in TV ads:

In a glob where TV ads are everywhere, there is no doubt that they have their share in
shaping our perception of everything. TV ads dictate to us how to do things and how to
manage our life. In general, there is no clear cut space between real life and the one
depicted in TV ads; this is what pushes scholars to investigate media content and help the
audience decode media texts.

This part provides a critical analysis for the way TV ads construct gender roles and how
they affect our view of gender. Fore going into details, we should bare in mind that there
is a difference between the notion of sex and gender. It is believed that sex is biologically
constructed and gender is culturally constructed; however, Judith Bulter in her book
“Gender Troubles” proved that the two are culturally constructed because we base our
ideas about social functioning on sex; in other words, we take it for granted that men
have a set of tasks to fulfill in society which women cannot perform. This premise is
32
adopted by TV ads in a way that they represent women and men as different individuals
and each one has a place where to stand. TV ads form a patriarchal depiction of society
where the woman is a “happy housewife”.

Women’s roles in TV ads are restricted to households, passive citizens and more than
that, slaves of beauty care products, clothes, fashion and supermarkets. These images of
women are constant in TV ads which assert the misconception of the woman as a burden
for her society. What is worse about women’s roles in TV ads is not the representation
per se; rather, it is the way audiences respond to the representation. It is true that people
everywhere follow all that is modern. TV ads are also a sign of modern life; accordingly,
people adhere to what they see in these TV ads. Most frequently, women are described in
the kitchen making food for the family.

The ads we have here are all Moroccan TV ads representing different products and
different periods. The first one is an ad for Tide in 1969 in which a woman is washing
clothes. The second one is for shampoo Palmolive that was diffused in 1971 in which

33
there is a young lady helping a man to clean his hair so as to marry her, and the third one
is for flour in 2008. The ad represents a group of women dancing around a table and
putting on all they have cooked with Lala Maymouna (flour).

The purpose behind the selection of different ads from different periods is to prove the
fact that women's trivialized representation in TV ad is not something new. People may
think that the development our world witnessed helped bettering the situation of gender
relationship since women started to fight for their rights. However, this cannot be applied
to TV ads for they widened the gap between men and women. In TV ads, women are
often described as opposed to men with their handbags containing just cosmetics and
useless objects. The demeaning depiction of women in TV ads is not just concerning
what they do and what they have. It is also about how they look like.

34
 Retrieved on 10/06/2009, http://www.elissalovers.net/watch/ads/06.php

This TV ad for "Lux" is a relevant example of ads that promote gender stereotypes at
an early age. In this ad; we have a little girl who is shown as an adult fancied by her
mirror, clothes and "Lux". After she grows up and becomes Elissa, she remains addicted
to such things.

What is interesting about this ad is the way it enhances the misconception of women as
passive members of society and careless about important matters. "People call me
feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a
prostitute" West, Rebecca, 1913. The Image TV ads want us to keep about women is that
of a submissive woman who cannot defend her views and stand for her rights. We are
accustomed to women who value their appearance at the expense of their identity as
human beings.

35
 2. Men's roles in TV ads:

Designing gender roles in TV ads is a very crucial point that needs to be highlighted
whenever we deal with media discourse. Men in their turn have a constructed image in
TV ads. "It is also important to recognize the differences between men and women in
terms of what is important to them. Women are generally into color, fashion, family,
home and relationships. Men are more likely into sports, military combat, machines,
earning money and supporting their family." Sugarman, Joseph, Advertising Secrets of
the Written Word, p120.

According to this quote, men are in TV ads are treated as mechanical objects who have
no sense for emotions or affection. Violence, obscenity, toughness and others are all
qualities of man in TV ads. It is impossible to find an ad where men cry or show their
weaknesses except when they are faced with a sex object (sexed up woman). Men are
shown as daring and undisputed whenever they are in a situation where they are faced
with competition.

Scholars criticize patriarchal societies for being unjust when dealing with female
matters rather than criticizing the media itself for enhancing the notions and principles of
patriarchy; that is, the ideas we have about men as the masters of society become certain
when we watch TV and find most of its ads representing man in a powerful position as
opposed to woman who is in an inferior position. Men's power in TV ad is about being
violent, evil and unmerciful. Most TV ads show men in a violent way, either fighting
between themselves or with women. In other cases, their violence is touched in their
actions, clothes or language.

36
 Retrieved on 10/06/2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecsuGwWI0wc

The following pictures are taken from different ads for Japp which are vivid examples
for the representation of men as beasts that know nothing except power. The two TV ads
show a black man eating Japp while driving his truck, after he saw a man laying on a car,
he thought that the man was pushing it to the edge, so he decided to help him by pushing
it from the hill in the first one and to the sea in the second one.

37
 When our critical thinking starts to work while analyzing the two ads, we will begin to
see that men are also victims of the media with all its forms. In the first ad, the audience
are told that men can help destroying things rather than fixing them. As far as the second
one is concerned, the same message is transmitted with some ornamentation added to
beautify the ad such as portraying men as rapists. The fourth picture shows four men with
a girl who was forced to have sex with the head of the gang and as you can see, she is
treated violently by the four men.

As mentioned in the previous section, women are misrepresented at an early age. Men
themselves are ill-portrayed as children who are violent, rebellious and authoritative. This
can be seen in TV ads where young boys look serious, tough in opposition to young girls
who care about puppets and toys.

No one can deny the truth that men are portrayed as active and handful in TV ads, but
no one can doubt the degree to which they are mirrored as social monsters obsessed with
power and authority as the only ways through which they can express themselves.

38
CONCLUSION:

After having enough basic ideas about the true face of TV ads, we as audience must
start to question everything we receive from the media whether it is a fact or just an
information. The unlimited numbers of TV channels we watch and the unstoppable TV
ads we receive have a tremendous role in confining our thoughts and beliefs. As it is
mentioned in the beginning, the major focus of this paper is to highlight the notions of
opportunism and materialism underlying media sectors mainly TV ads. It is true that
without media we can never know what is going on around the globe; however, it
remains very legible that media with all its forms have widened the gaps between nations
and societies because of the stereotypical function it fulfils.

Technically speaking, advertising is a means through which an advertisement is carried

out in order to make products well known; whereas in reality, it is a destructive weapon
by which cultures and societies lose their identity. As a summation to what we have seen,
as active audience, we have to bear in mind that TV ads are socio-economically based
which means that the admen base their messages on social and economic needs of the
audience and the company. TV ads construct a platonic reality exempt from all that is
moral, decent and ethical.

The ultimate goal of this paper is to enrich the reader's understanding of the way media
rule and orient our lives. It is also to trigger our ability to criticize and deconstruct
ideologies underlying TV ads. "The only man who is educated is the man who has
learned how to […] adapt and change; the man who has realized that no knowledge is
secure, that only the process of seeking knowledge gives a basis for security" Rogers,
Carl (1969, p.104), This quote puts into question all that we know and sensitizes us about
the importance of not taking for granted all that is heard and read. That is, in a world full

39
of worries and uncertainties, we should continuously keep looking for the truth that does
not exist neither in TV ads nor through the voice of media holders.

"One that may be subjected, used, transformed, and improved. and that this docile body
can only be achieved through strict regiment of disciplinary acts" Foucault, Michel,
Discipline and Punish. The human body has always been the target of disciplines and
ideologies for the way we behave indicates the extent to which our lives are controlled by
external factors more than internal ones. TV ads also target our bodies in order to make
from us slaves to their ultimate goals. The target behind addressing the audience as
"docile bodies" is to clarify the role of TV ads in regulating our behaviors and how do
they dictate to us the way we must be.

Last but not least, every single day we are exposed to a huge number of TV ads, some
of them are easy to interpret while most of them are poisonous and unclear. For us to set
up a firewall against this type of ads, we need to have enough media literacy that could
lead us to a better understanding of what is the true message media holders want us to
receive and what are the things they want us to apply in our social and personal life.

40
WORKS CITED:

BOOKS:

Cook, Guy The discourse of Advertising, 1992

Dyer, Gillian Advertising as Communication, 1988

Torben Vestergaard & Kim Schorder The Language of Advertising, 1985

EBOOKS:

Du Plessis, Erik The Advertised Mind, 2005

Gary, R.Dahl Advertising for Dummies, 2nd edition, 2007

Gibbons, Joan Art and Advertising, 2005

Kardes, Frank, et al Applying Social Cognition to Consumer-focused Strategy,

2005

Steven J. Jackson & David L. Andrews Sport, Culture and Advertising: Identities,
Commodities and Politics of Representation, 2005

ARTICLES:

Deana A.Rohlinger "Eroticizing Men: Cultural Influences on Advertising and Male

Objectification", February 2002

Dukesand, Anthony "Negotiations and Exclusivity Contracts for Advertising"

Kyle Teater "Eroticism, Marketing and Abercrombie & Fetich", March 25, 2003

41
 Timothy P.Christy "Females' Perceptions of Offensive Advertising: The Importance
of Values, Expectations, and Control", Journal of Current Issues in Advertising
WEBSITES:
Racism and Sexism in Advertising, by Shafeeq Sadiq,
http://www.deltacollege.edu/org/deltawinds/DWOnline97/racismandsexisminads.html

The Oppression of Females in Advertising,

http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/ReportEssay/Science/Social
%5CThe_Oppression_of_Females_In_Advertising-32543.htm

Culture and Advertising: An Empirical Study of Cultural Dimensions on the

Characteristics of Advertisements,
http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/1/2/8/1/pages12814/p12814-1.php

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