Book Notes/Research

Controversies in Contemporary Advertising, Gender and Advertising, Chapter 7:

- 'not only do advertisers view men and women differently, but men and women also bring different perspectives to advertising' (women tend to look towards the deeper meaning of the advert whereas men see it for how it is)

- 'the media portrays women in one of four ways; the glamorous sex kitten, the sainted mother, the devious witch or the hard face corporate and political climber'  (world savvy monitor 2011, UNESCO report)

- 'most heroes and protagonists on television are men, and men's sports are far more visible than women's sports;

- the type of advertising shown depends on the time of day (audience dependent)

The quotes that I took from this chapter are written in detail in my notes. As I was reading through the various texts I had gathered and making notes of the relevant areas and quotes I was also noting down how this relates to my essay and how I could bring it in to my writing.  

The Art of Looking Closer, Volume 1, Sex, lies and stereotypes:

- Underwear advertising - although the advert may feature a toned, good looking man, the audience is not always the men who will be wearing the underwear, but the women who are buying it for the men

- e.g Calvin Klien, as well as having he image of the 'ideal man' the 'ideal woman' is used to inspire the female audience by using a model who 'everyone' wants to be. This implants the image into the publics mind of what women should look like, although many would disagree

- Stereotypical models are used to create a visual message to the audience. For this example, giving the message that for a man to look like the model, they must have such underwear

 - People have this opinion subconsciously as many would disagree that they believe this but it is what has implemented them to buy the product

- Jacob Jacoby 'The aim is first to generate attention. How you do it doesn't matter. Research suggests that over time, people separate the source of the material from the context of the message so all you recall in the end is the label'

- This would explain why in advertising, the main focus of the advert is not always the product that is trying to be sold. This may be because to attract the audience there has to be a form of reliability/deeper meaning to create a want for the product. This vary of focus is the reason why we focus so much on the model in the advert, aspiring to be like them or having a image of the masculine and feminine gender

This source of information gave me an argument behind the research question I am answering in the essay. It was also influential to read other academic writing pieces to get an understanding of the tone of voice that is appropriate, as well as how the essay should be structured. I will be able to apply this to my own writing and hopefully achieve a similar outcome. 

David Gauntlett (2008) Media, Gender and Identity:

John Berger, Ways of Seeing:

Watching a video to gather information for the essay allowed me to explore an alternative method of research. It was highlighted that in Study Task 02 that using a variety of research resources is important. Watching the video meant that I was able to make notes whilst watching and I was able to replay any areas that I felt I didn't understand therefore could listen again. It was also good to hear another persons opinion of advertising and having it clearly explained. 

Planning and Structuring an Essay

OUGD501 – STUDY TASK 5 – PLANNING & STRUCTURING AN ESSAY Module Question:  To what extent does advertising construct our ideas of gender? Which Academic Sources will you reference? Include a Harvard Referenced bibliography of at least 5 sources. - Gauntlett, D. (2008) Media, Gender and identity. London: Routledge  - Dyer, G (1988) Advertising as communication. London: Routledge - Looking Closer - Critical Writings on Graphic Design, Issue 1,  - Sheehan, K (2004) Controversies in contemporary advertising, Los Angeles: Sage Publications.   - Barry, P (2008) The Advertising Concept Book, London: Thames and Hudson, Page 9 What Graphic Design will you analyse? Include at least one piece of Graphic Design to analyse in depth (but no more than three) How has advertising changed in the past ten years:                           - less of a stereotyped approach is taken in some cases (more related to household products and food)   - in previous years there would have been a particular type of person selected for the advertisement where as in more current day advertising this is not the case...why, because society has stood against gender stereotypes and it is seen in a more negative way now therefore the advertisement would not be effective - on the other hand, the type of person selected is for a particular reason, mainly to attract the audience - although the level of stereotypes has reduced, previous advertising has influenced our ideas of gender in a way that we associate certain products, appearances and job roles with each gender however it is now moving in a different direction to keep up with modern opinions, displaying men and women for the same role - without advertising creating ideas of gender, would they be able to successfully sell their product or achieve successful advertising?  - some companies are knowingly stereotypical to appeal to their target audience, ignoring the thoughts of those who are not - stereotypes have been and are being continuously used in advertising to create the 'ideal' image of a person. this image is implanted subconsciously therefore creating a image of what we believe to be masculine or feminine  Essay Map Using the Study Task Handout, construct an essay map outlining the FOUR main points of your argument. This essay map should include a sentence which states your thesis, and how it will be addressed. It should also include FOUR sentences, each outlining a different element of your central argument. You should also refer to how this essay map links to the key sources that you have highlighted and the example(s) of Graphic Design practice. Peer Feedback – How could this Essay Map be refined / developed? Show this form to a fellow student. They should record their feedback in the box below - a more clear and direct link between your academic sources and areas that you are covering in the argument - having a clear structure to your essay would help, separating each area of the essay and covering them in detail  - looking more closely at your sources so that you get as much from them that you can