the role of advertising in communicating to the society on sensitive norms and expectations

the role of advertising in communicating to the society on sensitive norms and expectations

The article primarily focuses on a Gillette advertisement that was titled,’ We Believe: The Best Men Can Be.’. The advert was viewed by millions of persons worldwide and received mixed reactions because of the various issues that were going on in the society, such as sexual harassment, bullying, and the standard excuse that boys will always be boys. Some men felt their masculinity threatened since the message in the advert wanted them to be kinder to others. Others welcome the message and thought that this is what should define the modem masculinity. The advert, without a doubt, demonstrated to the world how difficult it is to change the perceptions of a cultural movement and the narrow-minded descriptions and expectations of masculinity. Moreover, not only did the men feel their masculinity threatened, but also some women thought that the masculinity of the men had been threatened. Further, the advert showed how over the years, advertising had played a role in reinforcing the narrow-minded definition of masculinity, which says that men have to be physically strong, the economic providers and sex conquerors. Therefore, we need more adverts like this Gillette advert that will impact cultural and social norms and expectations in the right way. The essay seeks to determine the role of advertising in communicating to the society on sensitive norms and expectations such as masculinity and how the messages in adverts help change the community for the better.

One primary strategy that the author of the article uses to present the evidence of modern masculinity is by highlighting the social change that has taken place. The advert clearly showed that people were aware that the status quo about masculinity had changed. Further, the advert showed that men have become more respectful and were not seeking to cause harm to the female gender. Another strategy is highlighting what society says is bad behavior. For instance, the author stresses that if society sees a sister or a friend being harassed by a man, they need to call out the mean. Further, if a friend shares an inappropriate message in a Watsup group, they have to be asked why and if a person is uncomfortable with something that a friend has said, they need not remain silent. The author even highlights that the daughter of the famous civil rights activists supported the commercial and said that it is pro-humanity since t showed that persons could adapt to the changes occurring in society. The last strategy is by giving examples of various other brands that have used their commercials to address multiple social or political issues in the community. The author acknowledges that when a brand advert deals with either social or political issues, there will always be criticism. For instance, in 2017, the Pepsi advertisement was criticized for highlighting police brutality and Nike for supporting American footballer Colin Kaepernick by Refusing to stand up for the national anthem.

The language and tone in the article are calm, logical, and measured. The author of the article doesn’t want to take sides but wants to sound intelligent, reasonable, and knowledgeable not only about masculinity but various other social issues. The author is also hopeful that men would embrace the role of being role models in society since men are influential when it comes to how children and young adults understand the world.

The hopefulness is also seen when the author states that men have an excellent opportunity to reshape what it means to be a man and show the next generation show to be respectful and caring. The reasonability of the author is displayed when there is an acknowledgment that change is not easy, and it will take time before all the men agree that there is a new era of masculinity that requires the men to be respectful. The intelligence in the article is demonstrated when the author encourages brands to have adverts that address the political and social issues in our societies. Adverts, especially of big brands, usually reach millions of persons, and the message in these adverts can lead to discussions that might, in the end, be beneficial to our society.

In conclusion, this is one article that was well represented by the author. The author wanted the readers of the article to understand the importance of brand adverts in advancing social and political issues. For instance, in this case, the author wanted to show the difference between the new era and old era masculinity. Further, the author acknowledges that every message that a brand presents usually has critics, and it is essential for the brand to understand what it stands for and support only what it believes in. Finally, the messages that brands pass across in our society using adverts are critical. They not only raise awareness about important issues like masculinity and police brutality, but they also encourage people to think of what is best for them and change accordingly. It is, therefore, significant to encourage our brands to be more active in highlighting social and political issues.