Do you think sex and beauty are controversial concepts commonly used in advertising as a theme to appeal to a certain audience? Can sex be represented differently depending on the culture? Is the United States doing a good job targeting the gay and lesbian market?
These are some of the questions I can think of once we have the opportunity to explore new cultures and embrace our differences no matter how hard they seem to be. The marketing expertise, well practiced, has the ability to change perception, sets of minds and ideally produce an action upon the audience; therefore why do we as professionals, don’t get together and teach the society these differences in order to provide social acceptance and embrace the divergence among us.
I can understand there are certain boundaries that society must respect in order to keep civilization under a certain structure, but I believe we can reach the goal through clever, tasteful and creative strategies that can not only sell a product or service to a specific target group, but also ultimately teach society.
The picture I attached to this article was taken in Berlin on June 09. The photo portrays two regular young and modern gay men who are kissing each other at a train station, which as you can see is the background. The idea of having a train station as a background can have many interpretations. One idea that comes to my mind is the fact that some gay people feel scared of coming out of the closet of simple don’t what to realize the fact that they are homosexuals so they hide or stay in their own areas so people don’t see them. Second, the train can be seen as a symbol for time and change.
Another interesting element of the ad is the copy, which are not only written in German but also Turkish and Arabic.
Apparently, the Turkish as well as the Arabic community characterizes for been a chauvinistic society; in consequence I believe this ad is designed to reach that specific market in the Turkish community where the ad was found. We can also take into analysis the models that represent this community and probably the difference among them. These variations can be detected in the color of the skin and also in the noses shapes.
Another element I would like to highlight is the fact that I haven’t seen this ad in any other areas of the city so that makes me think that this ad is really for an specific target audience.
In conclusion sexuality in advertising is a great theme for marketers to take into consideration for specific markets, but its also necessary to be precise and more important to understand the target group so you know that the concept of the ad is well represented; otherwise you can build an incorrect brand image for a brand or service. It is never enough to say that the essence of marketing is to change perception and as a consequence sale a product or service.
I really enjoyed you assessment of the advertisement. I had never realized that the two men were kissing at a train station with a moving train in the background. I agree that this can have several symbolic meanings, specifically that of time and change. It is important for media representations of minorities and different sexual preferences are that of moving forward. The media has a responsibility to open people’s minds and hearts to other cultures.
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