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.