LESSON 28: STEREOTYPES IN ADVERTS

In lesson 27 we looked at the issue of issues - cause related adverts that had a clear aim in putting across a way of looking at the world, a desire to change how the audience thought about the particular issue, even to change audience behaviours.

We now need to consider a key element in adverts : the use of stereotypes.

Stereotypes are best defined as the giving of common attributes to a group or individual based on the behaviours of similar individuals or groups. Such actions may not always be negative - eg all people who wear glasses are intelligent. However, whilst serving the advertiser as a simple way to convey their messages about products or the users of their products, they often perpetuate a society's beliefs about the group being represented.